Zach Sherman (00:10)
Hi everyone. And welcome back to Handling the Heat, the podcast by restaurantequipment.bid, where we share real stories from the people keeping the food world running. My name is Zach Sherman and today I’m joined by Mike Tugas, a close friend from college and also a fellow TagEx Brands and restaurantequipment.bid alum who’s worked with us in the past. These days, Mike is a front of house lead at Tavernetta in Denver, one of the city’s top restaurants and a Bib Gorman recipient from the Michelin Guide. He shares his journey from engineering into fine dining.

what it was like starting with zero restaurant experience and how mentorship, repetition and team culture helped him grow into the role. Let’s jump in.

Zach Sherman (00:49)
Mike, well, thank you so much for joining us here on handling the heat. Very excited to talk to you both as a friend, a fellow Tag X alum and also as a. ⁓

know, leader in the front of house space, really, really appreciate having you on.

Michael Tougas (01:05)
Yeah, of course. Cool opportunity. Excited to get into some topics with you. It’s cool.

Zach Sherman (01:10)
So before we get into the meat and potatoes of this, Mike want to ask you something that we ask all of our guests. What’s something that you’ve eaten recently that’s really, ⁓ tickled your fancy.

Michael Tougas (01:22)
Eating recently. Well, actually had a pretty big food week in Denver last week. My parents were in town, so was taking them all to spots. We did go to Tavernetta ⁓ That was great. Got to try some of spring dishes in full. But I would say honestly a sleeper pick. There’s this place called Atreia. ⁓ It’s in Union Station in Denver. So right in kind of that main bustling downtown area. And it’s a

Portuguese and Spanish tapas place. And I went there when I first moved to town, but it’s my first time back since and they’ve got an awesome happy hour. Like great priced little Magroni you can get, all the classic kind of tapas, your canto mate and you know, them while you lived in Barcelona, but they did a really good job. I was, I was really impressed. It’s a happy hour. I’ll definitely be hitting more in the future. Yeah.

Zach Sherman (02:13)
Lovely, that’s great. I

think, you know, just goes to show Denver of all places, having a lot of, you know, diverse food available Awesome. So Mike, obviously we have a bit of history together, but I wanna talk specifically about your experience in the food space. You’ve held a lot of different jobs, done a lot of different things in your life, traveled around a lot.

Michael Tougas (02:20)
Mm-hmm.

Zach Sherman (02:36)
And I think because of that, have one of the more interesting journeys to being in a position where you are front of house at a, you know, well-established fine dining of sorts restaurants. can you kind of talk us through your background and how you found yourself working at Tavernetta?

Michael Tougas (02:56)
Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, I would say I’ll start at the beginning. as you know, at Michigan, I was a civil and environmental engineering major. So worked in project management, civil engineering, design, those sorts of things for a number of years out of school and then kind of realized that my passion wasn’t there for that industry. So started, you know, making the transition and found a love for ⁓ flying and

Fine Plains is kind of what I decided I want to move into next as a larger career. ⁓ Obviously, you know, the schooling for that is kind of a long process. and one of my good friends out here in Denver works at a restaurant called Sunday Vinyl, a really cool spot, also in Union Station area that’s kind of more really nice listening lounge, find wines from a town around the world and a little bit more of a French

focused menu. And so the restaurant group is called Froska Hospitality Group. And my friend said, like you’re about to go to flight school, like, you know, this could be a good, you know, the hours of restaurants work, you know, and Tavernetta or sister restaurant is hiring right now. And so I was like, okay, I’ll look into it because I can always consider it. I was like, I’m going to need to be working, you know, part time while I get this flight school thing up and running. So

I applied and I was very upfront with them, said, hey, never worked in the industry before, now you guys are a little more serious business. But obviously went into it and the managers are super professional. I was very impressed with how kind of corporately they were running things, like with the interview process. It was almost like you’ve got interview with three managers back to back to back, like very rigorous talking about

very different things with each of them. so I was like, I kind of felt like, all right, this is, if I’m going to do a restaurant thing, I need to do something that’s a gonna, you know, be lucrative and be like have some sort of quality standards. Like I’m not going to go just pour beers, some college dive bar, you know, like I want to learn something while I’m doing this, learn some skills that I can use my whole life. And so just the only restaurant.

