Meet a Houston Entrepreneur: Chef Chris Williams of Lucille's in the Museum District

Chef , Caterer, Restaurateur
Chris Williams

Econ Students and Readers:

One of the things that I enjoy about my food-blogging hobby is the opportunity to meet local entrepreneurs who own and operate restaurants (aka "restaurateurs") and ask them for some nuggets of wisdom from their experiences in starting up their businesses.  If there is anything useful to be gained, I like to pass it onto my students (and I tell them as such) because experience is a better professor than I can be.  I've had students tell me they wanted to start up a  restaurant or other such business, so this is something you may find useful or interesting if you are so inclined.

Chef Chris Williams is a native of Southwest Houston who has student at Le Cordon Bleu's Austin school and has traveled the world, working in Canada, the UK and Lithuania, among other places.  In the Houston area, he worked at Max's Wine Dive, ran a catering business for a number of months before establishing Lucille's in the Museum District.  I got to attend a tasting of some of their representative dishes, which you can read about here.  The catering business was used to raise funds to start the brick and mortar restaurant and to survive on until the restaurant was ready to open to the general public.

Entrepreneurship is clearly in Chef Williams's blood.  His Maternal Great Grandmother Lucille Bishop Smith created a hot roll mix that she marketed and sold, and also started one of the first commercial food service and technology programs at Prairie View A&M University here in Texas.  The recipes Chef Williams served, such as the Fish Fry and the grilled Pork Shank and Beans, were inspired by his Great Grandmother's recipes, but were modified by his years of experience cooking different kinds of high end cuisine all over the world.

I asked Chef Williams for some advice he would give a student of mine that wanted to start his or her own restaurant.  Here is a paraphrasing of several key points he made:

• Do your due diligence before you begin.  Research all the legalities you have to work with in order to start up and operate your restaurant or any other business.  Learn about zoning, structure regulations and liquor laws.  Apply for your permits sooner rather than later.  

• Be aware the process is slower than many realize, especially in acquiring building permits from the city.  It took 10 months of paperwork and back and forth action with the city, county and state before I could start building up the property.  

• You need to be aware that you will have to have other income to pay the bills until you get under way. I paid my bills by catering, and you need to plan accordingly.   

• As you are constructing and preparing to open, MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD.  Good relations with the neighbors will make the difference in approval or denial, if you are applying for some kind of zoning variance or license.  

• Be conscientious about managing costs.  Shop around for distributors for wine, beer, liquor where you can get a good deal, and always be looking for a better one.  Don't cut corners, but save money where you can and not compromise on quality.  

• Above all else BE DISCIPLINED.  Have a solid business plan, get it vetted by an attorney and an accountant, and stick to it, no matter what. 

I'd be hard pressed to argue with any of these points, students.

Success to you all!

Prof. Lewis