A Special Best Bargains Dining Chat

Larry: I would say a consistent product is number 1. Good quality ingredients that keep people coming back, number 2. Making people feel very welcome, that we care that they're there, number 3. I set out to make it a place where people would feel comfortable coming 2 or 3 times per week. A lot of our customers may have lunch or dinner at our place once a week, and do take out or delivery once a week. People are eating out now 2 or 3 times a week, so they want to find good food that's affordable at that frequency.

Kerry: People want a good quality for what they're going to spend. You have to make sure that your pricing is actually to a point where it's good quality food and the pricing is at that same point. We have people who come 2 or 3 times per week, maybe more. When you do research, you want to see what your competitors are doing, and you want to be in that range. If you have a good consistent product, you won't have any problems.

Larry: I definitely agree with you – that's what we do, that's our approach. We'd like to be able to bring that simple approach to more neighborhoods in the Northern VA area, keeping with our philosophy of simple, straightforward, just good pizza.

Kerry: Fred Wesley is my father-in-law. Both my wife and my sister in law are the other owners of KBQ with me. It's a family business. It's partly because of Fred that I decided to go into the business. I was on a little mini-tour with him in Paris. I had a little epiphany, that I wanted to be in and around music and to be able to barbecue. That's my passion.

Larry: I think 2 Amys is a great place to go, but you don't have to go there for great food or great pizza. There are other options in the suburbs now, and you can get great pizza for even better value in your neighborhood.

Kerry: I would do another KBQ. I think that's where I am at this point, to have something that's very consistent. As far as placing one, it would be…I'd love to do one in DC, but it's so expensive. I'd love to do one in DC, maybe even in Old Town. My goal is also to build one on Grand Cayman. I'm not lying.

Larry: We would like to continue with our name of Cafe Pizzaiolo, we would expand our wine list and have more of an element of a wine bar with our next location. We'd keep the pizzas very similar but expand on our pastas. We'd like to go into neighborhoods that we know. We live in the Del Ray area so we'd like to do something there. And we've been approached to do something in DC on Wisconsin Avenue, in the Glover Park area. We would really want to draw from the neighborhood. 

Kerry: Brisket is a very tough cut of meat. In order to break it down, you have to cook it or smoke it at a low heat for a looong time. At least 12 hours. So if you've got 12 hours to spend in your backyard, by all means. It's also the seasoning and the wet/dry rub that we use.

Kerry: I think it's all a part of the Health Department regulations. Initially I wanted a chimney going up to the roof and I couldn't even do that. So I have a large, commercial wood-burning smoker that can cook 600 pounds at one time. I'm happy with what I have right now. 

Kerry: We're at a disadvantage from the big boys, so to speak, but I also had an advantage. I have a sister-in-law who's a freelance writer, who worked for the AP at one point, and my wife is in food marketing. So with the combination of those, we were able to put out a lot of things to different people. It's not what you know, it's who you know. We were able to send out press releases to everyone and let them know about us. That helps. Use your friends, use your family. Every little thing helps. 

Larry: Three things. Develop a fresh yeast. Turn your oven up as high as you can get it. Use San Marzano tomatoes.

Kerry: I do like Johnny Boy's in La Plata. That's pretty good. Actually, quite surprising even though it's a small chain, I thought Dinosaur's in Manhattan was pretty good. It's on the West Side in Harlem. And then they have some in upstate NY.

Larry: I think a good lesson is to have different price points on the menu and give people the option to taste your food and experience your food.

Kerry: When you get larger, you have to keep your finger on that pulse. Consistency is key, you're right. 

Larry: I was confused about why they wouldn't have pizza or barbecue on that. Especially because of the amount of people who like to talk about that, and what's the best in their neighborhood. People want to go out in their neighborhood for barbecue and for pizza.

Kerry: I don't want to get too political. That's a very, very good question. There is room for everyone in PG county. One issue that I see is that there is not a lot of industry, per se, which is why they are courting all the big brands. The National Harbor is really nice, but the rents there, no small business can afford to go there. 

Larry: I like Eddy's Chicken and Steak on King street. They should be on the list! Peruvian chicken. They're pretty inexpensive, very tasty. It's mostly the Latino community that knows about it. I like Los Tios on Mount Vernon Ave. Awesome carne asada.

Kerry: My wife and I used to go to a little Mexican joint on Capitol Hill… When I first moved to DC, I used to go to El Tamarindo all the time. 

