The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Focus on guests key to restaurant success
Roswell native and restaurateur Ryan Pernice opened his first restaurant, Table & Main, at just 25 years old. Debuting in 2011 in historic Roswell on bustling Canton Street, the restaurant’s hometown location made perfect sense to Pernice, who moved there with his family in 1994 and witnessed Canton Street boom into an exciting destination over the years.
After graduating from Roswell High School, Pernice attended Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration (where he graduated with highest honors in 2007), and then went to work as a restaurant consultant for a couple of years before teaming up with award-winning restaurateur Danny Meyer in 2009 to help him open the acclaimed Maialino restaurant in New York.
Drawn to hospitality for its fast-paced nature and the constant challenges of playing so many different roles (dealing with accounting, marketing, HR and menu engineering, all before dinner service), Pernice applied his hospitality acumen at Table & Main, which serves simple, seasonal, Southern fare, and then at his second restaurant, Osteria Mattone ( just down the road on Canton Street) — which offers a menu of regional Italian cuisine with a Roman focus — in 2013.
His next venture, Coalition Food and Beverage, will open this summer in downtown Alpharetta. The OTP dining scene has certainly exploded in recent years, as more chefs and restaurateurs realize that the vibrant communities outside the city have tremendously attractive demographics and opportunities, Pernice explains. So while the lure of an intown location looms in his mind, the fertile ground OTP affords him and his team the ability to bide their time for the perfect opportunity. “We’ve got our hands full out here!” he jests.
The idea for Coalition came about after a conversation Pernice had with his brother Daniel Pernice, also Osteria’s co-owner, and Table & Main’s executive chef Woody Back. They were drawn to American cuisine and the idea of presenting familiar food and drink in a fun, high-energy setting, while bringing the hospitality-driven guest focus they’ve become known for to the table.
“Many of the cities around our home base of Canton Street are developing these amazing downtown centers that will bring such energy to the community,” he says. “We wanted to create a restaurant concept that taps into that sense of excitement. Coalition Food and Beverage believes in strengthening vibrant communities by offering a special place for families and neighbors to gather for a common purpose. At our restaurant, that common purpose is enjoying expressive, chef-driven American cuisine, carefully crafted drinks, and the spirited companionship of our guests.” The concept will feature a wood-burning grill as the kitchen’s centerpiece, and a beverage program led by Daniel that will include a wine list of “hidden” gems that don’t break the bank.
Along with launching Coalition, Pernice has also just started a hospitality group, R.O. Hospitality, which stands for “Reckless Optimism,” a lifestyle ideal he says he’d like to strive for in his day-to-day life. “I’d like to be more brave and adventurous than I probably am and live in a spirit of ‘reckless optimism,’” he says.
With two uber-popular restaurants under his belt and a third in the works, Pernice believes the recipe for success relies on several factors, including having a clear, compelling concept, because “Italian food” doesn’t cut it — “’concept’ and ‘cuisine’ are not the same,” he points out. Another key component: a team he can rely on to execute the restaurant’s vision and an understanding that the path to success lies in making the guest happy and eliminating any obstacles to that goal.
“I’m very much a people pleaser, so I spend a lot of time worrying about making sure our guests are happy, that our employees are happy, that our managers are happy. … I’ve not chosen a profession where I get to pack up after eight hours, call it a day, and move on to the next project. We get to make people happy for a living. I think that’s a pretty good gig. If we can do that day-in-day-out and make a little money in the process, I’d say that’s success.”
Table & Main, 1028 Canton St, Roswell. 678-869-5178, tableandmain.com.
Osteria Mattone, 1095 Canton St., Roswell. 678-878-3378, osteriamattone.com.