Well, I ever applied to two restaurants, but there’s one of two restaurants that I applied to and immediately seemed like a great fit. So I hit the ground running and I’ve been there two and a half years now, which is crazy to think. But yeah, that’s kind of the entry point. ⁓

Zach Sherman (05:38)
That’s

great. Well, I think what’s really interesting and similar to some of the other people that we talked to on this podcast and that I talked to through my work is necessity being the push to spontaneity and then ultimately finding something that you feel like can become something more. And I think for you to have that kind of insight during the interview process, as opposed to somewhere down the line of knowing that you want to take away something from this.

more than just getting a paycheck every couple of weeks from, you know, whatever job you can get is something that I think the food space really does provide that a lot of people don’t necessarily think of when they think about the food space.

Michael Tougas (06:24)
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I mean, there’s, you know, there’s a lot of different things that you can learn from it, whether it’s soft skills or, you know, hard knowledge about cooking techniques or, you know, at the restaurant group that I’m a part of, there’s a huge wine culture. So there’s so many, you know, ways you can learn all about that or even spirits if you’re interested in them. So, yeah, I mean, it’s, I’m sure there’s plenty of other restaurants like this, but that was obviously a huge.

selling point for me and I think for a lot of people honestly that come into this restaurant group like that is it’s a big part of the culture is the constant knowledge and opportunities to learn and really dive into topics with other people in the company or at your specific restaurant within the company.

Zach Sherman (07:08)
So your experience of the interview process was obviously impressed, but what were your first impressions when you sat in on your first couple shifts working at Tavernetta? How did you feel when you were coming in? You know, I know your background is obviously you have a meticulous nature being an engineer and, and knowing that you are very detail oriented that

was probably helpful, but can you talk a little bit about your first impressions and how those first couple of shifts went for you?

Michael Tougas (07:38)
Definitely, yeah. So it was ⁓ definitely a very challenging week. I would say, yes, there were some pros and cons. Like you mentioned, the detail-oriented background, like always a skill that I’ve had that actually came in the fine dining space, it’s huge, right? And so there are a few of our managers that, know, harp and drill into the stuff. that was easy for me to pick up. But the other side of things like the stress management and the compartmentalization,

That was the hardest part in the first week for sure. dealing with other people’s stress and just trying to learn. There was just so much that I hadn’t experienced in terms of the pace and necessity of the work. As well as different people kind of…

bearing down on you and everybody trying to teach you things. Because like a lot of times it’s coming from a good place, but everybody has their opinion of how something needs to happen, right? So it was a fire hose. It was a total fire hose for the first few weeks. And I almost quit probably three times in the first week, like just from the stress, like it was hard and people were, I think part of my issue was, you know, a lot of people are like, who is this guy? You know, like no restaurant experience. Like that was a big…

title, catchphrase that went along with me because most people that worked there, you know, they’re they were manager at their old restaurant, they were a sous chef at their old restaurant, you know, people come into this place with a lot of experience, some of them, you know, and then others come in, they’re, they’re in culinary school. And this is like a huge moment for them and a stepping stone in their careers. So me coming in as a true outsider, I think was, I didn’t have any respect, you know, so like it was

It was hard. know, people were walking all over me, trying to take advantage of me. Like it was a grind, especially at the bottom because at Tavernetta , everybody starts at this position called RBP, which is you run food, you make all of the cappuccinos, coffee beverages and polish the glass. So everybody starts there no matter whether you’re a manager hire or a sommelier hire, you have to start there and work your way up. So yeah, it was very hard and the physical toll.

you know, that it took on my body was very foreign to me. You know, all the repetitive movements, you’re putting strain on different parts of your body. ⁓ That was really hard at first. ⁓ Yeah, those were some of the biggest challenges. In that first week, obviously different challenges presented at different parts of the journey, but yeah.

