Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!
You're IT The Recipe of Success!
Four questions with Mark G. Moeller, founder of The Recipe of Success.
The Recipe of Success®, a blueprint for creating, operating, and sustaining your foodservice concept.
Why did you start your business?
I kind of fell into consulting. While I was at Johnson & Wales in 1987, I stumbled across consulting in general. I thought it was very interesting, I love to teach and train and it seemed a great way to combine my passions of restaurants and teaching. I knew I wasn’t experienced enough but knew one day I would be. I went out the next day and purchased four books on consulting from Barnes & Noble in Providence. I read them cover to cover and still have them.
Fast forward to 2000, I was leaving the company I was working with as I was unable to relocate. As I was leaving, a good friend and colleague reached out to me and asked if I had some time to assist him. He was working with a pizzeria and needed some nuts and bolts operational help. I worked with Joanne’s Gourmet Pizza for 3 ½ years as a consultant.
I loved what I was doing and almost immediately started backfilling my time with other clients. In my first 12 years in operation, I worked with 3 main clients for extended periods of time. All the while, building the company and my brand.
How many local businesses do you use to support your business (products and services) and can you name them?
Almost too many to name:
- Collective Design Associates, MEP Engineers (Westport)
- Arkay-Leliever, Designers (Fairfield)
- 1813 Design for branding (Darien)
- Balancing Act Financials – bookkeeping (Stamford)
- Paramount Reproductions for printing (Stamford)
- Leigh Overland Architects (Fairfield)
- Thiel Architecture & Design (Weston)
- Emilia Ferri Architecture + Design (Greenwich)
- Benjamin, Gold & Troyb, P.C. (Stamford)
- Caplan & Hecht, LLC (New Haven)
- Red Line Graphics for Signage (Bridgeport)
- Office Evolution for my office(Westport)
- ASF for branded gear (Westport)
- Globe Equipment for equipment and small wares (Bridgeport)
- M&M Constructions for restaurant fit-outs (Wilton)
- Mobile Communications Systems for Digital Marketing (Stamford)
And many more!
Have you "reimagined" your small business?
The Recipe of Success is reimagined and evolves every year. Due to the cyclical needs of restaurants, we find ourselves hyper-focused on their evolution.
Currently, we are designing new kitchens for restaurants and shared kitchen spaces. The restaurant kitchens are a mix of full-serve and fast-casual operations in both traditional and unique spaces (one is a former train station).
Throughout the pandemic, we have helped many clients put a renewed emphasis on training and execution, and we have also opened restaurants from Nyack, NY to Westport, CT to Rockland, Maine.
The Recipe of Success is located at 500 Post Road East 2nd floor in Westport. Visit The Recipe of Success online here, and make sure to check out their Facebook page as well!
HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!