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

Hi Eddie, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

In my opinion, you have to be invested in your craft to become successful in what you do. You can’t count the hours, the number of days you worked in row, how many times you were the last one to leave at night and the first one to come in the morning. You have to sacrifice that time in order to get better and to master what you are thriving to become. When I started working in the industry at eighteen, I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my career. I wanted all the overtime hours and time I could get being in the industry each day. I wanted to learn every station from back of house to front of house, I wanted to come in when I had a day off and do random cleaning duties just to prove to others that I was serious about this lifestyle. Even working over-time in the restaurant industry, you still make sacrifices from tending holidays with family, normal sleeping schedules, feeding yourself, and taking time for mental health as well. You have to be hungry to be successful, you can’t stay complacent, and you will surely fall behind in this industry if you aren’t learning. Teaching, cooking, reading anything that pertains to the restaurant industry only excels your career even more. There is always someone out there doing better than you, but at the end of the day the only competition you have is the one in the mirror. I was hungry when I started and now being in this industry for twelve years, I have gotten hungrier. There are so many talented people in this industry, some are recognized, and some aren’t. There is competition everywhere but counting your blessings and staying dedicated is how you become the most successful.

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 washing dishes at My Way Tavern Holly Springs when I was eighteen years old, I wanted to cook, but before I earned a spot on the line, I had to prove myself starting in the dish pit. A few months later, people started leaving, which gave me the opportunity to cook. I have always had a passion for cooking ever since I was young and being a chef was always my ultimate goal. I had tried culinary school, but it just wasn’t for me. I decided that I would just learn off experience and cook wherever they would let me. From dishwasher, Front of House manager, and finally Kitchen Manager, I worked at My Way for about 5 years. I was hungry to learn more, so I applied to Ashley Christensen’s restaurant ‘Death & Taxes.’ I went in for a working interview and was offered a position that very night after showing my qualities as a chef. My knife skills and cooking skills were not up to par, but my work ethic spoke for itself. Walking in there every day was like going to school, I learned something new every time. I worked my way around the kitchen from Garde Manager, sauté station, grill, to call. I met Jake Wood while I was working there, and he brought me over to 18 Seaboard as his Sous Chef. From there, we became great friends and teammates. Bouncing from 18 Seaboard and Plates Neighborhood Kitchen with him, we were able to open a spot together called Lawrence Barbecue. We did a lot of impressive things together over the three and a half years we worked together. However, during this time of opening up Lawrence Barbecue, my girlfriend got pregnant, and I was suddenly becoming a dad. She worked at the Brickhouse Bar & Grill in Fuquay Varina, so I spoke with the owner, and I eventually became the General Manager of the bar. I helped create a food and drink program, as well as a social media following with marketing skills I have learned. I like to think about the Brickhouse as a dive-bar reimagined, with craft cocktails, house-made food, and all-around dope vibes. Our staff is accepting to all who come into our bar and always bring the most entertainment on a Friday and Saturday night. The most fun is on the weekend where we host DJ/karaoke, and we specialize in people enjoying themselves no matter what time of day or night it is. Our kitchen is exceptional with our made-to-order wings and Smash Burgers, while our bartenders are creating our craft cocktails behind the bar

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Every employee needs to be spoken to differently and communication is always key. Making everyone feel included about certain topics helps build morale, and there becomes a trustworthy relationship with your employees. Treating everyone with respect and having one on one communication with each employee helps build repour. If you take care of your employees, they will help take care of the business. When an employee is able to talk to me as a person and not just as a worker, they can have the courage to call me and say they will be late that day. If that is the case, I will go and assist opening up the bar until they can get there. While I don’t let this slide often, I do understand that employees are people too and have lives outside of the restaurant industry. Even though we can sometimes forget, if we treat our employees as people, they will be able to work better and become better in their own craft in the long run.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

While trying to open Lawrence Barbecue, we participated in pop-ups, food festivals, and catering. Generally anything that would help our business grow is what we would put our time into. It was March of 2020 and the pandemic of COVID-19 suddenly sent businesses into a whirlwind. Resilience occurred within us where we worked around this terrible virus to give people good food in any way we could. We decided to do take-out/curbside pickup orders contact free, showing our care for the community and ensuring our health standards were up to par as well. We started slanging the best barbecue around the area in take-out boxes. At first, we were incredibly slow, but then after some time and help with branding, social media, and marketing, a buzz was created. We started selling out on a weekly basis at times. We were pushing the bar higher every week with just two of us working. Our resiliency and hustle helped us maintain a business during a pandemic. I learned to push through any situation and when life gives us some sour lemons, all we can do is mix it with sugar and make good lemonade… or barbecue.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @brickhouse_fuquay
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-forbis-035322190
• Other: https://www.mainandbroadmag.com/food-and-dining/restaurant-spotlight-the-brickhouse-bar-grill/

Image Credits
Jonathan Fredin