Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to John Arakaki. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

John, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Hustle, Sweat, and Inspiration coupled with openness to always pivoting in an ever changing Small Business Environment. Never underestimate the power of communication. In addition being detail oriented in all aspects of your day to day is vital to keep up with the pace in an always changing environment.

I have the background as being a musician and had the skill to contribute to the songwriting process. My band would not settle for less. Let’s try this that, let’s do that take again. Leave the Ego element out of the equation and as a team participate to get the finest result. Taking that strategy to developing an Award Winning Food & Cocktail menu was key. I would work with others that were open to really taking multiple “Takes” or rounds on one particular item until we had the best result possible. We don’t believe in short cuts. I see a lot of quality control and execution being lost in the market place. I always search for quality, appreciate it, and let that inspire me towards

Life can be dynamic to say the least. I had the amazing experience of working with Bill Ward from Black Sabbath and we had a deep discussion on performance and dynamics. Giving 100% always and taking it to other levels when called for instead of steam rolling at 150% find dynamics in your performance. I think this can also be applied to business. Understand energy in forms of public speaking, meetings, and going about your day to command attention, make sure your points are received, and to successfully manage groups that need your leadership with strong communication skills

Always expand your peer group. Have friends, clients, and business associates from different age groups, different backgrounds and lifestyles. Enhance life by being open to never be all knowing but always be open to learning. Different generations have experience, and history others have youthful energy and innovation. Don’t settle yourself in a comfort zone and dial it in. Always have an ear to the ground. Never be complacent work to be in constant motion. Learn, adapt, and move forward.

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.

I started out as a Musician playing in the LA Club Scene that led to establishing myself as an Independent Promoter in the Silver Lake/Echo Park to West Hollywood areas.

Professionally I became The LA Program Manager for Kevin Berg & Associates a Division of Omnicom Communications – Global Marketing Group as a Key Account Manager for Lifestyle – Peer to Peer Marketing for On-Premise Companies such as Coca Cola, Anheuser Busch, Mars, US Postal Service, Virgin & Universal Entertainment

I was then recruited by Monster Energy Drink to Pioneer the Monster Energy Drink Brand as a Regional & National On-Premise Sales Representative & Marketing Specialist. Our core group was Instrumental in the Team Leading Monster from #8 to the Most Popular Energy Drink in the Country According to Nielsen Data

Being extremely driven and inspired by an entrepreneurial spirit The St Felix & The Powder Room Concepts were developed with 2 locations one in West Hollywood & Hollywood

We managed to produce and execute Award Wining Food & Signature Drink Menus Recognized Regionally & Nationally by Open Table Diner’s Choice, LA Times Food, Yelp, LA Weekly, Details, Time Out, Eater LA, Angeleno Magazine
A List Celeb Hot Spot for over 10+ Years, site of several Film, TV, & Fashion Shoots
Hosted Hundreds of Events ranging from Birthday, Bachelorette, Wedding, Baby Showers, Anniversaries, Business Meetings, to Launch Parties current clients include Netflix, Space X, Amazon, NBC/Universal, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce & Business Improvement District, LA Pride, Paramount, Microsoft, Disney.

We wanted to create a concept with both equally high standards of Food & Cocktail Culture. After being in the On-Premise Marketing side of a supplier side we were able tor travel and see what worked with thousands of concepts across the country with Omincom & Monster Energy. We decided to take a unique approach of Elevated Tapas Style Dishes with Hand Crafter Signature Drinks that have been on our menu since St Felix’s incarnation. The atmosphere is trendy without pretention and always pivoting to appeal to a new young professional while satisfying our base clientele. This has led to the the concepts longevity. We have the unique spirit to be able to have a Fun Brunch Spot, Iconic Happy Hour Program, to a Pre-Theater Dinner Crowd then an energetic Lounge with DJ’s on Friday and Saturday Night without limitations and having a wider appeal and not being a one dimensional concept. I like to refer to it as the New American Standard of the Lounge Experience.

I have engaged in many aspects of the LA/Hollywood Community as a Small Business Leader, Honorary Executive Board Member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, supporter of Non-Profits such as Hollywood PAL (Police Activities League), LA Pride, and Eric Dickerson’s Young Warriors. I have also participated in discussions with the Hollywood Business Improvement District (BID), as well as a strong supporter of the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

I believe you need to engage and participate in your community to help create strong ties to enhance the area that you make an impact and influence in. Small Business has many challenges in this ever changing landscape in California. Adapting and pivoting to the environment is essential. The more communication you have between your fellow business owners, influencers, and institutions the better you can take on adversity to help your business as well as help other small businesses move forward in this post Pandemic environment.