Yared: Thai. The Thai restaurant right on 11th and New York Avenue. Had Thai. Pad See Ew with beef. 

Kerry: If I tell you, I have to kill you. The bread pudding is prepared by my sister in law, Ms. Shana. She hates the name "Queen of Bread Pudding", but that's what she is. We tell people, "Enjoy in moderation. Do not buy three today." It is addictive.

Kerry: We actually looked at the entire metro area. The reason I didn't go to Old Town is because the Woodrow Wilson bridge isn't finished, and going over there every morning is no joke. I could do a place in Southern Maryland that would do well, but why not go to a place that is not saturated and doesn't have a lot of barbecue places? In Bowie, there are a couple of chains, but that's it. 

Larry: We chose the old restaurant row in Crystal City because we wanted a neighborhood feel, not a corporate park. It's close to our home, about 2 miles. And the facility worked for what we wanted to do. 

Yared: Because one the U street area was becoming an Ethiopian destination. It was very hard to get into Adams Morgan because of the rents, and U Street was less expensive than Adams Morgan. There were a lot of Ethiopian restaurants and markets and stores on Ninth Street and we figured if we can get the District to get to recognize it as Little Ethiopia like there is in Southern California–which we are still trying to do. It's an excellent location because I have two metros in between me. 

Larry: The rising food costs is something we've always been challenged with in the restaurant business. It comes down to the consistency of your portioning and your food, and the handling of your food is even more critical. Sourcing fresh produce from local markets and staying in season is also critical. We can't change our ingredients, because they make our food what it is, but we can negotiate pricing and lock in pricing. We have to be very diligent with how we handle our product.

Kerry: I totally agree. As your sales increase in your company, you can go back and negotiate further with your distributors and vendors. You'll buy more from them, and negotiate lower prices. 

Yared: My mom would be a great teacher for you. Whenever you're ready to come and learn, she'll open her kitchen door for you guys. Her kitchen is her second home. She's always willing to teach anybody who's willing to come and learn. There are some books, but someone has to really show you how to do it. It's not calculated with recipes. I believe the best way to learn to be would be with someone who knows how to do it, which would be my mom. 

Yared: The food is very authentic. If you ask an Ethiopian person about the food in my restaurant, they'll tell you it's like eating back home. The reason we did the restaurant they way it looks–modern–is that we want to be able to welcome all kinds of people. I see the difference. If a place is dark and not attractive, people tend not to come in. You can still have a modern, attractive look and an authentic kitchen. It's really worked for us. Sometimes even myself personally I go to a restaurant because of how it's designed, before I know about the food. I'm curious about the food because of how it's designed. 

Yared: He likes my mom's food. She used to make food for him. There used to be a restaurant she used to work in Adams Morgan called Fasika's. When it closed, he called the owner and asked where the chef went and he told him she'd opened her own restaurant. So ever since, he comes. He comes often.

Yared: I think the way people are thinking is changing every day. I believe it was kind of a misunderstanding that what we would like to have. We didn't ask to change history. We just want to be recognize. Not change a name, just get recognized, like Chinatown. It's still H Street. Just get name recognition, not change anybody's history or culture. I think we need to just clarify what we want. 

Yared: People used to think that the U Street or Ninth Street area used to be very bad. But if people could see the changes, then I bet they wouldn't go to Georgetown or Adams Morgan again. You can't even walk on the sidewalk on a Saturday night it's so crowded! You don't have to drive–all you need to do is hop on the train. There are bars, restaurants, theater, art galleries. It's a very small, unique destination. I think the only way to change their minds is to bring them somehow so they can believe the change. 

Yared: It's becoming a challenge. Everything has gone up in price. We're still maintaining to keep the quality standard of the food. And we are planning to change a small price increase of the food, but not that much. And also, my mom's the chef. She watches everything–she makes sure there's no waste. One of the biggest problems in the restaurant industry is waste. There's no food left over. She makes a very small amount, and she maintains her waste. I think that will keep us where we want to be with our price range. That makes us very unique. And another good thing is that here, everything gets made when you order. There's nothing that gets set down for the next day. I think that helps a lot.

Kerry, Yared and Larry want to thank everyone for your support of our restaurants and for sharing the excitement in our food. We're excited to be part of the Cheap Eats list and hope to see you soon!

Thanks for the great questions.

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