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Small Business Spotlight: Chef JJ Johnson Looks to Expand His FIELDTRIP Restaurants Despite Pandemic Toll
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The restaurant and hospitality industry has been among the hardest hit in the pandemic, but one renowned chef is betting on the future.
James Beard award-winning Chef JJ Johnson currently owns three restaurants in New York City. He owns FIELDTRIP – a casual rice bowl eatery with locations in Harlem, Rockefeller Center and Long Island City. It’s named for the rice fields he has visited in India, Ghana, Israel, Singapore and other countries where rice is part of the traditional meal.
“I’m stirring up a different pot right now, trying to get a flavor full for the future, which is really interesting as you grow as a chef, entrepreneur or founder,” Johnson told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
Seeing an opportunity to expand, he is more focused on business operations and marketing, but understands he must maintain quality in his food to succeed in growth.
“It’s hard,” he conceded. “You look at the color, you look at the consistency, that one is darker, that one is lighter… so you do think about that as you roll out more units.”
Chef JJ acknowledged inherent risk. In talking to executives at Shake Shack, he learned they suffered near-insurmountable losses from a failed expansion to Florida, but survived with a healthy bank account. He’s hoping to learn from their mistakes and capitalize on the opportunity he sees to pay lower rent with leases, he estimates, down about 30 percent from last year.
He said he prefers percentage-based rent and landlords are more receptive to partnering now because many are unable to make mortgage payments without revenue coming in and federal and local moratoriums on evictions. Johnson told Connolly and Carousso that before the shutdown last spring, he was “laughed at” when he suggested a percentage lease in which rent is based on a percentage of sales.
“I think the biggest thing we all learned is, if you have a landlord or you have a partner that’s in it with you through the darkest and brightest times, we all benefit,” Johnson said.
He told WCBS 880 that landlords he talks to are “looking to the new guard of New York City to try to help revive back some of these communities” or even start fresh in a post-pandemic economy.
Chef JJ believes connecting with the community through charitable work and sponsoring local programs is essential for building relationships and a customer base. FIELDTRIP launched initiatives to feed frontline workers in Harlem at the outset of the pandemic.
See ideas on how to turn the restaurant industry around on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight video above.
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Mets 2021 Preview Special: Rojas Talks ‘Coach Lindor,’ Pitching Rotation and More
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Opening Day is just two weeks away and the New York Mets look like it’s all systems go for a special 2021 season as the team looks to build on an optimistic offseason.
Manager Luis Rojas, who joined Mets radio broadcasters Wayne Randazzo and Ed Coleman for our 2021 Mets Preview Special on Tuesday, said it’s been an exciting spring in Port St. Lucie.
“Early, starting with our young prospects, that was exciting to watch them play,” Rojas said. “Now the guys that we acquired in the offseason, they’ve also been very exciting to watch on a daily basis in the clubhouse and the way they carry themselves and some of the things that they bring to the team not only on the field… I think everyone is working hard, getting to know these guys and seeing how they go about their business.”
Among the highlights of the offseason was the arrival of All-Star Francisco Lindor, who brings an energy and winning mentality to the team.
Rojas said they jokingly refer to him as “Coach Lindor” because he demands the best version of himself and his teammates every single day.
“He’s just perfect, that’s the best way to describe it,” Rojas said. “We all want to win and this kid is coming with a lot of winning experience, great abilities, and I know his personality. We spoke on the phone for the first time after acquiring him and immediately I felt that energy and that winning mentality and that’s exactly what he’s brought from day one.”
Another player getting plenty of attention is pitcher Carlos Carrasco, a late arrival to camp.
Carrasco has said he’ll be ready for Opening Day and threw for the first time Tuesday after elbow soreness left him sidelined for a few days.
Rojas said Carrasco threw 18 pitches and felt great, so they’ll continue to watch his buildup and progression.
“He feels he’s going to be there when the season starts and we feel that he’s going to be there when the season starts,” Rojas said. “So we’ll just follow through his progression. Next step is to throw a live in a couple of days and then we’ll see if we can include him in games.”
If Carrasco is ready to go for the first week of the season, that leaves many wondering what the final pitching rotation may look like.
Assuming Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker, Jacob deGrom and Carrasco make the list that begs the question: who’s in the lead for fifth spot?