Zach Sherman (10:19)
No, can imagine. And I think for you in particular, going in with as much respect as it sounds like you had for the experience. And I think some people kind of now have a better understanding of what fine dining looks like as a result of media out in the world, like the bear, for example, where they see the buttoned up, very intense, high pressure, but unbelievable outcome for the customers ultimately is what everyone’s striving for. And, and, you know, that wasn’t as prevalent.

In the world and in general knowledge when you first started, but it sounds like you had respect for that as a result of your interview process and knowing people that work there. And you kind of had to claw your way to gain that respect back from the other people who had, you know, Work their way up the ladder in whatever way that they did. Was there a time that you kind of transitioned from challenge through to rewarding meaning

Michael Tougas (10:54)
Mm-hmm.

Zach Sherman (11:16)
when it kind of went from, you know, the stick to more of the carrot.

Michael Tougas (11:20)
Yeah, absolutely. So I would say that moment started to really happen at probably the, I’d say eight month mark. It took a while. And part of the reason why it took so long is because, you know, the moment that you get comfortable in that RBP position, you get promoted. So then you have an entirely new set of challenges, you know, which for most people it’s

Backweight, right? Your back server. So you’re helping the servers, you know, with all the other odds and ends they need. So you have that. And then for me personally, like I, when I walked in there, I was enamored with the expo pass and you know, running like how that process went, because it’s an open kitchen at Tavernetta So it is, it’s like a song and dance. You’re like a conductor of an orchestra. So I was like, this is really cool. And so I gravitated towards that. And so I was learning that and backweight at the same time.

So after my three months in the first position, then there was this next period, and that was an entirely different grind, learning two positions at once, starting to understand the back of house. But I would say, to answer your question, around that eight, nine month mark is when I really started, it was probably midsummer, summers our busy season, and I started to get really comfortable and confident running the pass. And then I was like, okay, like…

Now I’ve started to figure this out and I know how this place works. And it’s no longer 10 different people telling me how it needs to be and all over me. And again, obviously there’s much more learning beyond that and becoming a server and stuff ⁓ came right after that moment. But that was a big moment of understanding and I think good faith and trust. When my managers and the chefs…

didn’t have to worry about me. They’re like, ⁓ we have Mike on the pass, we’re in good shape tonight. That transition was huge for me. It was not only a confidence builder, but I knew I was there too. And then I could start focusing on other things. ⁓

Zach Sherman (13:37)
No, that’s, and I think the confidence that you have being paired up with the confidence that those around you have in you is really the kind of transcendental moment of, any kind of new job or new activity that you’re trying to take in. And I think it’s really important, especially in a high pressure situation, like fine dining to find that and find your people who bring you there along with them. Right.

And I think that that’s something that that’s really interesting about the food space too, is it’s the, the outcome to the customer only happens as a result of the people that are doing the work, right? Whether that be the major D, the song, the chef, the person leading the expo, the person making the cappuccino and to be in such a space that really excites the customer. has to be as a result of the people that work there.

Was there a moment where it changed from being a job, being a Tavernetta to something that you really wanted to hone as a craft. And it sounds like the expo was that for you, right? What about the expo kind of did that and why.

Michael Tougas (14:50)
It was.

Zach Sherman (14:53)
that kind of switch in mentality. Was it because you knew that you were good at it and everyone around you knew that you were good at it? Or was there something else?

Michael Tougas (15:02)
⁓ I would say that, but in a weird sort of way, I really went into this with kind of the mindset, you know, of, you know, building craft and whether it was partially like my own just attitude towards, ⁓ this job or the, people that were mentoring me, you know, like there was, they were so much, you know, whether it was just like, no, this is one of our SOPs or it was like,

you know, more soft knowledge like, or just, you know, from one of my managers and just talking about, like, you know, balancing lifestyle and whatnot. So I think like, you know, it, in a way starting to treat polishing glasses, like a craft and like learning about how to make a cappuccino, you know, learning about that off the clock, like things like that, those started to, you know, I approached those like, no, this is, this is my craft. Like, this is what I need to work towards so that I can get to the next level. But yes.

