Fourteen Hours. Behind The Scenes With The Hottest Restaurants In Atlanta. Rainer Shaw. Regional Director of Operations. Le Bilboquet.
“Depending on traffic, I typically arrive at the restaurant between 9-915am. My initial half hour to forty-five minutes is spent walking the property inside and out.”
Fourteen Hours
An intimate look as we follow the most dynamic movers and shakers in the city. Get a glimpse of what it's like to follow some of the most fascinating game changers in the restaurant industry. Find out what time they get up in the morning. Do they walk their four legged companion first thing, do they hop in the shower to jump start their day, check emails or hit the gym? Do they lunch solo or optimize it with a power lunch. How do they put out fire and last but not least, the last thing they do before they retire for the evening.
In the next few days, we’ll turn the spotlight on a select few of the industry key players revealing CityBox Media’s Hottest Restaurants in Atlanta nominated by the industry insiders giving us an intimate look of their Fourteen Hours plus a reveal of their two favorite restaurants in the city. Interested yet? We certainly are!
“Reminiscent of a charming European square, Le Bilboquet is located at the center of The Shops Buckhead Atlanta, anchoring the upscale retail and dining development. Open daily for lunch and dinner, the bistro and bar offers a vibrant atmosphere paired with simple, classic French cooking, bringing a slice of Parisian café culture to the neighborhood and a natural gathering spot to enjoy a chilled bottle of rosé alfresco alongside classic bistro fare or a draft beer and croque monsieur at the bar.
Illuminated with natural light, the dining area incorporates quintessential Parisian elements like blue velvet banquettes, a two-color terrazzo floor and pewter bar counter and features a rotating collection of paintings and photography by locally and nationally acclaimed artists and ornate floral arrangements. Outside of the restaurant, guests are transported to a Parisian sidewalk café with traditional French bistro woven rattan chairs and tables.
Le Bilboquet originally opened in New York City’s Upper East Side as a 38-seat hotspot in 1986. After 27 years of success, the restaurant relocated to a larger space on East 60th Street in Manhattan in October 2013. In Atlanta, Philippe Delgrange, founder of Le Bilboquet, has teamed up with fellow restaurateur Rick Wahlstedt, owner and founder of national winning concepts. Leading the kitchen, Executive Chef Cyrille Holota brings many years of experience to the Atlanta location, serving up the same approachable classics such as Cajun chicken served with a heaping pile of crispy pomme frites and green salad, crab and avocado salad and steak tartare.”
Le Bilboquet is located at the center of The Shops Buckhead Atlanta, anchoring the upscale retail and dining development. Open daily for lunch and dinner, the bistro and bar offers a vibrant atmosphere paired with simple, classic French cooking, bringing a slice of Parisian café culture to the neighborhood.
Rainer Shaw . Le Bilboquet . Regional Director of Operations
3027 Bolling Way NE Atlanta, GA 30305 www.lebilboquestatlanta.com Business Phone: (404)869-9944 . Classic French Bistro Fare . Social media handlers: FB: @lebilboquetatlanta IG: @lebilboquetatlanta Twitter: @lebilboquetatl
A typical 14 hours in my life…
7am is when my day typically starts. My wife and l awaken from the droning of our alarms to a face full of drool from our 175lb Great Dane fur child Romeo and capricious yowls for feeding from our feisty Sphynx, Juliet. We will hit snooze a few times and finally rise out of bed around 730am. We make our way downstairs to clear the morning haze with coffee. while the caffeine is taking its effect, we slowly get ourselves into gear by feeding the dog and preparing our morning breakfast shakes (packed with fresh veggies and fruits, Greek yogurt, protein, matcha, hemp seeds, chia, flax, and cacao nibs).
Kyma is a contemporary seafood tavern with an inventive yet approachable menu that stays true to its Greek origins. The dazzling constellation display on the blue ceiling, white marble columns & fresh fish display create an experience like no other.