“That’s a tough one,” Rojas said. “We know that (David) Peterson’s earned a right to be there. He pitched the other day, he let some pitches out over the middle of plate, but the stuff is there, he’s trying mid-90s, he’s got the slider, and now the changeup touch has gotten a lot better and he’s flipping the curveball every now and then as well. So he’s expanding his repertoire a little more and probably going to increase the percentages of some pitches just to have some more in the opposing hitter’s head. But you gotta say that he’s the top guy for that fifth spot but the race is tight cause you have a guy like (Jordan) Yamamoto, who’s been pitching consistently too, and you also have a guy like (Joey) Lucchesi who threw the other day and he cruised through two innings. So we’re looking at it to develop more in the next week and then we’ll be closer for that decision.”
Neil A. Carousso produces special coverage of New York Mets baseball for the WCBS Mets Radio Network.
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Small Business Spotlight: How a Bed-Stuy Wine Shop Became the Neighborhood Everything Store
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A small wine shop in Bedford-Stuyvesant is tailor-made for the Brooklyn community it serves.
Happy Cork opened its doors in March 2019 – a year before the coronavirus spread in New York City and changed its business model. Fast-forward two years and Sunshine Foss is displaying her sunny disposition on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
Foss told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso she rallied her community amid the business shutdowns and offered to sell their products on the new website she designed herself. She was in survival mode.
“When we opened, it was literally us trying to get people in the doors,” she said.
An average of just 10 people a day patronized Happy Cork for the first few months of the pandemic.
Liquor stores were deemed an essential business, so Foss used that designation to support minority and women-owned businesses in Brooklyn.
“We’re like, ‘Okay, we’re going to have you in the store. We’re essential. You’re going to be essential,'” she recalled saying. “A lot of businesses have been able to grow even just because of that.”
Her wine shop became a destination both in-person and online. She currently boasts dozens of locally sourced selections from women and Black owners who have struggled to stay open, sharing the story of each product she sells.
“We want to make sure that you get that Happy Cork experience,” Foss said.
“If you’re not coming into the store, we’re going to send you an experience in the box.”Along with wine orders, Happy Cork ships coasters, glassware, tea, chocolate, keychains and merchandise from local artisans and vendors.
“Now, with opening up delivery and shipping and a beautiful online presence, we have definitely been able to kind of capture a lot more of an audience so business has been great,” she said.
But, Foss credits her vendors and local business owners for what she has learned along the way. She channels her Bed-Stuy community in brand and spirit.
The Happy Cork website reads, “There’s a difference between a place where you are welcome and a place that was built with you in mind.”
Foss told Connolly and Carousso she wanted to make her shop less “intimidating” from other urban wine shops that featured bullet proof glass where she places flowers.
“It is really a space that was built with the community in mind,” she said.
“It was built for the community to come in (and) feel welcome.”See how Happy Cork is supporting other Brooklyn businesses on the Small Business Spotlight video above.
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Small Business Spotlight: Software Tailored for Restaurants Hones New COVID Sales Strategy
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Restaurants are trying to get control over their destiny.
SevenRooms, co-founded in 2008 by Joel Montaniel, created backend software for restaurants and hospitality companies to streamline ordering and reservations. Now, they are more of a data-driven technology company helping restaurateurs gain repeat customers in a precarious time for eating out.
“The most significant change that restaurant operators need is to have their own platform where consumers can order delivery directly from them,” Montaniel told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
He emphasized that control over takeout and delivery – the most common pandemic pivot in the food industry – will increase profit margins by saving commission many owe to third-party delivery apps such as Grubhub, Postmates, DoorDash and Uber Eats.
The second key for restaurants to recover, Montaniel believes, is capturing customer data internally, which SevenRooms’ software does, to upsell those who have placed orders. The technology company recently introduced digital menus to establishments that tracks order history.
“If you had opted into their marketing database, the SevenRooms system will automatically email you again, and say, ‘Hey Neil, here’s a complimentary tzatziki when you order delivery or pickup directly from us,’” he hypothesized using Carousso as a customer in his example. “So, it’s a great way to leverage what you’re actually doing inside the restaurant and use it as a benefit for you to order pickup and delivery or come back into the restaurant when you feel comfortable doing so.”
Montaniel told WCBS 880 that 64 percent of SevenRooms users prefer ordering directly from an establishment rather than third-party apps. He said many are eager to support their local eateries since the industry was largely shutdown due COVID-19 and remains open with strict safety restrictions.
