Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marc Russell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Marc, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?
The biggest trends that Im starting to notice are utilizing more local product post pandemic and paying kitchen staff a living wage.
While prices were soaring all around the country, during the pandemic, local farms were staying relatively consistent with prices. Not only were prices but the availability of those products were staying consistent. We have always tried to buy our product from local sellers but the pandemic really cemented that concept for us.
The pandemic brought a lot of social and economic issues to the forefront but one of the biggest for our industry was paying kitchen staff an actual livable wage. For years restauranteurs and owners were taking advantage of paying way under livable wage because it was just the standard across the industry. Whenever restaurants opened back up, many places were struggling to fill their staff because they kept the same mindset of before. There was plenty of work to be hired but not under the old standard. Tip share has been a huge player for us and many other restaurants. For the first time kitchen staff was actually seeing the benefits of their hard work reflect in their paycheck.
Marc, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Im a college drop out that needed a job and started cooking. Ive always cooked with my family but never saw it as a career path. Once I started cooking at my second restaurant where nothing was cooked in a microwave and actually made in house did I think I could actually enjoy this industry. Once I started working with fresh ingredients and being taught different techniques I knew this was something that I was passionate about and wanted to really engage in making this a career. The thing that really sets us apart, specifically as a bbq restaurant, is bringing a chef mentality to the kitchen. Rather than just doing your meat and two sides thats traditional for a bbq restaurant. Preparing elevated side dishes and being more creative/ technically sound with the proteins that we use is one of the biggest things that I’m most proud of at our restaurant. One of the other big things is utilizing local proteins the most we can. All of our hogs come from 40 mins away and are pasture raised. Our chickens are free range and come from North Carolina. There arent many bbq restaurants, or restaurants in general, that can say that. Our menu is reflective of the season because 85% of our produce comes from the state farmers market 5 mins down the road. Using local product is the most important to us as a business.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
The thing that has helped us build our reputation in the community and industry was the hard work and consistent product we put out. We hustled and did every event that came our way, whether it be profitable or not. Just being to get our name out there and have it connected to a great product. Also the fact that we were the owners and also the face of the business. People saw us hustling and keeping a good attitude even if the event or service didnt go the way we planned.
How’d you meet your business partner?
We met through mutual friends and were both unhappy with our then current employment status. We quickly became friends and got to work. We shared a passion for food and this point I had been a chef for about 8 years and felt confident enough in my abilities to move forward and do our own thing. We bought a food truck and never looked back. We turned our food truck into a brick & mortar in about 6 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: longleafswinebbq.com
- Instagram: @longleafswinebq
- Facebook: Longleaf Swine BBQ
Image Credits
My photos