Rising Stars: Meet Rico Cunnington

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rico Cunnington.

Hi Rico, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Since the time I could stand on a chair and help wash dishes, I helped my mom cater. After graduating high school, I waited tables and tended bar to make money for college. I helped open and managed many start up restaurant. I even worked in a few corporate restaurants as well. It was sometime during this gauntlet of restaurants and bars that I met my wife, Katie. After a few years working together, we were approached by a friend of the family to re-open a restaurant space that he owns at the Mall of Georgia. It is then that we came up with the concept of our first restaurant, Ricos world kitchen. The space was a tiny with only four tables. I worked in the kitchen in the back of the house and Katie would carry our oldest child, who was little more than one year old at the time, around as she helped to prepare the front of the house for service… We continued this way for almost 2 1/2 years until we acquired the space we are in currently. We’ve been at our current location for over ten years now. During that time, we have opened a second restaurant, The Brunch Apothecary. It is located in Dacula.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say that it’s been smooth, but because of the teachers and mentors I had at such a young age; their shared experience and knowledge helped me form a more complete plan for my own business. This allowed me to anticipate many of the pitfalls young entrepreneurs face in most any business, especially those in the hospitality industry. Don’t get me wrong, we took our lumps and we still do at times; but, we’ve learned from the success and failures of others including our own.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When we initially started work on our business plan, I used big descriptive words to describe the things we were going to do and outlined lofty goals to be achieved in my mission and vision statements. A while back I reviewed this document. It had been more than ten years since I toiled over the words to express my ambition to make Katie and me seem ready, bulletproof to any idea that we could fail. I remember crafting the words so many years ago, but it now seemed clumsy. I felt like I was more of a professor, or at least a more seasoned grad student, reading and critiquing some dual-enrolled high school senior who was trying to get credit at the local community college. Ouch. I tell you this to describe what we are good at and what sets us apart.

We now work under the simple idea that: We want to make you feel like you belong.

This simple phrase refers to how we approach not only our guests but one another. So, whenever there is a decision to be made, we refer to this simple statement. It keeps us laser-focused on what makes us who we are as a business. And allows our individual talents to shine freely. All the other things are just vehicles to achieve this singular goal for our guests and for each other. I’m positive this is what has made us a very special place to visit and work.

Contact Info:

• Website: ricosworldkitchen.com
• Facebook: Rico’s World Kitchen