by Emmy Liederman and Morgan Sturdevant
“The Smith is the maker,” says Mr. Michael Jacobs. “The blacksmith, the barsmith, the tinsmith; the creator of an experience, the maker of an experience.”
Jacobs, a Westfield resident and co-owner of The Smith restaurant franchise, knows what it’s like to make something great. With 26,000 Instagram followers, a celebrity fan base, Saturday Night Live after-parties and a picturesque macaroni and cheese, The Smith has taken Manhattan by storm. Restaurants in the East Village, Lincoln Square, Midtown, NoMad and D.C. serve an estimated 50,000 customers weekly, according to Jacobs, who predicts doubling the number of restaurants by the end of 2019.
“The whole concept of The Smith came from the question: ‘What would we want to have if we went out to a restaurant?’ ” said Jacobs. “The menu is very broad and it’s hard to think that anyone could come to the restaurant and not find something to eat.”
The slogan “Open Early ’til Late!” decorates the back of employee uniforms: For 16 hours or more every day, The Smith’s tables are packed with excited customers. But Jacobs believes it isn’t the food that brings people back week after week, but rather the hospitality of the environment.
“I would say it’s not very hard to have good food, but what makes us successful is our people,” said Jacobs. “Maybe someone’s eggs came out wrong or their burger was too well done, but it’s how you treat it and what you do that makes the guests want to come back.”
Jacobs notes that the restaurant business is tiresome and relentless; his phone never stops buzzing. But what makes the long hours worth it for him and his team are the people he comes across. “If you’re selling a pen or a phone, you don’t actually get to see the enjoyment of someone using it,” he said. Jacobs describes a particular customer, Bob, who has been eating lunch at the East Village Smith every day, at the same table, for the past five years.
The memories that have been made at The Smith since its opening in 2007 are innumerable. “I can’t tell you how many people have gotten engaged in our restaurant and have come back to celebrate their anniversary in the years after,” said Jacobs. “Lots of business deals, first dates—too many to describe. We make lots of people happy every day.”
“The whole concept of The Smith came from the question: ‘What would we want to have if we went out to a restaurant?’ ” said Jacobs. “The menu is very broad and it’s hard to think that anyone could come to the restaurant and not find something to eat.”
The slogan “Open Early ’til Late!” decorates the back of employee uniforms: For 16 hours or more every day, The Smith’s tables are packed with excited customers. But Jacobs believes it isn’t the food that brings people back week after week, but rather the hospitality of the environment.
“I would say it’s not very hard to have good food, but what makes us successful is our people,” said Jacobs. “Maybe someone’s eggs came out wrong or their burger was too well done, but it’s how you treat it and what you do that makes the guests want to come back.”
Jacobs notes that the restaurant business is tiresome and relentless; his phone never stops buzzing. But what makes the long hours worth it for him and his team are the people he comes across. “If you’re selling a pen or a phone, you don’t actually get to see the enjoyment of someone using it,” he said. Jacobs describes a particular customer, Bob, who has been eating lunch at the East Village Smith every day, at the same table, for the past five years.
The memories that have been made at The Smith since its opening in 2007 are innumerable. “I can’t tell you how many people have gotten engaged in our restaurant and have come back to celebrate their anniversary in the years after,” said Jacobs. “Lots of business deals, first dates—too many to describe. We make lots of people happy every day.”