1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. 2 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,240 Speaker 2: Hello and welcome to another episode of the All Thoughts Podcast. 3 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 3: I'm Tracy Alloway and I'm Jill. 4 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 4: Why isn't thal Joe? 5 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 2: I have a very personal question to ask you. 6 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 5: Well, we've known each other for a very long time, 7 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 5: so there's not much left that we don't know, but 8 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 5: go for it. 9 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 2: Well, I actually don't know the answer to this question. 10 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 2: Have you ever baked anything? 11 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 5: Ah, not that much. I went through this. I'm just 12 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 5: gonna the answer is basically no. 13 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,599 Speaker 3: No, Wait, you were going to say something. You went 14 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:47,520 Speaker 3: through a phase one. 15 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 5: Time in high school. I got in this like weird, 16 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 5: like experimental baking obsession with a friend of mine where 17 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 5: we just sort of tried to relearn baking by first 18 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 5: principles and see what works. 19 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 3: Oh my god, what does that mean? 20 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 5: Just like not eating any recipes, so not reading any 21 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:04,960 Speaker 5: recipes and just start figuring it out and then seeing 22 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 5: like what cause things to rise and what tasted good 23 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 5: without any starting principles or anything. We knew a few 24 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 5: basic ingredients. 25 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 6: It's fun. 26 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 5: I should get back into bacon. 27 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 3: You should, It's really fun. 28 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 5: What do you, Tracy? We know this is just a setup. 29 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 5: Because you want to talk about your bacon, why don't 30 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 5: you just tell us what you like to bake. 31 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 2: Hey, look, I don't bake that much. Actually in my household, 32 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 2: my husband bakes everything. So he does a really good 33 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 2: bass cheesecake, really good chocolate chip cookies, things like that. 34 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 2: But if you were doing first principle baking, I imagine 35 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 2: you know how difficult it is and all the things 36 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 2: that are involved in just making like a simple loaf 37 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 2: of bread. 38 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 6: I am aware. 39 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 5: And the other thing is not only I understand that 40 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 5: it's very complex, but beyond that, I'm always flabbergested at 41 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 5: the idea of doing it at industrial scale or semi 42 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 5: industrial scale, and how that even works. I have no idea, 43 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 5: to be honest, honestly, industrial scale food preparation at all 44 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 5: seems crazy to me, like steaks and everything, Like how 45 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 5: do you do it over and over and over again 46 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 5: and get a repeatable process? It is like a fascinating 47 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 5: question to me. 48 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 2: Right, So that's really interesting in and of itself. But 49 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 2: the other interesting thing about the baking business at industrial scale, 50 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 2: as you just pointed out, is it's kind of a 51 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 2: microcosm for the economy. You have all these commodity inputs, 52 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 2: which obviously move around along with inflation. You have labor issues, 53 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 2: you have to get bakers who want to get into 54 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 2: work really really early in the morning, and obviously you 55 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 2: also have consumer demands. So it's really an interesting lens 56 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 2: to kind of look through. 57 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 5: Well, one of our the favorite episodes that we've ever done, 58 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 5: which I think was twenty twenty two or maybe twenty twenty. 59 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,519 Speaker 4: One, long time ago, we. 60 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,239 Speaker 5: Talked to a commercial baker in Chicago, and I've always 61 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 5: wanted to do more. There was such a pivotal episode 62 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 5: for us, and I was like, well, you know, we 63 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 5: learned a lot about what was going on with commodity costs, 64 00:02:57,760 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 5: we learned a lot what was going on with pricing, power, 65 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 5: et cetera. Well, it's twenty twenty five now I would 66 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 5: like to learn more about what's going on. 67 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,959 Speaker 2: All right, So we're gonna dive back into baking, possibly 68 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 2: not on a first principal basis, but we have the 69 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 2: perfect guest. We're going to be speaking with Andy Cayden. 70 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 5: He diden banking baking from first principles to be a 71 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 5: really good that would be like a good name for 72 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 5: a cookbook. All right, Sorry, keep going. 73 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 2: Good name for a baking podcast. Perhaps, Okay, we're going 74 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 2: to be speaking with Andy Cayden. He is the owner 75 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 2: of a bakery in LA that's called Bub and Grandma's. 76 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 2: They do wholesale orders for a bunch of different LA restaurants, 77 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 2: so industrial scale, as you mentioned, Joe, but they also 78 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 2: have a retail restaurant that does sandwiches and they're in 79 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 2: the process of opening a pizzerias. 80 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 3: So amazing all the. 81 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 2: Baked goods Andy, welcome to the show. 82 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 6: Really good to be here, Thanks for having me. 83 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 2: Shall we start out with where did your interest in 84 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 2: bread actually come from? Was this like a COVID trope 85 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 2: where everyone started doing their own sour dough and got 86 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 2: really into carbohydrates. 87 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 6: Maybe I'm a little prot Covid in my obsession. I 88 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 6: was a writer in advertising and TV for about a 89 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 6: decade after school and learned fairly quickly after I got 90 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 6: to Los Angeles about sixteen years ago that I hated 91 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,919 Speaker 6: it and hated myself for contributing to sort of the 92 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,840 Speaker 6: advertising culture, so to speak, and I needed to escape 93 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 6: and always had an obsession with cooking and eating and 94 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 6: decided to focus on something that I saw missing from 95 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 6: the Los Angeles landscape. After I moved here from the 96 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 6: East Coast. I grew up in New Jersey kind of 97 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 6: in Italian Jewish sandwich mecca, and saw that there was 98 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 6: sort of a glaring absence of those style of kind 99 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 6: of walk into it and have a great sandwich kind 100 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 6: of experience in Los Angeles. There are a few notable spots, 101 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 6: but they aren't everywhere like they are in New York 102 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 6: and New Jersey. I decided to start writing some business 103 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,119 Speaker 6: plans and figure out how to open a sandwich shop here, 104 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,920 Speaker 6: and you know, started working at sandwich hoop in Hollywood 105 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 6: called Potato Chips for free on the weekends, staging at 106 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 6: a variety of bakeries, just to try and figure out 107 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 6: how bread worked. And in that process of trying to 108 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 6: figure out how bread works, simply just to talk to 109 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 6: bakers about what I wanted, I started baking daily at 110 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 6: home and got into that pseudo Covid rhythm of daily 111 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 6: baking and the obsession of that comes from falling into it, 112 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 6: you know, into its grasp, and you know, started giving 113 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 6: away all the bread I was making, and it found 114 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 6: its way to a friend of mine who worked at 115 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 6: a local restaurant and the owner called me out of 116 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 6: the blue and asked if I could make bread for 117 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 6: him daily. I said yes, and hasn't stopped for ten years. 118 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 2: Wait, so initially were you just baking bread at scale 119 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 2: in your kitchen. 