A Restaurant’s Success Starts With Its People: Chef Gregory León

Gregory León: I see it as a reflection not only of me but also of my team. We [at Amilinda] are about to celebrate our 10-year anniversary in August, and we’ve had some amazing people working for us.

I really feel that the people who are working for us now are just incredible, and I’m very lucky to start our 10th year with such a great crew.

You know, it’s nice to get recognized for the hard work that you do, but it’s even nicer when it’s something that you’re truly passionate about and you love doing.

Of course, it’s also nice to get recognized by people whom you admire and perhaps you’ve been following your whole career. So, it’s a whole big bag of emotions.

Gregory León: So when I interview people, the first thing I say to them is this: 

“I’m not your parent. I don’t want to have to babysit you. We’re all adults here. I will be very clear about what my expectations are and what your job is. I will help

you achieve the goals that we set. I will give you the tools and buy you the equipment, but at the end of the day, I don’t want to have to police.” 

See, I just have so many other things I need to do and policing my staff isn’t one of the things I want to spend my time on. 

So, I look for people who are self-motivated and self-starters. You know, those who have a good head on their shoulders, understand rules, really love what they’re doing and want to help make Amilinda better than it is today.

Gregory León: I took over the hiring for the whole restaurant during the pandemic, and there was definitely a big learning curve because I hadn’t done a lot of that stuff before.

When it comes to hiring, I focus on looking for actual adults. And I don’t mean that in the sense of a specific age — rather, the people who want to go to work and do a truly good job.

As for my management style, it’s probably a little bit different than other restaurants. I like to give my team a lot of freedom. I want them to feel like there’s a sense of ownership in the restaurant — that they’re part of it, they’re heard and their input is valued.

So, for example, I’m not a big drinker. I don’t know much about wine, so I’m not going to run the bar. I’m not going to go to our Bar Manager and say, “This is what you need to do,” because I wouldn’t know. Instead, I’d give them tons of space to work.

I would simply be like, “Here’s your budget for the week. The wines can only be Spanish and Portuguese. This is the kind of style we’re going for.” But other than that, I let them run with what they think is best. 

The same thing goes when it comes to planning the menu. Sometimes I wish I was a superhero and I could come up with 12 dishes in a flash, but I don’t know everything. My brain can only come up with so many dishes at once. 

So, my Sous Chef is responsible for coming up with three of the entrees. And then whoever’s working the pantry station is responsible for collaborating with me on the starters and desserts. 

Overall, I believe that if you have a team that feels like they have some ownership, that they’re being heard and that their input is valued, you’re going to have better workers.

Gregory León: But it is a double-edged sword because there are people out there who need somebody on them constantly checking on their work. We’ve had people who were really good and that [management style] was what they needed but it’s not what I can provide.

So, you know, it didn’t quite fit. It’s also a matter of finding the right people who can work in that kind of situation.

Gregory León: “First, maybe someone who doesn’t stay at [workplaces] for very long. You know, they’ve got a string of restaurants where they stayed for like, only a month or two in each.

Another thing I watch out for is the way they look when they come in for the interview. Okay, I might be called out for being superficial or elitist, but I’m not saying you have to wear expensive clothes.

Just make sure you look presentable. Look like you care about the effort you are putting in, about the impression you are going to make. And again, it just has nothing to do with the price of your clothes.

My third red flag would be someone who complains about their previous employer during the interview. I mean, god knows I’ve done plenty of complaining about people that I used to work for. And I’m sure people who have worked for me have also complained about me. 

We’re human, we do that — but it’s just not a good look when you go to a job interview and you sit there complaining about your former boss or your coworkers or anything.

Gregory León: Well, you could say, “I had a toxic environment” and then explain.

What I’m saying is a red flag would be if, from the get-go, you sit down and you’re like, “Oh, I hated my manager. I hated the place I worked. Everybody was lazy. I was the only one that did the work. Oh, the food wasn’t that good.” You know, that kind of stuff.

