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Welcome to What the Funk? with Jeremy Funk. A series that highlights the unique personalities within the Oil and Gas Industry and the stories they have to share.
0:00 All right, we are back on what the funk it is a Friday and late July steamy weather out here in Colorado, probably the same in Chico, California, where my guy, Sebastian C. Bass Tamriel. One of
0:20 my very best friends in the world, somebody who's basically a brother to me who I've now been friends with for, oh my god,
0:29 27 years.
0:31 Yeah, since kids basically. Yeah, wow, not an oil and gas guy. But one of a kind for sure, an entrepreneur, a business owner, somebody who's hung out with Guy Fieri because this place, one of
0:49 his restaurants, who bars was on diners, drive-ins and dives, a fantasy sports guru, one of the best human beings that anybody has ever met if they've at Sebastian Tamarrel. So you know, I'm in
1:03 CBAS. I have to hit you with the question that I had everybody with. Who the hell are you, man? Who is Sebastian Tamarrel?
1:12 Yeah, so that's a good one, you know, like, this is the one that you sent me and I remember being like, I don't know how to answer this one.
1:20 So yeah, I mean, you know me, I think like, when I was thinking about this question, the answer kind of is, it's like, I am somebody that has found myself in a position that I like to lead by
1:36 example. I like to, you know, kind of take charge of things and I like don't always want to do that. But I've always found myself kind of landing in that spot, like whatever it was, whatever. I
1:47 was the quarterback on our intramural team I was the president of our fraternity. Like, I don't know. I was the guy that closed the bar that we worked at or bison, you know, like that did things
1:57 like this and then, you know. got out of college and I thought I was gonna fall in line and go to the corporate world and it was a bad time. And so instead I was like, I'm just gonna keep working
2:06 and save some pennies and open some businesses which lined me up to just kind of the same thing. Now like, you know, I managed probably 70 people or something like that. Like I never thought this
2:18 is what I wanted to do.
2:21 Yeah, so yeah, I don't know. Like reluctant leader, I don't know. I do love it Like run fantasy leagues, all the shenanigans. Like that's just like silly things on my list. Where like, yeah,
2:33 that's kind of who I am. I don't know. Put together my old man rec softball leagues. Silly.
2:43 This just keeps going like, yeah. A reluctant leader and a purveyor of fun. And I suppose alcohol too and food, but we'll get into that in a minute. But, you know, I've thought about this too.
2:56 And like when I think about you in a nutshell, it's hard because I met you when I was like, whatever, 18 and you were 19, but you seemed like kind of a grownup to me at that point, where like you
3:08 were the one that collected the rent for the fraternity house that we lived in. I think maybe you got like100 off per month, 50 off per month, but whatever. I don't think I got anything. You were
3:18 the guy that people were like, Oh, see if that's what's coming around. He's here to collect around it Yeah. But you were that guy, you had a job, like we went to a school where I feel like there
3:28 was a lot of, what's the word I'm looking for? Maybe entitlement, maybe wealth, maybe things that were like handed to people that weren't necessarily handed to us, but like you had your own
3:39 vehicle, right? And you had your own job. And it seemed like, wow, this guy's like really grown up in response. Well, then as I got to know you more, like it made a little bit of sense. Like
3:49 I feel like there were points in high school where you were like living by yourself. I was like, I was like, I was like, what was that like? So you're a California kid, right? And, and you
4:01 find yourself in this position where you were kind of forced to like, pick your shit out of the younger age, right? A hundred percent. Yeah. That's, this is all how it all kind of started. My
4:10 dad was like, uh, I think it was my sophomore year. He was like, cool. We're going to go to Mexico. Um, so you're going to be home alone for two weeks by yourself. So my mom was like furious,
4:20 whatever Like you're home alone, I had like a girlfriend and like a support system and whatever. The next year, they're like, um, yeah, we're going to do the same thing, but I'm going to be
4:29 gone for five months. So, so I had to like pay the bills and like, uh, feed the horses, take care of the dog, clean the house. Like the whole thing, like, uh, go grocery shopping. You know,
4:43 they, these things sound easy now, but like at the time I was like, you know, I was, uh, playing sports I was going to school early, staying late for sports. doing the academic stuff, like I
4:53 still had straight A's and all that stuff. And then, oh yeah, oh by the way, go home, feed the horses, go pick up hay, stuff like that, dumb, shenanigans. And then the next year they left me
5:03 for six months. So I guess it was no surprise that I was like, guess what, dad, I'm moving to the East Coast for school. Sorry. See you later.
5:13 I'm fairly independent, dad. So, so I got this. So that's that's fascinating stuff. So you're sort of like hard kid, like figure it out, right? Here's a little bit of cash, or maybe even go
5:26 get a job and figure out how to make yourself dinner and, you know, keep the house clean and feed the horses and take the dogs for walks and fill up the gas tank and like things that I was sheltered
5:40 from for sure. But this adds up to when like I met you, then And I'm like, oh yeah, this dude's like an adult at 19 years old. Yeah, I had a little bit of a kickstart that I didn't ask for. But
5:51 yeah, I mean, I did all the college application stuff by myself. I didn't have much help. I have my girlfriend's dad helped me a little bit. I wrote my own letter of recommendation for college.
6:04 Like, yeah,
6:07 my advisor was just like, you can write whatever you want. And I was like, OK, it was glowing. I'll tell you that. I don't know if it's why I got in, but yeah I mean, it didn't hurt, but yes,
6:18 this makes a question, too. You grew up like in - not in Chico, but near Chico, California. Yeah, in the Foothills, yeah. You grew up in a little hicktown up the hill, cohesit. So it's just
6:31 like - I mean, it literally just burned down a few years ago. But yeah, we grew up on like 10 acres. We had like, you know, the horses and whatever fruit trees and all the shenanigans. You know,
6:44 I had like six tree forts and stuff like that, you know, okay.
