# Info to Know: He's making luxury dining accessible to the everyday consumer

An episode of [Money Making Conversations Master Class](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1264705641), 12 Oct 2024, 24 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/b1db7263-d1a3-4d00-8976-af62012aab44/188aa792-5705-4654-b5a7-b2ca016d573d/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=35a10561-3e1b-4d05-a529-af62012aab6a

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Lavae McClinnahan. A hospitality entrepreneur and restaurateur focused on transforming the dining experience in Redondo Beach, California. The discussion centers on his vision of creating affordable luxury dining, blending elevated cuisine, exceptional service, curated beverage pairings, live jazz, and sophisticated hospitality in a way that remains welcoming and accessible to a broad audience. LaVae shares his journey in the hospitality industry, his passion for culinary education, and the inspiration behind his newest restaurant concept, Montauk, which brings an East Coast luxury aesthetic and experience to Southern California. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to: • Highlight LaVae's innovative approach to hospitality and restaurant ownership. • Explore the concept of affordable luxury dining. • Educate consumers about fine dining, food pairings, and hospitality experiences. • Demonstrate how strong branding and customer experience can set a business apart. • Inspire entrepreneurs to identify and fill gaps in the marketplace. • Introduce Montauk and its vision of combining upscale dining with community-focused experiences. Key Takeaways 1. Luxury Can Be Accessible LaVae believes exceptional dining experiences should not be reserved solely for affluent customers. His goal is to make elevated hospitality, premium cuisine, and refined service attainable for everyday consumers. 2. Experience Is the Product Beyond food, LaVae focuses on creating memorable experiences. Atmosphere, service, design, entertainment, and guest engagement are all essential parts of what customers are purchasing. 3. Education Enhances Dining One of LaVae's signature concepts is the "Five Course Menu of the Evening," which was designed to educate guests on food and beverage pairings, particularly premium spirits and wine. He sees dining as an opportunity for learning and discovery. 4. Market Gaps Create Opportunity After studying the South Bay dining scene, LaVae identified a lack of sophisticated dining options that appealed to customers seeking a higher-end experience without feeling exclusive or intimidating. 5. Branding Must Be Intentional Montauk was inspired by luxury destinations such as the Hamptons and influenced by the lifestyle and aesthetic associated with brands like Ralph Lauren. Every design decision was made to evoke warmth, comfort, elegance, and familiarity. 6. Community Comes First Rather than building a concept solely for tourists or wealthy clients, LaVae designed his business to serve local residents looking for new experiences close to home. 7. Start Small, Then Scale When considering large ambitions such as opening a full-scale jazz club, LaVae embraced advice from mentors to start with a manageable version of the vision and expand over time. 8. Differentiation Drives Success LaVae understands that standing out requires more than quality food. His combination of fine dining, live jazz, curated beverage programs, thoughtful design, and elevated hospitality differentiates his business from competitors. 9. Culture Matters The addition of jazz programming reflects his desire to celebrate culture while creating unique experiences that connect music, dining, and community. 10. Attention to Detail Creates Loyalty From restaurant design and dress expectations to beverage selection and customer service,…

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Hi.
[0:00] Speaker 2: I am Rashan McDonald host the weekly Money Making Conversation
[0:03] Speaker 2: Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this show provides
[0:07] Speaker 2: are for everyone. It's time to stop reading other people's
[0:10] Speaker 2: success stories and start living your own. If you want
[0:13] Speaker 2: to be a guest on my show, please visit our website,
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[0:20] Speaker 2: button priss submit and information will come directly to me.
[0:24] Speaker 2: Now let's get this show started. My guest is redefining
[0:27] Speaker 2: the dining landscape by making affordable luxury accessible to every
[0:33] Speaker 2: day consumer. I'm talking about food, eating eating now. The
[0:35] Speaker 2: reference I was doing football feed me, feed me, feed me.