120 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 6: I started as just for me, just as an experiment, 121 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,920 Speaker 6: but very quickly kind of once I had that first account, 122 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 6: which was maybe six months after I started baking, six 123 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 6: months to a year, the attention came quickly and I 124 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 6: started needing to level up over and over and over again. 125 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 6: So the first place that I would mix the bread 126 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 6: in my house and ferment it there, and then shape 127 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:22,359 Speaker 6: it and take it to a pizza place around the 128 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 6: corner and bake it in there pizza oven. It was 129 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 6: a variety of these acts together, baking in other bakeries 130 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 6: off hours to get things done, and as the demand 131 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 6: grew very quickly, I quickly had to figure out how 132 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 6: to run a business, not just bake a few loaves 133 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 6: of bread out of my house, and moved into a 134 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 6: semi legitimate space at about a year and a half. 135 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 5: Flash forward to today, zooming out, why don't you tell 136 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,039 Speaker 5: us about the size and scope of your businesses? What 137 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 5: do you have right now just in terms of a 138 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 5: volume and number of employees stuff like that. 139 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 6: The wholesale bakery, which is what that story evolved into, 140 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,799 Speaker 6: is now a fifty person business. We have a sixty 141 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 6: five hundred square foot facility that produces bread, just bread, 142 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,279 Speaker 6: not pastry, for about one hundred and eighty restaurants in 143 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 6: Los Angeles. It's a pretty wide distribution, and we are 144 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,760 Speaker 6: still trying to grow. We're kind of wall to wall 145 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 6: in that space and need to move in the next 146 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 6: two years, so we're starting to investigate what that would 147 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 6: look like. We also opened a retail restaurant almost three 148 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 6: years ago, which is insane how quickly that three years 149 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 6: has passed in our weird time vortex that we live 150 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 6: within now, and that is another almost fifty person business 151 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 6: in the Glassow Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. We are 152 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 6: in the process of opening a pizza place in Highland Park, 153 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 6: a neighboring neighborhood, that will be open, hopefully in the 154 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 6: next four to five weeks, so that'll be another thirty employees, 155 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 6: growing to fifty over time. 156 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 2: Why did you decide to do the retail sandwich shop, 157 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 2: because I imagine wholesale actually sounds kind of nice because you're 158 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 2: still making a product, but you're divorced from face to 159 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 2: face interact with customers, which sounds nice to me, but 160 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 2: obviously you have a different opinion. 161 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 6: No, I don't. I mean, we started with wholesale. We 162 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 6: started in this less sexy, less customer facing environment for 163 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 6: the first say, five years of the business before we 164 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 6: you know, changed gears to open the retail restaurant. The 165 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 6: wholesale business is a much more steady ship. I sort 166 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 6: of describe it as you have this big ship. It's 167 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 6: moving up and down in the water, but ultimately as 168 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 6: forward moving. It's harder to capsize. It's harder to knock 169 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 6: off course, and that makes it a little bit, let's say, 170 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 6: less crazy the restaurant business, which was what I wanted 171 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 6: to get into in the first place. Had I known 172 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 6: what it would be like at the now that I'm there, 173 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 6: you know, maybe a wholesale would have been better. To 174 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:53,960 Speaker 6: stay out. It's so much harder. It's much more dynamic, 175 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 6: everything is changing all the time, much more difficult to 176 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 6: isolate the variables. There's far more variable to consider in 177 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 6: the restaurant, especially when you bring in customer customer behaviors 178 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 6: and how things really just consistently fluctuate across the board. 179 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 5: One of the themes that comes up in a range 180 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 5: of topics that we talk about is distribution, and actually 181 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:24,319 Speaker 5: well distribution in terms of sales, but also the physical distribution. 182 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 5: How does it work in Los Angeles? Do you have 183 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 5: your own vans? Are there third parties that drop off 184 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:31,479 Speaker 5: the bread to the restaurants? 185 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 6: Like? 186 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 5: Talk about how you like built up that network and 187 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 5: how the bread physically gets from your commercial bakery into 188 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:37,079 Speaker 5: the restaurant. 189 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,959 Speaker 6: Sure, yeah, we have. Currently we have six vans that 190 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 6: are either leased or owned, and it's been a bit 191 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:48,199 Speaker 6: of an excruciating endeavor building out this whole network because 192 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 6: it is a major, major part of what we do, 193 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 6: especially because we're wall to wall. When I say wal 194 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 6: to wall, it basically means there is literally no more 195 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 6: ovens based per hour available for new loaves of bread 196 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:03,040 Speaker 6: to increase our productions. So if you start baking at 197 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:05,160 Speaker 6: two thirty in the morning and you need to get 198 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 6: bread to all of these accounts before they open at 199 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 6: eight am, you have a very narrow window to cool 200 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 6: that bread, pack that bread, get it into the vans, 201 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 6: and get it out to these accounts. So our ops 202 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 6: team at the bakery are true geniuses and building out 203 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 6: these roots because you have only had this very narrow 204 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 6: gap to hit, and if there's famous La traffic or 205 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 6: anything else that gets backed up in the baking process, 206 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 6: you are scrambling to try and make sure that you 207 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 6: take care of these accounts in a way where they 208 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 6: can still do their jobs. So we have to do 209 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 6: our job, not only just the baking job, but the 210 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 6: distribution job before they show up, before anybody else from 211 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 6: our accounts show up to work. Also, the vans themselves 212 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,679 Speaker 6: are you know, deeply problematic. They are the number one 213 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,800 Speaker 6: thing that breaks needs service, needs attention, you know, more, 214 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 6: even more so than our ovens, which are in near 215 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 6: constant use. And we have explored a number of different options, 216 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 6: especially for when we potentially move to a bigger space 217 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 6: about outsourcing our distribution. There are a lot of upstart 218 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 6: wholesale distribution companies, some of which are based in La 219 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 6: a lot more in San Francisco that are sort of 220 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 6: taking the Uber approach and outsourcing their drivers or having 221 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 6: a dedicated pool of drivers who work with a variety 222 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,320 Speaker 6: of different accounts as opposed to one to one so that, 223 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 6: you know, one of the major issues with our business 224 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 6: is the you know, fluctuating repair and maintenance numbers for 225 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 6: our vans. If we can offload that to someone else, 226 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 6: that is something that we have certainly looked into. But 227 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 6: when we get into the mix with these conversations, we 228 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:45,200 Speaker 6: always kind of end in the same place where, yes, 229 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 6: we are not a customer you know, a consumer facing company, 230 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 6: but our business relies on that single interaction between the 231 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 6: chefs and our drivers. They are our point of contact 232 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 6: with our customers. And if that is not an authentic connection, 233 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 6: and if that is not something our employees are connecting 234 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 6: with our customers, there's a potential for things to go 235 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 6: wrong and a potential for that relationship to be sour. 236 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 6: So we've ultimately stuck with our own employees and our 237 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 6: own vans for now. 238 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 5: Tracy, I'm just thinking about how crazy it must be 239 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 5: like have an interest in bread such as yourself, and 240 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 5: then suddenly like you're in the. 241 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 3: Break become a mechanic. 