Hi, I’m Chick Evans, Owner of Great Coast Commons Restaurant in Kenilworth. I have owned and operated restaurants for over 25 years, the last five of those primarily dedicated as owner-operator of Great Coast, which opened in January of 2020.
I started in restaurants as a teenage busboy over 40 years ago, and went on to graduate from the Hotel School at Cornell University. I believe those I work with and serve would agree that I am still a good busboy. I am hands-on in the operation and hospitality of Great Coast. I am more FOH than BOH, but involved and jump in anywhere as needed. We have two fantastic chefs running our kitchen, but I have no problem doing the dishes, blanching the fries or whatever helps the chefs when we occasionally find our team short on players.
I work the host stand (we call it the door) pretty much every Friday and Saturday, and some weeks more nights or every night, depending on staffing and anticipated business levels. I call it traffic control. I greet, meet, seat, and manage the reservations, trying to accommodate as many guests as possible, in a manner that is hospitable to all guests and our team. The goal is to keep a happy steady flow. We get really busy and often I negotiate seating and duration with our most flexible and supportive guests. I answer the phones, and take orders for carryout and delivery. In my free time, I water, bus and reset tables. When there is downtime, visiting with guests and wandering the room checking in with a water pitcher is an enjoyable and valuable pastime. I am looking for someone capable of doing all of this, and more.
We have a great wait and bar staff of mature restaurant professionals. The individuals on our team are kind, aware and hard-working. Everyone has each other’s backs and treats each guest as their own, without regard to section or table assignments. It is truly a pleasure to work with this team, many of whom voluntarily lead and take on additional responsibilities. There is a common understanding of our vision of hospitality and genuine appreciation of our guests. This team does not require micromanagement, just competent support, active communication and gentle development.
Great Coast is successful in achieving our vision of being a great neighborhood restaurant. I describe our fare as American Bistro. We have excellent food, cocktails and wine. Our guests, so many of them regulars, love us. We have meaningful relationships with many of them. We are open six nights a week from our 3:30pm happy hour through dinner service. We are currently closed on Mondays.
Our success as Kenilworth’s first and only restaurant has led to the purchase of another building, just two doors north of Great Coast. We are currently in the planning and design stage for a new hospitality establishment at that location which can be best-described as a village Irish pub and pizzeria. We plan to open in the third or fourth quarter of this year. This new project requires more of my attention, and operating both will require more leadership, basically more of what I do, both in the operation and in the office.
Leadership and competence is needed in the office. I need help with general organization, systemization, training materials, marketing, internal communication and rapid response to inquiries and requests. Administrative work is no longer a good use of my time. Certain office tasks will always require my attention, but many things I believe will be better handled and completed by someone who has the dedicated time and is more suited to the tasks.
An aware, kind, organized and communicative person, competent and eager in FOH restaurant operations and in the office, will be the best fit for this position. I also require someone who will maintain an open and active dialog with me. Formalized meetings are generally not needed, but ongoing open communication and discretion will always be necessary in this position.
Hours, work schedule and compensation are up for negotiation. It is my intent to find the right person and evolve the position and compensation for our mutual long-term fulfillment and success.
If you are interested, I would love to hear from you. Please email cover letter and resume. Thank you for your interest.
