We were lucky to catch up with Christopher Lopez recently and have shared our conversation below.
Christopher, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
My hopes for my legacy aren’s ones that pertain to myself but rather experiences and memories shared in my space. I launched Fine Folk with the hopes of being a staple in my local food scene and while we aim to make money for those involved in the business, I would love for the lasting impact to revolve around stories shared at Fine Folk. That being said, I strive to harbor the same attitude and environment for those on staff. When people talk about their time spent working with us, I hope they are filled with positively genuine feelings.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Christopher Lopez and I own a restaurant specializing in strip-mall American fare. We’re located in good ol’ Raleigh, NC where I’ve been a part of the local food scene at every level for the better part of a decade. Our space is welcoming and unpretentious while the quality of our product is carefully executed and thoughtful. When asked what kind of food we serve, my good to answer is “food we wanna eat”. This allows us to be undefined and cook with heart. Growing up, my fondest memories surround eating at suburban American chain restaurants, going out to eat was my favorite thing ever. As a second generation Cuban-American with additional Italian roots, I admire the mix of cultural that’ve spawned from generations of immigration and doing what is needed to get by. While rampant white-washing exists in the food world, so many creative foods, experiences, and stories have cultivated what we now see as “Americanized” versions of traditional foods. Fine Folk is an homage to that spirit. While we don’t cook anything from outside of the cultural affiliations of myself or our present staff, the gumption remains apparent in our food and in our style.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As the entire world knows, the start of 2020 was rocky. Myself, just like so many others, had to pause what they were doing and make a change to make ends meet. In my case, that was taking the Southern-inspired sit-down restaurant I was running and quickly turn it into a greasy burger joint. While I can sit here and talk about the trials and tribulations that came along with that, it’s a tired story that did result in my first very own restaurant, but I’d like to change the tune.
The one point I’d like to talk about surrounds anxiety and self-image. What was new for me in the first big wave of the pandemic was the ability to look outside of myself. All of a sudden I was no longer concerned with public perception and “doing what’s cool”- it was just about staying afloat and being unapologetically us. I took that newfound mentality and applied it to the pop-up we ran from the aforementioned restaurant, especially in regards to our social media presence.
Irreverent memes, semi-political stances, a no-bullshit attitude, and standing up for what’s right garnered us a cult-like following and that devil-may-care style transferred from that concept into Fine Folk. We are who we are, take it or leave it.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
Communicate. My field is highly dramatic and has a lot of big personalities. More often than not, any issue that may seem petty or way bigger than it is can be resolved by a conversation. I understand that it is easier said than done, but getting over the uncomfortable hump and just talking can do wonders.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.finefolkraleigh.com
- Instagram: @finefolknc
- Facebook: facebook.com/finefolknc