242 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 5: Oh, you're in the break prayer business too, and you 243 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 5: got to take that into account. 244 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 3: Now. 245 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 2: I was thinking the same thing, and it's something that 246 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 2: I guess when people envision a bakery you don't necessarily 247 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 2: think about the transportation and delivery aspect of it. But Andy, 248 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,520 Speaker 2: you mentioned two thirty am just then and the narrow 249 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 2: window for delivery, and I have to ask, what's it 250 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 2: like getting actual workers in the door? Who who want 251 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 2: to I guess wake up at like one am in 252 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 2: the morning and go bake bread. 253 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 6: Yeah, it's it's tricky, you know. You first of all, 254 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 6: you have to love it. You have to love the process. 255 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:02,440 Speaker 6: And I mean the two thirds the aspect is, you know, 256 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:08,319 Speaker 6: very very early and a very very different lifestyle in 257 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 6: a literal way. You are falling asleep at five thirty pm, 258 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 6: and that means that your you know, connection with your 259 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 6: family or connection with your friends. You're operating on a 260 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 6: completely different time zone than they are, and it makes 261 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 6: things complicated if folks are not operating on the same 262 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 6: schedule as you. But you know, the it's that was 263 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 6: the last baking ship that that I did was the 264 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 6: Sunday morning two thirty am bake for the Hollywood Farmer's Market. 265 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 6: I would, you know, get up at two roll down 266 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 6: to the bakery. It would be just me in the dark, 267 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 6: a lot of people returning from their various parties, on 268 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 6: Saturday night, which made driving there a little bit sketchy, 269 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 6: but always you know, being careful and then you know, 270 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 6: finish the bake, pack it up, put it in my truck, 271 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 6: and go to the farmer's market and sell it. And 272 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:58,240 Speaker 6: then the day would wrap up around two thirty, so 273 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:00,720 Speaker 6: it would be this twelve hour kind of sprint and 274 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 6: then sale and then come back. And you know, at 275 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 6: a certain point it was the only bake shift that 276 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 6: I was doing because I had to manage the business 277 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 6: during the other days of the week that I was 278 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 6: not doing that. And when you just bake one day 279 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 6: a week at two thirty in the morning, it scrambles 280 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 6: your mind so wildly and your sleep schedule that I 281 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 6: had to eventually abandon it just because I needed more 282 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 6: time to manage the businesses. But you really have to 283 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 6: subscribe to the lifestyle if you try and push the edge, 284 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,880 Speaker 6: you know, especially when I was baking and managing five days, 285 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 6: baking five days a week and still trying to manage 286 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 6: the business, it was getting sick a lot. It was 287 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 6: very difficult to stay healthy when you're operating across two 288 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,680 Speaker 6: you know, time zones. Really you're living in this kind 289 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 6: of Oh my wife and my friends are all living 290 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 6: in this time zone, and my business is living in 291 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:56,240 Speaker 6: this time zone, and I need both. I need to 292 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:59,680 Speaker 6: be there for both. Those were far more complicated times 293 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 6: for my own health. But we're on the other side 294 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 6: of that now. 295 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 5: We mentioned in the beginning, you know, we like this 296 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:11,320 Speaker 5: topic because it's sort of a lends into everything. But 297 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 5: what are you seeing today in terms of you know, 298 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 5: if you compare now to when you started, how do 299 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 5: you think or versus the peak of the inflation whatever was, 300 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:21,680 Speaker 5: how do things look today when it comes to both 301 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 5: hiring availability and also raw commodity cost ingredient costs. 302 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 6: Hiring availability is unique for us. Obviously, we are looking 303 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,680 Speaker 6: for a very specialized group of people. So the skills 304 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 6: that they hopefully already have are in rare supply in 305 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 6: Los Angeles, and that makes hiring complicated far more so 306 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 6: for the wholesale bakery than for the restaurant. The restaurant 307 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 6: has a lot of over the pool is much wider, 308 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 6: and we have very little trouble hiring at the restaurant 309 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:55,440 Speaker 6: the bakery. 310 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,080 Speaker 5: Would you have said this same thing in twenty twenty 311 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 5: two or twenty twenty three, or does it feel easier 312 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 5: today than it would have back then at the at 313 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 5: the retail level, because that's where that's where like all 314 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 5: the complaints were, right, everyone, all the restaurants in the 315 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 5: service entities were complaining about how impossible it was. 316 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 6: I think that it's I think that it's impossible if 317 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 6: you don't already have a name that people know. And 318 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 6: I think for us, we've spent a lot of our 319 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 6: efforts making sure that our employees are well taken care 320 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 6: of and supported and treated like the human beings that 321 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 6: they are. And I think that when we open the 322 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 6: restaurant after the bakery, that was already somewhat established in 323 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 6: the in the public eye, so that helps us to 324 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 6: kind of make this place. I mean, this is the 325 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 6: point of it all is we want to make this 326 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 6: a desirable place, uh for for people to work, so 327 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 6: that when they come here, they have a good time, 328 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 6: they're well supported, they get fed, they get treated well, 329 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 6: they have health care. And you know, we really built 330 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 6: this thing on that it's becoming harder and harder to 331 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 6: have a functional business including all of those things, which 332 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 6: is you know, the real issue at hand here is 333 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:10,440 Speaker 6: that the expenses are enumerting and the you know, sales 334 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 6: remain the same. So when we talk about raw materials, 335 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 6: there's been there's were actually in a much better place 336 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,440 Speaker 6: than we were, say a year ago or even a 337 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 6: year before that. The bakery goes by one ingredient, it's flour. 338 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 6: Flour is wheat, and wheat is you know, a global 339 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 6: commodity that has a lot of fluctuations. It's usually compared 340 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:39,439 Speaker 6: to others, fairly steady. But for example, when the Russia 341 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 6: Ukraine War broke out there Russia was not allowing Ukraine's 342 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 6: wheat to leave the country. Ukraine is the sort of 343 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 6: bread basket provider of wheat for Europe, and when that happens, 344 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,879 Speaker 6: there's much more demand coming from the United States. Prices 345 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,479 Speaker 6: go up, and the American users of American wheat are 346 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 6: the ones who end up paying more so that those 347 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,440 Speaker 6: products end up in Europe cover for the loss of supply. 