6:50 Yeah, it sounds beautiful. I mean, you know, people think of California. They, they think of like glitz and glamour, I think, but it's a huge state. And I certainly know from the worst drive
7:01 ever, which is from Sacramento Airport to where you live. Literally the worst drive. Say, if you want to study almond trees, you got about 80 miles worth of them that you can check out.
7:13 Yeah. And right, rice fields are just not that cool to look at. So no, no, and but it's, it's beautiful once you get into Chico has some similarities. I feel like to boulder in some ways,
7:26 farmers markets and hikes and college vibes, right? Great food, great food scene, nice people, breweries, you know, a lot of people know of Chico, at least I did before ever visiting there for
7:39 you was for Sierra Nevada, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, which is so still there, still cranking it. Rockin', they have two now. They have the one in North Carolina too. So, I mean, it
7:49 must be nice to be a billionaire, but. Yes, yes. Well, those people probably come into your bars. You know, it's fun too, 'cause with you being a bar owner, small business owner, restaurant
8:02 owner, in Chico, you and I go to the Sierra Nevada brewery together and they're like, Oh, Hazy Pass, how you doing? Like, it's a small enough community where you're known, right? Which is
8:13 kind of fun No, it is, it's kind of silly. Like, I, you know, having you, the Banshee that's gonna be 19 this year. Like, I see people out and about that, I don't even remember anymore.
8:27 It's just, they know the restaurant, they know the place, they know, you know, it's people around town. Like, a lot of people don't leave Chico. It's kind of one of those strange things. It's
8:36 like, people just stay here. They grow up and stay. So, yeah, there's, the local scene is pretty cool.
8:46 People love this place. Yeah, well, it's beautiful. It's probably a little too hot right now for me. Not gonna lie, but you do have a pool,
8:57 so that's nice. You know, how does a kid that grows up in the middle of nowhere, kind of a northern or central, maybe, I guess, northern California? Yeah, we're north. And up going to
9:05 Brandeis, small liberal arts school, mostly Jewish kids in Waltham, Massachusetts, probably 3, 200 miles from where you grew up How's that happen? So literally, I applied
9:19 to all East Coast schools and I applied to Brandeis because one of the only Jewish kids at Nevada Union High School, Abe Sitzer, went there the year before me. So that's the only reason I knew
9:30 about it. I had no idea. So I applied, I was just like cool, 'cause I also applied to Bentley, which is also in Waltham, I applied to BU, BC, and then a couple of places in New Hampshire also
9:42 and I got into everything but. Bentley gave me a full ride. I got one of the presidential scholarships, but I thought it was gonna be a doctor back in the day. So I was about to go to Bentley. I
9:53 got put on the waiting list at Brandeis, and then they put me in, and then they gave me a pretty nice package
10:01 of financial aid, whatever, merit-based and some need-based stuff. So I was like, I'm gonna go there and be a doctor. And I thought that for about two years, and then I realized that was crazy
10:13 But yeah, that's how you ended up in Brand Aces, like non-Jewish, you know, unaffiliated. I mean, they say Brand Aces unaffiliated, but what was it, like 60, 65 Jewish kids when we were there?
10:25 I feel like it was about 60. They say it's less now. Maybe that's the truth. I don't know. I feel like it was, there were a lot of people that were just Jewish, like culturally, too. Maybe
10:35 didn't identify or go to service. Sure. All the time, but we're just like, you know, comfortable there because they were Jewish I also found it to be a pretty open. minded school, just in
10:46 general, like very free thinking, supportive, friendly. I always felt really, really safe and comfortable at Brandeis. And maybe that's just a typical for college in general. But I thought it
10:58 was a nice college experience. It was hard though. Like I don't blame you for pivoting. I'm guessing you pivoted because you're like, holy shit, this is a lot of fucking work. Biology major and
11:10 being in the labs, being a lab rat, but also trying to like be in a fraternity and be a bartender and make some money because you had to make money. That's a lot, like that's a lot to ask. So I'm
11:22 guessing was it was it just too much? And you're like, I got to take it easy and be associate.
11:28 I mean, I just, I got disenchanted. Like, you know, we had so many good professors at that university, but not a lot of them existed in the lower level science classes and math classes that I
11:41 had to So I didn't have a great experience in those classes. Like I had some awesome sociology teachers and stuff on that, like that side of it that like I had a really good time. So yeah, so I
11:53 just dropped it all after my sophomore year and I was like, what am I gonna do with the sociology degree? So then I went back caught up with one session of summer school, got my bio degree and
12:05 thought I was gonna do like sales or something like that when I got out. That was my plan But we, when I graduated, there was a nice little recession in 2001. So I was competing with people that
12:16 had way more experience on the resume. So all I got is a job offer for selling like copiers and stuff like that. And I was like, oh yeah, yeah, like linear. Will I give you a2, 000 draw every
12:29 month for the first year? And then your commission only and yeah, brutal, brutal. No, yeah. It was a, yeah And it was like, I would have been taking 50 pay cut to go. sell copy machines and
12:40 drive around Boston, which also is miserable. No, that sounds terrible. Trying to double park and getting honked at and yelled at while slipping on ice, trying to get back in your car quickly.
