Opinions expressed by entrepreneurs’ colleagues are their very own.
Frank Neri He closed his first restaurant, PEZ when he got e -mail.
It was Monday when he announced the closure. Two days later, a message from the Michelin guide appeared asking for photos, details of the chef and a full description of the restaurant.
“We didn’t get a star,” says Neri. “But we’ve created a list. And we’ve already closed.”
Irony was not lost on it. After years of pouring the heart into PEZ, the concept of seafood in the sort of a baja rooted in an excellent restaurant, validation took place only a few days too late.
“The media jumped on it,” he says. “History appeared about how we closed just before the list was released.”
But this experience gave Neri brightness. He chased perfection and ambitions and learned how a great restaurant might be. This lesson remained with him. Just like the need for evolution.
“I used to think that an excellent restaurant meant success,” he explains. “Now I know that it’s about doing one thing really good, keeping a small team and maintaining focus.”
Like many others in the world of hospitality, Neri needed to learn publicly. He made difficult decisions, faded closures and leaned on a group of local restaurateurs at Miami in WhatsApp to share strategies and correspond to frustrations during a pandemic.
The group, which he jokingly calls the Cuban mafia, included some of the most influential city operators. “One day they said:” Tomorrow we are talking to the mayor, we press the full capability, “recalls Neri. “And then it should occur.”
These difficult lessons have transformed his approach to business. He became the beginning Primo Red Tacos.
Birria taco boom
When the neri pandemic hit had a selection. Instead of double the dining room and a complicated menu, he simplified. He took a slowly organized beef recipe Birria, one that served quietly into Brunch, and turned it into a central point of the pop -up window. Only Birria. Only to remove. Twenty hours a week.
Within a few days, people arrange around the block.
But the movement was not only reactive. The foundation was arranged many years earlier during a trip to Tijuana in 2012. Neri remembers the exact date, July 28, because she modified the way he thought about taste.
“I had this toast with yellow tuna and Machaka,” he says. “I trained in France and Spain, but it was something different. The explosion of taste.”
It was not about copying this dish; It was about chasing this sense. The impact of the brave, unexpected combination of taste was inspired by Neri’s approach to Tacos. He desired to create something equally unforgettable, but rooted in his own voice and vision.
Many years later, when no person in Miami did Tacos as he remembered, Neri gave the city six months to do it. When no person did it, he began his own concept: Primo Red Tacos.
Now it is positioned in the center of Miami, Primo Red Tacos It maintains the menu tense and special focus. The specialty is Birria, and all the pieces turns around, doing it well. “We specialize. We believe it,” he says. “Specialize, perfectly and all this.”
Even the rules are personal. Neri’s mother -in -law helped shape the original Birria mix, which he adapted well.
Neri offers its advice with the same brightness because it results from a hard opinion. Make small steps. Avoid a disterested menu. Focus on what you care about the most. This way of considering not only helped him bounce; It gave him a latest growth plan.
The defeat didn’t end his profession. A scene was established for something more concentrated, more purposeful and more successful. “We are proud of our food,” says Neri. “Everyone is doing Birria now, but not everyone is doing it well. Nobody does it like us.”
ABOUT Influence of restaurants
Influence of restaurants It is provided by toast, a powerful restaurant system and a management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create higher guests.
Toast – driving successful restaurants. Learn more about Toast.
Frank Neri He closed his first restaurant, PEZ when he got e -mail.
It was Monday when he announced the closure. Two days later, a message from the Michelin guide appeared asking for photos, details of the chef and a full description of the restaurant.
“We didn’t get a star,” says Neri. “But we’ve created a list. And we’ve already closed.”
The remainder of this text is blocked.
Join the entrepreneur+ Today for access.