Alive & Unedited

Appetite for New Restaurants

by Brittany Kress

blog I e-mail

WILL SHILLING PHOTO

As a young bartender new to Columbus in the late '90s, Elizabeth Lessner wasn't impressed with the city's restaurant and bar offerings. So in 2001, she opened one of her own, Betty's Fine Food and Spirits.

Then she opened another. And another. And she's currently brainstorming for a fourth.

The now Columbus-loving Lessner shares ownership of Betty's and Surly Girl Saloon in the Short North and Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails, which opened Downtown this summer. Her string of success is rooted in years of waitressing; she calls herself a "lifer."

Lessner sat down at Surly Girl—which, according to her, celebrates Columbus' "seedy past"—to share what she's learned and where she's headed.

What challenges did you encounter establishing these businesses?

Money is always an issue. Banks aren't super eager to ever fund a restaurant or a bar, especially when you're really young. When I went to get my first loan for Betty's, I actually had to take out a home equity loan [laughs]—they weren't going to give me a loan for a bar.

The hardest part is just the hours. You work 20-hour workdays, that's normal. But we have a great time every day and we love what we're doing.

What tips would you suggest for success in the restaurant business?

I think you just need cater to your demographic. Go after the people that are like you that you want to serve. Find a niche and capture it. There's not a lot of competition here, and there are so many niches to fill.

Tip Top opened this summer. Is it too soon to start thinking about another?

I'm actually working on a restaurant concept now with Carmen Owens from Surly Girl. At any given time, I've got projects in the works. I think the Columbus market is excited to have new restaurants and new places, and as long as there's an appetite for new restaurants, then I'll keep trying to feed them.

What can you tell us about your new project?

We're looking into the new Jeffery Place. We're very, very excited by the work that Joe Recchie is doing over there. It's a green building, it's introducing things like Zipcars, the mayor just tied it into the bike trails, and I'm really a believer in what's going on over there. So I'd like to open a restaurant over there and I'm still working on the concept.

I'm [also] working with Rob Duffy of Donewaiting.com to produce a huge rock 'n' roll concert this summer. Something to rival Pitchfork or Bonnaroo—it won't be quite as large, but we're really working with some sponsors to get something really exciting to happen at Bicentennial Park.

What are your favorite places to hang out besides your own?

My favorite restaurant is Basi Italia. I love going to O'Reilly's Pub and drinking beer. They've got some of the best bartenders in town, after mine. You can't really beat the Blue Danube. And for seeing rock shows, I love Carabar.

How different are your three restaurants' customers?

I absolutely adore the clientele in the Short North. I love when you come into Betty's or Surly Girl, just the diversity of everybody, and it's just fun and crazy.

When I moved Downtown, it was a little bit of culture shock. We had our first lunch—you get a lot of suits, you get a lot of people from the suburbs. But we're hoping that by having such a fun and unique and eclectic spot that isn't so starched and maybe pretentious, we can bring a little more diversity to Downtown.

It's a challenge. I mean, I've often joked that I should hire some of my Mohawked patrons to go down to Tip Top and go eat lunch [laughs]. We're trying to do stuff to bring more young people Downtown so that Downtown doesn't die at 5 o'clock, because right now it kind of does.

October 4th, 2007

Copyright ? 2007 Columbus Alive, Inc. All rights reserved.