Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Collida.
Hi Tony, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
ive been in the restaurant busineess for around 28 years. when the pandemic shutdown started i was working for a small catering business and was unfortunately laid off.luckily, my now wife, was comfortably employed at a local manufacturing plant. while she worked, i spent most of my time cooking for her and our two daughters. while this was hapening i was invited to start a business with an acquaintance. the plan was for him to operate a bar while i operated a food counter inside. we openend together in august of 2021. most of the recipes we serve here were developed feeding my famiky while unemployed durting the worst of the pandemic. we faced the same problems many small businesses experienced during the early days of the pandemic and my business partner decided to move on to another project early into our partnership. iam rather stubborn, so i decided to proceed sans liquor license. my wife decide to quit her job and come work with me full time. we switched to a BYOB model and our current 9-2 schedule at the beginning of 2022. it was a tough winter but we survived and started gaining a little traction, most notably for our pancakes. here we are almost 5 years later!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
it has been the most challenging thing ive ever done. labor shortages, cost of goods fluctuating wildly. post pandemic restaurants are completely different from what i came up in.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
ive worked in saint louis my entire carer. from short order cooking to running higher end kitchens. ive found my success has always been rooted in my attention to detail, my eagerness to learn new things and my ability to recognize and learn from expertise when i see it. ive been lucky to work for many great people and have had many mentors over the years. our concept is simple here. keep it simple, keep it consistent and deliver as expected.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
i was the sixth grade knights of columbus spelling bee champion
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grandpied.com
- Instagram: grand_pied_stl
