April 17, 2017

Meet Eric Simpkins of The Lawrence in Midtown

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Simpkins.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Eric. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The Lawrence was started as an idea from the Dinner Party Atlanta crew (Darren Carr, Patrick La Bouff, and Shane Devereux) – they would do gorilla-style dinner parties all over Atlanta in places like an airplane hangar, art galleries, and Piedmont park with various chefs. I (Eric Simpkins) got connected through a former business partner of Darren’s from Dish Dive and came on board to help with the beverage team and now I am a managing partner.

We opened The Lawrence with ideas about what it could be in the beginning, but those ideas didn’t always gel with the needs of the neighborhood. So, we talked to our neighbors and began a dialogue in order to create something for all of us and to find a common ground. When we opened in 2012, I was the Beverage Director and General Manager but became partner once the restaurant started taking off. The bar program has always been consistent from the beginning but it took time to find the right expression for the food. Over the years, whether we needed to appeal directly to the neighborhood or needed to be a little more creative, we had the right Chefs at the right time. Chef Perry Griffith, the Executive Chef at the Lawrence, has been with us for quite some time and has the unique ability to cook and run an effective and efficient kitchen at the same time.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Our struggles are the same as with any small, independent restaurant. We opened on a wing and a prayer and struggled the first year, but we had a staff that shared our vision and stuck together.

It took tenacity, creativity, and openness to learn and adapt but also stay true to that vision.

Finding people and developing a staff who didn’t necessarily have the most experience, but had talent, passion, and drive was integral to our success those first few years. This year we’re celebrating our 5th Year Anniversary in Midtown and couldn’t be more excited to raise a glass to our achievements, our staff and our guests!

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Lawrence story. Tell us more about the business.
I definitely specialize in all things beverage: beer, wine, and cocktails. Even though my role has changed, I still make sure I teach as much as possible so any new bartenders who join our team have to take at least one class with me. Other than that, my specialty has become people! We put a lot of effort into helping our staff achieve their goals both in and out of the restaurant. It’s important our team has a strong quality of life, which is one reason people choose the restaurant industry because it can offer you the time and energy to achieve other goals in your life whether it be music, film, or school.

I love what we’ve created in terms of food and cocktails, but in the end, we serve people. It’s been great forming Big Citizen, our creative partnership that includes our new restaurant, Bon Ton. We created Big Citizen to bring to life whatever we are passionate about with all the amazing people we meet. Whether it be seasonal pop-ups like Miracle on Monroe, underground dinner events, art events, maybe music, or more restaurants and bars – we want to collaborate and help foster creativity and community. It’s why we called it Big Citizen – because people are at the heart of everything we do. Whether in the kitchen, on the line, bussing a table, managing a team, or behind the bar, everything we do is all about the people we work with and the people we serve.

When we did Miracle on Monroe, we brought a spirit of Christmas. We had customers talking about buying Christmas trees for the first time. There is something tangible that we give and get in return, which is something to be proud of in this industry. It’s been a pleasure watching our amazing bar team as theay’ve developed into people, who love what they do and are really good at it. They’ve come to share the same principles of hospitality that motivate me.

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