10 minute read
With soul
from CCR Issue 4, 2022
A special supplement to:
Michael Boland Restaurant Manager, Mabel’s BBQ
With soul
The arched ceilings. Industrial lighting. The brick is reminiscent of The Westside Market, a beloved historical Cleveland landmark. Everything that the Mabel’s BBQ team did in the design of the restaurant was done with purpose. Take the bar, which is designed to look like a Coleman cooler, features a metal bar top and deep green sides.
The goal for the interior of the restaurant was for it to look like a BBQ pit with paint drips going down the walls to replicate charring. One of two Mabel’s in the Cleveland area, chef, restaurateur and TV personality Michael Symon has created another venture that strikes at the very soul of the elements it plays in. For the man who cooks with soul, creating restaurant ventures following that same template continues to serve him well. Along with Mabel’s, Symon has created Lola, Roast, Bar Symon, Angeline and B Spot Burgers—each offering a sliver of how he was raised and what foods shaped him. As an Iron Chef on the Food Network, Burgers, Brew & ‘Que, and ABC’s resident chef, Symon has turned his celebrity into restaurants to die for.
Mabel’s BBQ is a Cleveland-style barbecue restaurant located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, becoming the kind of place where locals cannot only find the BBQ they like, but also a communal place that feels like home. We sat down with Symon to get his thoughts on why Mabel’s BBQ just might put Cleveland on the barbecue map.
Give us a snapshot of your restaurant brand?
We have two restaurants that serve our Cleveland-style BBQ. All of our meats are smoked in house, over local fruitwood. Our Cleveland BBQ sauce is Bertman’s Ballpark mustard and apple cider vinegar based, and we use Eastern European spices in our dry rubs. Local pickles, sauerkraut, and rye bread are served with every order. Our flagship Mabel’s BBQ opened on East 4th in downtown Cleveland in April 2016. We just opened our second location, Mabel’s BBQ Eton, in Woodmere this past March.
We aim to never stop growing. Who knows, one day maybe we’ll even ship our BBQ.
What type of consumer are you targeting?
Our East 4th restaurant targets the typical businessperson for lunch, and those who come for special events such as professional sport games, concerts, comedy shows, plays and musicals, etc. for dinner. We are within walking distance to Rocket Mortgage Field House, Progressive Field, FirstEnergy Stadium and Playhouse Square. We also are heavily supported by tourism. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is less than a mile from East 4th and, in the summer, Cleveland turns into a city people from all over come to explore. Our newest restaurant is located in a mall, Eton, so we are able to attract shoppers, as well as people from surrounding areas. We are fortunate to be located in the neighborhood we are. What type of adjustments have you made with everything going on today?
Carry out has greatly increased over the last two years. We kept that in mind when we were designing our Woodmere location. We made the host stand much larger in order to accommodate two heating shelves. We also installed a carry out window called “The Window,” so guests can just walk right up to pick up their meal.
How does your design cater to what today’s consumers want?
There has been a real surge of whiskey appreciation in recent years, and we have been fortunate to cater to whiskey and bourbon lovers at both locations, with more than 300 selections between the
EST 2010
two. Our bars at both locations display our collections well. Our host stand at Mabel’s BBQ Eton allows for guests to come up and grab their to-go food quickly by utilizing “The Window.”
Is there a location that shows how the brand interacts with the community and customers?
Both locations are our favorites. The East 4th location, although event driven, has regulars who dine with us weekly. We also have customers who regularly travel to Cleveland for business and make it a point to stop in and eat with us. For being at the heart of downtown Cleveland, we see familiar faces constantly. At our Woodmere location, we are fortunate to be in a suburban area, so we have families who come in regularly. There also are several businesses located at the mall, so we see businesspeople as well.
Walk us through how and why the locations are designed the way they are?
Everything in our restaurant was done with a purpose. The bar was designed to look like a Coleman cooler, with its metal bar top and deep green sides. The goal for the interior of the restaurant was for it to look like a BBQ pit with paint drips going down the walls to replicate charring. The arched ceilings, industrial lighting, and brick are reminiscent of The Westside Market, a historical Cleveland landmark. Our downtown location features communal tables, and it is so fun to see different groups interacting with one another. Mabel’s BBQ Eton is a mirror of our downtown location. We wanted to have symmetry with our brand. We are lucky to have a bigger bar at our Woodmere location, and it is so nice to see it full of folks grabbing a drink and a bite to eat after work or mingling while waiting for their table.