[0:39] Speaker 2: His company's mission is to bring elevated culinary experiences to
[0:42] Speaker 2: the community, ensuring that exceptional hospitality and high quality cuisine
[0:48] Speaker 2: are within reach for everyone without the need to travel far.
[0:53] Speaker 2: Please welcome to Money Making Conversation Masterclass. Love A. How
[0:56] Speaker 2: you doing, sir?
[0:58] Speaker 1: How you doing, Russauran? How you doing?
[1:00] Speaker 2: Pretty good?
[1:00] Speaker 1: Man?
[1:01] Speaker 2: When you say travel far and I'm from the neighborhood, okay,
[1:05] Speaker 2: affordable affordable, you know, affordable barbecue, stayd you know, uh
[1:11] Speaker 2: go round now, man, give me some subway, can give
[1:14] Speaker 2: me some ribs at the end of the night club.
[1:17] Speaker 2: Man at the link, Man outside, I'm at the barber shop,
[1:20] Speaker 2: the boot and man, he ain't on me at the barbershop. Okay,
[1:24] Speaker 2: you know I'm talking about that. That's affordable living. That's
[1:26] Speaker 2: affordable eating for me. Brother, Okay, what are you talking about,
[1:30] Speaker 2: Levey Man.
[1:32] Speaker 1: We are talking about Redondo Beach.
[1:36] Speaker 2: Affordable luxury as DNDA Beach, California, right right down outside
[1:40] Speaker 2: of Yep, just south of Los Angeles, Yep.
[1:45] Speaker 1: Dnald Beach, California, next to Manhattan Beach, Mossa Beach, north
[1:50] Speaker 1: of Palace Verda's Peninsula. And what we're doing is we're
[1:55] Speaker 1: talking about affordable luxury where we have designed our concept,
[2:00] Speaker 1: which from my time spent in Long Island Easthampton's montacu
[2:07] Speaker 1: which we have designed this concept to provide a better
[2:14] Speaker 1: dining experience than what traditionally exists in the territory. As
[2:21] Speaker 1: you know from being a resident here for years, the
[2:25] Speaker 1: territory doesn't normally consist of fine dining restaurants. It's very casual,
[2:33] Speaker 1: very casual. People here, very casual. They like their flip flops,
[2:37] Speaker 1: they like their trucker cats. Man, and you try to do,
[2:41] Speaker 1: they will go crazy, So you got to be mindful
[2:45] Speaker 1: of that. But at the same time, there is an
[2:48] Speaker 1: audience here that is looking for a more sophisticated dining experience,
[2:54] Speaker 1: especially when it comes to brunches and dinner service.
[3:00] Speaker 2: It's really interesting you say all this, Levey, because I've
[3:03] Speaker 2: lived in La Los Angeles for fifteen years, and so
[3:06] Speaker 2: when you start sliding down to the Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach,
[3:10] Speaker 2: that's like you're going to San Diego. Everybody, if you
[3:12] Speaker 2: going to San Diego, you're gonna go right past all
[3:15] Speaker 2: these places. Okay, And you know, as they said, growing up,
[3:19] Speaker 2: high falluting. That's high polluting country down there, you know.
[3:23] Speaker 2: And so but you're telling me, Rashwan, casual dining is
[3:27] Speaker 2: what people really is what populates the area.
[3:29] Speaker 1: Correct, Yes it does. And there's a lot of fine
[3:33] Speaker 1: dying sorry casual dining here, but there's less fine dining.
[3:38] Speaker 1: Why is that?
[3:39] Speaker 2: That's what That's what That's what started me because you
[3:41] Speaker 2: know that area down there that they got money, they
[3:44] Speaker 2: got money.
[3:45] Speaker 1: Well, well, the thing is a lot of people have
[3:49] Speaker 1: that misconception of the beach territories is just full of money. Right, Yes,
[3:56] Speaker 1: there are very there are very affluent people here in
[4:00] Speaker 1: the South Bay, but there's also a large scale middle.