Like Expo, you know, working that and putting in the time, like every day, like it was really, it was a process, you know, every night myself and the sous chef, I would ask him Hey, we screwed this up. This went well. Like, what can I do better? You know, like we need, like, what can I, like it was, it was every day we’d have a 15 minute debrief. No one was asking, you know, us to do that, but like, that’s what was required. That’s what I was requiring of myself. Right.

to excel at that position. I don’t know if that really answered your question, but that whole learning period on Expo, it was formative and I just treated it and realizing that this is not something that I’m just going to figure out immediately one day. This is going to be incremental work and there’s going to be a lot of bumps in the road, but you have to keep that.

hungry attitude and you know, especially for me, like I’m trying to earn respect, you know, it’s the RE2PECT right? Like I say that to people at work, you know, because it’s true. Like you have to, you know, it’s merit based and part of that is via consistency. You know, you have to be able to do these things over. You can’t just have one good night because you know, there’s going to be great nights and there’s going to be awful nights. Like that’s how the restaurant industry is, right? It really to me, like can be this

this love hate, but when you start to overshadow the hate with love moments, and you can get to that point, then it’s super rewarding work. I don’t know if that answered your question, but I have a tangent, but.

Zach Sherman (17:41)
No, definitely. And I think

not only is it rewarding, it’s the only way to do it, right? The incremental every day, 1 % getting better. We talked to a couple of people on this podcast and that is a theme that’s been brought up pretty much every time is, know, you never Rome’s not built in a day. The cappuccino is not built in a day, you know, not, not a brood in a day. You really got to figure out how can you not only strive for the great days,

Michael Tougas (17:47)
You’re good.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Right.

Zach Sherman (18:10)
But how do you actually get there? And I think, you know, having those mentors around you, having that consistent drive of how can I do this better? Why did this happen? The kind of analytical nature of that I think is, is really interesting because it doesn’t necessarily need to be in spreadsheets and diagrams all the time. It’s in real life with real people. ⁓

Michael Tougas (18:12)
Thank

Right. Yeah, I would say

that’s the biggest, sorry to interrupt, but I would say that’s one of the biggest adjustments for me, right? As like a numbers engineering guy, like so much of my analysis in my life has been looking at things like that, but the analytical brain that I have, it came to work really well in this situation, just a totally different framework within that, right? So really cool to… ⁓

to see that at work as well.

Zach Sherman (19:00)
what also is interesting is now you’re in a position you’ve gone from mentee to mentor, right? You’ve been there for two and a half years. You’re one of the lead expo, ⁓ servers there. can you talk me through what your pitches to new people that are joining the restaurant or how you kind of identify people that you want to take under your wing And then ultimately, how are you teaching them?

Is it similar or different in the way that you were taught?

Michael Tougas (19:28)
Definitely. yeah, would honestly something we kind of touched on it a little bit earlier in the discussion here. But, a lot of it is like, I want to work with people who have that same drive. A right. You have to want it. You have to be willing to put in the work, ⁓ and grind it out. But at the same time, you know, you’ve got to be willing to learn as well. You know, the people that I find that don’t succeed.

in this environment are the people who feel like they already know everything. I think that is a huge crux because while you might know stuff from wherever the hell you worked before and maybe that place was phenomenal, this is a totally different beast. I really do think it is a unique restaurant. So things are much different. So you have to have an open mind and you have to be willing to learn because we do things a little bit differently.

