Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Werth.
Hi Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I had the fortune of growing up with a mother who cooked and baked a lot and a dad who is a self professed gourmand. I started working in restaurants my freshman year of high school at an ice cream shop in Nashville. A kid I was doing graffiti with was the manager there. Later that year I moved to Tulsa, OK, and got a job at a fine dining restaurant called Bodean Seafood. This is where I cut my teeth as a server’s assistant and learned about all the healthy and unhealthy practices of the restaurant industry. I got to try things like foie gras, demi-glace, and freshly caught tuna belly that ruined my palate for life. In a good way! In college, my friends and I took an entrepreneurial approach to food and started a pizza delivery service from our house. We opened 4 nights a week from 8 pm – 4 am. Our mission was to supply real food to the late-night crowd in our college town of Murfreesboro, TN, where the only other competition was Domino’s. After college, I spent a few years as an itinerant farmer. I started in SW Washington state growing garlic, moved to Whidbey Island to homestead, headed to central NC to learn about permaculture and cereal crops, and finished in Charleston, SC, where I co-founded Spade & Clover Gardens, a market garden and flower farm. For the past decade, I’ve managed quick service restaurants in Boston and Austin. Food is so central to everything and everyone I’ve come to love. And my passion for restaurants is as fervent today as it was when I played “restaurant” as a child.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
All the roads lead to working in restaurants. Those of us who have spent a significant portion of our lives in restaurants appreciate the myriad of routes traveled to work in kitchens or behind the counter of a restaurant. I’ve worked with ivy league educated, dropouts, and everyone in between. The challenges of restaurant work are too many to name, and the rewards are so great they’re kind of hard to communicate. Building a team culture that is exacting in its pursuit of excellence, dependable, reliable, and able to work with a smile on their face is like starting a civilization. Entrepreneurs are called to toe the line of positivity, professionalism, and productivity. An unimaginable amount of energy and care goes into that.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the Director of Cafe Operations for The Meteor. We’re based in Austin, TX, and have locations in Bentonville, AR, and Dallas, TX, as well. Next year, we’ll open cafes and bike shops in Fayetteville, AR, and Philadelphia, PA. My job is to oversee daily operations at each cafe, and I’m focused on building systems that will ultimately allow us to spread further down the East coast and West of TX too. We’ve built a food and beverage program that centers around quality ingredients and it has evolved tremendously over the past 4 years. We’re known for straddling many lines: coffee shops, cafes, bike shops, and wine shops. We’re determined to deliver quality at the top echelon of each of those categories.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love how active Austin and its residents are. I appreciate how quickly things change and seeing the city grow. I love the musical and cultural history of Austin. SXSW, 13th Floor Elevators, and Daniel Johnston were my introductions to Austin and how I think of the city’s cultural fabric. There’s tons of new stuff to do here, including The Meteor, but I cherish the everlasting charm of being this mecca of oddballs. I don’t love the extreme heat. And while I appreciate all the distinctive pockets of Austin’s neighborhoods, I dislike how factional it feels at times.
Pricing:
- No stinkin’ corkage fee
- 6 or more bottles 10% off
Contact Info:
- Website: www.themeteor.cafe
- Instagram: @themeteorcafe
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themeteoraustin/