But if you came to me saying, “Oh, I had a toxic work environment. It wasn’t the place for me,” then that’s fine, and I might ask a couple of follow-up questions.

Overall, just avoid general complaining about stuff from your previous job.

A better approach would be to be as truthful as possible on paper and then make the connection during the interview.

Gregory León: When I see a resume, the ones I’m really going to pay attention to are those that are very concise and to the point. 

I have very limited time during the day, so if your resume has, like, 12 paragraphs even before I get to the part about where you work — then I’m probably not going to look at it.

I would say, make sure your resume is concise, clear and clean-looking. Make sure all the info is on there and they’re all correct info.

You know, there have been times when people come in applying for a job and you try to call them on the phone number on their resume, but the number’s not working anymore.

So, always double-check your resume and make sure all the information is correct. Also, don’t lie about your work experience. 

Two former employees did this and I easily found out because Milwaukee has a very tight-knit food scene. I had to text them like, “You know, people know this is a lie. This is why you’re not getting called back.” 

So yeah, just be honest on your resume because people are eventually going to know when you’re not telling the truth.

Gregory León: So the name of the restaurant, it’s a combination of my parents’ names. My mother’s name is Linda and my father’s name is Amilcar.

Also, in Venezuela — which is where I grew up even though I was born in the U.S. — they have this custom where you give your house a name. And everyone does this; it wasn’t reserved for just the mansions and such. 

Anyway, the name of the home my parents bought — and that my brothers and I grew up in — was called Amilinda. So, I figured that naming my restaurant this is a nice way to pay homage to both my parents who were incredible Cooks. 

They were the ones who showed me that food can be more than just nourishment. It’s something to bring the family together.

Growing up, my relatives from my father’s side would come to our house every weekend. They would play music, and there would be dancing, playing dominoes and drinking and they would all be cooking. That’s essentially where my love for food and cooking was born.

Gregory León: Well, money is always a challenge, and I think people need to be aware of that before they go into the restaurant business.

I think there’s this misconception among most customers that whenever they pay, that money goes directly into the owner’s pocket. And maybe it does for some owners — but certainly not me.

So just be prepared that there are going to be times when money is really, really tight and you have to be a little creative.

Another thing would be staffing which certainly was a challenge in 2020 and 2021 and even probably in early 2022.  And it was mostly because, during those years, a lot of people just woke up one day and thought, “I don’t want to go work at a restaurant anymore. Like, why do I want to go do this?”

One of the other challenges was that we [Amilinda] didn’t receive any of the restaurant relief funds while other restaurants in Milwaukee did. We actually were awarded a grant but then about a week later, we were told that the grant had been rescinded because of a lawsuit and that we would have to wait. 

So, while we were sitting there waiting for that grant, several restaurants around us or in the city already got the money they needed to hire people at competitive wages.

Other constant challenges would be in the supply chain; that’s not necessarily horrible, but it’ll happen. Of course, as you know, customers can be challenging sometimes, too. 

Overall, when you’re opening a restaurant, be ready to deal with all sorts of things that you never thought you were going to.

Gregory León: I’m trying to be honest because I think there are a lot of times people will talk about the restaurant industry and owning a restaurant and being a Chef — and they just glamorize it.

I would tell people about me owning a restaurant and being a Chef, and they’d say, “Oh my god, that must be amazing.” And yes, it is amazing. 

I’m very lucky that I get to make a living out of something I’m truly passionate about. And I’m very lucky people love my restaurant; we’ve been busy since the day we opened. But at the end of the day, it can be a challenge and it’s not very glamorous.

I was renting a car a couple of weeks ago, and the guy was asking me about what I do, so I told him. He was like, “Oh, you own the restaurant. You must be rich.” And I looked at him and said, “I’m the furthest thing from being rich, like, I’m the last one to get any money.”

But I think if more people knew what it’s really like, I think they would think a little bit harder before going into it. You know, I always tell people:

“Don’t go into this industry because you want to be famous or rich; otherwise, you will be sorely disappointed because very few of us are famous and very few of us are rich.”