Around 740am, I take Romeo out for his morning walk while my wife feeds Juliet. I usually get to settle down with my coffee around 750am; and will typically read for about 20-25 mins. I find personal growth and development very intrinsic to my success, so I am always looking for great articles and books to expand my knowledge base with. I try to stay out of my wife’s way while she is main-lining her second cup of coffee and getting ready for work. When she leaves the house, I start getting ready for work. After grabbing a quick shower, brushing my teeth, donning whichever suit strikes me for the day, and putting on a pair of wacky socks (I like odd socks and lapel pins…)
Executed on a grand scale the likes that Atlanta has never seen, Little Alley Steak Buckhead welcomes you to 9000 square feet of understated, intimate opulence, boasting a seductive lounge and bar with over 400 bottles of the finest bourbon, whiskey and Scotch, multiple dining rooms, an outdoor climate-controlled bar and sprawling terrace as well as a secluded private dining room.
I head out the door around 845am. We live in Southwest Buckhead, so my commute takes me up back roads to avoid the congestion. I always listen to podcasts or audio books on my drive in. I like to engage in my thoughts prior to the hustle and bustle of the morning. Depending on traffic, I typically arrive at the restaurant between 9-915am. My initial half hour to forty-five minutes is spent walking the property inside and out; as well as saying "good morning" to our team as they arrive and catching up with them on the goings and comings of their lives and anything work related which I may not be aware of.
Around 10am, I settle in to my office and begin several daily tasks including counting out cash banks, reconciling the deposits and sales reports from the previous day, and looking over labor from the previous day to ensure nothing is out of line. I believe in leaving work at work as much as possible; and focus on my personal life and time with family when I am not at work. As such, I tend to have “a few emails” that accumulate from the previous afternoon. I start going through the backlog around 1030am and finish around 1050am.
At Chai Yo Modern Thai, award-winning Chef/Owner DeeDee Niyomkul constructs imaginative classical Thai dishes using modern techniques which carry the breath and soul of Thailand in every bite. Niyomkul’s menu is carefully focused on delivering an inventive interplay of Thai flavors and textures, guiding the diner on a culinary exploration of provincial Thai dishes.
Afterwards, around 1050-11am, I sit in on the morning shift meeting with our entire staff. We prepare a “family style meal” twice a day, once for each shift, that everyone enjoys while we are in the meeting. This meeting time is vital to our operation as it gives us a chance, as a collective group, to address any kitchen or bar specials that we are running, discuss anything that may be running low or missing from our inventory, discuss any concerns the staff may have, and, most importantly, gives us a chance to come together as a team and start the shift on the same foot together. This meeting ends around 1115am each day; and then it’s go time! We have approximately fifteen minutes to reset any tables that were used during the meeting and make any last minute, finishing touches on the dining room prior to us opening the doors for business at 1130am.
Cape Dutch Braai + Bar is a contemporary, international steak and seafood kitchen influenced by 1700’s Cape Dutch wine country.
Once I am satisfied that the team is set up and ready for success, I return to my office around 1145am to hammer out more of the mundane, administrative tasks required to keep our operation running at top speed. I will usually spend about an hour in the office putting together various payroll reports, pouring over tip distribution spreadsheets, going over product sales mix reports from the previous day or week, and handling any action items that may have come up in my earlier email reviews. From 1245pm-2pm, I spend time going between the dining room and the kitchen to keep a bird’s eye view on the entire service operation.
Top 2 favorite Atlanta restaurants
Umi Sushi: their level of attention to detail on quality of product and service are unmatched! Farshid and Chef Ito have really hit a homerun.
El Rey del Taco (Buford Highway) by far the most authentic taste of Mexico you will find in Atlanta! Always busy, always delicious!
Fourteen Hours designed & developed by Maryan Aiken exclusively for CityBox Media.
Fourteen Hours was prepared and spearheaded by Nick Tucker. Co CEO College Intern. Kennesaw State University. Freshman. Finance Major.
Learn more about CityBox Media’s Co CEO College Internship Program here.
The Swan Coach House, located in Buckhead on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center, offers the complete Atlanta experience. This historical building houses an art gallery, a restaurant, a gift shop, and spaces for any event.
Proceeds benefit the Atlanta visual arts community.
Little Steak Alley is the newest & hottest spot in Buckhead to be seen and to mingle with the who's who in Atlanta!