JULY 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 23
GEORGE MARTIN GROUP CEO GEORGE KORTEN FOOD FOR THOUGHT
BY CLAUDE SOLNIK
George Korten and his company, the
George Martin Group, have built a restaurant
brand on and beyond Long Island including
George Martin The Original and
GM Burger Bar, both in Rockville Centre;
Grillfire in Merrick; and George Martin’s
Strip Steak in Great River. There’s also
George Martin’s Grillfire and Italian concept
Vivo, both in The Hotel at Arundel
Preserve, Hanover, Md. We talked with
Korten about restaurants persevering
through the pandemic and beyond.
What unites and differentiates your
restaurants?
It’s a multiconcept company. All the concepts
are different — however, a passion
for hospitality and attention for detail
are focal points. With everyone that we
hire, we look for an emotional IQ, an understanding
of people and how to serve
them and make them feel good about
their experience. We’re in the business
of making people happy. It's the food, the
service and so many details.
How did you and the company handle
the pandemic?
It was a shock to everyone. On March 13,
the government shut everybody down.
It was a terrible time. No one could wrap
their head around it. No one knew how
long it would last and how we would move
past it. The uncertainty and stress affected
staff, customers, everybody.
What was the next key moment toward
a turnaround?
Ultimately, we were allowed to open and
transition to takeout and delivery. That
was a breath of fresh air after being
closed. We followed every government
guideline we could, from sanitizing to
masking up to social distancing. Ultimately,
we got through it, transitioning from
takeout delivery to 25 percent capacity, to
50 percent, to 75 percent capacity. It was a
long 15 months.
Did the Paycheck Protection Program
help?
The two rounds of PPP were a lifesaver
for everyone. We were very grateful for
that. I don’t believe anyone in any business
would still be open if it was brick and
mortar. The shutdown stopped the cash
flow. Thankfully, all my landlords were
very accommodating.
How important was it to be safe and
make workers and consumers feel safe?
There’s a whole new component now, and
that’s safety. That's all I heard during the
pandemic: “I feel safe going to a George
Martin restaurant.” They knew we were
really paying attention. That’s a big thing.
How are things now?
There’s a tremendous pent-up demand.
The vaccination process has been such
a success. This entire time period was a
15-month loss to almost everyone. Folks
want to get out and get back to something
that resembles normal. Our restaurants
have a good reputation. We’ve been
around a long time. We really take care
of our customers. They’re coming back
in droves.
Has it been tougher than usual to hire
enough people?
There is a labor crisis on top of a pandemic
crisis. The pent-up demand to go
out to restaurants exceeds the supply of
staff that is needed to handle the demand.
And that has affected most restaurants,
from Long Island to San Francisco. The
additional federal unemployment is
probably part of the problem,
but I believe there are other
components as well
contributing to the
shortage.
Why did you go
into the restaurant
business?
I was 16 when I
started washing
dishes at a local
restaurant to
make money.
I came from a
single-parent
household and
needed to help
my mom, since
every penny
counted. I
played three
sports as well,
which was tough,
not leaving much time
for anything else. I went
on to learn all the different
positions in a restaurant,
including assistant managing.
By age 19, I was tending
bar at the Playboy Club
of New York. One thing
led to another and the
general manager wrote
a letter of recommendation
for me for Cornell
University’s School of
Hotel Administration. I drove up there
to interview and was accepted, a major
turning point in my young adult life.
Did studying hospitality at Cornell
help?
Cornell taught me how to deal with intense
pressure and think analytically.
From there I went to Manhattan and
worked for Hyatt Hotels for about 6
months. After Hyatt, I was able to find a
manage- ment position at
a company with three entrepreneurs,
spearheaded by Michael Weinstein, who
pioneered restaurant growth on the
Upper West Side in the ’80s. I worked my
way up to director of operations. On my
day off, I would walk the streets of every
neighborhood in New York, one neighborhood
at a time, and look at different
concepts.
What’s your role in the company today?
Today it’s very different from when I got
started. I’m president of the company. We
have a terrific group of managers, chefs,
financial and marketing people who have
grown with me over the years. They all do
such a terrific job, which helped perpetuate
our growth.
Did anything good for restaurants come
out of the pandemic?
An awareness and importance of sanitation.
It was there before, but it’s even
more important now. We’re very diligent
about it. Most restaurants have learned a
lot. To everyone’s credit, the percentage
of positive cases in restaurants on Long
Island and across New York in was
very low. I think that’s due to
following mask guidelines
and sanitation.
In addition to good food,
how important is atmosphere
in attracting
people?
It’s a whole package,
from design to food,
hospitality, service,
everything. It’s not
one component. It’s all
of that put together.
We haven’t had any
problem getting people
back. We’ve been
around, we have a
reputation, a brand.
Has takeout grown?
Takeout is a bigger part.
We have been working hard
at it to be efficient. That was a
positive. I think it’s here to stay.
We did meal kits. We were creative.
Do you think diners appreciate
restaurants more?
People are so happy to be out and in
our restaurants. We have regular
and new customers. They’re part of
the family.
CORNER OFFICE
George Korten
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
