“I’m terrible at names, but I can remember faces and tell you exactly what you ordered at the restaurant and the conversations we had.”
-J.R Zincone, manager, Woodfire Grill
Zincone knew what table (53) a couple dined at on their first visit to Woodfire Grill. The second time, the man came with business partners and Zincone remembered the same bottle of wine the man ordered and delivered it to the table. It gave the man the sense of being a regular.
While Woodfire Grill has had some chef shuffles in the past two years, one thing that has remained constant is the warm welcome guests receive from Zincone. He has truly engrained the “hospitality” part of working 30 years in the industry.
How do you explain your approach towards guests at Woodfire Grill?
My philosophy is that if you take care of the guests, everything else will take care of itself. You go to a lot of restaurants where you only see a manager if there’s a problem. But I find a natural way to spark conversation at the table, whether I run the next course or fill water. It tells me why people are here and builds a rapport.
But you said you are bad with names. How do you remember guests?
The aid of Open Table helps. We can store specific notes about guests, like setting the table differently because we knew a guest was left-handed, or acknowledging them if they are from out of town.
That sounds like a lot of effort. Has it ever backfired on you?
One time Jon Favreau came to eat at the restaurant, and I was positive he had eaten here before, not realizing he was an actor. I treated him like a regular- I gave him a few extras and paired a wine with one course. At the end of the meal he came up to me and gave me a big handshake and said, “Thanks for treating me like a regular guy. This was the best service I’ve ever had.” It wasn’t until later that I realized who he was. But he told my boss he felt right at home.
So where did you learn the keys to personal service?
We always dined at this restaurant in upstate New York when I was a kid. When we arrived, my mom's and dad’s Manhattans were already on the table, and their salads were already out. It was the personalization of service and hospitality that really clicked with me. When I worked at a country club as bar manager, I did the same thing. I knew what the guests always ordered without having to ask; what he drank when he was with his wife or when he had just lost a game on the golf course.
Here at Woodfire, you don’t have 400 of the same clientele. How does that differ?
I take the philosophy of seeing the same people daily and carry it over. We try to become personal with our guests. I give them my card and tell them to call me personally, because I will always try to find a table for them.
Now let's talk about the location. The restaurant is in an odd spot. Do you think that affects the perception?
This area used to be restaurant row; Nakato, the Colonnade and Johnny’s Pizza have been here for decades. I think we are right in the sweet spot, and I believe in the next five or 10 years there will be resurgence. We are right off the highway in the middle of Buckhead and Midtown. The businesses surrounding us may not be commensurate to what we are doing, but it’s like New York City where there were high-end restaurants that were off the beaten path.
Woodfire is so traditional, but how do you surprise your guests?
People have a connection with fine dining and wine. I’ve really come to understand that craft beer is just as complex and subtle as wine and food pairing. I went to local breweries to find out how to pair beers with our tasting menu. One time we had a brewery brew two beers specifically to complement one of our roasted beet courses. One beer was brewed with beet sugars and one with smoked hickory.
What about the chef shifts? How was working with both Kevin Gillespie and Tyler Williams?
It’s offered an opportunity for the people who worked here to see two completely different styles of cooking. Both chefs truly knew who they were as a chef. Kevin brought a comfort level to his food, making food that was approachable but really took five hours of prep. And with Tyler I’ve learned so much more about food and technique and innovation. His style focused on world influenced flavors that I’ve never seen before, but he’ll say, “yes you’ve had this at an Indian restaurant, but I’m doing this with it.”
What were the biggest similarities between the chefs?
The connecting fiber between the two chefs was the emphasis on seasonality and local food. I would love to see how their food would come together.
About the Author