348 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 6: So we saw maybe a ten percent increase in flour pricing. 349 00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 6: It caused us to have to drive our prices up 350 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,280 Speaker 6: for the first time in a long time bread wise. 351 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,160 Speaker 6: Now it has settled back down, but in the meantime, 352 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,440 Speaker 6: everything else has gotten more expensive, and you know, there's 353 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 6: there's a you know, massive wave of restaurant closures in 354 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 6: Los Angeles right now, including yesterday, Coal's one hundred and 355 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 6: seventeen year old restaurant announced that it's closing. The pantry, 356 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 6: which has been around for one hundred years closed. It's 357 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 6: a very very very very difficult time for restaurants to thrive, 358 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 6: let you know, survive, let alone thrive in this town. 359 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 6: So interesting times for sure. 360 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,439 Speaker 2: Just on the commodities front, how does it work in 361 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 2: terms of actually sourcing things like flower Do you sign 362 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 2: you know, forward agreement with suppliers at a certain price 363 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:06,359 Speaker 2: and I guess, like how long term are those prices set. 364 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 6: Yeah, it's depends very much on volume. And we are 365 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:14,359 Speaker 6: in this very unique sort of middle ground where we 366 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 6: are not a giant twenty five thousand square foot bakery 367 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:19,880 Speaker 6: and we are not one of the sort of more 368 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 6: retail oriented two thousand square feet bakeries. We are in 369 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:25,399 Speaker 6: the middle looking to make this leap to where we 370 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:28,320 Speaker 6: can buy directly from our purveyors, and when we can 371 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 6: like purveyors as in non distributors, directly from King Arthur, 372 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,879 Speaker 6: directly from Camus Country Mill, directly from a variety of 373 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:37,680 Speaker 6: other flour purveyors. And when we can do those types 374 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 6: of things that buy at scale, say seventeen to twenty 375 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 6: pallets of flour at a time, we can lock in 376 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,400 Speaker 6: forward pricing with King Arthur, with some of the other ones. 377 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:48,680 Speaker 6: But in the moment now where we're operating through distributors, 378 00:19:49,119 --> 00:19:53,920 Speaker 6: we are subject to their markup and they are fluctuating 379 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:57,439 Speaker 6: what they're doing based on whatever algorithms they're using to 380 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 6: calculate proper pricing, not only us from what they're getting 381 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,720 Speaker 6: charged from the you know, the actual producer, but also 382 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 6: however their business is doing, and whatever you know markup 383 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 6: they need to include. So what we do in that circumstance, 384 00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 6: and what most restaurants do is regularly pit distributors against 385 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 6: each other for our business, especially because we have a 386 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,760 Speaker 6: lot of leverage with our flower orders. It's it's a 387 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 6: fairly significant regular order. So even if they're making a 388 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 6: very small amount on that on each bag, there there's 389 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 6: a large volume and a large frequency that has those 390 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:35,840 Speaker 6: purveyors kind of jockeying for the lower price. And that's 391 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 6: there's no service, there's no anything else that really matters 392 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:42,959 Speaker 6: in that relationship. It's just if you can get us 393 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 6: the price we will order from you this week, and 394 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 6: they know that and they fight, and it's a weekly price. 395 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 6: It's it's more frequent than week weekly. At the moment, 396 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 6: there's a little bit of flux June June, you know. 397 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,400 Speaker 6: And I just have regular conversations with King Arthur, who's 398 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 6: our main brand flower supplier, who are one of the 399 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,919 Speaker 6: most wonderful businesses in the country and just good people 400 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:11,680 Speaker 6: and always you know, driven to help their clients. They 401 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 6: always are monitoring, you know, the commodity future futures and 402 00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 6: how things are looking going forward. And I will sometimes 403 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 6: reach out to them to find out, you know, how 404 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:26,359 Speaker 6: how they are pricing things relative to who they're selling 405 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:28,920 Speaker 6: to the distributors, so that I can see if the 406 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:33,200 Speaker 6: increases in price are coming via the distributor or via 407 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 6: King Arthur, and then I'll know whether I have some 408 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 6: leverage to kind of push down a little bit further 409 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 6: to try and fight for cheaper prices. But there was 410 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:43,480 Speaker 6: a big spy, you know, things have been trending downward 411 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 6: in price that the war, you know, the embargo opened 412 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 6: up or whatever it was that opened up and allowed 413 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 6: the wheat to leave Ukraine. So prices in the state 414 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,199 Speaker 6: settled back down because there's less exports, and it's a 415 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 6: you know, something that if you're constantly monitoring, it is 416 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 6: changing very often in minor increments. But if you do 417 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 6: that across an entire batch of milled wheat, that's that's 418 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:10,479 Speaker 6: hundreds of thousands of dollars. 419 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 2: So how does that actually feed into your prices for bread? 420 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 2: And how dynamic are they If you get a price 421 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,879 Speaker 2: increase one day, do you immediately pass that through to 422 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 2: the customer? 423 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:27,440 Speaker 6: Almost never? And that's you know, the increases and decreases 424 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:31,199 Speaker 6: are fairly minor at the moment. They are in flux, 425 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:34,119 Speaker 6: but they are staying in the general vicinity. You know, 426 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 6: if we're talking specifics, we're talking about somewhere between fifteen 427 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,919 Speaker 6: and seventeen fifty for one fifty pound bag of bread flour, 428 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,119 Speaker 6: and that fluctuation, it stays in that zone. Maybe a 429 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 6: year ago it was up at twenty three. And if 430 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:52,480 Speaker 6: you think about that, if we're ordering let's say five 431 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:56,159 Speaker 6: thousand pounds a week of flour, it's actually more than that. 432 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,159 Speaker 6: I think it's closer to sixty five hundred pounds. And 433 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:01,679 Speaker 6: we're talking about a fl fluctuation of a dollar that 434 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,960 Speaker 6: is a massive change in our end of year, you know, 435 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,479 Speaker 6: bottom line. So it's the kind of thing where if 436 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 6: there are any changes whatsoever within that zone, they're multiplied 437 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 6: over a large number of bags and end up changing 438 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 6: things fairly significantly. So we really have to even if 439 00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:20,359 Speaker 6: it's within that fifteen to seventeen range as opposed to 440 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 6: going all the way up to twenty three dollars a bag, 441 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 6: that is, it's crucial for us to stay on top 442 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:26,879 Speaker 6: of it. But in terms of passing the pricing on, 443 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 6: we've given ourselves a pretty wide range to stay within it. 444 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,480 Speaker 6: That makes our pricing valid and we're constantly staying on 445 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 6: top of it. But bread, in general, the food cost 446 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 6: is not the main issue unless you're talking about a 447 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 6: jump from fifteen dollars a bag to twenty three dollars 448 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:45,440 Speaker 6: a bag. The main issue is labor because cogs typically 449 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,640 Speaker 6: with bread are in the ten to fifteen percent range, 450 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:51,360 Speaker 6: which is the cheapest food product you can possibly make, 451 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 6: even if we're using like really fantastic ingredients like we are. 452 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 6: The thing is is it just takes a lot of 453 00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:00,800 Speaker 6: human beings and a lot of skilled human beings to 454 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:04,119 Speaker 6: execute production. So if we're talking about the traditional model 455 00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 6: where you see like thirty percent for labor, we're looking 456 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 6: at more forty two percent for labor and twelve percent 457 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,639 Speaker 6: for cogs, where cogs typically in a restaurant food business 458 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,040 Speaker 6: environment is somewhere to twenty five to thirty if you're 459 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,919 Speaker 6: doing okay, we're at fourteen, So they the model is 460 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 6: a little bit different in the wholesale universe than it 461 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:26,479 Speaker 6: is in the retail restaurant and that that is, you know, 462 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 6: we're able to have those extra bodies to get things 463 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 6: done because the cost of goods are sold low. 464 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:35,400 Speaker 5: This is fascinating. Let's continue on this. But you're talking 465 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:39,200 Speaker 5: about your wholesale distribution bakery, when you're talking about the restaurant. 