[4:05] Speaker 2: Class people, a large every time, a large, brother, giant, big,
[4:12] Speaker 2: it's huge. Don't get confused here with that little small
[4:17] Speaker 2: area of people. I'm trying to reach that big group
[4:20] Speaker 2: of people who can afford affordable luxury dining. And that's
[4:25] Speaker 2: what you want to bring to the table.
[4:26] Speaker 1: Correct exactly, And a lot of them want it like
[4:29] Speaker 1: they're there. So what I learned about the territory is
[4:33] Speaker 1: that there are affluent people here, who financially affluent people here,
[4:39] Speaker 1: and what they're they're looking for the option. They want
[4:44] Speaker 1: the option to be able to go to the uh
[4:49] Speaker 1: uh casual spot or pop up into something that's a
[4:55] Speaker 1: little bit more sophisticated, and it's it's I ever really
[5:00] Speaker 1: been given to them. I think when Sea Milan's was here,
[5:04] Speaker 1: the old set Milans over by where Bristol Farms used
[5:07] Speaker 1: to be, on the corner of pch and Palace Verdi's Boulevard,
[5:13] Speaker 1: I think when that was about.
[5:15] Speaker 2: Pacific Coast Highway. I'm tell you, brother, you're talking to
[5:19] Speaker 2: everybody in the country here. You're not talking to your
[5:21] Speaker 2: cousin down the street now, pH now I gotta stop you, Levey.
[5:25] Speaker 2: That's Pacific Coast Highway. Everyone. I'm about to translate. I'm
[5:29] Speaker 2: moving forward. He just said, Dando Beach like everybody knew
[5:32] Speaker 2: we Rodondo Beach Rhdando Beach, California. Manha In Beach, California.
[5:35] Speaker 2: I'm gonna get on you, brother, because I know why
[5:37] Speaker 2: I'm bringing you on the air, because I know you know,
[5:40] Speaker 2: because you know when you talk about five course meals,
[5:43] Speaker 2: you know a lot of people don't know what that means.
[5:45] Speaker 2: When you talking about brunch, a lot of people understand
[5:48] Speaker 2: what that means. There's so many different versions, so let's
[5:50] Speaker 2: start with you. Was talking about what exactly is a
[5:54] Speaker 2: five course meal? And it varies in different places, But
[5:58] Speaker 2: what is your version of a five course meal?
[6:01] Speaker 1: So so back in back in two thousand and twenty ten,
[6:06] Speaker 1: twenty eleven, I created a concept with the McAllen Scotch
[6:12] Speaker 1: called the five Course Menu of the Evening And this
[6:18] Speaker 1: concept was designed for me to help educate the community
[6:25] Speaker 1: on Singa Moore scotches and spirits with the McAllen, which
[6:30] Speaker 1: is the most collectible single Moore scotch in the world.
[6:35] Speaker 1: And when I created the experience, I myself didn't really
[6:41] Speaker 1: understand the five course menu concept. I'm like, all I
[6:46] Speaker 1: know is I like to eat, right, you say this
[6:49] Speaker 1: five courses were good like So, so when I started
[6:55] Speaker 1: understanding more about the the object of consumption, food consumption
[7:03] Speaker 1: and dining, I said, you know what I said, man,
[7:08] Speaker 1: this is very interesting because the average consumer, especially in
[7:14] Speaker 1: our community, in the African American community, we don't look
[7:19] Speaker 1: at five courses. That's just being five courses that are educational.