12:50 And spending all of your money on rent doesn't sound ideal, but you know, it's actually an interesting point that you bring up and it's part of why I moved here. Like you ultimately just said,
13:03 fuck it. Like I'm gonna save money and I have a plan I'm gonna open some bars and restaurants kind of back where I grew up because you had a vision which was pretty impressive for a kid who was like
13:13 22, 23. You sort of knew what the plan was if you weren't gonna go back and like get an advanced degree or take some sort of like corporate world job. For me, I had always planned to either go to
13:27 law school or, you know, continue education as is very common. Like for Brandeis kids and just being Jewish, Is that like societal pressure to keep going to school make more But when I realized I
13:39 was going to get into a sales job, 2002, 2003, the market wasn't great either, but Boston was like really competitive. I felt like I was applying for jobs and competing with like Harvard students
13:53 and grads and MIT and Bentley and other Brandeis kids and people who just wanted to live in Boston that were in like, you know, various other schools, you know, that's Dartmouth kids and Brown It
14:04 was hard to get the kind of job that I wanted, kind of like, maybe I'll just go somewhere else, see something different and bolder, you know, it's just a little bit more chill. Like I had this
14:16 like East Coast high achiever hustler mindset and I came out here and I felt like that was more of an outlier than whereas in Boston kind of everybody's like that. So it's sort of like the
14:28 competitiveness of the area and my inability to land the kind of career I wanted to get started in Boston is what in part drove me out here you know.
14:39 That's 100 accurate, like Boston's super competitive. Lots of obviously super bright people go to school there and stay there and that city is amazing. Like, yeah, you know, I feel like Chigo
14:50 similar to like, what you're saying, you're bolder. There's a lot of people that like, we were just laughing the other day. I've got a somebody that works for me that works like 20 hours a week.
14:59 And that's it and like survives. I'm like, I don't understand that lifestyle. Like you can do that and that's all you do And you just hang out and have a good old life. Like, that's kind of the,
15:11 it's not the predominant mentality, but like people do it. And like, that's a lifestyle choice, good for you. But I could never do it, but. Yeah, it makes sense. Like you go and play Frisbee
15:23 golf and, you know, kind of live on the cheap and go take your dogs for walks on hikes and live like a simple life. I don't know if it's conducive to like building a big family or traveling all
15:34 over the world but if that's what you want, great. That is definitely not the mindset of most kids who went to Brandeis. So tell me about like the process for you. Like when you decided, okay, I
15:46 went to this like fancy undergrad and I was a biology major and then I switched to being a sociology major. But I'm gonna move back to California and open some bar restaurants. Like what was that
16:01 decision like? And how did you go about actually achieving that, especially at a young age? 'Cause it's impressive and clearly you had vision. So like walk me through that. What was it like when
16:12 you were 24, 25 and you decided this is my plan? This is what I'm gonna do. Yeah, so I mean, that wasn't like, it wasn't really a thought for a little bit. Like I grew up, my parents had their
16:24 own business. Like they worked it out of the house up in Coasset. They had like a foreign film business. They distributed movies to like colleges and stuff. So like I was kind of there. I was
16:34 just talking about this the other day I was like, I was. to work. I had to put the stamps on the mailers and stuff like that as a little kid. And I thought it was pretty fun like that. And I
16:43 worked through high school, college, the whole thing. And we, you know, we worked at the same place that Bison County Barbecue, RIP, that place, that place was fantastic. Great, great
16:54 college job. We made tons of cash, had a good time, got to eat and drink, and do all the fun things that as a college kid would do. But I think, you know, at some point, we would look at the
17:04 guy that owned that place, sitting at the end of the bar, drinking loan stars and doing crossword puzzles and they go. Like, I'm here at night with the key, locking the door, counting the money,
17:12 doing the things. Uh, Danny was the chef there, ran the kitchen. This guy, I was like, I can do what he does, which is not much. Uh, we know that. Like, he was just, I mean, I'm sure he
17:25 did stuff behind the scenes that we don't appreciate even to this day, but like, he didn't show up and do anything or lead by example, these things, but we know that like.
17:38 Somebody is too high at work or something, and I have to call in funk and his sweatpants to come in and work with shift.
17:44 We took care of that, and he probably never even knew about it, right? So, I mean, I just, you know, I got to the point where I was kind of like frustrated, looking for jobs 'cause I was going
17:55 to interviews, doing this whole thing. Well, I was back working at Vice and making good money, and I was like, I can do this. So, in our friend, Will Brady, was a little regular at the bison,
18:10 and he owned a bar in town, and - Yes, sir. And those conversations just kind of kept happening, and I was just like, screw it, I've saved some cash, let's go back to Chico and figure it out.
18:22 Like, I'd visited Chico, and I'd seen like, it was right for the plucking. Like, it didn't have an adult bar restaurant place like that I had envisioned at all was more of a college. drinking
18:36 crowd, party town, but it was missing a little niche there of slightly older people that want to go out and have some beverages and eat and drink. So I don't know, just saved my pennies and said,
18:48 screw it, I'm going and I'll figure it out, moved here, got a job and brought Will out. And then we just kind of looked for a liquor license and opened a restaurant downtown. That's you had it
18:59 all you had it all planned out. And then seeing the execution was amazing Like, I remember coming out to visit you in 2006. So at that point, I think you'd live there at this point for like less
19:10 than a year. But you had the place mapped out and you sort of were like, so, you know, I'll show you the town. You can see what some of the bar restaurants are like. And my feedback for you is
19:21 like, yeah, this is a town that has like carpeted floors in the restaurant. And the places smell like no joke puke and frylators. Yeah, no.