And maybe there’s always going to be, I don’t care what industry you’re in, there’s always somebody that you’re going to meet, whether it’s in your own company or different, that knows something that you don’t. So you have to be willing and able to learn from them. You know, even if it’s me, right? Oh yeah, Mike, it’s my first restaurant job. But hey, I’ve learned this, you know, through being here and doing things here. Yes, I don’t have as much contextual knowledge about the industry as a whole, because this is only restaurant I’ve worked, but like…

There’s still a lot to be learned. I think that’s a huge thing, right? Willingness to learn and drive, to work hard, because it’s not easy. When we are busy in the summertime, it’s 400 covers sometimes, which is massive, especially if you’re working a position, any position there, it puts a toll on you. So you have to be willing to…

to work your ass off in order to create that guest experience and to just like, you know, feel fulfilled in yourself. So those are the big things that I’m generally looking for. ⁓ And I think that’s something that I usually tell people, because when we have our stages come in every night, or not every night, but every time we’re hiring someone, that’s one of the final steps of the process is stage. So they’ll come in and they always put them on the expo for part of the part of the evening. And so I, if I’m working, I get a chance to talk to them and.

That’s usually what I’m looking for. I’m looking for are they inquisitive? Are they asking myself questions? Are they asking the chefs questions about the dishes or the components of dishes? Are they getting into the weeds with that? Like do they care about that? ⁓ You know, and then obviously, are they personable, right? Like if they’re front of house person, like you’ve got to be able to…

communicate. Obviously it can be intimidating going into a setting like that. So some people are shy and I was really shy at first too, but I think I got by on the ambitious and inquisitiveness.

Zach Sherman (22:24)
Yeah, those are great skills to, to

relay to anyone who’s interested in joining any business, let alone the restaurant business where it’s a, ⁓ hard requirement to your point, especially in the fine dining space. I think one thing Mike, that’s I’m curious to hear about your perspective given the inquisitiveness and the ambitiousness that you’ve portrayed and also hope others around you portray.

Michael Tougas (22:32)
Mm-hmm.

Zach Sherman (22:51)
A lot of the learning that you’ve described so far has been on the job. Why did this go good? Why did this go bad? What can I do better? Why is this happening in this way? I think something else about the restaurant industry, especially front of house, is the ability for you to go out into the world and put yourself in any other restaurants shoes, right? Regardless of if it is.

the dive bar, college campus, know, French fries and burgers to, know, now you have Michelin in Denver, which Tavernetta obviously has been rewarded the Bib Gourmand, which is incredible, but you have really, really high quality food in the mountains and all over the world. How do you go into these situations where you’re obviously not only

Michael Tougas (23:23)
Mm-hmm.

Zach Sherman (23:43)
a fan of the game, sounds like, but also a fan of the food and the experience as a customer. So can you talk to me a little bit about your learning since joining Tavernetta, going to different restaurants, experiencing different experiences within the food space and how you ultimately bring that back to your role at Tavernetta.

Michael Tougas (24:06)
Definitely, yeah. Yeah, it definitely has. It has changed the way that I dine a little bit. ⁓ know, part of it like, you know, could be just from the knowledge I’ve gained, right? Like I just, you know, have a better idea of what, you know, certain dishes are, right? But yeah, I’m really sitting there in the background. Obviously, I’m enjoying myself with these meals, but yeah, I’m analyzing what they’re doing. I’m analyzing, you know, how is the server speaking to me?

What are they saying to me? How much time are they taking to say these things? I’m analyzing all of this all the time. it really like, because before a Tavernetta I’d be like, I wasn’t even thinking about the mechanics of what they’re doing. I was just coming in and saying, okay, how does the menu look? What do they have? And not even at a deep level. And then is it good? Is it not good? Now it’s like…

what ingredients are they featuring and why based on the time of year where they’re located. And sometimes I’ll ask servers questions. Obviously, I always do that, but I’ll ask them specifics on dishes and why, or what is it about this dish that makes it special, things like that. Just to hear…

you know, what they have to say. And it’s like a constant learning experience. Like I try to take, like you said, I try to take something from every meal that I can. And I’m not critical about it. I think like when I first started Tavernetta like I was like, oh, like this is how we do it. They don’t do it this way. What the hell? And I think it was just, you know, that was a me thing. But now like I’ve realized.

