Today we’d like to introduce you to Mo Pittle.
Hi Mo, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Morris “Mo” Pittle was born in Cleveland where his father was finishing school. 3 months later, they relocated to El Paso, Texas where he was raised in one of the most multicultural communities in the country. After high school, he attended the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated with a degree in Advertising, specifically, Texas Creative.
After jobs as a copywriter and creative director in multiple markets across the country, he returned to El Paso to form Two Ton Creativity, a boutique creative agency. After 14 years in El Paso, he returned to Austin in 2014 to be a creative consultant. In 2016, he decided to open Jewboy Burgers as a food truck. Initially conceived as a case study in culturally based marketing, what started as a two-year plan to prove his strong belief that it’s our differences that make compelling narratives proved to be far more gratifying than making ads.
In 2020, JBB was awarded Best Burger by Austin Monthly and the profile of the business grew. The same year, the Covid 19 Pandemic changed the restaurant scene in Austin. When restaurants were closing, Mo opened the brick-and-mortar version of Jew Boy Burgers at 5111 Airport Blvd. The first of what would become 4 Jewboy Sliders was opened the next year on East 6th st.
Jewboy Burgers and Sliders are a celebration of culture. Not just the Jewish culture he was raised in, but the border culture he loves so dearly. Additionally, the brands identify with Austin’s unique culture of embracing all things “weird” or unexpected. In addition to their cultural identity, The Jewboy concepts are founded on the belief that the consumer deserves a friendly smile and a meal that is not only tasty, but value driven by balancing solid portions with fair pricing. They promote fair wages and provide equal opportunities for everyone. An active supporter of Jewish causes, they also focus on education and animal support entities. Jewboy is active in the community on many levels including food donations as well as monetary ones.
Mo has been married for 20 years and has two daughters who are coming around to the idea of making burgers for a living.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Does anyone answer yes to this question? it’s never been smooth and I think if I woke up one day and felt like it was smooth, I’d freak out and question the universe. The learning curve going from advertising to restaurants has been steep. Add that to the fact that our world changes by the minute and you a recipe for a rocky road. That being said, keeping up with the changes has forced us to be more efficient than ever. Processes and constant auditing has helped us identify problems sooner and fix them easier. Then there are the usual issues, costs and labor. It’s no secret that costs have gone up. The difficulty is finding the customer’s threshold. You can only raise prices so much before people stop coming. I saw it way too often when I was in advertising. Finding the balance between everything is the trick. You can’t underpay people and expect them to car. You also can’t overpay them and lose money. Somewhere in there is the balance. Same with prices vs running an efficient business. I can only charge so much, but at the same time, I have to maintain quality. it’s a moving target, thus the constant auditing. I think small businesses dont think that way and they end up unbalanced and chasing their tails.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Big Moco, Inc, dba Jewboy Burgers, Jewboy Sliders and Panciuto Italian?
We are a small restaurant group built around our first concept, Jewboy Burgers. Currently we have a brick and mortar full service burger restaurant, four slider locations all located at bars or public entertainment venues and most recently, we’ve opened a neighborhood Italian concept in Hyde Park called Panciuto. As a former marketing director and creative director, I believe in the power of culture and the narratives it can generate. We are a society of story tellers and to me, the more compelling your narrative, the more likely you are to have a relevant business. In the service industry, consumers have more choices than ever. Trying to stand out in an ocean of media is more complicated than ever. Our concepts are founded on string narratives, but also we embrace customer service as a cornerstone for execution. It may sound simp[e, but finding places who embrace the customer has become increasingly difficult. Between automation and generational shifts in how we interact with one and other has become a serious challenge to businesses. I’m just as proud to see a five star review mentioning the quality of the food as one citing the service. This becomes harder the more we scale, but I’m proud to say that if you come to any of our concepts, you’ll find a smiling face and an employee looking to make your day just a little better.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I believe there are three main elements in running a functional business. Consistency, accountability and communication. We’re very dedicated to these three. So to answer the question, I believe that staying focused on your core business is critical. I’m easily distracted and once I was able to remove myself from some of the processes, I found the company to be far more accountable, consistent and we’re able to communicate better.
Pricing:
- Be reasonable. Trying to hit home runs all the time leads to a lot of strike outs.
- Stay on top of your vendors. Even small savings can lead to big returns.
- Be transparent. Hidden fees can derail a consumer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jewboyburgers.com
- Instagram: @jewboyburgers
- Facebook: @jewboyburgers
