Time Love Care
Hi, I’m Steve Kapelonis. I love cooking, especially for my friends and family. I enjoy watching them eat the food I make and when they describe the flavors and the taste.
My restaurant career began in my family’s restaurant, Eva’s on 8th St. in Greenwich Village, New York.
I used to help my mother in the kitchen, that’s how I came to appreciate the effort and commitment it takes to become a great cook. She taught me everything she knew about preparing vegetables, meats, sauces and most importantly, spices.
I had the passion, the vision and the will to open my own restaurant. The industry was going through a transformation as people started to seek more healthy food options. That happened to be my niche, and I seized the opportunity to open The Pump Energy Food Restaurant.
Opening the Pump was no easy task; in fact, it was the hardest thing I had ever done. Through all of it, I was fortunate to be working with a partner (my wife) who shared my vision and my drive.
The Pump soon became a huge success!
My wife and I opened four more restaurants throughout Manhattan and business could hardly have been better. We worked to keep pace with the culinary preferences of New York City. People wanted to eat clean, and that’s exactly what we offered our diners. The Pump was regularly visited by athletes like Serena Williams, and had notable regulars from Dave Matthews, Brooke Shields or Howard Stern. For six years, The Pump’s restaurants were regularly featured in the “Must Eat” spots of New York City. This led to a steady flow of Investors calling to see about the possibility of expanding “The pump”.
After growing to five high trafficked locations, Steve sold the locations and concept to Digg Inn.
An element of good fortune has helped me, as it has others in the restaurant business, but I also believe hard work was indispensable to my success. In opening five restaurants and assisting in the opening of six others, I have always followed the same 7 rules:
- Lead by example. I believe in teaching employees to be leaders and to think for themselves.
- Build a strong team. Do not hire simply for the sake of filling a position. Hire someone who wants to learn to do their best and to teach others.
- Always serve your customers your best. That is quality.
- The restaurant must always be clean. It’s required by the Health Department, but it will never go unnoticed by your customers.
- Always provide great service. This needs no further explanation.
- Keep the books balanced. This means payroll, food costs, and fixed expenses. Many restaurants fail simply because the books are not figured into operating costs. Expenses change. Be prepared for these eventualities and manage accordingly.
- Be mindful of promotions. Promotions are vital to restaurants for attracting new customers, as well as providing an incentive for old customers to return.
My experience in the restaurant industry has given me an appreciation for good food and great dining. I love going into a restaurant and meeting the owners, the chefs and the staff, and hearing their vision and goals for the restaurant.
With my videos, I hope to showcase each restaurant in a more personal and nuanced way that cannot be achieved alone by photos, menus or even websites. As much as possible for a viewer who is not physically present with me, I want to convey the atmosphere, the aromas and flavors that will await them when they come to the restaurant.
After all, there’s few things with the universal power to bring people together like food. Being a part of that process brings me pride and happiness.