[7:25] Speaker 1: So when I created the five course minion of the
[7:28] Speaker 1: Evening with a really good friend of mine, Kieran Elliott,
[7:32] Speaker 1: who was the national ambassador for at the time, he
[7:36] Speaker 1: was just the national ambassador for the McCallan Scotch for
[7:41] Speaker 1: the United States of America, and we were putting this
[7:47] Speaker 1: concept together. He said, you do whatever you want to do,
[7:50] Speaker 1: just let me know, blah blah blah. So I put
[7:52] Speaker 1: this concert together and I'm learning from these chefs and
[7:54] Speaker 1: we're talking to these different restaurants, and what I gathered was, Okay,
[8:02] Speaker 1: the average person that drinks singamore Scotch or goes out
[8:06] Speaker 1: to dinner doesn't understand that each part of that meal
[8:11] Speaker 1: is a course. So, for instance, if you go to
[8:15] Speaker 1: a restaurant and you have if you go to a
[8:20] Speaker 1: roof Chris or back in they had the claim jumpers,
[8:24] Speaker 1: and if you have, you order a dish and it
[8:27] Speaker 1: has you know, a protein, a vegetable, this or that,
[8:34] Speaker 1: blah blah. I said, man, that's like three courses in
[8:36] Speaker 1: one dish. So I said, you know what, we should
[8:41] Speaker 1: make it the five course menu of the evening, because
[8:44] Speaker 1: what happens is we can spread out the offering and
[8:49] Speaker 1: it could be number one healthier, but it could also
[8:54] Speaker 1: give the person a chance to taste different flavors and
[8:58] Speaker 1: varieties to better suit their needs. And they could also
[9:04] Speaker 1: pair it with these expressions of this single mare that
[9:07] Speaker 1: they seem to want to have access to. Everyone wanted
[9:11] Speaker 1: to have access to the McCallen, especially on our side
[9:16] Speaker 1: of things. So you look at most African Americans, they
[9:20] Speaker 1: would look at Hennessy and they would look at Hennessy
[9:23] Speaker 1: as a go to And I'd say, man, you know,
[9:26] Speaker 1: once I learned how things work, I said, man, you know,
[9:29] Speaker 1: there's more to just to spirits than just drinking it.
[9:33] Speaker 1: There's also the collectible aspect of it. There is the
[9:39] Speaker 1: aspect of pairing. And so when I was while I
[9:43] Speaker 1: was designing the five course and I said, man, what
[9:45] Speaker 1: can we do to make the five course meaning of
[9:47] Speaker 1: the evening more approachable but at the same time still educational.
[9:54] Speaker 1: And so what I did was, I said, you know, hey,
[9:57] Speaker 1: let's take this dinner and let's uh move it around
[10:03] Speaker 1: to different restaurants and work with different chefs, and let's
[10:08] Speaker 1: try different cuisine, and let's also use this to educate
[10:13] Speaker 1: the people or the attendees about spirits and about singamore
[10:20] Speaker 1: Scotts and why this particular Scots is different than the
[10:24] Speaker 1: other Scotts.
[10:25] Speaker 2: So so that was tied more into the liquor experience
[10:29] Speaker 2: more so than the food experience.
[10:31] Speaker 1: Well, well it was, it was, It was really, it
[10:33] Speaker 1: was tied into It was tied into both. It was
[10:37] Speaker 1: tied into liquor, and it was also tied into food
[10:42] Speaker 1: particular restaurant that at that particular restaurant. Yeah, we've done
[10:49] Speaker 1: some some some bomb places. We've done Darren's and Manhattan Beach.
[10:54] Speaker 1: We've done Brooke Williamson, who's a celebrity top chef who's
[10:57] Speaker 1: a friend of mine, who's on Food Network every other day, Uh,
[11:02] Speaker 1: apply provisions. We started with her. Actually we've done Vibrado
[11:07] Speaker 1: Herbouperts Jazz Grill in Beverly, Glenn. We we I've done
[11:12] Speaker 1: too with Ed and his daughter there because it was
[11:15] Speaker 1: such a big hit there.
[11:17] Speaker 2: So this is this is something you started. Now, A
[11:19] Speaker 2: traditional five course meal basically is a derv correct and
[11:24] Speaker 2: then and I'm talking on the food side, is an observed?
