We were lucky to catch up with Stephen Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephen , thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

the constant question that runs through my head daily……. honestly, I don’t know if Im happier per se but I have my days. the restaurant game Is hard, exhaustion isn’t the word and the heavy heavy mental strain is damning but this is what we signed up for right? Don’t get me wrong I love the hospitality industry as a whole, I love cooking, I love being in the kitchen with my staff and grinding through a service, I love teaching, I love educating a young server through wine service this is what I was meant to do in life, its where I feel I am most comfortable at times. the idea of having a traditional 9-5 gig… hahaha the thought has crossed my mind once or twice …..but I’m not built for that.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

first and foremost I am huge football fan, having played football all my life until I began working in kitchens football was everything. I got into the industry when “shit got real” for me, My oldest son Justin was born and I reality set in and without even question I went to culinary school, it was strange at the time because it felt so natural…I just jumped in and it was so much damn fun……… the intensity, the pace, the hustle, the heat it all was a rush that I fell in love with. Fast forward to now the love is still burning for the kitchen and cooking but the business side of the game Is a whole other thing. I am so proud of the work we do in the restaurant, it make me happy and proud to tell the story of my ancestors, through the south and through Arizona sourced product.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

the number one lesson I had to learn once I committed to this industry was to submit to it, to work harder than anyone else around me…. to tell myself ” if you really love this” over and over again….this industry is so hard and if you don’t truly love it and have the patience to withstand constructive criticism constantly it will eat you up. for me when I realized that I could do those things I knew..

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

be consistent with everyone and your decisions. its the hardest thing to do in restaurants because of the friendships and bonds that you might have struck up throughout the years because many of the people that work for you have been with you for years but being consistent with your message to everyone will keep the professionalism.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thelarderandthedelta.com
• Instagram: @thelarderphx
• Facebook: @thelarderandthedelta
• Twitter: @thelarderphx

Image Credits
debby wolves – dw photography