Kevin McCarthy Quotes

My mom and I had a kids' clothing store called Smooch for six years, and I did all the buying before I even had kids.

I've always had a dream of owning a restaurant.

I don't have any interest in being a chef without being on the business side of things, or vice versa, because if you don't make money at the end of the month, you're going out of business.

The C student starts a restaurant. The A student writes restaurant reviews.

I ran a hot-dog-and-soda stand at Little League, and I started a business planning parties in high school.

Remember, restaurateurs are only shopkeepers; that's all we are. It's no different from the supermarket down the road.

Because I didn't have much money, I bought a small shop that fit my budget. The previous six owners had closed their business in three years. The store had no people traffic and, because of that, I was able to focus on figuring out how to provide a better service to each and every one of the customers that did come through.

The food business is very tough, but there's also a lot of love and very giving.

My father owned a small company, called Gundel Electronics, where he did community band radio and some repair stuff.

If you have a fantastic idea you're really passionate about and are making $100,000 in your job, if you can set aside some of that to invest in servers or contractors or other folks, that's actually the best way to start a business in my opinion.

Find combinations of flavors you love and buy the best quality ingredients you can afford. Your food is only going to be as good as the sum of its parts, like anything else.

I started my business with my best friend from high school.

Catering is extremely demanding financially and physically. It's a business.

I was a very good cook, and I knew I could build a business.

There has been no great surprise, no sudden revelation. I knew pretty much what I was getting into. What I've learned is that a restaurant can be as much of an art as you want it to be, but it has to be a successful business first.

The restaurant business is something that you have to treat like a baby. You have to constantly be there. You can't trust it to anybody else, because no one's going to love it like you do.

I'm very interested in my new kitchen equipment shop. I've started it with two friends.

It's tough, you know: I'm a chef first, and a restaurant owner, way before I was ever on Food Network, and it's a tough business.

I did a business in a box called College Pro Painters. They taught you how to paint houses, how to hire and fire, how to sell, how to deal with customers. You got a one-year franchise. It was the hardest year of my life in terms of hard work. I won manager of the year. It was very successful.

When you're finished, bars are not inherently profitable. You got to work at them to make them profitable.

I've always wanted to buy a bookstore. You know, sell some of those muffins and a little coffee. I don't care if we make any money. I don't want to lose a lot of money, but we could visit with people and get books.

I love cooking, but I love the business, too. It's important because a lot of chefs forget the business side and have to shut down after six months.

My father built a small manufacturing business. I worked alongside him and saw firsthand the challenges that business owners face.

One day, I'll open my own restaurant or do something related to food, though I can't cook to save my life.

I always loved retail. I love the ideas behind it. I think small-business retail is one of the areas where capitalism works so wonderfully well.