466 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:42,080 Speaker 5: How do you think that generally about the strategy of 467 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 5: price increases because obviously you know you're not going to 468 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:47,920 Speaker 5: be sensitive to the day to day or the month 469 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:51,399 Speaker 5: to month. My guess is many most companies want to 470 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:54,159 Speaker 5: pass some sort of price increase on on a semi 471 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 5: regular basis, maybe once a year or something. But generally, 472 00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,639 Speaker 5: like talk about like how frequently you make those decisions 473 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:03,360 Speaker 5: to increase prices and when. 474 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:08,399 Speaker 6: Yeah, I would say that we are less on a 475 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 6: schedule than is typical for a larger bakery. I think 476 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 6: when you get to scale like us or larger, there's 477 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:21,560 Speaker 6: an inclination just from the operation side of things to 478 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:26,400 Speaker 6: make these these changes regular, and for us, it's more 479 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 6: about making sure that our accounts are getting what they 480 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,359 Speaker 6: expect and are not being pushed further when it's no 481 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:37,119 Speaker 6: real issue for us relative to cogs to float a 482 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:40,440 Speaker 6: little bit of that within a range. It's also even 483 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 6: more relevant to monitor our competitors pricing. Our products are 484 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 6: not entirely apples to apples, talking about two different basic 485 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 6: what we call a house loaf, but most places call 486 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 6: a country loaf basic sour tow loaf of bread, which 487 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 6: you know we charge six dollars for wholesale and a 488 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:01,480 Speaker 6: lot of other places I charge seven to fifty, but 489 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:04,160 Speaker 6: their loaf is two hundred and fifty grams heavier than ours, 490 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 6: or some other difference. So it's difficult to track. But 491 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 6: in terms of what the bottom line is for our customers, 492 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 6: we have to stay within a range. We are a 493 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 6: higher end wholesale product, which makes us unique as well, 494 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 6: but at the same time that doesn't mean that we're 495 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,720 Speaker 6: not competing with those who are making some more, you know, 496 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 6: sort of commercially mechanized loaves of bread. So we have 497 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 6: to be very mindful of our competitors' prices, and I 498 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 6: would say that reality mixed with some of the increases 499 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 6: in hogs, are what drive our price increases. I'd say 500 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 6: we've raised prices maybe twice in the last four years. 501 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 6: You know, I think we had no choice when bags 502 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:50,120 Speaker 6: were all the way up at eight dollars more per 503 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:52,040 Speaker 6: than they are now. And by the time we were 504 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:54,439 Speaker 6: able to bring that price back down, which I think 505 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:58,400 Speaker 6: I would say, you know, was around May of this year. 506 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 6: So it's a really long time of these elevated prices. 507 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 6: Other expenses like labor and outside things have increased to 508 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 6: the point where we can't lower the prices back down. 509 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:11,600 Speaker 6: It's just the way that it goes. As much as 510 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 6: I'd like to, because I feel the benefit very you know, 511 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,800 Speaker 6: I feel the benefit from passing savings off to the 512 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:21,840 Speaker 6: to our accounts, but at a certain point you have 513 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 6: to protect the business and that's where we're at. 514 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 2: So I mentioned at the beginning that you're in the 515 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 2: process of opening a pizzeria, So congratulations on that on 516 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:35,360 Speaker 2: the expansion. But one thing we hear a lot about 517 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:40,240 Speaker 2: nowadays is the idea of, you know, regulation slowing down businesses, 518 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:43,480 Speaker 2: and there seems to be certainly a dereg bent in 519 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 2: the Trump administration and a general sense that all these 520 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,280 Speaker 2: rules and bureaucracy really slow things down. So I'm curious, 521 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,719 Speaker 2: what's the process been like for you in opening the 522 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,360 Speaker 2: pizza restaurant? How long have you been doing it? And 523 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,960 Speaker 2: I guess how much paperwork have you actually had to do? Well? 524 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,119 Speaker 6: Los Angeles within the restaurant world, is fairly famous for 525 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:11,159 Speaker 6: the ineptitude of its governmental oversight agencies. We have to 526 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 6: sort of deal with both the county and the city. 527 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:16,720 Speaker 6: There's building in safety and the health department. They don't 528 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:18,720 Speaker 6: talk to each other, but you're they're both kind of 529 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 6: looking at the same thing, and they both point you 530 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 6: in different directions, and it gets very complicated when the 531 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 6: inspectors starts showing up, which is throughout the process. The 532 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:28,800 Speaker 6: thing about the pizza place is that it was a 533 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 6: second gen space. It was already a pizzeria that said we're, 534 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 6: you know, stripping out all the equipment and rebuilding it. 535 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 6: But that makes the process significantly faster. And if I, 536 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 6: you know, I don't want to say anything or be 537 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:44,120 Speaker 6: an absolutist in any way, but I will never do 538 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:49,160 Speaker 6: a first gen space ever again because it's just excruciating. 539 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,480 Speaker 6: And you know, when we open the restaurant, we signed 540 00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 6: our lease in November of twenty nineteen, so taking obviously 541 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:00,000 Speaker 6: there's a pandemic to consider, but it took us three 542 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 6: years to open. A lot of that was due to 543 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:06,040 Speaker 6: problems with the city. You know, a lot of it 544 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:09,080 Speaker 6: is very analog. They print up your application and it sits 545 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 6: on a literal stack on someone's desk, and if you 546 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 6: don't follow up with them incessantly, that stack just gets 547 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 6: piled on top and your thing just disappears deep into 548 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 6: the you know, into the file. So it's it's a 549 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 6: very very very difficult process. Do I think the exact 550 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 6: opposite and just stripping down things to nothing is the 551 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 6: is the answer? Definitely not. But you know, LA has 552 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 6: a lot of red tape to navigate. It also is 553 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 6: expensive red tape to navigate, so you're paying a ton 554 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 6: for you know, sort of non service and making things 555 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 6: really complicated for you. You can get to the very 556 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,440 Speaker 6: very end of the finish line and you're you're ready 557 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 6: to open, and the help inspector walks into the last 558 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 6: day and says, this floor drain is not in the 559 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 6: right place based on the plans that they approve, and 560 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 6: you know, eight months ago from somebody else, and then 561 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 6: you have no choice but to spend an extra eight 562 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 6: thousand dollars re routing your plumbing and then getting plumbing inspection. 