Take us through your construction and design strategy.
Richardson Design was responsible for both locations, and they were so successful in creating a laid-back, industrial vibe that is still warm and inviting.
What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?
When we were doing construction for our Woodmere location, we found that some items were not as readily available as they once were. We had to be adaptive in order to get the space opened and functioning how we wanted. We did not want to cut corners but had to be flexible. It took some trial and error, but we got it to where it needed to be and are very happy with the end result. Talk about sustainability. What are you doing?
It can be difficult to be sustainable in a restaurant, but it is important to us. For any paper goods we may have, they are compostable. We try to avoid single-use plastic. We like to work with companies that take sustainability seriously as well.
Are you optimistic about how the marketplace has responded to everything happening today?
Yes, we are. We have seen a huge increase in carry out, and it has stayed steady as the months have passed. During the height of the pandemic, we created Heat at Home kits for major holidays, and the support we received was overwhelming. We still offer two on our menu to this day.
We also started selling our house made rubs and BBQ sauces, much to everyone’s excitement. Their love for Mabel’s really helped, and we are grateful to all who have purchased them. Carry out has been huge at our Woodmere location, and we are happy with its success so far. We have also switched to the Toast POS system, which allows for integration of third-party apps such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and GrubHub. Anything to help capture sales, in a more seamless way, we are game for.
What’s your growth plan?
We aim to never stop growing. Who knows, one day maybe we’ll even ship our BBQ.
What’s the secret to creating a “must visit” restaurant environment today?
With every customer we serve, we always aim to give flawless hospitality. We always are so pleased to hear that guests not only like the food but are happy with the service as well. We also make sure to use fresh, local ingredients, and get meat from humanely raised and hormone free animals. It is important for us
to use the best cuts of meat, even if it is a bit more expensive. By choosing quality over cost, we can serve food that we are proud it. We have also changed our social media presence. It is important to stay active on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and even TikTok. It also is important for us to respond to each comment and message we get. We love when people share their dining experience with all of their followers.
What trends are you seeing?
The increase in carry out has been tremendous. We never saw any desire for large carry out orders, but now, we put together large orders almost every week. Since whiskey has been gaining popularity, we now have four different spirit flights on our menu, and they are very popular.
What’s today’s consumer looking for?
All in all, people are looking for a great product, and great service. We provide both of those things, every day.
What’s the biggest item on your to-do list?
The biggest item on our to-do list is getting enough staff to get open for more days and more hours. We are fortunate to have a very tenured staff, many of whom have been with the company for five-plus years. We want to be competitive, so we are offering a higher hourly wage for our BOH staff. This not only allows us to be open more, longer, but for our staff members to provide for themselves and their families.
Describe a typical day.
There is no typical day here at Mabel’s. Each shift is unique, but that is what makes it exciting and enjoyable.
Tell us what makes your brand so unique?
Because Mabel’s BBQ is a Chef Michael Symon restaurant, the TV presence really draws guests to us. We are lucky to be sought out by so many. Ticket times at our restaurant are so quick too, because everything is smoked in house, and people know they can come in and have a quick, but delicious meal. Our excellent service and hospitality are also reasons people keep coming back. CK
One-on-One with... Michael Symon
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
We are filled with so much pride with every compliment on food, drink and service we receive. It makes us very happy to know that people can come in to dine with us and feel taken care of.
What was the best advice you ever received?
“Sweat the small stuff.” By paying attention to the smaller details, the bigger issues that may arise will be easy to solve.
What’s the best thing a client ever said to you?
We have this regular, Mike, who would order from us at least once a week (sometimes more) during the height of the pandemic. After a while, we became accustomed to his order, and would just start answering the phone “Hi Mike. Would you like your usual?” He recently said the gesture was so special to him, especially during that time, and really made him feel connected to us.
Name the three strongest traits any leader should have and why.
Approachability, compassion, and loyalty. It is important for our staff to feel as though they can go to their leaders and be heard, and also know that they play an important role in the restaurant. We have created a great environment here.