[11:28] Speaker 2: Then there's an appetizer, and then it's a salad, and
[11:32] Speaker 2: then it's the main entrade. Is that incorrect? And then
[11:35] Speaker 2: a dessert? Is that tradition?
[11:37] Speaker 3: Yeah?
[11:37] Speaker 1: That not necessarily cool.
[11:39] Speaker 2: That's why that's what I'm saying. Educate me.
[11:40] Speaker 1: Now.
[11:41] Speaker 2: I know they are different.
[11:42] Speaker 1: Aud It's based around the chef. So the chef. The
[11:46] Speaker 1: chef pretty much says, okay, you know, I'm pairing this
[11:52] Speaker 1: particular It could be wine, it could be Scotts, it
[11:55] Speaker 1: can be whatever. And they say, I'm pairing. I'm doing
[11:58] Speaker 1: five courses which beverage, whether it be a Scotch or
[12:03] Speaker 1: a wine or a bourbon. What makes sense for this
[12:08] Speaker 1: dish and what's also not going to I guess I
[12:17] Speaker 1: would say push the diner over the edge, or overwhelm them,
[12:23] Speaker 1: or overwhelm the diner. So you say, okay, for instance,
[12:26] Speaker 1: most of our dinners like we just recently completed the
[12:29] Speaker 1: Dalmore Dinner over at Pacific Center Prime here in Bredondo
[12:35] Speaker 1: and the Dalmore Dinner Dal Morris is also another high
[12:41] Speaker 1: end Singamore Scotts who we have a great partnership withness
[12:44] Speaker 1: owned by a company called Witton Mackay in Scotland.
[12:47] Speaker 3: Please don't go anywhere, We'll be right back with more
[12:50] Speaker 3: money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making Conversation.
[13:00] Speaker 3: He's Masterclass hosted by Rashaan McDonald. Money Making Conversations. Masterclass
[13:05] Speaker 3: continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow money Making
[13:09] Speaker 3: Conversations Masterclass on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
[13:14] Speaker 2: Now, so, but these are affordable though, you know, because
[13:18] Speaker 2: you keep using the word all affordable, iv HI and affordable.
[13:26] Speaker 2: I've never seen them in the same sentence. That's all
[13:28] Speaker 2: I'm saying.
[13:29] Speaker 1: If you know what you're doing, okay.
[13:31] Speaker 2: Understanding the brands, Okay.
[13:34] Speaker 1: They can all be affordable. Great, If you know what
[13:37] Speaker 1: you're doing, you don't gotta go get the ten thousand
[13:39] Speaker 1: dollars bottle of Scotch. You can rock. You can rock
[13:43] Speaker 1: with the with a three hundred dollars bottle of Scotch
[13:46] Speaker 1: and still be considered affordable because again you're thinking about
[13:49] Speaker 1: health and wellness too, So you're not You're not gonna
[13:53] Speaker 1: take a three hundred dollar bttle of Scott's drinking the
[13:54] Speaker 1: whole bottle one night, you know, you know, I mean
[13:59] Speaker 1: some people do, but know not all of us. You
[14:02] Speaker 1: know you.
[14:04] Speaker 2: Could take it, and you like you can't, but you can't.
[14:12] Speaker 1: You take the bottle and you say, Okay, this free
[14:15] Speaker 1: in our bottle of scott You're sipping it. You're drinking
[14:18] Speaker 1: little shots of it, and you're but you're sipping those
[14:22] Speaker 1: shots out of fine crystal. We prefer the Ralph Lauren
[14:26] Speaker 1: Lee Hey crystal uh Phutson glasses which we use. We're
[14:31] Speaker 1: gonna using that Montak and you say yeah, you say,
[14:36] Speaker 1: you say, hey, I'll take a little shot of this.
