How He is Building His Restaurant Empire with Souvla Founder & CEO, Charles Bililies

Titans of Foodservice

In this week’s episode of the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with Charles Bililies, Founder & CEO of Souvla, a Greek-inspired restaurant that has burgeoned into a culinary staple in San Francisco. Charles boasts a rich lineage rooted in the food service industry, with his family's restaurant background paving the way for his introspective approach to hospitality. Charles shares his journey in the food service industry, including his experience working at renowned restaurants like the French Laundry and Bouchon Bistro. He also discusses the unique investment structure of Souvla and his plans for expanding the brand to other major cities in the United States.

Quotes

• “We are very, very thoughtful about how we grow, about where we go, and about what these projects look like. So it does slow down the overall timeframe, but it hopefully prevents the story that we see play out so often of these other restaurant brands that take on these big capital partners. They get the headline and they raise tens of millions of dollars, start growing really fast, and things can go sideways very quickly.” -Charles Bililies [29:20]

• "Restaurants don't scale like a piece of software or a widget or things like that. They are incredibly people-intensive businesses." -Charles Bililies [30:05]

TIMESTAMPS

(02:00) Dining Fantasies and Presidential Encounters

(09:01) Charles’ Culinary Heritage and High-End Restaurant Experience

(16:32) The Toll of Dedication in Fine Dining

(21:42) Investment Structures and Real Estate in Restaurant Business

(28:07) Expanding Souvla's Reach Thoughtfully Without External Capital

RESOURCES

Portillo Sales

CONTACT

Nick: [e-mail]