74 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen our biggest headwinds.” KNF: “Dishonest business partners, hurricanes, armed gunmen, supply-chain issues, labor revolutions, cash flow crunches, ever-changing marketplaces and my own ego and stubbornness — and a pandemic.” AP:“You have to get creative and fearless about reaching your customer and you have to maintain your standards even if your path has led you to a different place than you expected. Adaptation is the key to survival.” What advice would you give a woman starting a restaurant? KMR: “Ensure you have a solid business plan. Don’t just open a restaurant because you love to cook — you (or your partners and advisors) must have a good business sense.” KNF: “You always need more money to start a business than you think. Market like crazy. Additionally, I believe that team building and talent drive the success of any business, so studying who and where your team will be is essential.” AP: “Once they jump in, the workload will take over their lives for the first two-plus years. Find good people and empower them; never settle for the ‘rightnow’ person. Have a thorough understanding of kitchen operations, products, inventory flow and menu planning. If your lead sauté breaks his leg Thursday, you better be ready to jump in and take his place on Friday night.” Despite the risks, long hours and sometimes grueling effort, Pellegrini, Mennuti-Raju and Nielsen Fallert all love what they do and have no regrets. “It’s a fast-paced, creative, ever-challenging, immediate-gratification producing roller coaster,” said Nielsen Fallert. Per Mennuti-Raju, “The rewards outweigh the drawbacks when your guests walk away happy and continue to come back to see you time and time again.” Pellegrini added, “Making people happy makes me happy. It’s wonderful.” For her, the hard work always pays off because owning and running a restaurant is her dream career. For all three ladies a true passion was followed by the willingness to take the effort to live that passion. They study the business, the know food, they know numbers and they are ready to hit curve balls. They don’t just dream; they do. Perhaps that is the secret ingredient. Charleston Women in Food M-F 8:30am-6pm SAT 9am-5pm SUN closed 864 Island Park Drive, Suite 103 Daniel Island, SC Every Day is a Good Dog Day at Michael’s Barkery Barkery & Boutique: (843) 471-1199 | Grooming Salon: (843) 471-1131 TREATS GROOMING BOUTIQUE ® MichaelsBarkery.com Thank You for voting us Best of the Best! We are proud to be your local pet boutique where we make Everyday a Good Dog Day!
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