OMC: Did you feel vindicated when the restaurant became successful?

SD: It was all kind of a blur. The first four years we were in Sanford, it was literally a blur. We were so close. We had to cut everything so close as to what we were doing. It was crazy hours. We literally had no life. Monday through Saturday, we'd be working from the moment when we got up until the last person left. Then Sunday, we'd move the TV in front of the door and not leave until 4:30 or 5 p.m. and we'd walk up to John Ernst (Café) and have dinner. And then get kind of depressed because it was 7:30 and it was time to start all over again.

OMC: Now that you are established and you've got the awards and the positive reviews, what motivates you to continue to work hard and innovate?

SD: In this business, you always look at it as 'When is the other shoe going to drop?' No matter how successful you are in the business, you know how fleeting it is. You can have a night where you're completely packed and you're doing 250 to 300 people and then the next day you can do 30 people.

So you ask: 'Why did people come?' There is no restaurateur I've ever talked to who can definitively say 'This is why I'm busy,' or 'This is why I'm slow.' They have ideas, but there is nothing definitive about this business.

Our best year we ever had was right around 2000 or 2001, right before 9/11. We were having the best year we ever had and then 9/11 happened and it was all over for three years. It was over for everybody, really.

If you're not ready for that... In this business, you have your honeymoon period. The first six or nine months, you're going to be busier than you'll ever be. Well, hopefully, the business will grow. But, there are so many people coming into (the restaurant) in the beginning that a lot of people take that to be 'This is what the business is.' It becomes big-cigar time. 'We've got it made.' Then, three months after that, they're wondering what happened. There is no money, they can't pay their bills. They can't pay their purveyors. They can't pay their employees.

As soon as you think you're fine, you're dead. This isn't a business where you can every let up. You can be happy and proud of what you're doing, but you can't relax. We've been having the same meetings for 15 or 20 years. We go over the same things. What are we trying to do to make this a great restaurant?

OMC: So, what's the primary motivation and secret for success? Fear?

SD: It's also never wanting to be embarrassed. Angie and I take pride in what we do. We're professional about it. We make mistakes in both places, every day. But, the measure of a great restaurant and the measure of a great restaurateur was something I learned years ago from Danny Meyer (a New York restaurateur). He was doing a speech and we went expecting to learn his secrets. Basically, he said 'I take care of my complaints when I get them and we have a mailing list.' Those were the two biggest things.

A friend of ours when we opened up (Sanford) used to be in restaurant management always used to say one thing you have to do is take care of all complaints and problems you have. Don't let it get past a day. When something happens, don't let it get past a minute if you can help it. Some of our best customers are people that came in and had a bad experience their first time at the restaurant. We take it seriously.

OMC: Is that because you work hard to win them back? Is it almost better if someone complains and you can try to make it right than if they just walk away without saying anything?

SD: The person that has a so-so experience isn't going to say anything. They're going to leave and say 'Well, that was OK.' At Sanford, someone can't come in and have an OK dinner. They're not going to pay that kind of money. That's not what this place is about. They have to leave here saying 'This was fabulous. This is one of the best meals I've had.' If they don't leave saying that, there is something wrong there.

OMC: That's a lot of pressure. It's almost like you're Bruce Springsteen. He has set the bar so high and so many people have talked about how great his shows are that they have to be great every night.

SD: That's what the restaurant business is. It's all a show. That's the humility of this business, and it's what we try to get through to all the employees. You can't rest on your laurels. If somebody says 'Sanford is a great restaurant,' just say thank you, but nothing else. We're not a great restaurant until that person comes in that night and has a great dinner. What's in the past is past.

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12 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by OMCreader on Nov. 6, 2006 at 12:07 p.m. (report)

Kotlarek said: Is anyone else having problems getting part 2 of the article to display?

Posted by OMCreader on Nov. 3, 2006 at 12:36 p.m. (report)

john said: Mel- please contact me at Bacchus about your dinner there! Thanks, John

Posted by OMCreader on Nov. 2, 2006 at 4:35 p.m. (report)

Mel Kipur said: OMC: you should have asked Sandy how he stays so skinny. if could cook like him, i would be mario batalio x2.

Posted by OMCreader on Nov. 1, 2006 at 7:39 p.m. (report)

M. batali said: Great article onmil. i feel like its been a minute. Sandy offers a realistic look at an industry that is often looked at in an unrealistic manner. And you have to love people that have had so much acclaim and yet remain so humble. Thanks for making the mil a better place to be and representing the city so well across the country.

Posted by OMCreader on Oct. 31, 2006 at 8:55 a.m. (report)

annoyed said: Good way to follow up the Marc B. article. Marc and Sandy are HUGE assets to the city. OMC did a great job with these 2 articles. I love Sandys quotes about chains, they are dead on and validate some of the arguments people post on this site. Sanford really is a great value. After paying more for a dining experience inferior to Sanford in larger cities you realize how good we have it here in Milwaukee.