Tell us about your favorite customers? Any celebs been by recently? We have a great tradition of letting folks sign our pits. We have been very fortunate to be visited by many influential people and celebrities, including Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Bob Schieffer, Harry Smith, Diane Sawyer, Mayor Ed Koch, Gilbert Gottfried, Gordon Elliot, Tyra Banks, Kathleen Turner, Drea Matteo, Shooter Jennings, Don King, Michael Strahan, Rosie Perez, Ellen Barkin, Gina Gershon and Julia Stiles. We are especially proud when we are visited by great chefs and restaurateurs, and highlights include Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, David Chang, Danny Meyer, Eric Ripert, Todd English, Drew Nieporent and Alain Ducasse.

How do you deal with VIPs, when there are no tables left to give? We buy them a round of margaritas at the bar, maybe send them some Texas sausages or guacamole and chips, and give ‘em lots of love and attention. ...how about personal friends of the owner? The same. People are happy to wait when they feel well cared for, and when your efforts and apologies are sincere and heartfelt. Free goodies always help. What’s the most outrageous request from a customer you’ve had to accommodate? Plates. ...that you couldn’t accommodate? Fish.

You’ve been in the restaurant biz for some time now. How has the front-of-house changed over the years? With the rise of excellent restaurant groups such as USHG, the restaurant business has become a well-respected profession and a solid career choice for young, educated people who have the benefit of many career options. So there are a lot of great, eager, and highly talented young managers these days. Unfortunately, on the service staff side, the fine art of hospitality, service and graciousness, which used to be a serious pursuit for career waiters, has become diluted by lots of folks just trying to make a quick buck with minimum effort.

Now that you’re on your own, looking back, what’s it like to work for Danny Meyer? I wrote a paragraph in our Hill Country employee manual naming Danny and his company USHG as our role model. Working for Danny was a high point in my career and was truly an honor and a privilege. It was an opportunity to work with and learn from the very best in the field. As an idealist, it was truly inspiring to work for someone who truly walks the walk, continuously strives for excellence, and seeks to work and live according to a set of inspiring principles which are all about both doing good and doing well. He taught me that leadership is about creating something to believe in. As Mike Mills, another barbecue mentor says: “It’s about mixin’ up the Kool-Aid, then gettin’ folks to drink it.”