I had dinner this evening this evening at The Linkery in Northpark. I've been thinking of opening a restaurant and The Linkery has been an inspiration to me, so I wanted to feel the atmosphere and experience the restaurant concept. Here are Greg and Linsday scoping the place out for ideas.

When I arrived, Greg and Linsday were waiting at the bar. Nick and I walked in and were greeted by Jay Porter, the owner. He and I had talked some days earlier and I had spent hours reading the restaurant's website where even employee training materials are posted publicly, so I was very curious to see the restaurant in action and to find out if it lived up to what it claimed to be. After we were promptly seated, I started noticing the numerous details including the lighting (dim), what was playing on the television (sports, generally soccer), how the staff wasn't territorial (an 18% tip distributed amongst all staff is included in the bill so you can get help from any of the staff; this is the best thing ever!), how the waitress made an extra effort to accommodate Nick's request (something about him not liking wheat bread?), the beer selection and the old fashioned pump used to serve it, the knowledge of the staff about the food and drinks (they were confident and not afraid to suggest items they liked), how they left a jar of water on the table so you could refill your own cup (I hate waiting for my cup to be refilled), the information on the menu called "meet your meal" that describes the farmers who provide the food and how the food is produced (with words such as free of antibiotics, grass-fed, local, line-caught), and too many other details to mention.

What made this restaurant experience different than others was that I felt as if I was a character participating in a huge art project that I found beautiful. The art consisted of constructing a beautiful dining experience made up of quality ingredients that were farms you can respect, prepared in artisanal yet refined ways, served with a large selection of local beers in old-fashioned barrels, hosted by a friendly, knowledgeable team working together, and all this in a cozy atmosphere where the decor has been thought out in each small detail and at a price that is moderate.

For us, the price was $35 per person including drinks, appetizer, dinner, dessert, tax, and tip. Limiting that to just the main course, you might eat for $13 - $17 each including tax and tip with an equally good dining experience.

Many nice restaurants can claim some of these qualities, but this is the only restaurant I've ever been to to claim them all. I've read about others in San Diego and hope to try them soon.

When I sat down with Jay on May 24th to talk about how he would suggest we go about opening a restaurant, he outlined the following four extremely difficult steps.

Step 1. Decide what you want to do
Step 2. Get resources (financial, etc.)
Step 3. Figure out how to serve a specific community in a remarkable way
Step 4. Get somebody on your side who knows a little about the business (a consultant, friends in the restaurant business, etc.)

Thanks Jay for sharing your experience last week and for the wonderful dining experience this evening!

More Linkery Photos