We were lucky to catch up with John Dabrowski recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi John, thanks for joining us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

Starting a restaurant in August of 2020 saw more challenges than most. Many people were still receiving unemployment, and we wanted to create a professional and safe environment that encouraged them to return to the work force. In addition to juggling the 50% capacity for restaurants & the fluctuating food markets, we had a work force dealing with the challenges of rising rents and costs of living. Our goal is to have our employees enjoy coming in to work, compensate them fairly, and to have them have a personal life outside of work! This is a challenge for many restaurants, who are open 7 days a week & need employees in the building for up to sixteen hours a day. We chose to be closed Tuesdays, and Sunday evenings – and give everyone at least two days off a week.

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 was fortunate to study at The Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago, and from there became Executive Chef of The Blue Bayou in Chicago. I learned a lots about the stresses & logistics of restaurant management at a very young age. I then moved down to Florida, and managed kitchens at country clubs on both coasts, bringing additional knowledge to my kitchen and service experiences. I was offered a position at Debordieu in 2008, and myself and my wife moved up to South Carolina. We fell in love with Pawleys Island, and after 15 years I was fortunate to be able to open up my restaurant in the historic Hammock Shops! We pride ourselves in being a restaurant where guests feel at home. I feel what makes us unique, is in addition to being a restaurant, we host events throughout the year, and are an inclusive venue to host these creative events.

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

Opening a restaurant is risky in of itself. Opening a restaurant during Covid added a whole other dynamic to what we had to do to succeed. While many restaurants in the area were choosing to be lax, or ignore county mandates, we believed it was in our employees and guests best interests to follow all ordinances from the county. While we prided ourselves in going above and beyond to keep everyone safe, we did receive some pushback. We had our tables distanced at 6 to 8 ft, required masks upon entry, have hand sanitizer on every table, and even required social distancing at the bar. On top of all the other growing pains of opening a restaurant, this was one more obstacle we embraced and overcame. We continue to have hand sanitizers on all the tables and the bars, which guests certainly appreciate.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Most of our advertising is done through social media, Facebook & Instagram. We pay to promote events, but many of our posts have an organic reach. We don’t just post pictures of food and drinks, our followers like to have a personal connection to what they read or see. We have an amazing staff, and love to acknowledge them when we can. We also like to get a little funny, or ask questions to promote interaction. My advice is to pay attention to the algorithms and information the social media sites provide to best time your posts.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pawleyslocal.com
• Instagram: local_eat_drink_celebrate
• Facebook: Local Eat Drink Celebrate

Image Credits
Peta Dabrowski