19:36 It just feels like a puking frylators dad, right? And I'm like, yeah, there's like clearly an opportunity for you to level this up. And you put in like what's a traditional, I guess like pub,
19:43 right, with awesome food and friendly staff and a little bit cleaner and it doesn't smell like vomit or frylators and just like leveled it up a little bit, right? And then boom, you're busy. And
19:58 I guess like we're able to then create enough revenue for equity and interest and context to be able to build your next place, right? B Street. And one of the things that I've always said about you
20:10 that's fascinating as a restaurant or bar owner is like Banshee, the Banshee to me was very representative of you where you were in your life at that time when you built it. And B Street was more
20:23 emblematic of where you were in your life when you built that. It was like the late 20s sea bass versus like the mid 30s sea bass, like almost like a reflection of. where you were in your life,
20:34 right? Where things made sense a little bit nicer, a little bit more expensive, a little bit more of a restaurant theme than a bar night scene theme. Yeah, yeah. Then you have both, right? And
20:45 two amazing places. So kudos to you, man. Yeah, thank you, yeah. You've really made it work. No, no, it's been fun. It's been a little adventure and it's ongoing every day, so.
20:58 Do you talk a little bit about the diner's drive-ins and dives. So the Banshee at one point, we have it still recorded and saved on our DVR because we're like, there's sea bass. There he is. And
21:12 there's the Ted Williams Moxie poster that we gave to him that he put on the wall. But it's still up, yeah. It's still there. So talk about that a little bit like, like how did that impact and
21:23 affect your business? 'Cause I thought it was certainly well deserved and awesome And for a pub, the food is absolutely spectacular. Not just saying that because we're friends, It truly is. Like,
21:35 how did that come about? How did you get, you know, Guy Fieri to come out there? And what was that like? What is Guy Fieri like? And then did you get some sort of business bump from the Triple D
21:45 coming out to Chico?
21:48 Thank you. So it happened post the campfire. He had come out and like did some sort of event for like Thanksgiving time, 'cause the fire happened in early November He came out and cooked like 2,
22:04 000 turkeys or something at the fairgrounds. So he was out there and like, he was a little bit tuned in. I actually have a friend whose family friends with Guy Fieri, I've known since I moved back
22:15 to Chico. So they've always been in contact with one of his kids was like in there and he'd always been kind of like nudging him like you should come do the Banshee and Chico, do the Banshee and
22:23 Chico. So he decided to do a whole event in Chico to help some awareness and do a little bit of fundraising for the campfire victims. So we were one of six restaurants that was on the list. And we
22:35 were probably the only proper diner driving, whatever you call it. Right, right, right, right. So it's a pretty fun event. Like we had to shut down the restaurant for two days. So there's one
22:46 day where he's actually in there where he does all the filming and we do like the stuff in the kitchen where you're like, This is how we cook this and this and this and this. And he like eats the
22:54 food and samples it and like hangs out. So he's there for like, you know, probably at five or six hours, you know, as a character, I did not love Guy Fieri. In person, he's a great human.
23:09 Like he is not that person he used to be on TV at all. Super kind, it's very generous with his time. He, you know, talked with us about a whole bunch of, you know, advice, restaurant wise,
23:20 this and that. And like, nice guy. We had, he really liked sushi place, Robar, I think we'd probably been there in town. So he invited us to go down there where they were eating him and like,
23:29 the crew and his son was here too like so we came and hung out like we sat down there and had some beers with him for like three or four hours, he was so good. So,
23:39 and then the second day is when we get to bring all the people in. So like, we just loaded the place up and they just like kind of jam all the, it's just like friends and family that all came in
23:48 and put food down. They do the interviews, the, you know, the, the little chit chat with that. It is fun. Like to this day, we still get people that are like, we just drove up from Sacramento
23:59 because we saw you on, on the show because they play it all the time. It's, uh, it's kind of funny. Like he told us guy told us that it was like people literally do like requests or whatever,
24:11 where they'll go to like, we're gonna fight it. We're gonna fly to, you know, Phoenix and we're gonna go to the, all the places he went to or whatever. So, uh, we definitely still see it.
24:20 It's wild Like, um, he's, I mean, he's from here, lives over in Napa. Um, yeah, he's from like the North Ghost, but yeah, he's, uh, He's still around. I mean, we haven't seen him in
24:32 Chico since then, but he's got his restaurants, the Sacramento and whatever, but it's pretty cool. And you feel like you got like, was it sort of an immediate revenue bump from that? Like a
24:46 sustainable revenue bump? Was it busier, like almost annoyingly busy at points? Do you feel like it's been long lasting? And obviously COVID happened shortly after. So things got weird because of
24:56 that. And it's California, so you had to shut down for like, you know, whatever, seven years. But did you get a bump from the - Drink out a little bit of a bump. I don't know that it was like
25:07 hugely noticeable, but it was definitely people reaching out, you know, from other towns and stuff, like on a social media. Oh, you guys, where are your hours? I can't find this stuff. And
25:17 they would, you know, that, you know - that place is always pretty busy. So I don't know what a bump is in a small restaurant. One extra table, two extra tables. It is what it is But yeah, no,
25:29 we - I mean, we still hear it, so it is kind of fun. And then, you know, we have a little signed poster that you spray painted up. And so it's a little talking point. Oh, you guys were on that?
25:40 And then, yeah, you can look it up, go ahead, watch us. You can see us, so it's fun. Oh, that's awesome. And at some point, this, maybe a few years ago, you opted to buy out your partner.
25:52 So now, this is really your thing. What, like, what keeps you up at night when you own a restaurant? Like, you know, this is fun for me, 'cause I'm always asking people, like, you know,
26:01 what keeps you up at night as an entrepreneur and running a business-selling oil and gas software or running oil wells or whatever. But as a foodie, as a restaurateur, like, what keeps you up at
26:13 night?