That loyal customer base is essential to restaurants’ recovery. The SevenRooms co-founder and CEO labeled Domino’s Pizza the “gold standard” because they own their own application for contactless ordering, pickup and delivery.
SevenRooms counts Wimbledon, Live Nation Entertainment and Topgolf among its hospitality clients.
“They’re thinking about the world the same way, which is how do we create the best, most optimal, and now recently, safest guest experience and I think technology can play a role in that to make everyone feel safe,” Montaniel said of how they are looking to reinvent themselves as local venues reopen to fans for the first time in about a year.
See how SevenRooms is helping this hard hit sector survive on the video above.
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WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast: How to Grow Again Featuring Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful
How to Grow Again Featuring Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful – WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast, Presented by The First National Bank of Long Island
Streaming Thursday, March 18, 2021 – 9 AM
Be part of the program! Share your questions for Joe Connolly and Kevin O’Leary here.
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Businesses are looking to rise up from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic and offer solutions in the post-pandemic economy. WCBS 880 is producing a premier virtual event for entrepreneurs, owners, managers, and dreamers to tackle critical areas where opportunities lie for growth despite the unprecedented global pandemic.
WCBS Business Reporter Joe Connolly will host a virtual video conversation with “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary as part of the WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast series, presented by The First National Bank of Long Island. You can stream the WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast at WCBS880.com or the WCBS 880 YouTube channel on Thursday, March 18, 2021 beginning at 9 AM.
“Mr. Wonderful” will share his keys to business recovery, actionable advice for small and mid-size business owners in various industries, and what they need to be focused on heading into the spring.
“In times like these, you really want to play to your strengths,” O’Leary told Connolly on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight in April, emphasizing decisive actions to grow despite the crippling pandemic.
Photo credit: ABC The “Shark Tank” star will highlight relatable stories of business pivots, explain digital sales strategies that are yielding results for his companies, and reveal the top new business opportunities in growing markets amid the pandemic.
“(Customers) genuinely care about companies and products and services that they’ve grown to trust and they want to support them during this period of difficulty to make sure that these businesses survive,” O’Leary told WCBS 880.
Learn how to survive and grow in this new era at the WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast with Joe Connolly, presented by The First National Bank of Long Island, on March 18.
You can share your questions for Joe and Kevin here or Tweet @WCBS880 and @JoeConnollybiz using #WCBSBizBreakfast in your post.
About Kevin O’Leary:
Photo credit: ABC/Andrew Eccles Kevin O’Leary’s success story starts where most entrepreneurs begin: with a big idea and zero cash.
Kevin O’Leary was born to a middle class family in 1954. The combination of Kevin’s mother’s family heritage as merchants and his father’s Irish charisma truly meant that O’Leary was born for business. Kevin learned most of his business intuition from his mother. She taught him key business and financial insights from an early age. These became Kevin’s core philosophies, and the pillars upon which he would one day build his empire.
Kevin’s approach to business went through major changes as a teenager. During his second day on the job at a local ice cream shop, his boss came into the front of the store where Kevin was scooping ice cream. She looked at Kevin and asked him to scrape all the gum between the Mexican tiles on the floor. Kevin refused and he was fired. That was the moment he realized he never wanted to work for someone else again and charted his path into entrepreneurship as a high school student.
As a university student, Kevin’s innate business sense led him along several different paths – including some very unusual, very entrepreneurial ways of making a profit.
Not long after he finished his MBA, Kevin had a meeting that changed his life forever. He met a man who had a strange idea for a software product – an idea with huge, high-profit potential that Kevin immediately recognized.
After years of ups, downs, sacrifices, challenges, and lessons learned — not to mention a critical phone call that nearly cost him everything — the opportunity that Kevin saw eventually turned into a computer software giant that was acquired for more than $4 billion dollars.
After his extraordinary success at the software company, he founded – and a difficult period of obstacles and legal disputes – Kevin eventually found himself on television, quickly becoming a sought-after host and personality on a range of shows – including Discovery’s Project Earth, CBC’s Dragons’ Den, and ABC’s Shark Tank.
Kevin has since launched O’Leary Funds, an investment fund company; O’Leary Fine Wines; and a best-selling book series on financial literacy.
In 2014, Kevin founded O’Leary Financial Group – a group of brands and services that share Kevin’s guiding principles of honesty, directness, convenience, and above all, great value.
His net worth is estimated at $400 million.
Executive produced by Neil A. Carousso.
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