563 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 2: Again, sounds like you're speaking from personal experience on that one. 564 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 2: That's a very specific example. 565 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:20,600 Speaker 5: I mean, by the way, I looked at Cohle's, the 566 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 5: restaurant you mentioned, and I'm reading the article and the 567 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 5: quote litany of reasons for closing pandemic actor and writer strike, crime, 568 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 5: labor costs, bureaucracy, et cetera. But just on this point, 569 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,280 Speaker 5: like I have never worked in our Actually I did 570 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 5: work in actually worked you worked at a sandwich shop 571 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 5: and I worked in a Nigerian restaurant in college, which 572 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 5: I never talked about. But is it like the bear Basically, 573 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 5: that's all because when people hear all of this stuff 574 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:45,920 Speaker 5: about like, oh, you got to move the dream, what 575 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 5: was there was like something with a balloon or something 576 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 5: like that. I don't remember the exact sceme, But is 577 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:52,440 Speaker 5: it like that stressful where, like, you know, they come 578 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 5: in and everyone is like on bated breath about whether 579 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:56,320 Speaker 5: they see something or not before you can. 580 00:30:56,240 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 6: Open the per The fear that has struck into the 581 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 6: hearts of restaurant managers when someone with a hanging neck 582 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 6: tag comes in from the city is overwhelming. The messages 583 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:11,200 Speaker 6: on slack go immediately out, and everyone springs into gear 584 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 6: because a lot of the things that they require are 585 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 6: not logical, don't make sense. Are there for the purposes 586 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 6: of checking some ridiculous box from nineteen sixty five that 587 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 6: isn't applicable anymore, But no one wants to make the 588 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,400 Speaker 6: effort to change things with the state government or the 589 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:32,720 Speaker 6: county government, and you just kind of get locked into, 590 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 6: you know, for someone who is so focused on logic 591 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:39,640 Speaker 6: and the logical approach to things and really reasoning things 592 00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 6: out and finding out the best way forward, it's just 593 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 6: excruciatingly frustrating to be put in this position where nothing 594 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 6: is logical and the decisions of this individual largely have 595 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 6: to do with their mood that day or whether they 596 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:55,080 Speaker 6: don't whether they like your place or whether they like you, 597 00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 6: or whatever's going on. It could be motivated not by 598 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 6: anything on paper, but more about this sort of unknowable nuance, 599 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:09,560 Speaker 6: and it's excruciatingly frustrating. There are, you know, known inspectors 600 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:13,440 Speaker 6: that people fear, there are known inspectors that people hope for, 601 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 6: and you never know what you're going to get. There's 602 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 6: I heard stories of so a lot of architecture companies 603 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:22,440 Speaker 6: have sort of sprung out to become expediters as well. 604 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:26,000 Speaker 6: So they basically are will take all of your paperwork 605 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 6: and the ridiculous amount of stuff that you need to do. 606 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:30,560 Speaker 6: You pay them a fixed fee, and they're the ones 607 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:34,080 Speaker 6: who not only well if their architects design the restaurant, 608 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:37,120 Speaker 6: but then will run everything through all the necessary channels 609 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 6: with the city and the county and the state. And 610 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 6: that costs an incredible amount. So that's another thing that 611 00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,600 Speaker 6: gets you know, piled on top. But no one wants 612 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:49,080 Speaker 6: to do that anymore because it's so ludicrous that it 613 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:52,719 Speaker 6: just makes your you go crazy. I hear, I have 614 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:56,600 Speaker 6: no experience outside of Los Angeles that this this infrastructure 615 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:58,360 Speaker 6: is one of the worst out there. 616 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:03,120 Speaker 2: So I listed a bunch of reasons that a restaurant 617 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 2: might close earlier, but I would love to get your 618 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 2: take on what exactly is causing restaurants to go out 619 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 2: of business in LA And also one thing I've always 620 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,920 Speaker 2: wondered about, why do people still open restaurants, Because the 621 00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 2: thing you hear is always that like it's a tiny, 622 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 2: tiny margin, it's really difficult, it's really competitive. You have 623 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 2: to basically give your entire life over to this endeavor. 624 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:29,200 Speaker 2: It sounds like a hard job, but new restaurants open 625 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:29,720 Speaker 2: all the time. 626 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:34,240 Speaker 6: It's true. I think I'd say that the motivation to 627 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:39,480 Speaker 6: open most restaurants is a flawed motivation. It's usually based 628 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:46,360 Speaker 6: on ego or showing off cash, or trying to acquire 629 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:51,120 Speaker 6: digital fame, other things that will inevitably either lead to 630 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:54,360 Speaker 6: a short burst of successful by an immediate decline or 631 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:59,120 Speaker 6: just an immediate misfire. And that's why most restaurants close 632 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:02,840 Speaker 6: in the first year, because it's excruciatingly difficult to do this. 633 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:06,800 Speaker 6: And I think that the general view is that working 634 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:09,319 Speaker 6: in a restaurant is easy. It's a cop out from 635 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:14,120 Speaker 6: some more corporate approach to living, and it's just not. 636 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 6: It's so much less manageable, it's so much wilder than 637 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:22,719 Speaker 6: you know, a more corporate career that it makes it very, 638 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:25,440 Speaker 6: very hard to do. But there is, to answer your question, 639 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 6: incredible joy in interfacing with people and making them happy 640 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 6: and being connected to hospitality and the pleasure of taking 641 00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 6: care of people and giving them something that they get 642 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,800 Speaker 6: to do, you know, three times a day, but making 643 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:43,399 Speaker 6: it something that brings them joy. You can see that, 644 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 6: and that reverberates back to you in a way that 645 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:49,920 Speaker 6: feels far more authentic than it felt when I was 646 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:53,480 Speaker 6: writing and producing commercials trying to manipulate people into buying shit. 647 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:56,680 Speaker 6: It's about that authentic connection, and I don't want to 648 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 6: have to feel bad for what I do for the 649 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:00,719 Speaker 6: rest of my life. I don't want to have to 650 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:03,280 Speaker 6: feel bad about it. And I did that for almost 651 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:08,160 Speaker 6: a decade. And I think that this provides an authentic 652 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,200 Speaker 6: reality for me and the people that work here, despite 653 00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 6: all of the challenges of doing it. And I think 654 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 6: the challenges are in place, because the challenges are always 655 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:20,360 Speaker 6: in place when you're trying to do something that's authentic 656 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 6: and aside from the general flow of our sort of 657 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:26,640 Speaker 6: controlled existence that we have. 658 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:30,719 Speaker 5: Right now, you mentioned digital fame. You're at the pizzeria, 659 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,480 Speaker 5: at the restaurant, do you feel like the need to 660 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,920 Speaker 5: have your equivalent of like, you know, the viral arawon smoothie, 661 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:39,160 Speaker 5: like something like is that an important thing you think 662 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:42,319 Speaker 5: about that this is a thing that could blow up 663 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:43,760 Speaker 5: on TikTok or whatever. 