Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Sinkiewicz.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started in the food service at the age of 13 scrubbing baseboards for a local sub shop. I went on to Southeastern Regional to pursue Culinary Arts there after I went to Johnson and Wales. Because I went to a Vo-Tech for culinary, J & W had an advanced standing program that allowed me to take my freshman year in the summer months after graduation. So when all of my classmates were starting college that September, I was entering my sophomore year at the age of 17. I had a culinary career at 18. From there I worked everything from managing fast food chains, hotels, and restaurants including a breakfast place my mom opened back in the late 80’s. Working and living with family made that venture end after about 5 years. A few years later I opened my first business owning and operating 3 canteen trucks and had a concession at a local golf course as well. In 2010 I opened my first Slap Shotz in Avon. It was a successful sports pub and after 4 years I was able to open a 2nd one in Raynham in July of 2014. This one started out rocky as the Raynham Market did not take well to another sports pub in the area so we played around with more upscale dishes for specials which were a hit and that told me that Raynham needed a Gastropub.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There is never a smooth road in the food service. Our first challenge was removing the so called curse of the location from all of the failed pubs before me. The locals would not come in because they had a bad experience 5 years prior, it took me almost 3 years to remove that curse but the biggest obstacle is staffing. It is a thankless business where the customer demands vs the salaries of employees are very unbalanced. Cooks are not millionaires and restaurants cannot afford to pay them what they are really worth because customers will not pay higher money for plates. I blame chain restaurants for this unbalance since they can undercut small business with their buying power. What the public doesn’t realize is chains serve pre-made frozen food so the reality is you get what you pay for. Another struggle (and a huge one) is family. Owners are married to their business and that cost me seeing my daughters growing up. With the constant under staffing issue, we cannot commit to anything long term, especially weekends.
Slap Shotz Gastropub – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a Gastropub which is the next level up from your normal pub that features local craft beers (22 on tap), a 95% scratch kitchen and a creative menu with great presentation. We take that normal pub food and bring it to the next level. You won’t find club sandwiches, hot dogs or basic pub fare. My motto is what you can do, we can do better. We take “typical” dishes and create a more upscale version of that. At the same time you will still find you classic comfort foods. Everything is made to order and plated with love which creates a longer wait for your food however, it will be worth it. We cure and smoke our own pastrami, brisket and pulled pork. Our nachos feature homemade cheese and BBQ sauces. Most of our dressings are made in house as well as all of the desserts including the ice cream. Our classic bar pizza will rival the best of them and our burgers are fresh Angus beef.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
In this business, if you can stay afloat, pay your bills and live a decent lifestyle, I consider that success. We have all seen many restaurants come and go. We will not get rich on this, we do it for the passion. There’s no 401k’s retirement plans or paid vacations for us. The physical business is your retirement when you sell or lease the pub when you are done.
Contact Info:
- Address: 524 Broadway(route 138), Raynham Ma
- Website: slapshotzraynham.com
- Phone: 774-501-3346
- Email: jeffsinkiewicz@slapshotzpub.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/slapshotzpub
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slapshotzraynham/
- Twitter: twitter.com/slapshotzpub
- Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/slap-shotz-raynham
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