QCP #030 | Chefs Matt Levin + Michael Greuel of The Refuge Restaurants | The Pathos of Pastrami, Survival Mode in the Food Service Industry

  GUEST BIO   In 2008 Matt Levin, his wife Melanie, and his good friend Michael Greuel opened The Refuge Restaurant, home of some of the best pastrami sandwiches and burgers. At the time, The Refuge was a small restaurant focused on french wines, Belgian beers, and house-made, hand-sliced pastrami sandwiches. Since 2008 their popularity has exploded. Customers have waited up to four hours to sit and dine with them. Fifteen years later, they streamlined the process and opened up two more locations along the way, one in Menlo Park, and the other in San Mateo. They both have over 25 years of experience in the food service industry.   They both share their experiences running three restaurants during the pandemic and what they've learned from it.   NOTES | MENTIONS   Seg 1  - Catching up with Old Friends, Survival Mode in the Food Service Industry Gastrosexual 15 years in business Progress of the Restaurant and Food Service Economy The Refuge Menu Fine Dining vs Fast Food Problems of maintaining consistency The Bear Standards of Skilled Food Labor Food Truck Business Effects on Restaurants Effects of Silicon Valley Work From Home on Surrounding Businesses Raising Children in the Restaurant business Seg 2 - Spiritual Growth after Pastrami Matt's daily routine - first 3 steps of Recovery Tellefin Universal Trauma Life in Recovery and Spirituality Effects of Economy on the Food Business Rising Food Costs Marco Pierre White Decision making processes How to manage labor Initial Vision of Success Barcelona Teleferic The Science of Popcorn Seg 3 - Aging and Folly Going to restaurants as a guest The Egg Doors of Perception William Blake guided psychedelic retreats The Funeral Industry Funerals and weddings Judaism Burial The Funeral Industry Today Terrence McKenna How to Control Deja Vu Rule 62 How to make more fun Coco Melon Seg 4 - Kids Will Save the World Dumpling Pickups Gao Viet Kitchen Observations on human behavior from restaurant service experience the industry of evil Charcuterie The Fatted Calf Restaurant workers vs Yelp Seg 5 - What success means now Modern Restaurant Ticket Machines Matt's AA Recovery Wisdom