[14:38] Speaker 1: So when you go back to to how the whole
[14:42] Speaker 1: h affordable, UH will find dining works. We just did
[14:48] Speaker 1: the Dial Moore dinner there. Uh was our last dinner.
[14:51] Speaker 1: We're going to do more, but're right now. I think
[14:53] Speaker 1: the bulk of them will be at Montak. A lot
[14:56] Speaker 1: of are the people that came, a lot of people
[14:59] Speaker 1: that that participated in the dinner. These folks know what
[15:04] Speaker 1: they're doing, so they know they're not drinking the highest
[15:09] Speaker 1: of the highest end. But they also know the sophistication
[15:13] Speaker 1: of parent how the food is being paired. They understand
[15:18] Speaker 1: the value of the food that's being paired with Scott Cigamore, Scot, I'm.
[15:21] Speaker 2: Gonna tell you your boy has never eaten like this.
[15:24] Speaker 1: Now.
[15:24] Speaker 2: My wife, she's a wine connoisseur. Okay, oh, when she
[15:29] Speaker 2: sits down, you know, I can't have your wine, men,
[15:32] Speaker 2: And then she goes down her list picks it out,
[15:34] Speaker 2: so you know, right now, she's in love with this conversation.
[15:37] Speaker 2: Right now I am. I am a water and lemonade.
[15:45] Speaker 1: And we gotta we go there. So we're gonna have
[15:46] Speaker 1: to put her on some of this stuff. So some
[15:48] Speaker 1: of the stuff we're pouring here at montok will be
[15:51] Speaker 1: pouring like the nineteen eighty two shot My Leave, we
[15:57] Speaker 1: have loads of which is a super brilliant wine, and
[16:02] Speaker 1: we'll be pouring the bron continc He's.
[16:04] Speaker 2: Based in southern California, a place I'm very familiar with
[16:07] Speaker 2: because I lived in Los Angeles, California for fifteen years.
[16:11] Speaker 2: And he's down just south of Los Angeles and Redondo Beach.
[16:15] Speaker 2: Tell me about Montalk.
[16:18] Speaker 1: So. Montalk is our newest concept at Peninsula Hospitality Concepts.
[16:25] Speaker 1: It's based around East Hampton's Long Island, New York. And
[16:33] Speaker 1: one of the things we wanted to do is we
[16:34] Speaker 1: wanted to create an experience that was different from the
[16:41] Speaker 1: other properties here in the South Bay. And a lot
[16:46] Speaker 1: of stuff in the territory is very rustic coastal and
[16:50] Speaker 1: we noticed that. And I noticed that from day one.
[16:53] Speaker 1: I said, man, why does everything look the same? Why
[16:55] Speaker 1: does everything look the same? Why is everything I have
[17:00] Speaker 1: the same vibe? And when we were going into the design,
[17:06] Speaker 1: I said, I talked to my friend Latissa Moodie, who
[17:09] Speaker 1: is a big designer. She designs all of Gordon Ramsay stuff.
[17:15] Speaker 1: Uh and so I said, you know what, Latita, I
[17:19] Speaker 1: love Gordon, but I don't want my places to look
[17:21] Speaker 1: like he is. You know, I said, don't tell him.
[17:24] Speaker 1: I said, so and so and so she came back
[17:31] Speaker 1: and she said, well, what do you want to do?
[17:33] Speaker 1: And I said, you know what I want to do.
[17:35] Speaker 1: I said, I have a great relationship with the Lawrence
[17:39] Speaker 1: Ralph Lauren and his family. I said, I respect everything
[17:43] Speaker 1: that they've built, and I said, I would really like
[17:48] Speaker 1: for my place to reflect what their stores look like,
[17:55] Speaker 1: what his homes look like. And I said, I think
[17:58] Speaker 1: that would give me more of an advantage when it
[18:03] Speaker 1: came to consumers who wanted a place that felt more
[18:08] Speaker 1: like home versus like I'm going to the restaurant. I
[18:12] Speaker 1: wanted them to come into Montaque and feel warmth and coziness.
