We recently had the chance to connect with John McBride and have shared our conversation below.
John, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
All of the best decisions I have made (especially business decisions), I have “slept” on. Sure there are times where instant decisions must be made, but things become much clearer the next morning. What might seem insurmountable, becomes doable after a night’s sleep.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a life-long restaurant guy that grew up in the business. I often joke with people and say that it’s all I know and that my parents wasted a lot of money on a college education, but it is a business that you have to love to survive it. Ii’s in my blood and I can.t imagine having done anything else. I currently have a restaurant in East Dallas called El Vecino. We have been open for almost nine years and it will be my last venture. It is the one that I have been hoping for the last 45 years and the one that I will sail into the sunset with.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
I grew up in a restaurant family. My great grandfather founded El Fenix, a Tex Mex restaurant that grew to 15 locations in Dallas/Ft Worth. I had the opportunity to work with my family during my early years. As a busser or a waiter, I would hear my grandmother give talks to the staff. My favorite was when she would ask the waiters “how many people are we going to feed today?” While the guesses varied depending on the day, they always were calculated from the number of guests that would visit that day. After a few guesses, my grandmother would stop and ask a waiter how many kids he had. Then she would ask another if they had elder parents living with them. With these questions, she made it clear that a restaurant on any given day feeds many more than its guests. I have loved sharing that exercise with many employees over the years. My grandmother was a pioneer of her day when few woman made an impact in the business world. She was ahead of her time and the biggest influence on me.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
It’s an old adage, but you learn so so much more in failure than in success. I have had my share of restaurants that I felt were “sure” winners….and they weren’t. I have had concepts that I believed were right and primed for success…and they weren’t. I had a big concept called The LOT in Dallas that I spent lots of time and money developing and what I had envisioned it would be and what it turned out to be was very different. What I thought would be cool indoor/outdoor concept became immediately a place for kids and families. After 30 days of being open, my PR person (with 30 years experience) told me that she had never represented a place where 50% of the people that you were the best thing around and the other 50% hated your guts. We gave it our best shot for 5 years and Covid closed us but overall is was a failure. But it inspired me to go back to what I know best…Tex Mex.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
When I am in my restaurant, there are no strangers. I am out front and very comfortable with guests. Telling stories, cracking jokes and dealing with any issue that arises. I love having friends coming to my house…the restaurant.
My family laughs at me because when we are in a public setting or at a cocktail party I am the guy in the corner unsure of who to approach or what to say. A part-time extrovert who is really a full=time introvert.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Two years ago we bought a house in Colorado. I bought it with the intention to “force” me to spend more time away with my family. I have an incredible team that manages the restaurant when I am away. My goal in the next year or two is to get away from the “day to day”operations and turn it all over to my management team. By no means does that mean I would retire, it means that I would come in and work a couple hours at lunch and few at night. Accepting the fact that the 65 year old body can’t do the six 12 hour days is a tough pill to swallow but I’m getting there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elvecinotexmex.com
- Instagram: ElVecinotexmex
- Facebook: ElVecinotexmex
Image Credits
Leah Monet
