The Stoler Report with Michael Stoler: Paul Neuman

0:00 Speaker 1 Good morning, this is Mike Stoler for the Stoler Real Estate Report. What’s happening in the hospitality industry, specifically the food services portions of the hospitality industry in New York and around the nation? I’m not the expert in that area, so I brought someone who has close to 45 years of experience in this area, my friend Paul Newman, who

0:21 is the principal and founder of the Catering Advisory Group. Paul, thanks for coming.

0:26 Speaker 2 Hey, Michael. It’s great to see you. Thanks for having me.

0:29 Speaker 1 So let’s talk about the changes and what’s happening these days, especially like the evolution of you through Newman & Buck, going to Newman’s Kitchen, Catering Advisory Group, Trayscape.

0:41 Speaker 2 Okay. So quick summary of my career. Started out with a retail store on the Upper East Side, operated that. It was a sort of mini Balducci’s from 1981 to 1996. We moved downtown to focus on catering in 1996. moved to Christie Street, and we were there for 20 years before we moved to Long Island City to a large,

1:01 incredibly beautiful, and not inexpensive commissary that we built from scratch. And when COVID hit in 2020, that was the signal. We were in the difficult segment, impossible segment. We were in corporate catering in New York City, and we weren’t able to ride out the storm of COVID. So I sold the commissary and tried my hand at packaging, selling

1:25 a packaging product that we had developed, sustainable packaging. Spent about a year on that. And then said, well, if I’m not going to sell stuff because it wasn’t working, what can I sell? And I said, I have knowledge and wisdom. And I’m now helping companies around the country navigate the tricky landscape of catering and restaurant growth. So

1:49 right now I have a client in Wisconsin. I’m helping with a project. I have a former employee of mine who’s hired us to help her launch an event planning business. And my big, big, big client is Melba’s Restaurant Group.

2:05 And I’m helping Melba Wilson. Now, what is Melba’s Restaurant Group? Well, Melba’s, you might call a soul food restaurant, but it’s really what Melba characterizes her food as American comfort, which is a broader term. And she’s from Hemingway, South Carolina. And she is a master marketer. Brilliant. brilliant media personality has a great product a restaurant at um 114th street and

2:32 uh i can’t remember i can’t remember the average yeah yeah frederick douglas my apologies 114th and frederick douglas and she expanded to grand central where she has a grab-and-go operation she’s in the pru center and uh with the prudential center in newark and The big project is Newark wanted her to move to Newark, and she got a

2:58 bunch of grant money and built an incredibly beautiful David Rockwell-designed restaurant, which should open probably realistically in November.

3:07 Speaker 1 And that’s the one in Newark.

3:08 Speaker 2 That’s in Newark. It’s about 6,500 square feet, has a commissary kitchen where we’ll do catering. So one of the reasons I was brought on, because of my knowledge of catering. And I am the COO’s Swiss Army knife. whatever he needs me to do, Tim Sullivan, the COO.

3:25 Speaker 1 So what do you mean you’re the Swiss Army knife?

3:28 Speaker 2 Well, I’m working on projects as diverse as marketing, hiring, building the team, culture, menus, layout of the kitchens, strategic planning for the next three years.

3:44 Speaker 1 Now, has this been done in the past? I mean, there’s hospitality businesses, I said at the beginning. Has grown. So what’s the evolution today? Where do you see the services required? And how to make somebody a successful restaurant, a caterer, and so on?

4:03 Speaker 2 I think, look, I think the trick in restaurants or catering is listening to the market and pivoting and moving towards what people are telling you. Melba’s has pivoted by, she created a restaurant, it’s been there 21 years, very successful.

4:20 It’s a celebrity hangout. She gets media stars and sports stars from all over the world coming in. The food is excellent. The service is great. But she pivoted to catering, and she’s broadened to this grab-and-go and the Prue Center and Wallman Rink. So she’s diversified the channels through which she can sell her products.

4:44 Speaker 1 So how does a restaurant grow today with the higher cost of labor?

4:50 Speaker 2 All the other problems. I think the trick to being a successful restaurateur or caterer is a focus on quality and service. People are not fooled. They want value. I can’t tell you how many restaurants I go to where I’m disappointed in the experience. And you have to deliver on your promises. And when you have a brand and

5:13 an identity— You have to make sure that what the guest experiences is consistent with their expectations and what the brand means. And that’s where Melba’s so strong because she is a, you know, she’s this wonderful personality, warm, engaging, and the restaurant is a reflection of her philosophy. And over time, you’ve got to stay on top of the

5:43 small things and we are working to bring back a level of service to improve it and to make it commensurate with what the expectations of the guests are and she has a TV show coming out on Apple TV Oprah Winfrey is producing it coming out in the fall of 27 so I describe what we’re doing now as

6:10 the pre-production yeah well We’re building the pedestal on which Melba will stand. And the taller and stronger the pedestal, the further her voice will reach. And so this TV show is like a super megaphone to get her message out.

6:27 And they’re describing the show’s concept as a black cheers. So everybody loved Cheers. So it’s going to be a comedy. Danielle Brooks is going to play Melba. And We are so excited because we know that in the fall of 27, the world is going to get to know Melba in a way they haven’t known her. There’s going to be

6:52 a spotlight on us. And we will have Newark, Harlem, our three other outlets, and who knows what else we’ll be doing by then. But we’re diversifying the channels through which you can buy Melba’s love and Melba’s products.

7:07 Speaker 1 So let’s talk about how do you focus... the next phase of your career?

7:12 Speaker 2 That’s a great question, Michael. You know, it’s somewhat opportunistic, and I’ve lived and died by networking. I spent my life helping people and putting out, and now it’s coming back to me through referrals. So I’m looking... I’m qualifying the opportunities that I’m looking at and walking away from some because either I don’t think we’re a good fit,

7:38 I’m a good fit, or I don’t think I can solve their problems. So I want to be valuable. I want to be invaluable. I want my clients to say about me at the end of the day, we could not have done this without Paul.

7:50 Speaker 1 So where do you see yourself, as I said, in a year?

7:54 Speaker 2 Well, I want to continue what I’m doing with Melba. I see a long-term role there because I I bring a lot to it. My experience has been very valuable to the team. And I want to be able to help other clients here in New York and around the country.

8:13 And I want to make sure that I’m delivering value. I always want to deliver value in the catering business. And I want to deliver value as a consultant. So I want people to say, not that you’re expensive, which I want to be, but that at the end of the day, you cost a lot. but you delivered more

8:31 than we expected. Okay.

8:33 Speaker 1 Thank you for being here, and I hope that the Melbourne and the Wisconsin and the Rhode Island business continue to flourish.

8:41 Speaker 2 Michael, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate being here.