Gregory León: I think, for me — and again, it’s different for everybody — fame is a nice bonus. It’s that little additional thing that’s like, “Okay, this is great,” but I never opened the restaurant with the intention of being famous. That was never a goal.

I’d say my measure of success is seeing a full dining room and people happy. You know, you can have a full dining room, but it’s also very important that everybody’s happy and that they return. 

Another one of my greatest measures of success is looking at the people who have worked for me and seeing what they’re doing now, where they are, how their careers are going.

You know, I have a couple of Sous Chefs who have gone on to do their own thing, and I’m incredibly proud of them, they’re very successful. So that to me is also a success.

Gregory León: I don’t think I’ve ever maintained a good work-life balance, I’m just going to be honest. 

When I was married, my partner and I would fight about it because he’d be like, “Why do you have to be at the restaurant at eight in the morning?” And I was like, “Because I have to be there. Like, I just have to be there.”

I’ve always felt that if I’m going to expect the most out of my employees, then I have to show them that I’m willing to do the same thing. 

Like, I’m not going to ask you to scrub the floors if I’m not willing to get down on my hands and knees and scrub the floors, too. You know, you have to lead by example.

A good work-life balance is very important, even though it’s always been very hard to achieve. I’ve been trying to get better at it, though. Like, I make sure to take some time off and maybe if the night’s slow, I’ll leave work early.

Gregory León: I would find things I like to do. You know, I would exercise a lot. Once I get home in the evening, I would try not to look at my phone and concern myself about work unless it was an emergency or something very important.

We [at Amilinda] close for the week of Thanksgiving, so I know that I’m getting at least a week off each year. We also don’t open on Sundays, so we don’t do Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or that kind of stuff. So I think those helped a little bit.

Maybe I’m not as driven by money as I should be, because every now and then I’ll pass on certain events or certain things. Some people would be like, “Oh, we want you to cater a party” and I’m like, “Well, you know, I’m looking at the next two weeks. We’re pretty packed.”

Yes, I could use that extra money. But is my mental health and the mental health of my employees more important to me than that? And the answer is usually yes.

Gregory León: I mean, money is important, don’t get me wrong. We all like money, but it’s different for everybody.

Some people, you know, run their businesses, and their ultimate goal is to be famous and be on TV. For some people, their ultimate goal is to just make tons of money.

When I opened Amilinda, all I wanted was a little restaurant where I could cook and make a couple of coins, be able to travel every now and then and feed people. And I think we’ve done that and a little bit more.

Gregory León: As far as competition in Milwaukee goes, there aren’t any other Portuguese restaurants. There’s another Spanish restaurant, but I haven’t been to it in a while, so I can’t tell you how good it is.

You know, I have to be honest, I’m not sure if they’re much of a competition — just because I think their food is a little bit different than what we do. But we do have competition when it comes to other fine dining and casual-fine dining restaurants.

So yes, we’re competing with them, but Milwaukee has a fantastic food scene, which surprised me when I first came here. And for the size of the city, I think we’re blessed with so many talented Chefs who are also really good human beings and like to give back to the community. 

We all care about one another, and I think that’s why Milwaukee didn’t really lose that many restaurants during the pandemic. We were all trying to keep an eye out for each other.

Gregory León: So, the way we describe the cuisine at Amilinda is, we’re inspired by the Iberian Peninsula because I love Spain and I love Portugal. I didn’t want to have to pick one over the other, so we kind of draw [inspiration] from the whole Peninsula.

It started in 1997, when I was able to go to Spain. And from the moment I landed,

I just fell in love with it and the food. It’s amazing how they came up with these fantastic, complex flavors and textures but when you look at the amount of ingredients, it’s not very complicated. 

I also like the relationship that they have [as a culture] with eating, sharing food and cooking. They don’t see these as something they simply have to do so they can go do whatever it is they’re going to do. Instead, these things are just as important as going to work, dancing and whatnot. That really spoke to me.

