A bit over a month ago we polled Business Insider's Wall Street readers to find out where bankers, traders, and the like really enjoy grabbing a meal.
After letting the survey marinate for a bit, a winner began to emerge — Del Frisco's Restaurant.
To be honest, we were a little shocked. Del Frisco's is a Texas-based a chain, and it's not the most expensive or flashy (Remember: this is Wall Street) restaurant in NYC.
So why, in a town chock-full of the newest this and the most expensive that, was Del Frisco's selected? Business Insider decided to head over to the restaurant to find out why.
The main reason is this — Del Frisco's is a service driven restaurant. Unlike a lot of NYC spots, the chef is not in charge, you are. Anything you want, just ask manager Scott Gould and he'll make sure you walk out happy.
Of course, that means management makes a lot of tweaks to ensure that every diner's experience is completely enjoyable. We've narrowed in on some of the Wall Street specific measures, but we're fairly sure that these are things anyone can appreciate.
Because it's in the lobby of a bank.
15 years ago, Del Frisco's moved into what used to be the lobby of Chemical Bank (until it merged in Chase in 1995).
That's why when you walk in the first thing you'll notice are the high ceilings and the massive windows.
Because General Manager Scott Gould was a bond trader.
Del Frisco's is managed by Scott Gould, a former bond trader. He traded EM debt for a few firms and had landed at Oppenheimer when 9/11 happened. He was on the 36th floor of 1 World Trade and his boss, who had lived through the WTC bombing of '93, told everyone to run to the street.
They reached the ground floor a little before the 2nd plane hit.
A few months later Gould decided to quit Wall Street and go back to the restaurant world. He called Del Frisco's, where he'd taken clients many times before, and asked to start wherever they could fit him in — that was at the bottom, but he worked his way to the top.
Because there are power tables, and you know where they are.
Gould can show you where the power tables are, but if you walk in, you already know.
It all depends on whether or not you want to be seen or if you want to see. Some power tables are the ones that patrons see right-smack-dab as they walk into the restaurant, the other ones are private and make it possible for diners to see what's going on all around them.
Either way, Gould has copious notes on how to accommodate heavy hitters. Gotta stay organized.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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