Meet Robby Kukler of Fifth Group Restaurants in Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robby Kukler.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Robby. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been in this business my whole life. Although I’m the son of a doctor and nurse, I was lucky to know at a young age of 14 that I wanted to be in the restaurant business. I have always loved food – growing it, cooking it and serving it, I am a pleaser by nature, so being able to make people happy through food and being of service has always felt right to me. I worked in the business through high school and college, washing dishes, bartending and cooking. Upon graduating college I worked for a chain restaurant here in Atlanta for five years. I had two great mentors who not only taught me the business side of things but more importantly taught me about the importance of the people on your team and how they truly affect the dining experience of the guest more than any other factor. After working my way to being a GM, I left that company and that is when we started South City Kitchen Midtown on Crescent Avenue in the spring of 1993. That venture eventually led to creating Fifth Group Restaurants. Our company and my role have evolved and grown since that time with the opening of a number of restaurants, approximately one every two years, and grown a nationally recognized catering and design company with my partners.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Business, like life, never goes in a straight line. While we are a very successful company, we’ve made many mistakes along the way. We’ve had restaurants that didn’t execute the way we had envisioned or done the sales right out of the gate the way we planned. We’ve experimented with other industry endeavors and of course dealt with downturns in the economy, but we’ve always had the mindset of learning from our mistakes – we try to never repeat big ones. Business is about how well you solve problems, and the sign of a true entrepreneur is one that can pick him or herself up off the ground, find the positive in things and move forward leading your team through the next endeavor.

Please tell us about Fifth Group Restaurants.
We have six different restaurant concepts: South City Kitchen, Ecco, La Tavola Trattoria, Alma Cocina, Lure and The Original El Taco, as well as Bold American Events, our catering, and design company. So, to say that we specialize in one thing really doesn’t apply to our company. What we are known for throughout all of our companies is our great people, and how we deliver warm, hospitable, connected service to our guests and clients.

It’s hard to pick just one thing, but I’m proud of how long we’ve been in business and the size of our company. I’m proud of the fact that we’ve grown and succeeded over the last 24 years, and it’s wonderful to see the effort so many people are putting into making us better and better every day. I’m proud of the fact that we’ve played a part in developing a handful of people that have come out of our company and gone on to open great restaurants around Atlanta, which has helped to grow our industry and contributed to the dining reputation of our city. I’m also really proud of the work we’ve done in our communities over the years to support local causes that support children, fight hunger, protect the environment and promote the arts and local culture. At the end of the day, I am most proud of all the people that work in our company. We have 900 phenomenal team members – we call ourselves Fifth Groupers – and they have a spirit and drive to be of service to one another and our guests. That inspires me every day!

I think what sets us apart from other restaurants and restaurant groups a combination of a lot of different things. Our name, Fifth Group Restaurants, represents a few different ideas. One is the five senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste – because we consider them in our approach to how we design, build and run our restaurants every day. We look at every single detail and really do sweat the small stuff. We have a lot of leaders on our team that specializes in different areas of expertise to help us make each part of our business the best it can be. The other meaning behind our name has to do with the five distinct groups of people that we serve. They are our employees, guests, communities, vendors and our investors – in that order. We believe in putting our staff first. If we are successful in creating an environment where our staff feels appreciated and where they love to work, they will pass that happiness on to our guests. The result of this culture is a thriving, vibrant business that can better care for our guests and contribute to our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fifthgroup.com
• Phone: 404-815-4700
• Instagram: @fifthgroup
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fifthgrouprestaurants
• Twitter: @fifthgroup

Image Credit:
Fifth Group Restaurants