Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Houlihan.
Hi Laura, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started in the hospitality industry after graduating high school . I absolutely feel in love with all parts that create an amazing dining experience. Since I was a minor learning about wines and other alcoholic beverages was a challenge at first but as I came to age I fell in love with wine from the vine to the bottle . Throughout the years I worked in hotels , bakeries , gourmet shops and restaurants until I landed my own restaurant in the year of 2014 . Barrel and Crow Restaurant is a locally sourced restaurant with a southern flare . Because we are able to print menus in house it gives us the flexibility to change simple things like the vegetables that go on a dish or a local fish in season . We like to keep it fresh ! Our menu holds enough but it also gives us room for additional specials . Ever since Covid hit I realized the importance “local” whether it be with our bread , seafood, vegetables or even our beer selection , the importance means a lot to me . My staff are my family as I worked earlier years some days 11 plus hours I knew life had more to it than just the grind of a business so I make sure staff gave time with families or just a simple day off . We are a neighborhood kinda place , poppin for happy hour and then into a steady flow for dinner . We also cater to small and large events like a family private dinner in our private room to weddings , bridal showers , engagement parties and corporate events . Our patio seats 48 people and our windows slide fully for that inside out feeling . We make our pastas fresh in house along with all our pastries including our ice cream .Some of our signiture dishes like our duck breast is smoked and cured in house . Our Parisienne gnocchi is light and delicate served with an assortment of wild mushrooms and our tuna Taquitos are small almost bite size tacos with sushi grade tuna shallots ginger and much more . We serve brunch on Sundays and dinner Monday- Sunday night
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The restaurant industry will always be a challenge wether it be food cost , labor or some dynamics like covid – I’ve always said it looks exciting to an outsider to entertain and create but so much more is involved on a daily basis . Kitchen units always seem to go down on a Friday … and more and more as outside labor to fix these units go up you are left with a question is it worth to just replace . My team got creative during Covid to keep us alive and still feel like we were in touch with the locals Which was a very big challenge that a lot didn’t make through
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We create from the local farmers , seafood markets , and anything we can get seasonally. We create specialty cocktails seasonally , Work with an abundance of fresh vegetables keeping the menu smaller with more specials so you get a fresh plate served daily . From Soft Shell Crabs to Local Crabmeat , fresh tuna and our house made pastas everything comes out of our kitchen creating a dining experience . My staff are trained in all areas of the front of house as is the staff in the back of house that way everyone has a taste of what it’s like on any given night to create an ambiance worth coming back for . We are local and thrive with the neighborhood setting as we just celebrated 11 years
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
To train staff the way you want your restaurant to run . Many come from other establishments with training that needed some polishing . If you don’t train your way , corners are always cut
Pricing:
- $30-45
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barrelandcrow.com
- Instagram: barrel_and_crow
- Facebook: Barrel and Crow
