Andrew Gruel is a chef, food entrepreneur and television personality. He is founder of Slapfish Restaurant Group (27 locations), an award-winning restaurant company based in Huntington Beach, CA, and American Gravy Restaurant Group. Andrew discusses entrepreneurship, the impact of the pandemic on the restaurant industry, and suggestions for a New Year's Eve menu!
The following has been edited for context and clarity.
Federal Newswire:
You got involved in politics because of the challenges that your restaurants were facing. Is that right?
Chef Andrew Gruel:
Correct. Well, partially correct. I always have been political. I just wasn't public about it. I actually was very involved growing up Youth and Government, Model UN, I volunteered for various state senators. My mother was involved in politics, she was a police commissioner, but I ended up in the restaurant industry. And the one thing I did learn from politics is, unless you're diving in, keep your mouth shut.
Federal Newswire:
Were you affiliated with any political party?
Chef Andrew Gruel:
I understood both sides of the aisle. I was always conservative, but with a big libertarian or kind of backbone based on freedom, individual liberties, et cetera.
Federal Newswire:
When did you open up your first restaurant?
Chef Andrew Gruel:
I opened my first food truck in 2011. And that was my foray into the restaurants because I needed to raise the capital, or at least establish brand equity in order to get the first brick and mortar. In 2011, we were still in the throes of the 2008, 2009 recession economy and raising money for a restaurant wasn't easy. I used the food truck literally as the vehicle through which I could get into that brick and mortar. So after I opened the food truck, I opened my first restaurant six months later.
Federal Newswire:
What government policies in relation to COVID presented the most challenges for restaurants?
Chef Andrew Gruel:
When COVID came around … here's the government … and here's your business. We break it based on all of the mandates, the shut-downs, the regulations.
You need to pause everything, … you need to also subsidize the payrolls of all the people … working at those restaurants. They don't think of the ripple effect.
And then maybe a month or two later, "Okay, we're going to pause your rent and the government's going to help you there." And then a month or two later, "Okay, we're going to get that money to you for your employees."
In that first phase, everyone started talking about, "We're going to get the checks and we're going to get help from the government?” And “where's the government going to help?” And “are we going to pause on our rent and commercial rent?"
And I said, "Guys, it's been two months now … at least 30 to 40% of all restaurants are done. They're empty” … Many of these people are now still struggling to get by.
Federal Newswire:
Can you explain the ripple effects of supply chain issues, inflation, and energy costs?
Chef Andrew Gruel:
Supply chain is huge. The inability to get products into restaurants creates economic kick up that is independent from the Fed and money being printed, inflation, what we're seeing on that side of the coin. It creates this incredible demand for a short supply of products. Prices then are going to reflect that demand.
The nature of supply and demand makes the price structure just so askew that if you throw inflation into that mix, it's the perfect storm.
And we're still living in that world.
The reality of the situation is if there are any hiccups from a supply chain perspective or an international crisis, then you're left holding the bag or you're left without the products and your economy can just be turned upside down overnight. And that's what happened with us.
I've been preaching about this for years, that we need to domesticate our food supply system from pharmaceuticals all the way to apples and oranges.
Federal Newswire:
Can you explain how those lobster operations in Maine got into a controversy with the government recently ?
Chef Andrew Gruel:
Well, with the Maine fishery, (it related to) right whales … And the right whales have been around for hundreds and thousands of years. The populations have been declining as have the populations of all whale species all over the world. I mean, it's a result of so many different factors … and guess who's the target? The Maine lobster fishermen. So they're saying the main lobster fishermen, maybe their traps are getting entangled with the right whales, although there hasn't been a documented entanglement for 20+ years. They're managing the oceans in a way that you can't do from a government office on a spreadsheet.
Federal Newswire:
How do folks find out more about what you're up to?
Chef Andrew Gruel:
Chefgruel.com is the website or you can just go on to my Twitter @ChefGruel, Instagram @AndrewGruel.