you can just sit there and analyze it and you can take the good from it and you can also take note of the bad and don’t bring that to Tavernetta . And I think one of the cool things too is they even have an incentive program at Tavernetta if you eat at a place of similar or higher quality and you write a review just for Tavernetta , know, like you can give them a whole write-up and just explain to them what

the restaurants doing really well and what they aren’t doing well in your opinion. And, you know, they’ll give you gift cards for in their restaurant groups. So a good little incentive program to get us out there because at the end of the day, it’s all about the collective, you know, intelligence. And we love it when people in the industry come and dine with us. And, you know, every guest experience is catered differently. And so we treat those, you know, as VIP.

You know, those are really important to us because, you know, we want them to not only have a great experience with us, but like we want them to see what we’re doing and pass that along to make the industry better as a whole. And it goes both ways and it should always be like that. And, know, I don’t wave it in other restaurants’ faces, but if we get on the topic, you know, of, what do you do and stuff, like I’ll let them know that I’m in the industry, but I don’t come and say, yeah, like my name’s Mike, I work for, you know, I don’t do that, but.

If it comes up, then it’s great because then we can kind of riff and talk about things and, know, what do you like about working here? And then they can ask it. Then we get dialogues while I’m dining, which is cool. And it’s helpful for everybody.

Zach Sherman (27:35)
That’s awesome. And not only is it great that you’re out there doing it. And I think many others, I know many others are, but that it’s incentivized by the restaurant group that Tavernetta runs. And I think not only is it good for each individual restaurant, but in terms of the Rockies in particular, especially given as we spoke about just a bit earlier, Michelin has come to town. Can you talk to me a little bit about what that has done in your opinion?

Michael Tougas (27:36)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Zach Sherman (28:04)
to the Rocky, don’t want to say just Denver, obviously, because it encompasses more landmass than Denver. But can you talk to me a little bit about what that has done to elevate the game of the Denver food space, bring in new people, things of that nature.

Michael Tougas (28:09)
Mm-hmm. Right. Mm-hmm.

Definitely. mean, I think the biggest thing is competition, right? you know, because whether it’s it’s not like it’s oh we need to be better than them But it’s like oh, hey, like only so many restaurants are gonna get on this list, right? So we need to we need to make sure that we are putting ourselves in the best position You know to be in that conversation, right? So that’s the first thing and I think one of the biggest pieces

of achieving that is obviously it all comes down to who you have on your team, right? So going out and finding great people to work for you, that’s huge. And it comes from the management too. remember, because when I first joined, it was… Michelin had released their first guide in August of 2025 or September, or sorry, 2023.

August or September of 2023, right, for Colorado. And, you know, I was still in my first eight months, eight, nine months at that point. So there was so much talk. And because some of our managers at the time had worked at Michelin star restaurants in New York City and other people, you know, in the, in our wine team have dined at Michelin and, you know, know people. And so there was so much talk about it. So what it did was it gave us a goal, you know, it gave us discreet goal because people knew

what’s required, they know how this system works, they know what Michelin typically likes in restaurant, they’ve dined at other Michelin restaurants, they know how that typically goes and looks, right? So the framework was there, but so that was huge because that’s the people side of it. So we had people who knew what want to do, then we had people like me who were bought in, wanted to work their butts off and help achieve that goal, right? So I think that duality ⁓ is huge.

⁓ Just and I think a lot of other restaurants are starting to do it like it’s definitely been really good for the food scene out here You’re seeing you’re seeing a lot of places and I think it’s on a really good trajectory You know because there were times when I first moved to I’ve lived in Denver five and a half years now When I first moved here was like people kind of knew what the good restaurants are But now you now you have new places popping up all the time or you have these powerhouse restaurant groups and they’re

creating more restaurants within themselves. think one of the great stories is this restaurant Alma Fondafina. They were the newest addition to the Michelin Guide last summer. They were the only restaurant that was added for a Michelin star in Colorado. The rest of them stayed consistent for the one stars. fantastic dining experience. The food was incredible. They really did a fantastic job. But now they already have

three restaurants, right? So there, so what it’s done is, Hey, now we’ve got our Michelin star. Now we can expand. so that, that boosts the local economy in a huge way. Cause now you have a ton more. You’ve got three restaurants in this restaurant group already and you’ve got a ton more jobs and there’s hype and there’s buzz around it. And like these reservations are hard to get. Like that’s the, there was not buzz like that when I first moved here.

