Page 3 - Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts

Chapter 1 | Foundations of Restaurant Management & Culinary Arts

[professional profile]
Michael Santos VP of Operations and Human
Resources; Partner

Micatrotto Restaurant Group; Raising Canes Chicken
Fingers, Las Vegas

“ The pursuit of excellence is more important than the
”
achievement.
– Joe Micatrotto Sr.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my mom and grand-
mother in the kitchen. For some reason pots, pans, and
wooden spoons seemed to intrigue me slightly more
than my GI-Joe figures and cap guns. Don’t get me
wrong, I enjoyed those toys (and still have my cap guns),
but food always captured my attention. I just love to eat. So, I guess you could say
my passion for this industry began in my mother’s kitchen. Watching my mom and
grandmother prepare meal after meal after meal with laughter and joy, well, it just
seemed like a fun place to be. I love to prepare meals, bring people together, see
them enjoy it, and then have them leave the table with a smile.

I wanted to work and earn my own money, so I chose to apply to a local restaurant
at the age of 16. I was hired as a host, and that was the beginning. My goal was to
make sure that I delivered to the guest what my mom and grandmother delivered
to the family at every gathering: good food and an enjoyable atmosphere. I worked
my way through the ranks as host, buser, cook, server, trainer, and manager.
In this industry, I’ve found that working hard and being consistent are the strongest
forces moving you ahead. Have a goal in mind, and have your next goal ready and
waiting. Never be afraid to reach higher. Mistakes will happen; you just learn from
them and keep pushing forward. Challenge yourself!
I went on to work for a major Italian concept, also the recipient of Nation’s Restau-
rant News Hot Concepts Award in 1998. Buca di Beppo had a critical impact on
my career. I connected with several mentors there, two of whom I still work with
today at the Micatrotto Restaurant Group.

Having a passion for something means having a strong belief in its need and results.
As a server and restaurant manager, you quickly learn to serve guests. That’s the
job. But serving guests with sincerity and integrity makes a huge difference. At 21,
I became an assistant general manager at Buca di Beppo, simultaneously working
my way through college.

In 2004, I graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a B.S. in
Finance and a B.S. in Human Resource Management. Focused on career growth,
I decided to look into opportunities as a general manager of a restaurant. This
proved harder than expected, so I made a decision to leave restaurants in 2005

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