Today, Atlanta chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie announced his new parent company Red Beard Restaurants, which he said will maintain consistency at both Gunshow and Revival, his second restaurant, slated to open in Decatur on July 23, if all goes according to plan.
In the press release, Gillespie said another reason for the move was “ensuring smart expansion for future development and providing consulting services to other food and beverage start-ups.”
“Trying to figure out how I would split my time between my two restaurants prompted me to ask myself, ‘how do I ensure that Gunshow doesn’t fall off course when I’m at Revival?’ It was then that I realized we could really benefit from having a single entity to hold our entire team to a certain standard and sustain the values that are important to us,” Gillespie said.
More points from today’s press release:
Joining Gillespie as the company’s director of food and beverage is Marco Shaw, a longtime friend and business associate for whom Gillespie worked in Portland, Oregon, at Fife Restaurant. Shaw owned Fife Restaurant for nine years, in addition to owning Full Plate Restaurant in Portland and then Piedmont and Zely & Ritz in Raleigh, North Carolina. Shaw’s successful restaurant ownership and management experience combined with his many executive chef roles make him the most well-rounded candidate for the job.
In addition to Gillespie and Shaw, Red Beard Restaurants’ executive team also includes director of development M. Blake Morley, who first worked with Gillespie at Woodfire Grill as the restaurant’s beverage manager. Morley was Gunshow’s opening general manager and, after being promoted multiple times, has since discovered that his real strengths lie in creating and developing new business. Gillespie considers him to be the “person who sees what it will take in reality to make my ideas happen.”
Red Beard Restaurants will also employ a small sales team to coordinate events held at Gunshow and Revival. Additionally, the company will oversee all of Gillespie’s merchandise ranging from home goods to cookbooks to clothing, so that he can remain closely involved in the design of these products.
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