Today we’d like to introduce you to Billy Streck.
Hi Billy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m a 20 years veteran of the Atlanta and New York restaurant industries, and today, me and my wife Jenn are co-owners of Hampton + Hudson Community Bar and Restaurant in Atlanta’s Inman Park neighborhood. I’m also co-owner of Midtown’s Lyla Lila, a modern European restaurant recently named a 2022 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist for Outstanding Wine and Best Chef Southeast, with Chef Craig Richards, Nina & Rafi, an Italian restaurant and bar in Old Fourth Ward, and Pielands, a neighborhood pizza spot in Virginia-Highland. I’ve also recently teamed up with Ramon Ballester and Jon Kim of Pour Taproom to open Standard Service Restaurant & Taproom in downtown Gainesville, Georgia late this spring. We’ll serve simple, good food for lunch, happy hour and dinner and there will be 60 self-serve beers on tap. And lastly, I’m now partnering with Chris Wilkins to move Pizza Jeans to the first floor of the Central Food Hall at Ponce City Market. Along with my buddy, Jeremy Gatto, we’ll be the restaurant’s new operating partners.
Originally from Albany, New York, I consider myself a “Southerner at heart.” I grew up in family-owned restaurants, including one of my favorites – my grandfather’s pizzeria. Since then, I have had experience in nearly every restaurant industry position. I met Jenn in 1998 while she was bartending at Park Bench in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. Shortly thereafter, we moved to New York City, where I grew my knowledge and experience of food and beverages. I found any job I could while we were in NYC, from being a manager, porter, door guy and bartender to starting my own bar. I worked in longtime Manhattan establishments like Spring Lounge, Blind Tiger and Bua. Jenn and I worked together on opening Revolver in Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood. We moved back to Atlanta in 2007 to start our family and open my first Atlanta bar and restaurant, Cypress Street Pint & Plate.
I love creating community places for people to gather. My motto with the staff is “We strive to treat our customers as regulars and our regulars as family.”
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being in the restaurant business requires you to know how to take challenges and pivot quickly. There’s always something new to handle, but it’s all about how you respond and react. Some things will be out of your control, but if you step back and put the pieces of the puzzle together, you can create the best possible outcome. Patience is key. I’m fortunate to have a community of other restaurateurs that I connect with regularly, and we discuss challenges and share advice with each other.
As you grow, it takes extra effort to maintain each restaurant’s identity. A learning opportunity I’ve experienced is learning how to grow well – both in terms of concepts and creating teams. Part of it is learning how to put people in the right place. You have to have that special sauce with people that you can rely on. It takes time and works to find people who believe in your vision, are on the same page and want to get to know you and your concept so they can transport your vision and experience to guests. For example, at Hampton + Hudson, we wanted it to be a neighborhood spot where you can watch sports. Keeping our core staff stay together for years has been vital in creating that community vibe for us. A lot of our staff has been with us for a while, and we’re in a good spot.
Personally, you give up a lot, and it’s hard to balance work and family life. You have to make sacrifices on both sides, but the good outweighs the struggles. As an entrepreneur, you’re never off the clock.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My newest venture, Pielands, is a neighborhood pizza, sub and slice joint in Virginia-Highland. It’s located at the corner of Virginia and North Highland Avenues and serves whole pies, individual slices, salads and Italian-style subs with cold cuts, lettuce, tomato, EVOO, vinegar and a variety of toppings, plus beer, wine and specialty bottled cocktails, like a martini, negroni and old fashioned. We also serve old-school soft serve ice cream.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
To me, success is all about doing what makes you happy. I’m grateful to do what I do everyday and to keep opening new restaurants that receive so much support from the community. Success is also making sure our customers and teams are happy. We have employees that have worked for us for years – some who have left and come back – and that makes me really happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pielands.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pielandspizza/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pielands-sub-and-slice-atlanta
Image Credits:
Photo by Mia Yakel
