Today we’d like to introduce you to Anita Hsu.
Hi Anita, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was raised in the restaurant business. My parents had several Chinese-American restaurants in Henry County and Spalding County. I recall helping them bus tables, run the cash register, and help make potstickers when I was in elementary school. My parents were immigrants and worked almost every day, 12 hours a day, so we would go to the restaurants after school and on weekends to be watched over. Despite English being their second language, they were able to build meaningful relationships and connect with the guests and community. I learned the foundations of hard work, caring for ingredients, and hospitality during those formative years.
With a loan and my parent’s help, I started Gezzo’s in McDonough right after college with the desire to serve fresh ingredients and West Coast-style burritos reminiscent of the big burritos found in the Mission District of SFO, where we would often visit my family/cousins. Gezzo’s was a huge success. We expanded our catering services, and my brother Howard developed a passion for BBQ. We decided to start a BBQ trailer, which led to a food truck. We traveled to festivals and markets with our BBQ and quickly outgrew making BBQ out of the kitchen at Gezzo’s. So, we opened our first BBQ location at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. We were also successful and needed more space to produce the increased demand for our delicious BBQ. We purchased the building on N. Highland Ave. During this time, we followed my brother Ron’s success as he climbed the ranks at Le Bernardin in NYC. When he voiced a desire to start his own restaurant, we offered to partner with him on opening Lazy Betty in Atlanta. We had a year of R&D and pop-ups to develop Lazy Betty into something Atlanta would embrace. It was also a huge success.
During Covid, we met several chefs who had taken time off to work on passion projects. One of them was Chef Arnaldo Castillo, who was doing La Chingana pop-ups and creating the best Peruvian dishes I had ever tasted. A landlord approached us with the opportunity to take over a shuttered restaurant space, and Chef Arnaldo was excited about opening a restaurant in honor of his Chef Father Luis Castillo. Tio Lucho’s was born and named after him. Another person was Pit Master David Maiolo. He lived in Covington and wanted to help us open another outlet for Sweet Auburn BBQ. Becuase the Mcdonough community had already shown us so much support, we decided to open a location there with David at the helm. At the same time, my brother’s restaurant Juniper Cafe was in the process of restructuring, so there was an opportunity to rebrand the space. The owners decided to open Gezzo’s first franchise there, so Gezzo’s Coastal Cantina was born there!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We all know the answer to that question is No. It never is. When you open something great, you will always be pushing yourself, taking risks, and doing things that are challenging.
I had to learn how to work with siblings. We had to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses so we knew what roles to assign to each other in the company. We had to learn how to communicate effectively as business people, not siblings. AKA-We had to learn how not to fight and bicker like siblings, but how to work productively!
When our loan fell through, we had to find partners-investors that believed in our vision for Lazy Betty. This put the project on almost a year delay. We had to learn to pivot and adjust. Letting go of your dream is hard because it means you have to compromise in ways that you do not want to. Ultimately turned out beautifully to restructure our businesses to support this delay.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
A nod to sibling owners Howard and Anita Hsu’s Asian roots and Southern upbringing, Sweet Auburn Barbecue offers traditional-style barbecue with an Asian twist. Items on the menu, such as pimento cheese wontons and coconut lemongrass ribs, demonstrate the perfect marriage of traditional and innovative styles that Sweet Auburn Barbecue has become known for. The original location is in Poncey-Highlands, and the second location is in McDonough.
Lazy Betty is a tasting Menu restaurant in Candler Park. We are moving to Midtown this Spring to 999 Peachtree St to a newer and larger space. My partners, Chef Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips create a unique and memorable dining experience that uses luxurious and locally curated ingredients. Lazy Betty was recently awarded a Michelin Star.
Chef Arnaldo Castillo is my partner, along with Howard Hsu, at Tio Lucho’s. Tio Lucho’s is the only Peruvian restaurant in the City of Atlanta. Tio Lucho’s is known for Ceviche using freshly caught seafood and the best Pisco Sours in town. It was also most recently named Eaters 38 Essential Restaurants in Atlanta.
Gezzo’s Coastal Cantina is the grown-up version of Gezzo’s West Coast Burritos. Gezzo’s Coastal Cantina is a Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar inspired by the flavors, textures, and energy of beaches in Latin America and beyond! Our dishes feature fresh ingredients sourced as locally as possible and creative craft beverages. Chef Cam Floyd operates this location.
Gezzo’s West Coast Burritos is where your taste buds take a vacation! That’s what brother and sister co-founders Anita Hsu and Howard Hsu aimed to create when they started Henry County’s first West Coast burrito shop. Taking inspiration from their roots in California and Hawaii, they wanted to create a Mexican restaurant where beach culture, art, healthy eating, and a concern for the environment were a part of everyday life. The menu is focused on fresh ingredients and daily prepared meats and vegetables so that you feel good after you eat! There are two locations, and we recently started franchising this brand, so stay tuned for future stores.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Yes, because choosing the restaurant business is a risk in itself! Approximately 60% of restaurants fail within the first year of operation, and 80% fail within the first five years. And I have opened seven restaurants over the last 22 years. I am not afraid of risk because I believe in mine and my team’s abilities to solve whatever problems arise. It’s not a matter of if there will be issues; it’s just a matter of how prepared and determined you are to push through and overcome the issues.
I build and create restaurants. I see risk as something that every hospitality visionary or creative person chooses to build something to share with the world. You are risking capital, your ego, and your time in hopes that the public will embrace and appreciate your work.
Risk is essential when you are doing something new: entering a new market, developing a new restaurant concept or building a new team. But risk can be minimized if you do your homework and due diligence to prepare for the unknown. You can’t control and completely avoid risk, but you should always options and have the next five steps of each thought through. Hope for the best, but expect the worst. Be ready to pivot and adjust when things don’t go as planned.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sweetauburnbbq
- Facebook: facebook.com/sweetauburnbbq
Image Credits
Stephen Payne (the photo of me and mom); the rest were taken personally
