Philip Frankland Lee

Who is Philip Frankland Lee?

Phillip Frankland Lee is a restaurateur and chef. He is also the co-owner, along with his wife Margarita Kallas-Lee, of Scratch Restaurants Group: the entity behind several popular Los Angeles and Austin restaurants.

Topics and Timestamps

• 01Philip Frankland Lee discusses building Scratch Restaurants Group from the ground up with his wife Margarita in LA and Austin
• 02The challenges of restaurant ownership including staffing, supply chain issues, and maintaining quality across multiple locations
• 03How the pandemic forced restaurants to adapt their business models and what worked versus what didn't
• 04The creative process behind menu development and sourcing ingredients for high-quality dining experiences
• 05Lee shares insights about expanding restaurant concepts and the risks involved in the hospitality industry
• 06Discussion of work-life balance as a restaurateur and the demands of running a growing food empire
• ▶Philip introduces himself and his restaurant group background0:00:00
• ▶Discussion of the challenges in restaurant staffing and retention0:15:30
• ▶How Scratch Restaurants adapted during the pandemic0:32:15
• ▶Philip explains his philosophy on ingredient sourcing and menu creation0:48:45
• ▶Discussion about expanding to Austin and managing multiple locations1:05:20

The Show

Joe sits down with Philip Frankland Lee, the restaurateur and co-owner of Scratch Restaurants Group, to dive deep into the restaurant business. Lee and his wife Margarita have built an impressive portfolio of establishments across Los Angeles and Austin, and this conversation explores what it actually takes to make it in the hospitality industry.

The discussion covers the brutal realities of restaurant ownership that most people never consider. Lee talks about the constant challenges of finding and keeping good staff, dealing with supply chain volatility, and maintaining consistency across multiple locations. It's clear that running restaurants isn't some romantic dream but rather a grinding operation that requires obsessive attention to detail and a willingness to handle constant problems.

Lee gets into the specifics of how the pandemic forced the entire industry to rethink their approach. Some restaurants pivoted successfully to delivery and takeout models while others struggled to adapt. He discusses what worked for Scratch Restaurants during that period and how they've had to continue evolving post-pandemic as customer expectations and economic conditions shifted.

The conversation naturally flows into menu development and sourcing strategy. Lee explains the philosophy behind their ingredient selection and how they think about creating dishes that matter. Joe and Philip discuss the balance between creativity and practicality, between what chefs want to cook and what customers actually want to eat.

There's also discussion around the financial realities of restaurant expansion. Opening new locations is risky business, and Lee shares the thinking behind their moves into Austin and their broader growth strategy. He's honest about the failures and lessons learned along the way, not presenting some sanitized version of success but the actual messy process of building a business.

The episode touches on work-life balance or the lack thereof in the restaurant world. This isn't a business where you clock out at 5pm. Lee discusses how being married to your co-founder works when you're also basically married to your restaurants. The dedication required to maintain quality and vision across a growing organization is intense, and Lee doesn't pretend otherwise.

Best Quotes