664 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:44,000 Speaker 3: It is. 665 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,600 Speaker 6: No, no, but I'm I'm unique in that way. I 666 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:51,520 Speaker 6: can't wait to remove us from social media. That is 667 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:56,080 Speaker 6: an intractable connection. Here's how I think about it now. 668 00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:59,600 Speaker 6: Where the restaurant and the bakery are established, generally people 669 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:01,960 Speaker 6: must say lists know to some degree, or the people 670 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:04,040 Speaker 6: who are involved in food know who we are. If 671 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:08,080 Speaker 6: I were to seek new customers in this moment for 672 00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 6: our retail restaurant, they would be in authentic connections with 673 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:17,239 Speaker 6: what we do. They might resonate with some with our 674 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,120 Speaker 6: blt that we just put out first when the tomatoes 675 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 6: are good now in the summer, and they might come 676 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:25,120 Speaker 6: to the restaurant on the weekend. But ultimately our bread 677 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,840 Speaker 6: and butter is going to be our regular return customers 678 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 6: who have a relationship with the restaurant, And I don't 679 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:32,840 Speaker 6: want to ostracize them because they're the people who are 680 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:34,880 Speaker 6: going to keep us here for a decade, as opposed 681 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:36,520 Speaker 6: to the people who are going to make us famous 682 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:39,560 Speaker 6: in the moment, drive out our regular customers, and then 683 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,200 Speaker 6: move on to the next trendy thing. So for us, 684 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:46,440 Speaker 6: trends are a business killer. You can get short, short 685 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 6: success from a trend, but if you want to be 686 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:52,959 Speaker 6: here for a long time and build a customer base 687 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:56,400 Speaker 6: that's dedicated, you have to have an authentic relationship with 688 00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:58,719 Speaker 6: those people. And that has to mean that whatever your 689 00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:01,600 Speaker 6: product is, they are offically connecting with it because of 690 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:04,680 Speaker 6: their own desires, not because I'm forcing them to have 691 00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:08,960 Speaker 6: an entertainment moment with our product by you know, creating 692 00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:10,480 Speaker 6: a TikTok video that goes viral. 693 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 2: So that's yeah, Well, speaking of the moment, we're recording 694 00:37:16,960 --> 00:37:20,680 Speaker 2: this on July eighth, and we still don't really know 695 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:24,560 Speaker 2: what's happening with the tariffs. But I imagine in the 696 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:28,480 Speaker 2: course of building out a pizzeria, you're probably ordering equipment 697 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:32,360 Speaker 2: from various places, giant pizza ovens and all that. Have 698 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:34,760 Speaker 2: you been impacted at all by the tariffs. 699 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:40,200 Speaker 6: Yet very little. It's still very confusing from my vantage 700 00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 6: point as to what is happening or what is supposed 701 00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 6: to come down the road. And we were certainly anticipating, 702 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 6: you know, our ovens are from Germany are you know, 703 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 6: a variety of pieces of equipment are coming from international places, 704 00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:59,080 Speaker 6: but I haven't seen any major increases. We did have 705 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:02,319 Speaker 6: some shipping increase. Is we make these coffee cans that 706 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:04,600 Speaker 6: we serve our rust to coffee and that come from China, 707 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:08,200 Speaker 6: there was a massive tariff increase on our shipping. That's 708 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,560 Speaker 6: part of the process. But in terms of, you know, 709 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:14,319 Speaker 6: the pizzeria equipment, we haven't seen it. Really. I'm anticipating 710 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:19,040 Speaker 6: that potentially we're talking about a ten percent EU tariff 711 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:22,440 Speaker 6: they said, floating around. I just don't know what that means. 712 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,520 Speaker 6: And if there's anticipatory price increases from the vendors who 713 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:28,759 Speaker 6: are in Italy selling us tomatoes or who are in 714 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,000 Speaker 6: a variety of other places in Europe where we buy 715 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:34,879 Speaker 6: some of our moral luxurious ingredients, we just haven't seen 716 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:37,000 Speaker 6: those yet. I am in still anticipating that as a 717 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,640 Speaker 6: possibility for pizza because we need to anticipate that, and 718 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:45,040 Speaker 6: we are certainly testing tomatoes, California tomatoes to see if 719 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:51,280 Speaker 6: we can find something comparable, because the you know, Sammrazano's 720 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:54,759 Speaker 6: are truly the best and they do grow in California. 721 00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:56,279 Speaker 6: But it's just a little bit of a different thing. 722 00:38:56,360 --> 00:38:59,840 Speaker 6: So we are anticipating the need to work with California tomatoes, 723 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,759 Speaker 6: but so far have not seen anything really in terms 724 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:08,080 Speaker 6: of tariffs increases reaching us on this side. 725 00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:10,359 Speaker 5: I just have one last question, and it gets back 726 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:13,480 Speaker 5: to Los Angeles. It feels like major American cities are 727 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:16,560 Speaker 5: always sort of dying and thriving at the same time. 728 00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:19,640 Speaker 5: And obviously, yeah, Los Angeles, you know, you hear certainly 729 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:22,239 Speaker 5: hear about it in New York and Chicago, and Los 730 00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:25,799 Speaker 5: Angeles has going through a lot or the fires, the 731 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:29,600 Speaker 5: recent ice raids and riots, and then you know, the 732 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:31,480 Speaker 5: people people, And I mentioned, you know, because it was 733 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:33,440 Speaker 5: in this article. I just looked up and reminded me. 734 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,959 Speaker 5: You know, people are talking about Hollywood, could it become 735 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,960 Speaker 5: the next Detroit in terms of that industry gutting out. 736 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,400 Speaker 5: On the other hand, it's probably the nicest climate in 737 00:39:43,440 --> 00:39:45,759 Speaker 5: the entire world, and people are always going to want 738 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:49,400 Speaker 5: to live in southern California. How do you feel about 739 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:51,560 Speaker 5: doing business in Los Angeles right now? 740 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:56,840 Speaker 6: Is the city It's excruciating. The city is, especially in 741 00:39:56,960 --> 00:40:00,520 Speaker 6: the in the food business, is very very much struggling. 742 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:05,279 Speaker 6: I've never ever seen so many closures of restaurants, good 743 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:08,920 Speaker 6: ones that deserve to be open in my time, you know, 744 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:11,440 Speaker 6: let alone being a consumer, but being in the business, 745 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:16,759 Speaker 6: I think that there's a lot, an endless list of 746 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:21,920 Speaker 6: factors that make Los Angeles complicated. It's expanse the reliance 747 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:26,960 Speaker 6: on Hollywood as a major motivator or a major provider 748 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:29,040 Speaker 6: for a large number of people in terms of income, 749 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:33,480 Speaker 6: and with that whole market shrinking, you know, you do 750 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:38,600 Speaker 6: see a lot less business happening in Hollywood proper. That said, 751 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:42,319 Speaker 6: it's a four hundred square miles city, you have. You know, 752 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:46,520 Speaker 6: where we are is about fifteen minutes from downtown, where 753 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,640 Speaker 6: some of the protests were happening, and a lot of 754 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:53,600 Speaker 6: that stuff. But I don't see anything, you know, it's 755 00:40:53,719 --> 00:40:59,359 Speaker 6: just a regular, small, small neighborhood experience over here. And 756 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:03,759 Speaker 6: you're really kind of like these neighborhoods have a very distinctly, 757 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:07,480 Speaker 6: you know, unique way of behaving. So as Hollywood is 758 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:11,319 Speaker 6: sort of shrinking down and moving east and west, you 759 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:14,239 Speaker 6: see a lot of development, and then you also see 760 00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:17,279 Speaker 6: a lot of gentrification protests, You see a lot of 761 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:20,799 Speaker 6: things where folks are. There's a lot of expansion and 762 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:23,920 Speaker 6: contraction in this really wide city. Part of it is 763 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:27,359 Speaker 6: exciting because it's a dynamic, but it's also just makes 764 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:31,080 Speaker 6: things very difficult because the city doesn't really have its 765 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 6: own identity. The identity is defined by the neighborhood. So 766 00:41:34,719 --> 00:41:39,120 Speaker 6: as downtown and Hollywood are contracting, you know, Highland Park 767 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:43,000 Speaker 6: and glass El Park, and this area of Glendale kind 768 00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:46,080 Speaker 6: of on the east side is expanding. Silver Lake and 769 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:48,840 Speaker 6: Echo Park and Los Pelas are kind of becoming like 770 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:51,800 Speaker 6: Hollywood once was and getting a little bit more corporate 771 00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:54,880 Speaker 6: businesses in there, and they're all looking to capitalize on 772 00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:58,720 Speaker 6: the growth of these neighborhoods. It's it's a very unique place, 773 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:03,239 Speaker 6: but it's very hard to work here. And you get 774 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:06,319 Speaker 6: a lot for choosing to be here and operating here 775 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:09,600 Speaker 6: and living here, but you're also very much behind the 776 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:10,000 Speaker 6: eight ball. 777 00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:12,680 Speaker 2: I got to ask one more question, but why is 778 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:17,279 Speaker 2: a San Marzano tomato grown in California considered subpar to 779 00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:20,600 Speaker 2: San Marzano tomato grown in Italy. 