[18:18] Speaker 1: And also I wanted the service to reflect what they've
[18:22] Speaker 1: done as a family with their brand and the products,
[18:27] Speaker 1: which is the stores, the restaurants. Did you know the
[18:30] Speaker 1: polo bar all so I said, okay, you know what,
[18:32] Speaker 1: we don't have that here. You know, it exists in
[18:35] Speaker 1: New York, in Chicago, in Paris and London, but it
[18:39] Speaker 1: doesn't exist here. And you know, they could easily open
[18:43] Speaker 1: up something in California and especially in la They you know,
[18:45] Speaker 1: they can do whatever they want. And so as we
[18:48] Speaker 1: were designing this, I had first started out with my
[18:51] Speaker 1: friend Teresa Fatino in Manhattan Beach who used to work
[18:56] Speaker 1: for Ralph Lauren and she did a concert with a
[19:00] Speaker 1: friend of mine, David Slay in Manhattan Beach, who who's
[19:04] Speaker 1: place it's similar to mine, but not close that's my boy,
[19:09] Speaker 1: but he ain't. He not doing it like this. That's
[19:11] Speaker 1: my boy boy. I just talked you of the day,
[19:14] Speaker 1: but he ain't doing like this and so so uh,
[19:18] Speaker 1: him and his wife Gail are really good friends of mine,
[19:20] Speaker 1: but I always talked to that to him. And so
[19:24] Speaker 1: we we built Montalk for it to be a luxurious spot,
[19:32] Speaker 1: and we wanted it to be approachable. But then we say,
[19:35] Speaker 1: you know, what else can we do with mon Talk
[19:38] Speaker 1: to separate it from any other restaurant. We know it's
[19:41] Speaker 1: gonna look better and feel better, but what else can
[19:44] Speaker 1: we do? So I got in touch with a friend
[19:47] Speaker 1: of mine, Doug Green, over at both Professional and I said,
[19:51] Speaker 1: you know, I want to do my jazz lounge. I said.
[19:55] Speaker 1: I talked to Edon Albert over at Vibrato and I
[19:59] Speaker 1: told her I wanted to open up a big jazz
[20:01] Speaker 1: club like she has, jazz restaurant like he has. And
[20:04] Speaker 1: of course he said, Levey, you're crazy. That's a lot
[20:07] Speaker 1: of money. You're crazy as a lot. And I said, okay. Well,
[20:10] Speaker 1: then when I came back to reality after I fell
[20:13] Speaker 1: off the planet, I said, you know what, I'm going
[20:18] Speaker 1: to do something smaller. So I talked to Hussein, who
[20:21] Speaker 1: is Herbalfert's bass player, and I said, we say, what
[20:26] Speaker 1: can I do? He said, brother, just start off small.
[20:29] Speaker 1: Just start off small, And so I dumped it down.
[20:32] Speaker 1: I said, I'm in Verdondo Beats. Everybody said, you're in
[20:35] Speaker 1: Verdondo Beat. You can't just go crazy big. So I said, Okay,
[20:38] Speaker 1: you know what I'm gonna do with this backspace. I'm
[20:40] Speaker 1: going to make it into a jazz lounge. But I'm
[20:43] Speaker 1: going to make it into a jazz lounge that's respectful
[20:46] Speaker 1: to the community, but not just dress wise like. So
[20:54] Speaker 1: you know, most people here they want to just roll
[20:56] Speaker 1: up in the spot and the flip flops and the
[20:58] Speaker 1: T shirt and disc. I said, you know what, I'm
[21:00] Speaker 1: gonna eliminate that because there are more sophisticated diners and
[21:06] Speaker 1: and uh doors of town that would appreciate me really
[21:14] Speaker 1: keeping this in line with what it needs to be
[21:17] Speaker 1: to best represent uh the culture of jazz and light
[21:23] Speaker 1: blues and so Montalk. That's how Montalk became. As it
[21:27] Speaker 1: became Okay, I'll have the fine dining restaurant in the front,
[21:31] Speaker 1: not too pretentious. I'm not saying you gotta be wearing
[21:34] Speaker 1: a tuxxedo and all time. But I'm just saying, hey.