Gregory León: Oh, definitely. I can’t see how it wouldn’t be better for the business, but again, there are two sides to it. You’re going to get people who come in and have certain expectations that are just insane.

We’ve experienced this in previous years when we got nominated; people come in and all of a sudden we start getting some reviews that go like, “Well, I expected more from a James Beard-nominated Chef.” And I was like, “What more do you want from me?”

At the same time, it’s obviously a great thing because these nominations come out in January, which is typically our slow season. Yet because the James Beard season goes all the way from January to June, we don’t get the slow seasons we normally would have to overcome. 

So yeah, I think it’s going to be a great thing if I win this year. And if I don’t, you know, so be it — it’s fun competing.

Gregory León: If every young, up-and-coming Cook or Chef had a mentor, that would be fantastic.

I think it’s very important to have somebody you can ask questions to and bounce ideas off. Somebody who can actually help you keep your feet down on the ground and not get a big head.

Personally, though, I’ve never really been one to think, “Oh, I’m going to be a mentor someday.” In fact, for the longest time, my mindset was, “Why would anybody want me to be their mentor? Like, what am I going to teach them?”

So, it’s very humbling when people refer to me as their mentor. I’ve had at least three or four people in the 30 years that I’ve been working professionally in kitchens refer to me as a mentor, and it means a lot to me. 

I’m glad that I can, you know, maybe have a little bit of an impact on these people’s lives.

Gregory León: When it comes to finding culinary inspiration, I think reading and traveling are good places to start. I know the latter isn’t exactly accessible to a lot of people as it’s expensive, but reading should be a non-negotiable. 

I notice that many young Cooks nowadays, all their recipe ideas come from the internet — and for some reason, it drives me crazy! And I always tell them like, “No, no, no, go look for and read a cookbook.”

Gregory León: Most of the crazy stories that I can think of involve very unruly customers. But fortunately, those don’t happen a lot. We’re very blessed that we have very loyal customers and everybody who comes in, they’re just always in such a great mood and happy to be there.

The love that the Milwaukee community has for this little restaurant just feels almost overwhelming. And you know what, this might be my crazy story. 

During the pandemic, when the government sent out the first round of stimulus checks, we had several of our regulars mail us their checks and tell us: 

“We don’t need this, and we want you to put it toward the restaurant because your restaurant is our favorite place. We want to make sure that your restaurant is still there when this ends and life gets back to normal.”

So, I am very lucky with our customers. They really care about the restaurant and they’ll defend us till the end and they want to see us succeed.

Gregory León: Well, we try, you know. This wasn’t something that I had set out to do when we first opened, it just kind of developed over the years. 

Now, I’m in a position where I can use my restaurant to make the community better and help people.

We have a lot of different programs that we do at Amilinda to help refugees, help other Chefs keep coming and sometimes we do pop-ups. So, we try to do a lot of things outside the store itself, with our community. 

Gregory León: This is something I really want to share with people because even I didn’t learn this until just two years ago, but I wish somebody had told me 10 years ago when Amilinda started. 

The best thing you can do is open three bank accounts. You have one where all your deposits or your sales go into, you have one for payroll and then you have another for taxes.

At the end of each month, I have to pay what’s called sales and use tax. The tax that I collect. And so if you have these three different accounts and so like, all your bills come out of the main account, too.

What you do is you go in every morning and you look at your report and you’re like, “Okay, this is how much I sold last night of that money,” or “This is how much money was deposited to my account this morning.” 

And if that money XYZ is tip money, you take that money and you transfer it

to the account named payroll. That money’s already put away, you don’t have to worry about it. 

Then, you look and see how much tax you collected the night before, and you grab that money and you put it in the accounting tax. And so now, whatever money’s left in your account, that’s your money for spending, for paying, for doing whatever you need to do.

You know the tip money, which belongs to your Servers, is already safely put away and nothing’s going to happen to it.

The same thing goes with the tax so it’s easier. It’s easier to take out $700 to $800 a day rather than having to pull $4,000 out all at once by the time taxes are due.