26:15 Well, yeah, that's a good question. I mean, I think, you know, there's always stuff to do as a business owner. And that's not really what keeps me up at night. That's probably what wakes me up
26:26 in the morning to go back in. Okay, roll
26:30 for example, yeah, the frylators backed up or the grease trap needs like things like like there's always like something the list like, you know, we like Adam and I kind of laughs was like
26:40 nothing's happening this week knock on wood Let's just, you know, whatever paint some stuff but I mean I think like for Chico, like the downtowns kind of had like a downswing like
26:52 restaurants are failing around town places.
26:55 Yeah, I mean like it's not crazy but like I mean this is all just post COVID stuff. We lost some places very post COVID and it still hasn't like recovered So, you know, we're just trying to like
27:08 kind of figure out like, you know, we're rooting for all the businesses in town. We want everything to do well. We want people to come downtown and we see places that uproot or come in and go out
27:19 or they do it wrong. And it's like, you know, you can only give so much advice or offer, you know, the helping hand if you will.
27:27 people all know what they're doing. But yeah,
27:31 yeah, keeping me up at night. Oh man, it's too much.
27:35 Staff not showing up. Like do you still like ever have to step in and like bartend or wait tables or manage the restaurant or have you kind of offloaded the day-to-day stuff and you're more like,
27:45 you know, big picture? Yeah, most of that's gone. I mean, occasionally though we're missing somebody can't, you know, we're just a little small staff, you know? There's like 13 people in the
27:55 front of the house, you know? Some days somebody gets sick and they can't go in. So guess what I do? I'm the best bus boy, bar, bag, food runner, table clear, there is, you know? I don't,
28:05 I made a martini last week for the first time in like probably six months. I was like, oh, that's fun. I can still do it, but yeah, I know. I mean, the place is pretty well run. Like things,
28:17 staff wise are pretty good, but yeah, you definitely see the difference post COVID people got real comfortable, like the quality of health. It's really hard to find how those go like everyone got
28:30 real comfy and like cuz you know This is a young man's game Being in the restaurant. They got real comfy, you know sitting on the couch getting their money I mean, I I got some too like I'm not
28:39 saying it didn't happen like we couldn't open for a year and a half Two years almost for the Banshee
28:48 So people got their money and then when I was trying to come back to work They were like no no thanks or the ones that did come back to work Didn't want to work that hard. So we're kind of waiting
28:58 for that that group to turn over and get those kids that didn't get the money like that You know 16 17 year olds because that's what we're seeing now those real young kids They're like not even 21 yet
29:09 are the hard workers and the kids are just a little bit older Don't want to do it. So that's that's Kind of fascinating right and I'm seeing that a little bit with with my business, too We just
29:20 brought on a younger guy's name's Benjamin Shaheem. He's probably I don't know. I haven't asked him, but I'm gonna guess like 24, somewhere in that ballpark. And he, he hustles, right? I would
29:32 say he's like, it's interesting to see how he works, 'cause he's way more reliant on AI than anybody else on the team. And there's things that I've learned from him for that, but at the same time,
29:45 sometimes I'm like, Hey, listen, like that shit's not always right. Right? And I know that you're like getting advantages that I never had because of your ability to use and leverage AI. Just
29:55 understand, like, still have to apply human intelligence to this too. It's just not always right. But work ethic wise, really good work ethic, right? And I think that comes from that sort of
30:07 age group, what this generation, it's a little bit different for them, right? Like they had to kind of figure things out being in college during the pandemic. And then you get back to school and
30:18 the job market isn't great. right? How do you sort of navigate this and figure it out? So I've been really impressed with him in particular, his work ethic, right? It's almost more reminiscent
30:30 of like kind of like the our generation, right? The gen X types, because with millennials, I'm not millennials, but it's been harder to find, I think, that level of work ethic. I remember
30:41 being frustrated early on working with some millennials who would just come into work and they would put in their AirPods and they would, you know, punch the clock and showing up at 830 and leave at
30:50 415. And that was it. And I'm like, no, that's not how it's done. Like you should get a shot, really, you got to work hard, you got to leave late. And that was more kind of, I feel like the
30:57 generation we were raised. Well, I think that's coming back with these younger guys. So that does make sense that you've seen that too. I'll be in a different industry. I think that there's just
31:08 things they've had to figure out. And dude, I think it's very expensive now to live. So like, if you're going to be able to survive, it sounds terrible. If you're gonna survive or thrive in this
31:19 country, You got a hustle, man. You got to make money. It's things are not cheap. No, stuff is expensive. I mean, we see it on our end too. Like we're charging, I saw an old menu where it's
31:32 like, a hamburger was like11 and like now they're like20. It's like, Oh my God. Yeah, it's just like, food's expensive. People are getting used to it though. You've got to do it. Yeah, I
31:43 know, I know it sucks, but like you have to do it, right? Like, so like what do you charge for a burger and fries at lunch?
31:53 I think a burger, well, it's an upcharge for fries. So like, I think the burger's like a plain hamburger is 17 bucks and you get some chips and or coleslaw or something. You want fries? It's
32:05 four extra dollars. So you're looking at 20 bucks. Oh my God, dude. Yeah, no, I mean, but yeah, just looking around town that's like on par with what everyone else is doing. Like, so.
32:18 I ate a lot of lunches out with my mom this last week 'cause my dad was in the hospital or stepped out was in the hospital.
