Executive Chef and Owner of Merenda Restaurant Bend, Oregon.

“If you build it right, they will come.” This was the philosophy Chef Jody Denton stuck by when his calling steered him from the big city restaurants of San Francisco to his own place in the foothills of the spectacular Oregon mountains. It was a bold move, but a welcomed one for locals and visitors alike. Here are some thoughts from Chef Denton on his success.

Interview
Antoinette Bruno: The restaurant business is a high risk. Banks are often slow to lend money and 8 out of every 10 restaurants fail. Some may not have understood your decision to open a restaurant in Bend, OR. What gave you the confidence to go ahead with this venture?

Jody Denton: It was a challenge pulling it all together. I had traveled to Bend for a food event several years ago, and over time I really grew to like the area. It has an interesting demographic, one that wasn’t normal for a small town in the middle of nowhere. The people here had money and a higher level of sophistication than you might expect. The money and sophistication are here because of urban flight. Bend has grown at an amazing rate since the early ‘90s, from 15,000 to 65,000. These people all came from cities and are used to good restaurants. It was inevitable someone would come in someday and open one of those good restaurants.

AB: How do you get your inspiration?

JD: Traveling, cookbooks, magazines, meals at other restaurants. Also, other people tell me about dishes they have enjoyed.

AB: What are some of the ways you increase productivity and efficiency among your staff?

JD: Incentives. Contests. With the wait staff, we pick one item - like an appetizer or certain bottle of wine - and make a game out of whoever can sell the most. In the kitchen there is a pretty rigorous employee of the month contest where the winner gets new knives or cookbooks or concert tickets. We tailor the gifts to the particular employee. We have been open about a year and a half, and most of the employees have been here from the start.

AB: Restaurants are notorious for long hours and putting a strain on relationships. What is your approach to balancing work and home?

JD: There wasn’t a balance in my life for a long time. It is still a work in progress. This business is hard on relationships. It isn’t as hard on me now because I have been doing this for a long time. Now I allow myself things I didn’t allow in the past because I am the boss. I don’t open or close anymore. I spend more evenings at home. My success at this also comes from my wife, who has a wonderful understanding of the business – she was in it herself. She understands the consequences of taking things lightly – you could lose all you have worked for. It is also very important to have the right people on your staff that you can trust. Relying on a solid staff is the only way to balance your work and home life.

AB: As a chef-owner, you are in control of your budget. Do you have to tailor your vision to the budget or is it the other way around?

JD: It is a give and take. There is always a balance between what you ideally want to do and what you can afford. But I haven’t had to change things on the menu drastically. It can also come down to the wording on the menu – you can sell what you want depending on how you say it.

Coming from the city market to a smaller community can make some things harder to get when you want them. The closest city (Portland) is 3 hours away. You have to really plan in advance and not wing it. The longer I am here the more I am figuring out the system, but it isn’t as bad as I thought.