[21:38] Speaker 2: When you come on, shirt, let's.
[21:43] Speaker 1: Come on man, let's be a little presentable. And if
[21:46] Speaker 1: you want to go do something else, you can wear
[21:49] Speaker 1: the same outfit you wear here and go down the
[21:52] Speaker 1: street to the other places. They're not gonna be mad
[21:55] Speaker 1: at you. They're gonna serve you whatever you want.
[21:58] Speaker 2: I love it.
[21:58] Speaker 1: You know they gonna be happy.
[22:00] Speaker 2: Levey, you are a I would say, your character, man,
[22:03] Speaker 2: your character, your personality. You got me hungry by the way,
[22:06] Speaker 2: I'm hungry. I'm hungry now. But the fact that jazz,
[22:11] Speaker 2: the fact that food, the fact that elevating, and I've
[22:14] Speaker 2: been to places where they've told me circle your movie
[22:17] Speaker 2: hat circul You know, those type of genes are allowed
[22:21] Speaker 2: in here, you know, over the years, and so when
[22:23] Speaker 2: you start setting the standards, you get a certain audience,
[22:25] Speaker 2: and a certain audience expects when they sit across from somebody,
[22:28] Speaker 2: they being met and treated the same. You know what
[22:31] Speaker 2: I'm saying, You can't just you know, or I'll let
[22:33] Speaker 2: you in this time. Then somebody gonna see that. Then
[22:36] Speaker 2: they gonna realize that, Okay, you're as they say, wishy
[22:39] Speaker 2: washy with your pretensious behavior, trying to build affordable luxury
[22:44] Speaker 2: and you're letting anybody yes, And so Levey, can you
[22:47] Speaker 2: tell everybody where your restaurant's act And I'm a rap
[22:49] Speaker 2: up this conversation with you.
[22:50] Speaker 1: Okay, My restaurant is in Redondo Beach, sixteen eleven South
[22:54] Speaker 1: Carolina Avenue. It's known as the Village. It is the
[22:58] Speaker 1: Village is the heart of Rodondo Beats, California. We are
[23:02] Speaker 1: you know, uh, north of Palas Vernes, south of Hermosa
[23:07] Speaker 1: and Manhattan Beach have Torrance is next to us, and
[23:13] Speaker 1: we are a community of one. Everyone respects each other here.
[23:20] Speaker 1: We have a great walking and cycling and restaurants and bars,
[23:26] Speaker 1: and we are here to serve the community, to provide
[23:32] Speaker 1: a product that best represents everyone who are who want
[23:38] Speaker 1: a different experience and want to enjoy like live Jazz,
[23:44] Speaker 1: in which the den will open a month or two
[23:46] Speaker 1: later after the restaurant, but still the restaurant itself will
[23:49] Speaker 1: still provide and experience to people that we think will
[23:54] Speaker 1: be memorable.
[23:55] Speaker 2: Thanks for coming on the show we talked to.
[23:57] Speaker 1: Okay, yes, sir, thank you so much.
[24:00] Speaker 2: This has been another edition of money Making Conversation Masterclass
[24:03] Speaker 2: hosted by me Rashawn McDonald. Thank you to our guests
[24:06] Speaker 2: on the show today, and thank you for listening to
[24:08] Speaker 2: the audience now. If you want to listen to any
[24:09] Speaker 2: episode or want to be a guest on the show,
[24:12] Speaker 2: please visit Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is
[24:16] Speaker 2: money Making Conversation. Join us next week and remember to
[24:19] Speaker 2: always leave with your gifts. Keep winning.

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