32:24 And so just looking at some menus around town, like I don't eat out tons, but we're not even
32:30 like ahead of people. There's places that are just more expensive. It's wild. Like, fish and chips for24 and like - Oh my God, it's crazy. That's just what it costs. Do you feel like you tip
32:44 obnoxiously high because you're in the business? Like, are you just an insane tipper? I mean, you know me from back in the day when we were in the business, I was an insane tipper. Yes. Now I'm
32:56 just like 20, 25. Like, I always tip more than should be tipped, but that's just 'cause I'm in the industry and I know that. And it's funny, like, I go off my mom and she's like, Here, you do
33:09 the tip, it gives me the bill. But like, when I watch her and when she tips, it's like, she's like 15.
33:17 It's like my dad too, right? It's the same thing. I'm like, just, no, just leaving 20 because I think part of it too is like he didn't have that job. Right? I did. So like, you have to do
33:27 like a really terrible job for me to leave anything less than 20. I don't even know if I would Yeah. No, I like 20 is me tipping bad. Yeah.
33:38 You suck 20. Like, I can't do it. It's just like, what's an extra whatever it is? Five bucks or whatever. And at the end of the game, it's going to make their day. Yeah. I don't know. The
33:50 service industry works so hard. And people, if you haven't done it, have no clue how hard that job is and let people put up with Dude, I actually thought about it recently too. Like, I still
34:02 have these moments of life. First of all, I still have dreams every once in a while of like, I have five tables and I didn't put in the dinner order for one of them and I wake up in a panic.
34:13 because of it, it's like, you know, people showing up the class with no pants on, your dreams. I still have that about working in the restaurant industry because there's those moments of like
34:21 extreme panic really shit. I have too much going on right now, which actually has helped for my life in the business world where there's like a lot of things going on at the same time and to
34:32 actually be able to like figure shit out. But still having those dreams is crazy. But I even think about like, I'll see people our age, you know, waiting tables or bartending or working at a
34:42 restaurant. I'm like, man, their back must be killing them at the end of the day. 'Cause like my back would hurt, my feet would hurt when I was like 25 in good shape doing this. I can only
34:52 imagine what it's like working a double shift at 45, 50 years old at a restaurant or bar. Like you got to be in physical pain. It's a young man's game, like you said. No, I remember going on
35:03 like vacations when I was working the bar to go for two weeks. I'd come back, I'd be sore after my first double shift
35:11 Yeah, I never did it, but I can only imagine how many steps you do in it. Like a night, just running back and forth behind the bar around the thing, like miles and miles, like. You know, we
35:22 didn't track steps back then. The thing was not really a thing, but yeah, a lot, a lot. I mean, 15, 20, 000 steps, probably. If you're hustling and working like a long day, double shift.
35:35 Right? Oh, easy So it was great times and it was good money, especially because like, um, it was cash. So like my parents really never had any idea where I was making. So I could sort of pull
35:48 off with them, the like, Hey, I'm a poor starving college kid. I still need you guys to pay my rent. Really, I'd make my rent by like the fourth day of the month.
35:60 They didn't need to know that though. Somehow I still came out of it with nothing. You were always a better saver. I thought that that I was But yeah, I was very diligent back in the day, but
36:08 yeah I had my system, but well, it did works. Yeah, so I'm curious, like, what's next for you, right? So like, you've kind of got it dialed in. And there's some days where I sit around, I'm
36:20 like, man, I'm jealous of you, honestly. In some ways, you're kind of retired, right? You don't have to punch the clock or take people's orders. I mean, unless you have to, right? But you
36:29 own the business. Like, what's next? All right, here you are, mid 40s. You got a couple of successful bar restaurants. You bought out your partner Do you like build these up and sell them into
36:40 private equity or something in a few years? Do you open two more places? You start a franchise like, what is the mindset for you now being like a successful restaurateur in your mid 40s? So, yeah.
36:53 So we bought out our partner, but we are, so we're coming up on two years. August 15th will be our two year buyout, anniversary, whatever you want to call it. Thank you
37:04 then we currently have. eight more years of our loan. So nothing's happening. We can pay it off early, but yeah, no, we, I mean, we bought these places out for hefty amounts. We would like to
37:16 pay them down a little quicker and whatnot, but like, I could see us opening another banshee or something like that. I kind of kicked around the idea of maybe franchising it. I just don't know if
37:25 that's like, it's a lot of work. I'm not sure if I want to put that in now, but like that model is brick shit house Like it could fly anywhere. I'm pretty convinced. A hundred percent, yeah.
37:39 But yeah, I can see another place happening. It's probably, we've got some projects we want to do with the ones we have now, but a couple years from now, I could easily see us opening another one
37:51 and then doing some more restaurants. 'Cause it is like you just said, I am to the point where I don't have to punch the clock. I just kind of like, oh, you know, some umbrella management, like,
38:03 managing people, just one of the harder things in the world to do. But like, we do have some good people. Like we don't have tons of turnover, like at least at the
38:15 top of the food chain there. People are good and they can easily see, taking some people moving around and like, yeah. And it gets easier, the more you do. It's like give people a little piece
38:28 of the pie and then that's how you motivate them. Yeah, yeah Well, I mean, it's fun and it will be fun to see. I'm also curious, like looking back, what advice would you give to the younger sea
38:41 bass? The 23-year-old kid or maybe the 28-year-old, that started up his first bar restaurant. Like, what would you tell yourself? What would you do different? Or really, what would you tell to
38:55 the young aspiring entrepreneur today? Looking to go out and start their own thing?
39:04 Yeah, I mean, for me, like looking back, like I don't really have many regrets. I think I worked too much. That would be my only thing. Like probably could have taken a few more days off or a
39:15 couple more vacations or whatever. But like I was pretty like two weeks a year and just worked 50, 60 hours behind the bar. And that was kind of how I did it. And which was fine 'cause that's when
39:26 I was like laser focused and just wanted to like make money, make the restaurant do well Kind of, you know, that's kind of just how I grew up with my parents owning their own businesses and stuff.
