Rob Lam: Perle Wine Bar, Town Square Eats, Lily

On the Fly by tablehopper

Our tenth episode of On the Fly is with one of my dear friends and my homie, chef Rob Lam of Perle Wine Bar in Montclair, Town Square Eats in Jack London Square, and his upcoming pet project, Lily, which was on track to open on Clement Street in SF in mid-March, but remains in a state of suspense.

I originally called to just check in on him, catch up, hear what was the latest, and how he was doing, but as I was listening to everything he's trying to figure out, I realized that I should actually be recording our conversation. Rob covers a lot of ground, from the role of technology in helping them rise to the current challenge of converting three restaurant concepts to takeout and delivery, to the brutal finances, to looking ahead and mulling over ideas on how to format happy hour, the dining experience, the menu, even what kinds of drinks will work best.

He also talks about how they're looking at launching their new restaurant through takeout, and how that experience will tell the story of Lily. I was impressed with his positive mindset about how to approach all these business challenges, and how he believes it's all making him a better restaurateur. But, like any true hospitalitarian, Rob is concerned about what hospitality will look like in this new world—what will be left behind in the guest experience as we knew it, and what’s to come? Thanks for listening in.

Perle Wine Bar: https://www.perlewinebar.com

Town Square Eats: https://www.townsquareeats.com

Lily: https://www.instagram.com/lilyonclement/

Two-Top:

1. WesBurger 'N' More: https://www.wesburgernmore.com

2. Roam: https://www.roamburgers.com

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