Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 74

perspectives
Photo by Michael Harlan Turkell

interview

5 questions for…
Geoff Bartakovics
Founder and CEO www.tastingtable.com
How did an English major at the University of Chicago—and a Fulbright scholar—become an internet entrepreneur?
I always knew I’d go into business. I also love to read, go to the opera and museums, so my vision was always to be involved in something I found interesting. I grew up the child of immigrants in a middle-class home and didn’t want for anything, but when I moved to New York, everything was insanely expensive, so I wanted to create a nancial situation that allowed me to make enough money to enjoy the city. So after graduation in ’99, I became a consultant for what was then Deloitte & Touche. After a short period I moved to UBS as a business manager.

How did the idea of Tasting Table germinate?
As a kid, both of my parents worked, so I cooked a lot for them. In college, I did big dinner parties. In the bank business I worked like an animal and had a great time, but my release on weekends was to throw more parties. I became known for that among my friends. I even took some ‘serious amateurs’ classes at the French Culinary Institute. One of my friends was working at the Pilot Group, which owns Daily Candy. In 2008 they wanted someone to create a Daily Candy for foodies. So the idea wasn’t mine, but they asked me to launch it and run it because of my passion for food and parties. We started with ve on the staff and now have 30.

When did you know this was going to work?
Immediately. We knew the business model worked because of Daily Candy. We knew if we created the great editorial content and built the right audience—people who are serious about food but don’t take themselves too seriously [it would work]. Our growth within the rst month was stratospheric. We now have daily editions in ve cities—New York, LA, San Francisco, DC, and Chicago—and a national daily edition with one million subscribers and growing. And there will be a lot more cities launched next year.

You’ve opened a 2,000-square-foot test kitchen in New York’s Soho this year. Tell us about it.
There is an enormous bene t to having a physical space that embodies your brand. We built out this space and obsessed over the design, which was designed by Loren Daye and Eric Cheong, alums from Roman & Williams. Then we invited people—advertisers and partners and the media—who all of a sudden understand our brand because they experience it physically. We started creating menus that were enormously successful. So it became a living, breathing food space near our of ce. And its usage is for friends and family; no one else has access to it for anniversaries or birthday parties.

What are your own expectations for a dining experience?
In food, service, and design, I don’t like fussy. For the complete interview, log on to www.hospitalitydesign.com

Photo by William Hereford


http://www.roomthreesixty.com http://www.tastingtable.com http://www.hospitalitydesign.com http://www.roomthreesixty.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - December 2011

Hospitality Design - December 2011
Contents
Online Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
People
People
People
Sketchbook
Sustainable Studio
Trends
Trends
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Interview
Interview
Interview
Interview
Iacoli & McAllister
Bedding
Lighting
Cersaie
Industry Outlook
Consumer Trends
A Look Back
Platinum Circle Weighs In
Back Space
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Intro
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Hospitality Design - December 2011
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Cover2
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 1
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 2
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 3
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 4
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 5
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 6
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 7
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 8
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Contents
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 10
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Online Contents
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - From the Editor
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 13
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - From the Show Director
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 15
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 16
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 17
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - People
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 19
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 20
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 21
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - People
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 23
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - People
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 25
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 26
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 27
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 28
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Sketchbook
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 30
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 31
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 32
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Sustainable Studio
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 34
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Trends
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 36
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 37
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 38
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Trends
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 40
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 41
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 42
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 43
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 44
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 46
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 47
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 48
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 50
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 51
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 52
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 55
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 57
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 58
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 60
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Interview
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 62
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 63
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 64
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 65
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 66
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Interview
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 68
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 69
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 70
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Interview
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 72
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 73
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Interview
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 75
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 76
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Iacoli & McAllister
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Bedding
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 79
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Lighting
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 81
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 82
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 83
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Cersaie
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 85
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 86
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 87
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 88
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Industry Outlook
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 90
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 91
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 92
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Consumer Trends
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 94
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 95
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - A Look Back
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 97
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Platinum Circle Weighs In
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 99
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 100
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 101
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 102
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 103
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Back Space
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Cover3
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Cover4
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