39:38 But I think, yeah, what would I tell somebody my age now? Like, yeah, like make sure you wanna do it, right?
39:49 Make sure you do what you wanna do also. Like a lot of people, you know, you know the story. People think it's just fun and games own in a bar restaurant You get to hang out, have drinks.
40:05 It's way more work than it appears. At least in the early years, like we said better now, but yeah, I don't know, man.
40:19 Make sure you want to do it. Like you get one life. Oh, I love that, right? And I think that like you're a bit of an anomaly in that, I mean, you've got a little bit of a mind that's touched
40:33 for this thing. Now, granted, I did work with you. So I know like the expectations that you have and the level of effort and the going back to the beginning, like how you lead by example. So you
40:45 do set a high bar for what things should be. Like most of these stories don't end well. Like people, you know, they save up their money and they have this idea for a bar restaurant and the shit
40:58 doesn't work. And then you hear these horrible stories of, So and so putting all their money into it and now they have to shut it down. They're basically starting at whatever 50 something years old
41:07 and they've spent all of their retirement. Like that's a more common story, right? I would think than yours. So I don't know, hopefully you have that perspective and level of appreciation, but
41:17 you also manifested it. No, for sure. I mean, I'm proud to say that I have two former employees that now own bar restaurants, successful bar restaurants And, you know, I mean, I know for sure
41:32 my one buddy was like, this is because of you. You showed me how to do it. I figured I could do it. And he has, well, I guess they're just bars, but he has a giant bar in Petaluma and another
41:45 one just north of there. Oh, I like Petaluma. That's like a Southern wine country, beautiful area. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, he had a huge venue there and then he's got a little smaller like dive
41:55 bar, just 20 minutes north of there And it was hard working kitty earned it all like he. kid. He's probably like 40 now.
42:07 I did the same thing. I was like, yeah, he's a kid kid. They're like, that kid's 43. Yeah. I was like, well, he was two years younger than me in school. So he's a kid. Yeah, he was a kid
42:16 in my mind. When he worked for me, it was a kid
42:19 long ago. But yeah, no, it's cool. Like, you know, you're rooting for people. Like, it's a hard business. And like, it takes some mentality. And I get all those people that like, Oh, I
42:28 want to own a bar. You're like, cool. What's your background? Like, I work in construction or something. You're like, cool, man, it's really hard. Don't do it.
42:37 Yeah, don't right. It's probably not gonna work for you. Just like, yeah, I'm gonna put you on the hot seat. Because we only got a few minutes left. So I'm gonna ask you some questions. Here
42:44 we go. One, your favorite item, your favorite food item on any of the menus at your restaurants. Oh, man, I think, oh, well, you know, we just put back on the menu at v-street steak tips you
42:59 took them off they're all beef rice has been crazy and this was like post-COVID or whatever, but they're back and they are excellent. So I'm really excited about those. And then I could probably
43:11 eat a Philly cheesesteak at the BC pretty much every day. Now you're making me hungry dude. It's like 12 o'clock here. I'm going to have to get some food. You know, I think, so steak tips,
43:21 right? It's a thing in the Northeast. Like you go anywhere in New Hampshire or Massachusetts or really anywhere in New England Like, yeah, steak tips is a thing. Then I move out here. I'm like,
43:32 what? There's no steak tips. They don't exist. We need steak tips. Like steak. I'm like, no, I don't mean like a sirloin steak. I mean, like steak tips, like really like, you know, chewy,
43:43 easy to eat, flavorful, malleable, you don't have, they're like, I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I'm like, God, what is this? But I found a place recently that they, it's
43:54 not cheap, but they have hanger steak So I take the hanger steak, I marinate it in barbecue sauce, and then I cook it like and cook it. And it's like the closest thing, but it's hard to find.
44:06 Yeah. Like if you introduce steak tips to a lot of people in your neck of the woods. Dude, it doesn't exist out here. Like you said, when we lived in Boston, like every bar pub restaurant you
44:17 would go to had steak tips on the menu. It's a boss. It doesn't exist here. So when we like had to hunt down the cut initially, it was like a hunt. It was like, no, it's just, it's the sirloin
44:27 tip. They're like, you want that, like out here, it's a tritip They love tritip out here. A little bit different though. It's so different. The cut is different. It's just like you said, it's
44:38 like, it's throw away meat, basically, that if you marinate it, you know, 24-hour marinate on it, it is delicious. Chewy, easy, cut it with a butter knife. Wow, yeah, but yeah. So is it,
44:50 is it a hanger steak? Is that the cut? It's sirloin tip. So it's the tip of the sirloin. It's like this little thing that comes down kind of like a tritip, but not.
45:01 I'm telling you, most places you just can't find it. Why it would be throwaway meat is beyond me 'cause it's like truly the best cut of the steak. But this hanger steak at this place, dude, it's
45:09 25 bucks a pound. Like they know what they've got. 25 bucks a pound. That's wild. I know. It's expensive, but yeah. It is, it is, but, and I don't even think it's prime, but I think it's
45:21 just like, you can't find it. Like I don't know where else that I would go. They call it hanger steak fine, good enough for me. That's number one Number two on the hot seat question. You like to
45:32 travel, you're a world traveler. I know we talk, I went to Paris a couple of times this year, which I absolutely love. You're like, yeah, I've been there, you know, a dozen times. Where are
45:41 some of your favorite places to go that you've been to in the world?
