Ep 46: Alex Adler is the Co-Founder and Taquero for Puesto, an upscale Mexican restaurant concept based in San Diego, California
If you're a little obsessed with Mexican food, like me, then no matter where you are in the U.S. you've probably heard of Puesto. With 120 different tequilas, 100 different mezcals, and fresh ingredients in all their mouthwatering – and most importantly, authentic – food, there's little surprise that this family-run restaurant is now in nine locations. But how does one market and manage a multi-locational restaurant business while staying true to your roots and all the offerings of Mexico City? In this episode I'm talking to Alex Adler, co-founder, and taquero for Puesto, who says that they may be a multi-location business, but they are definitely not a chain. He talks us through all aspects of the business, from its inception in the family kitchen, to digital feedback, and their journey with finding a coherent operating system. We get the rundown on the Puesto marketing and social media strategies, as well as delving into why certain social media platforms work better for this type of business. Adler also shares, with humility and a lot of passion, the special innovations that kept customers (and those in the industry) a little more connected to normality during COVID, and drew them loyally into the Puesto community. Lastly, Adler shares some hard-won advice on when to pivot, and the crucial factor that got them where they are today – know what you want as a guest, and always putting that at the center of the experience. Press play and join in the conversation now!
Key Points From This Episode:
Alex Adler’sMexican heritage and life-long love of Mexican food.
Finding a gap in the market, and a phenomenal chef to actualize their dream with.
How the restaurant goals changed when they got into their second location.
We banter about our mutual love of Mexico and favorite places to go.
Adler talks about growth perspectives, and keeping decisions organic and family-agreed on.
What Adler learned working at Square, Google, and Facebook/Instagram.
Discussing creativity, content, and which social media platforms work best for their brand.
Dealing with the COVID crisis in the industry, and using the technology available.
Giving innovative experiences to customers during lock-down, while giving back.
The challenges of third-party delivery, and why it just doesn't work for them.
Talking marketing strategies, social media for multiple locations, content, updates, and more!
Honing in on the discovery capability and ROI provided by Instagram.
Showing the organic, personal process of the business is important.
Putting quality and fresh ingredients into their food, with no shortcuts.
The importance of the 24-hour window, digital feedback, and letting people feel heard.
What tech they use to gather information so they can create loyal customers.
How they aim to be a non-waste restaurant, and what systems they use to help do it.
Some extremely useful words of advice for anyone wanting to start their own restaurant!
Tweetables:
“It goes back to the core and the DNA of Puesto right now, which is exposing people to all the offerings in Mexico City.” — @alexadler [0:08:57]
“If I could tell anybody, one trip they have to do in their lives, it would be go dive into Mexico, all the regions besides just Mexico City. Go down to Tequila, go to Oaxaca and see how mezcal is made. Things like that will really just blow you away.” — @alexadler [0:10:20]
“The hardest thing is, how do you stay true to your brand? Don't begin going in so many directions.” — @alexadler [0:26:11]
“As a company, we really try and make sure that any offering we do is everywhere, because that's what people expect.” — @alexadler [0:27:12]
“We were born out of great ingredients and thinking that quality speaks for itself. If you have to charge more, it doesn't matter, as long as you're giving a product that you're proud of.” — @alexadler [0:30:40]