We are very proud we have been part of the LA Fabric for 15+ years. There were several obstacles to over come during the Pandemic including variables out of our control. However finding solutions and never being complacent allowed us to survive and become an anchor in the Cahuenga Corridor/Vynyl District area. It was very unsettling to see so many small businesses in the area shutter the last few years. I know when the Pandemic happened and many were Binge Watching, we never stopped working even harder than ever. Reimaging our business, actively building relationships politically and educating ourselves on bigger picture items. Understanding the ins and outs of our business to find efficiencies and working hard to keep our small business family together that truly defines our brand and presentation together. I am proud to say that we retained many long time employees during all the shutdowns which maintained the integrity of our execution and brand that defines St Felix.

It was vital for the concept to carry on and persevere. Through this hard work and desire to learn, adapt, and rise to the challenge our next step is set up for expansion success as we take the Brand to Las Vegas and beyond

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I believe Accountability and Authenticity are essential in building a strong client base.

Create an environment of consistency and build dependability. We deal with many customers, event clients, suppliers, distributors, and employees. Be transparent and direct. We have so much noise in the world. I know when people deal with me I have built a reputation of being direct. I feel going straight to the issue at hand is best to build trust. Always learn from your mistakes and take that experience to be a building block for success. Take note, dissect and analyze what went wrong and constantly strive for improvement. Check your ego at the door. You can lead but never be all knowing, be all learning. Ask different opinions on products, subjects. Try to find fresh perspective even out of your comfort zone of experience and try new things if it can add to your base offerings. Adapt that information to your brand and take an educated risk to release to the public.

We have an amazing Signature Cocktail Program I produced with Bartenders and Suppliers with amazing skill set and experience in the industry. I insisted we kept to our core values of what we want to deliver – Creativity, Accessibility and Timely Execution. We wanted these drinks to taste great, look great, made with fresh ingredients but be able to be made in fast paced environment without taking shortcuts. I can proudly say our Award Winning Signature Cocktail Program has been an iconic mainstay since the inception of St Felix

In addition keep the integrity of your product. We don’t batch cocktails to make a shortcut. It effects the consistency in each drink. We don’t sub cheaper, sugary based juices and serve the same Fresh Juice we always have. The Pandemic had a lot of businesses pivoting to find cheaper and cheaper ways to lower costs but at some point the consumer has a breaking point and you lost your vision and integrity. We leverage our relationships with our distributors and suppliers to ensure we can maintain our quality control. The customer has a level or price tolerance so work even harder to provide consistency without losing your key components in your product’s success.

Through this attention to detail and awareness and quality control we have build a strong bond with our clientele. They know our Cocktail and Food offerings will taste the same way it has if they had it since we started. That trust has enabled us to be an institution to our revered guests and attract new customers.

We have thrown hundreds of Events from intimate Wedding Parties, Bachelorette Groups to Large Scale Film/TV Parties, to Business Event Product Launches. We always strive to execute at a high level. Our team strives to have all our Tray Pass Look Great in Presentation and taste great.

St Felix is unique where our Back of the House is as strong as the Front of the House and there is a complete quality experience. This execution projects to customers and has led to our growth and longevity.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

We have a focus on the Customer Service Experience. We have a Midwest Attitude of friendliness and service while dressed in a chic Big City environment. Our staff is the true face of the Brand. We pioneered an authentic inclusive environment since our inception. Outside of the outstanding spirits and fare we create the perfect balance of nightlife and the foodie culture crowd. We also have focus on every facet of the Customer Experience from Staff Interaction to Carefully Curated Music Playlists dialed in by Beats Per Minute highlighted by famous to new artists, Artistic delivery in aesthetic and Decor. We are the the spot in Hollywood where an international business person could sit next to a young up and coming artist and it would seem completely normal with neither feeling out of place.

I also feel that when you enter St Felix from a design aspect there is an Authentic feel that exudes. The space used to be Wally Heider’s Studio 3 in the space with a rich history of amazing records being recorded on site. From Tom Waits to Tom Petty to Earth Wind & Fire & TRex and so much in between. There is a magic here. We are always keeping our identity while constantly tweaking and riffing our appearance to always constantly improve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://saintfelix.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stfelixhwd/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saintfelixhollywood/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-arakaki-301927226/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/StFelixHwd