45:46 So we just last summer went to Europe and we went to Portugal, we went to Porto, Portugal. My parents had been previously, it's kind of been on my list forever, but we loved Portugal and I, so
45:59 we're gonna go back and explore more. Porto is super cool city. It's right on a big river close to the ocean. On a hill food scenes awesome. People are awesome. Yeah, all of it was great. Super,
46:13 super fun.
46:15 Belize. Belize is great. Belize. Yeah, you go to San Pedro. It's super fun. It's like one of those places you go to Little Island. You can't rent a car. So you get a golf cart. That kind of
46:26 thing. Yeah, so cruising around like the snorkeling is great. People are nice. English is the language. So that makes it really easy there too. But like it's tons of expats and Canadians and
46:38 whatever. But
46:40 yeah, what else was super fun? Oh, dude, Vietnam had a fucking blast in Vietnam. That place. You really been some places. These are like super diverse. Yeah, Vietnam was fun. We went there
46:51 for three weeks and traveled it. Vietnam like is huge You don't realize how big it is because it's like a long thin strip, but like The entire coastline of Vietnam, I think, is like equivalent to
47:03 the entire west coast of the United States, like from California all the way up to Washington.
47:09 Yeah, the food was amazing. People are nice. It's super cheap. Like, we get some scooters and crews around. It's all of it. Ocean, mountains. Yeah. Do it. Love it. Yeah. Love it. And the
47:24 final one, you're a dog guy. Somehow, the dogs have not been disruptive at all to this podcast. I don't know if you like just threw them all in the pool or something like that. But you have a
47:34 bunch of dogs. What's your favorite breed of dog? What's your favorite kind of
47:40 dog? Well, it's a French bulldog. Yeah. Yeah, we got Henry back in the day. He just had his - he passed about two years ago, but he lived like to almost 14. We have Fern now, Fern, so six So
47:56 we are down to a one dog house at the moment. Oh, there will be more. Yeah, that's gonna have to change here soon. Yes. And then final question. Well, I've got one more after this, but final
48:09 question. You are a fantasy football commissioner, right? It's like part of what you do. Like, you know, going back to you've always sort of been a leader. Do I have a four-peat this year?
48:20 Since I've won your fantasy league for the last three years in a row, humble brag just saying? No. It was a four-peat possible, 'cause I don't think it's gonna happen. I mean, we've never seen a
48:31 four-peat. We've never seen a three-peat, so I don't know. I guess anything's possible, but you know that we're gonna be doing our best to not let it happen. It's been, yeah, like, I mean,
48:43 like the greatest thing ever. I can't even explain how prideful I am in winning this, and it's funny too, 'cause like you and I have even talked about this, that it's miraculous that there's
48:54 certainly luck involved, you're scoring system, you're a league, the way that you commission it. This is my favorite league. And this is a really competitive league. So to actually win it is
49:05 like the amount of lock and things that need to go in your direction is crazy. But I keep saying to myself, I'm like, there's no way I'm gonna win this year too. But now it's sort of like, I have
49:16 to win, right? That's my thing, I win the league. Yeah, I win it every year. No, I just noticed 'cause I was doing all the updates I've won my Bar League three of the last four years. So I
49:30 didn't even know this until I was like, logged in a couple of days ago to like, set up the draft, I was like, oh, I've won three out of four. I've won five times, just like, you have won the
49:39 Howard five times, so. Yes, the Howard Zidang, which is, it's just so much fun. And I love how you just like kind of casually just raise the entry fee and don't tell anybody until you're like,
49:49 you owe me 350 now. I'm like, wow, it wasn't at three. Yeah, you're right I can't lie, it was. It was, it's called inflation. You're pretty much the one that puts it into my ear that I should
50:02 be raising the prices anyways. So I'm like, Funk wants me to put it up. When you win three years in a row, you'd better be asking people to raise prices, right? What are the websites? So when
50:13 people get out to Chico, right, and they want to go to B Street, they want to go to the Banshee, you got websites for these places, people can check out. We have no websites. We're just on
50:23 social media, Instagram, Facebook. No kidding, really? That's amazing. Yeah, yeah. Just one other thing that I can't put on my list, like, yeah, we should have a website, but I don't care.
50:35 We don't even have telephones, so there you go. That's my favorite thing. People messaged up. That's, wow. Yeah, they want, how do I call in an order? You don't, you have to come in. You
50:46 gotta show up. You gotta come in. That's actually kind of nice. Come in and have a beer. Come in, have a beer and you wait and you get 20 minutes
50:54 Like, no, I'm not making my bartender's answer the phone for all the spam calls and the - I mean, that's kind of old school, but I kind of love it. 'Cause I'm more of a like going and pick it up.
51:05 And you know, Ellie on on my wife is like, she's such a planner. So it's like, the family like, what do you want to order? I'm like, I don't know, like maybe I want to go in and take a look at
51:12 the stuff and see what looks good to me. And she's like, just what do you fucking want? Like, I don't know, I gotta see it, right? She's like, dude, it's shit, what way? I'm like, I want
51:21 to see how, you know, it's nice Can I take the steak off the grill just now? It's like, dude, come on. For the same time, like, I don't know, I get it. But I think we've become so accustomed
51:31 to the conveniences that we have that you forget. Like, maybe it's okay to like go in and put down your phone and like have a conversation with the bartender and get a beer and order some food. So
51:41 kudos to you, B Street and Banshee, if you're ever in Chico, California, beautiful place. Sebastian, I love you, man. You're a brother to me, you've always been there. And I wish you nothing
51:50 but the best and success in life Thank you so much for coming out with the funk. Love you too, man. Thanks for having me on. This is tons of fun. I had a blast So got to get you out here to Chico
51:59 again soon. There'll be some safety safety tips. Let's go