780 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:24,640 Speaker 6: I wouldn't say subpar. I wouldn't say subpar. The climate 781 00:42:24,719 --> 00:42:28,319 Speaker 6: is vaguely different, slightly different, so you end up with 782 00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:30,479 Speaker 6: a little bit of different result from what we've seen 783 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:34,400 Speaker 6: the San Marzano's from Italy end up being a little 784 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:38,920 Speaker 6: bit sweeter, a little bit more robust, and maybe that 785 00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:42,239 Speaker 6: has to do with even more direct sunlight, more volcanic soil. 786 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:45,360 Speaker 6: Who knows. There's a variety of different, different reasons why 787 00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:50,360 Speaker 6: the microclimates creates slightly different and results. It's just like wine. 788 00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:52,160 Speaker 6: It's sort of like, you know, you can grow the 789 00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:56,319 Speaker 6: same grape in southern France and in northern California and 790 00:42:56,440 --> 00:42:59,840 Speaker 6: end up with a distinctly different flavor based on the microclimate, 791 00:42:59,880 --> 00:43:04,640 Speaker 6: the soil in the environment. So it's a it may 792 00:43:04,719 --> 00:43:07,200 Speaker 6: just be our own projection, but we're working to try 793 00:43:07,239 --> 00:43:10,440 Speaker 6: and find whatever the best possible option is for us. 794 00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:12,279 Speaker 5: All right, just a couple of seconds left. Give us 795 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:15,080 Speaker 5: one sandwich recommendation here on the East Coast that we 796 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:16,160 Speaker 5: should try. 797 00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:20,480 Speaker 6: Well, I would say, oh that's really hard. I mean's 798 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:24,560 Speaker 6: Defante is in Brooklyn is a special spot. But you know, 799 00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:27,160 Speaker 6: the deli that I grew up with is in Milburn, 800 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:29,720 Speaker 6: New Jersey. It's the Melbourne Deli and has now become 801 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:32,600 Speaker 6: kind of like a famous deli somehow, which is crazy. 802 00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:33,399 Speaker 5: I'll check it out. 803 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, well, Andy, thank you so much for 804 00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:38,279 Speaker 2: coming on odd lots. We're going to have to leave 805 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:40,960 Speaker 2: it there, but it was really fun to talk about 806 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:41,839 Speaker 2: the baking business here. 807 00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:43,480 Speaker 5: Yeah, that was great, Thanks so much, Andrew. 808 00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:44,920 Speaker 6: No, it's my pleasure. 809 00:43:44,960 --> 00:44:00,000 Speaker 4: Thanks guys, Joe. Have you ever been to. 810 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:03,200 Speaker 3: It's in Soho. 811 00:44:03,280 --> 00:44:05,759 Speaker 2: It used to be literally across the street from where 812 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:09,080 Speaker 2: I lived. Best sandwiches ever. It blew my mind the 813 00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:11,799 Speaker 2: first time I went there. They've expanded since then. The 814 00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:13,719 Speaker 2: expanded store is not so. 815 00:44:13,719 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 4: Good, you know. 816 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:16,880 Speaker 5: A shout out to our producer Dash, because didn't he 817 00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:19,279 Speaker 5: like he did the tour where he tried every one 818 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:21,960 Speaker 5: of the hundred best sandwiches in New York. We got 819 00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:25,920 Speaker 5: to get him on interview Dash at some point about 820 00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:26,440 Speaker 5: New York City. 821 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:27,200 Speaker 3: That'd be fun. 822 00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:27,880 Speaker 4: Yeah, okay. 823 00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:30,200 Speaker 2: But on a more serious note, there was lots of 824 00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:32,880 Speaker 2: interesting stuff to pull out from there. But one of 825 00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:35,359 Speaker 2: the things I'm thinking about, and this kind of came 826 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:38,520 Speaker 2: up in our Chicken series when we talked to the DOJ, 827 00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:43,080 Speaker 2: But it's that idea of the tyranny of the middle man, right, 828 00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:47,480 Speaker 2: and this idea that Okay, obviously you're buying flour from 829 00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:50,759 Speaker 2: a flower producer, but then in between the producer and 830 00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:54,480 Speaker 2: getting to you, there's the distributor which is charging a markup. 831 00:44:54,560 --> 00:44:57,239 Speaker 2: And then when you're setting up a new business nowadays 832 00:44:57,239 --> 00:44:59,879 Speaker 2: you have to have like basically a red tape su 833 00:45:00,719 --> 00:45:03,279 Speaker 2: to walk you through. That's another middle man. And then 834 00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:06,279 Speaker 2: the shipping costs going up, I mean shipping not necessarily 835 00:45:06,320 --> 00:45:08,960 Speaker 2: a middle man, but certainly the middle of the process. 836 00:45:09,239 --> 00:45:11,840 Speaker 2: It seems like that's where the cost pressures are really 837 00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:12,200 Speaker 2: coming in. 838 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:15,080 Speaker 5: No, I think all that's super interesting. Also this idea 839 00:45:15,080 --> 00:45:17,520 Speaker 5: that like you could have an uber for distribution, but 840 00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:19,360 Speaker 5: then you lose that the bread bus, but then you 841 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:21,880 Speaker 5: lose that personal relationship and if that's important because you 842 00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:24,280 Speaker 5: need to hear feedback from the chef at that restaurant, 843 00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:26,520 Speaker 5: then you don't get it if you don't own the distribution. 844 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:30,080 Speaker 5: And then just you know, La itself we should do 845 00:45:30,160 --> 00:45:31,640 Speaker 5: at some point, we got to go back to La 846 00:45:31,719 --> 00:45:34,960 Speaker 5: because it does I mean incredible place, but incredibly number 847 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:37,600 Speaker 5: of like sort of ranching things going on in that city. 848 00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:41,280 Speaker 5: And opening a restaurant, as you mentioned, sort of seems 849 00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:43,400 Speaker 5: crazy and the easiest of times, Like I feel like 850 00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:45,040 Speaker 5: you have to have a little bit of brain damage 851 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:48,080 Speaker 5: to do that, and then to do it and there's 852 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:49,760 Speaker 5: a lot there that was very interesting. 853 00:45:49,960 --> 00:45:52,279 Speaker 2: I want to learn more about the pizza business as well. 854 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:53,080 Speaker 2: We're in New York. 855 00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:54,160 Speaker 3: We should do pizza. 856 00:45:54,239 --> 00:45:55,520 Speaker 5: We're gonna do a pizza episode. 857 00:45:55,560 --> 00:45:56,759 Speaker 3: All right, shall we leave it there. 858 00:45:56,880 --> 00:45:57,560 Speaker 5: Let's leave it there. 859 00:45:57,640 --> 00:45:59,960 Speaker 2: This has been another episode of the Odd Lots podcast. 860 00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:02,879 Speaker 2: I'm Tracy Alloway. You can follow me at Tracy. 861 00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:05,120 Speaker 5: Alloway and I'm Jill Wisenthal. You can follow me at 862 00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:08,680 Speaker 5: the Stalwart. Follow our producers Kerman Rodriguez at Kerman armand 863 00:46:08,760 --> 00:46:11,920 Speaker 5: dash albin At at Dashbot and Kilbrooks at Kilbrooks. And 864 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:14,239 Speaker 5: from our Odd Lots content. Go to Bloomberg dot com 865 00:46:14,239 --> 00:46:16,520 Speaker 5: slash odd Lots, where you have a daily newsletter and 866 00:46:16,640 --> 00:46:18,719 Speaker 5: all of our episodes, and you can chet about these 867 00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:21,919 Speaker 5: topics twenty four to seven in our discord discord dot 868 00:46:21,960 --> 00:46:23,240 Speaker 5: gg slash oddlines. 869 00:46:23,480 --> 00:46:25,560 Speaker 2: And if you enjoy odd Lots, if you like it 870 00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:28,239 Speaker 2: when we talk about baked goods, then please leave us 871 00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:31,640 Speaker 2: a positive review on your favorite podcast platform. And remember, 872 00:46:31,719 --> 00:46:34,239 Speaker 2: if you are a Bloomberg subscriber, you can listen to 873 00:46:34,480 --> 00:46:37,440 Speaker 2: all of our episodes absolutely at free. All you need 874 00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:40,000 Speaker 2: to do is find the Bloomberg channel on Apple Podcasts 875 00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:41,399 Speaker 2: and follow the instructions there. 876 00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:42,760 Speaker 3: Thanks for listening,