Ebony Austin, Founder, Nouveau Restaurant & Bar
Despite its allure, the restaurant business can be far from luxurious. The beautiful ambience, delicious cuisine, and hospitable staff are just the tip of the iceberg in the food service industry.
In reality, owners are often faced with many challenges behind the scenes. Rising costs, staff shortages, and long working hours are a few of the difficulties that come with the territory. At the height of the pandemic, these problems were only magnified. With a reduced profit margin of 6.2%, it's no surprise that more than 110,000 establishments had to close their doors in 2021 alone. Owning and operating a restaurant is a tough industry that is not for business owners who wish for a more hands-off approach. According to restaurateur, philanthropist, and community leader, Ebony Austin, the entrepreneurs who find sustainable success are the ones who are unafraid to roll up their sleeves. Unlike other ventures, Austin reminds us that, “You can't open up a restaurant and step away to let someone else run your business during the start up phase. You're the owner, you're the manager, you're the counselor. You're the therapist. The restaurant industry is one of the hardest industries because you play so many different parts.”
Hailing from the Southside of Chicago, Austin had a dream as a teenager to move to Atlanta to open up a restaurant of her own. Today, she is the CEO of Nouveau Bar which boasts two thriving locations. Her infamous Mimosa Jam Brunch has been attended by the likes of Kandi Burruss, 2 Chainz, Trina, Angela Simmons, social media influencers, Pretty Vee, Jayda Wayda, and more.
Besides running two highly successful eateries, she has also launched a line of stone-ground grits available nationwide, created more than 100 job opportunities, holds an extensive real estate portfolio, and has given back more than $100,000,000 in cash, scholarships, and goods and services to her local community over the years. “Community is my heart,” Austin shares. “I love people. And for me, I understand that if every person reaches back to help someone, we'll be in a better position. So, if I can help someone's child go to college, that child will remember when they get into their career. And my hope is that with their success, they'll reach back out and help somebody else's child or somebody else's niece or nephew.” It is this dedication to community outreach, paired with her love for food that has allowed Austin to make a difference in her community, and beyond. Here she shares advice for entrepreneurs looking to build a brand that transcends the four walls of their establishment.
Turn Skills into Opportunity
Austin's journey toward building the Nouveau Bar empire began after she graduated from college and landed a job as a business development manager at 1-800-flowers. It was there that she learned the importance of offering stellar service, which combined crafting a compelling story, curating a memorable experience, and maintaining consistency with the customer always in mind. However, Austin soon realized that she needed to take a chance on herself and pursue her entrepreneurial aspirations. She left a role that saw her responsible for overseeing multiple store locations, and ventured into the real estate investment industry. Austin said, “I decided to bet on myself for a change because I knew what I was giving to other companies that I had been with for 12 plus years. I said to myself, ‘Let me take the knowledge that I received from this company and also take my grind, my grit, my hustle and better myself’. And so that's what I did. I started my own real estate investment company.” Motivated by her own determination, Austin invested in the communities she grew up in, purchasing one property at a time. Eventually, her hard work paid off, and she was able to build a portfolio of over 15 properties, establishing her own communities in Texas, Orlando, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Fulfillment Fuels Progress
After experiencing substantial success in real estate, Austin knew that there was still something missing. With a clear vision in mind, Austin began to chart a new course for herself; one that would ultimately lead to the creation of her first Nouveau Bar location. As a professional cook for over ten years, she realized that it was in hospitality that she felt most fulfilled and at home. “I decided, let me get back to the roots. Let me get back to where I'm the happiest and that's serving people. And so I wanted to learn everything about my restaurant,” she admitted. “I can cook in my restaurant, I can bartend and host. I can literally do every single part of my restaurant operations. And for me, being able to do that, I'm able to train my team on the expectations and what I want delivered to every single customer that enters and exits those doors.”
Plan for the Worst
When Austin made the decision to open her restaurant, there was no way to know that the COVID-19 pandemic would soon cause a major upheaval in the food and beverage industry for the next two years. Despite the unexpected challenges, Austin's business acumen led her to focus on forecasting her projected costs and building up a robust emergency savings fund before opening the doors of Nouveau Bar for the very first time. She understood that these actions were essential for the long-term success of her business, and would enable her to stay resilient in the face of any uncertainties to come. “I had planned it three years prior to opening up the restaurant, so I had really projected the costs in my mind of what I thought payroll would be. I had done a lot of research on what someone would pay their chef and what someone would pay their manager. So I had saved a year of what my projected salary costs would be.” That foresight meant that when the pandemic shook the industry, Austin was still able to pay all of the full time and salaried employees under her leadership. “I believe in the five Ps. And so for me, I understand that proper planning prevents poor performance.”
Team Over Everything
For Austin, understanding her team’s needs, skills, and aspirations are the critical ingredients in successfully leading her restaurant business. She actively seeks to provide constructive feedback and coaching to her staff in real-time, with a focus on emphasizing positive outcomes. “That is key. Your team then sees that you're building with them and that you're not tearing them down. Everybody, at some point, does something that might not be to the liking of the owner or that might be wrong,” Austin stated. “But if I'm coaching you in that moment and I'm showing you a different way of doing it versus putting the team member out, I think that they respect that.” According to Austin, skills development and training is central to the culture at Nouveau Bar, and is sometimes a learning path that extends beyond culinary related topics. “I'm very invested in my team,” she shares. “I tell [them] all the time that I don't understand how the requirements for rent have gone up to the same requirements it takes to buy a house. So I went out to a home buying program and set that up so that now my team is getting ready to start buying homes. One of them has already purchased a home.” For Austin, fostering great team culture goes beyond expecting her employees to pour into her company. It also involves actively seeking out opportunities to support, empower, and pour back into them, and that starts by understanding their aspirations and lifestyle goals. “I don't have a high turnover rate. I'm good to my team, so in return, the loyalty is there,” Austin said. By taking the time to learn about their dreams and goals, and by intentionally supporting them, Austin can not only serve them better, but create a fulfilling work environment that both she and her team can be proud to work hard for every day.
