An Interview With Martita Mestey
Carefully select your team and hire for attitude over skill! Especially today, post pandemic, I will take a strong attitude over a skilled set of hands. Not necessarily a new concept, but most relevant with today’s workforce.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Nathan Thurston.
Nathan Thurston, a true son of the South and visionary restaurateur, has carved out a unique niche for innovation, southern comforts, and exceptional hospitality within the culinary scene. With 25 years of experience in esteemed kitchens across the Carolinas, Nathan played a pivotal role in the Lowcountry’s culinary boom, notably leading the kitchens of Kiawah Island’s renowned Ocean Room and Jasmine Porch. Before founding Millers All Day, Nathan’s expertise and passion for the industry laid the foundation for his next venture. Drawing from his rich background in the restaurant industry, he leads Thurston Southern, a consulting firm dedicated to helping aspiring restaurants worldwide conceptualize and execute their culinary vision, enhance their operations, achieve their financial goals, and elevate their customer dining experience. Acting as a strategic partner, Thurston Southern has collaborated with several high-profile projects,including The Darling Oyster Bar, Felix Cocktails et Cuisine, and the international client Kinross House.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restaurateur?
I grew up in the hospitality industry and was fourteen years old for my first stint as a dishwasher. Soon enough after mastering the trade and racing my co-workers to clear the pot sink fastest, I became complacent. Next, I was fascinated by what the chefs could create and the camaraderie that they had on the line. I asked to have a shot on the line and learned to make my first dish- a classic club sandwich. After training on the garde manger station I continued to learn more techniques such as how to make a proper omelet, searing a piece of fish, and setting up buffets and action stations. I later moved on to run my first dinner service as a sous chef at eighteen years old. Later I aspired to get more training and attended culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, SC. After opening The Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island I went on the run the kitchens of Jasmine Porch and The Ocean Room. This five star hotel culture really allowed me to find my entrepreneurial spirit and motivated me to one day run my own business. Eventually, the right property came available and I was able to open Millers All Day in downtown Charleston, SC which will be open for seven years this coming spring. Since then we have opened a second location on James Island and have a biscuit slinging food truck that visits local breweries, neighborhoods, and concerts.
Do you have a specific type of food that you focus on? What was it that first drew you to cooking that type of food? Can you share a story about that with us?
I’ve always stayed close to my Appalachian roots and focus on southern cuisine. As the son of a reverend, I was fortunate enough to enjoy the southern church potluck lunches inclusive of fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, seven kinds of broccoli casserole, etc. Additionally, my mother and grandmother were excellent cooks and always had something cooking in the kitchen. Most commonly a pot of beans, greens, and cornbread would be in the works. In fact once a week we would enjoy a family style breakfast for dinner. This would often include scrambled eggs, country ham, grits, and marinated tomatoes. Breakfast was always a comforting meal for me which is part of the inspiration for the Millers All Day concept.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you became a restaurateur? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
One of the most interesting yet challenging times in restaurant ownership was during the pandemic. I’ll never forget the day we closed, we had a never ending queue of guests wanting to dine with us yet we decided to close for the right reasons. We ended up closing Millers for six months and lost most of our leadership team due to life changes. I had to return to my culinary roots and reopen the restaurant without a chef or pastry chef. This was a very challenging time but we were tenacious and ended up rebuilding the business to revenue levels never seen before.
My takeaway was you never know who you are going to lose on this journey and it’s paramount that you can do every task with your own two hands.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?
When we first opened, we began with hours of operation that were too broad. As a scratch kitchen, our labor was robust and fine tuning was in order to hit our financial goals. Zeroing in and on our most successful hours of operation allowed us to eliminate unproductive periods and deliver the financial results needed to be successful.
In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?
A creative spin on a comforting classic is often a winning scenario. I feel that guests do not seek out food too far from their comfort zone and often want something they recognize. Taking a recognizable dish concept and dialing in the details or reimagining certain aspects is often well-received.
Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?
That seems to always be a moving target for me. Lately with my travels to the UK, I have become quite fond of a traditional English breakfast plate as well as some of the modern twists on the classic. Breakfast has always been one of my favorite meals but I particularly find the savory elements such as roasted mushrooms, baked beans, haggis, or scallops on the half shell to be quite enjoyable.
Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?
I have been fortunate to visit some amazing parts of the world. Most recently I have visited Edinburgh, Lyon, Paris, Lisbon, and Maui. All of these travels have exposed me to some amazing cuisine and techniques. I often reference my photo album or journal for inspiration and reminders of the amazing food experiences I have been fortunate enough to enjoy. In fact, we have malasadas (portuguese donuts) on our menu today at Millers after I experienced them in Maui. I will never forget the first bite that I experienced with my beautiful wife Jennifer. They were still warm from the fryer, fluffy but with a nice chew, and evenly coated with cinnamon sugar.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?
I have started a restaurant consulting project in Edinburgh, Scotland where I will be launching a loch side coffee shop, restaurant, and event space. I have immersed myself in Scottish cuisine and culture and it has been a fascinating experience thus far. This experience has provided me with a unique perspective and appreciation for the methods in which business is conducted in the UK. I have thoroughly enjoyed this journey and hopefully look forward to future international projects that will expose me to new experiences.
What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?
There will always be work, cherish the time you have with your family and friends. Time blocking is a very efficient strategy to get the most out of your day!
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Restaurateur” and why?
1. Have a substantial amount of operating capital set aside for unexpected events such as hurricanes, pandemics, and other acts of god. The revenue loss can be paralyzing and you need to have strong reserves for the unexpected. We’ve experienced multiple scenarios and we attempt to always prepare for the next curveball.
2. Repairs & Maintenance are a major time killer! Almost every day we are dealing with a repair and it’s unfortunately a growing line on our profit and loss statement. From potato peelers to combi ovens- something is always needing attention. Millers All Day being a volume concept puts extra stress on equipment and its quite a bit to keep up with.
3. Carefully select your team and hire for attitude over skill! Especially today, post pandemic, I will take a strong attitude over a skilled set of hands. Not necessarily a new concept, but most relevant with today’s workforce.
4. The guest is not always right. In the five star hotel industry it was ingrained within us that the guest is always right. To this day I read every Google, Yelp, and Trip Advisor review that comes in. Over time, I have learned it’s not about being right, but taking the time to find parallels and trends in your business that might need adjustment.
5. Yoga is extremely helpful in developing your core for the physical part of restaurant work. Lift with your legs, not your back. Between 50# boxes of idaho potatoes and multiple kinds of massive flour bags, it’s extremely important to build your core and lift smart- not hard!
What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?
The Hot Honey Bacon Egg & Cheese sandwich also known as HHBEC. It is the king of all breakfast sandwiches!! We take an already amazing BEC sandwich made with local Storey Farm eggs, smoked bacon, white cheddar cheese, and herby mayo- then add a fried chicken breast dipped in hot honey sauce!
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
After reopening Millers All Day after the pandemic, we were able to start over and reimagine some opportunities in our little corner of the food & beverage industry. Many aspects of the industry were broken including compensation, benefits, work-life balance, etc. Previously folks might move on to greener pastures to “find a real job”. We were able to provide a reimagined culture inclusive of higher wages, generous PTO, 401k retirement, and a work week that leaders could get excited about. Since then, we have drastically increased our retention and feel a sense of pride in providing a movement that folks want to get behind. I hope this inspiration to better our restaurant and industry is contagious and inspires others to evolve.
Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!
Nathan Thurston Of Millers All Day: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.