You it was like, you had to find the new restaurant. You had to kind of claw. You had to be a foodie like I was and really dig in and try and find it. So there’s a lot more access and that’s a trajectory that will continue to happen. And whether a place gets on the guide or they have aspirations of getting on the guide, the drive is going to be there. And it’s great for the scene. I think things are on a real good trajectory right now.

Zach Sherman (32:07)
That’s interesting, especially the discrete goal aspect of it for people who either know or don’t know. And how now you have something to strive towards separate and apart from providing a perfect customer experience, the best possible X on the plate, whatever it may be. Now you have something else to bring that kind of hype and those jobs and those people to the mountains, which I think is awesome. So now Mike moving back towards you.

Michael Tougas (32:11)
Mm-hmm.

Zach Sherman (32:37)
What are your discreet goals? If any, that now moving into, know, you’ve been here for two and a half years, you’ve continued to climb the ladder. It sounds like you’ve made a great community and have a great team around you that’s helping prop you up. And now you’re going back in and helping prop the new crop of people up. Talk to me a little bit about what are the things that you’re hoping to achieve in and around the food space moving forward.

Michael Tougas (32:54)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think my goals are, they’re a little more soft. They’re not as discreet, it’s because they’re process oriented goals. You just mentioned it. Like a big part of it is getting this new batch of people trained up, you know, like I would say every spring we go through a pretty big hiring phase because our, our busy season without question is the summertime. Once we open our patio seating, you know, the amount of covers that we can do, cause we’re in such a hot spot.

in the Union Station area downtown. So the amount of walk-in traffic is crazy with the Rockies going on, ⁓ the Rocky baseball team, right? And playoff basketball and hockey, like we get crazy walk-in traffic. So we do this big hiring phase in the spring. And so then that’s the managers, they hire people. And then it comes on people like me is to get these people trained up properly so that they’re ready for this heavy volume, but also high quality that…

That’s the experience that Taverneta provides. And so it’s hard. Again, even for people who know this industry really well, like that is a really, ⁓ it’s a tough duality to hit at a high level for both quality and volume. And not a lot of restaurants do that. So training people up is always the biggest thing, especially with this season. And then I would say the other big goal for me and

and a lot of other my contemporaries at the more senior level is it’s building guest relations. Right? That’s a huge, huge topic and getting regulars, you know, I’ve seen you chat about it in some of your, you know, restaurant tips videos. It’s, it’s massive, right? You get someone in the door for their first experience, right? They have an amazing time, but maybe it’s, maybe it’s their

10 year wedding anniversary, right? And they don’t do that sort of thing too often. But how can you make that experience so amazing for them that they trust you now every year for their anniversary or they recommend it to their friends, right? So the guest relations is big and it piggybacks on the Michelin and the competition thing too, because if you can start to have, you know, that amount of regulars and excellent guest relations, which thankfully Taverneta is very fortunate, you know, to have a lot of positives in that regard.

⁓ It makes you more competitive and that leads to profits, clout, etc. And then it’s easier to get better people and it cycles in a really positive way. So I think those are the two biggest things for me, training and guest relations.

Zach Sherman (35:37)
Awesome. Well, those are great. Really appreciate the time, Mike. I think your story is fascinating from foodie to front of house. You know, it’s a journey that not many people have the opportunity to take. And I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us on that experience for you personally. So very much appreciate it, Mike. And we’ll chat with you soon.

Michael Tougas (35:57)
Awesome, yeah, thanks for your time. Pleasure to share any and all insights. So have a great day.