People of Northwest Arkansas
The People of Northwest Arkansas is an award winning podcast celebrating the power of storytelling by providing a platform for individuals living in Northwest Arkansas to share their unique and inspiring life experiences. We believe that every person has a story worth telling, and through our podcast, we aim to amplify these voices through thoughtful interviews and engaging storytelling.
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People of Northwest Arkansas
The Art of Thoughtful Hospitality with Justin Shoener
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We trace Justin Shoener’s journey from early restaurant jobs to COO of Indigo Road and explore how thoughtful hospitality is reshaping Northwest Arkansas. The conversation blends leadership lessons, cultural fit, and why small service details change entire dining experiences.
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Setting The Table And Guest Intro
SPEAKER_01Have you been to any of the new restaurants in town, Danielle? I know it's been a while since we've been on the show. There's been a lot of changes here recently. There really have been a lot of changes.
SPEAKER_04The scene here is changing. It's changing and it's becoming more of a food scene. And I'm really excited about our guest today who has moved here recently from North Carolina, South Carolina. South Carolina. Yes. Charleston. Charleston. He's here in the studio. We got to have coffee with him and kind of meet him and hear a little bit about his story. Met him through my realtor friend, who is his realtor. His last name is Schoener? Schoener. Schoener. Yeah, we're not, we're not. What did you what do we what are we not? We're not a Sooner. Yes, this is not Sooner Country. This is Razor Ballet.
SPEAKER_01And there also needs to be some explanation, or we need to talk about the pronunciation of some of the restaurants that he's that he's brought here because there's also been some confusion about those names too. So I'm glad we've got his name settled now. Thank you, Justin, for bearing with the Schoner.
SPEAKER_06Schoner. Schoner.
SPEAKER_01Show up for Justin Schoner. And he is the new COO of Indigo Road.
SPEAKER_06Yes.
SPEAKER_04Yes. Tell us a little bit about what is Indigo Road. Do you want to just kind of tee it up?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So here's this is from what I've the research that I've done from what I understand. Indigo Road is a hospitality group out of Charleston, South Carolina. They have many concepts. What 1,900 employees?
SPEAKER_06Just about 2,000 employees.
SPEAKER_01Okay, 2,000. I was almost there. 2,000 employees, and they're all about the detail
Who Indigo Road Is
SPEAKER_01to the finest detail and also empowering the people that work for them in every position within the restaurant or hotel. And so no detail will go un unnoticed. Everything is about passion and food and community and love. And so that's kind of what from what I've read, and that's what I've experienced from eating at the concepts currently here in town. Junto and Oak. But we'll let Justin tell us more. Did I get that right? Yeah. Yeah, that's great.
SPEAKER_06Junto, yes.
SPEAKER_04And it's Charleston. They're based out of Charleston.
SPEAKER_06Yes, Charleston's started in 2009. Um but everything is based out of Charleston.
SPEAKER_04That's amazing.
SPEAKER_06That's where it all started. And uh started with the first oak steakhouse and then uh grew from there. Oku sushi was the second concept and grew from grew from there. And now we've got an oak steakhouse here. We have Junto here. It's very exciting.
SPEAKER_04All right. So, listeners, you heard that. It's pronounced Junto, and it's held in which restaurant downtown Betonville. Which hotel?
SPEAKER_06The motto hotel. The motto. I've heard people say moto, but it's it is the motto of the motor. No, no, no, moto. Yes.
SPEAKER_03It's motto. Yes. Like tomato. All right. Here we go. I like that.
SPEAKER_04We I mean it's helpful when you think of other words. Word associations. Word associations. Absolutely. Yeah. So, Justin, let's kind of start
Why Bentonville And NWA Now
SPEAKER_04where we like to start with all of our guests. We love to ask this question how you ended up in Northwest Arkansas. So I know that your story is very intertwined with Indigo Road, but what made you decide to move here?
SPEAKER_06Yeah. So we uh we first uh we had partnered with Windsor Autry when we did our, we did an Oku Sushi and an Indako or Italian concept in Greenville, South Carolina.
SPEAKER_05Nice.
SPEAKER_06So when we uh through conversation realized we were gonna come out here and we were gonna do a sushi concept in the Motto Hotel, and then we were gonna have an Oak Steakhouse follow that, and then we have something else that'll follow that in in Springdale. We uh hearing about what was happening in northwest Arkansas and just the what the Waltons were doing with the city, the growth of the restaurant scene in the city, the artistic aspect of this city was very intriguing. So because I started as a GM in in our Okusushi restaurant in Charlotte, I decided to come out here and be a part of the Junto opening and really fell in love with this city when I came out last year. Charleston is known for its hospitality. Uh, I think it was just announced like for the fifth or sixth year in the row in a row, best hospitality in the country.
SPEAKER_01That's what I've always heard.
SPEAKER_06That's why I'm in it's it's incredible.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, food and beverage scene, absolutely notch.
SPEAKER_06And coming out here and experiencing the kindness of the city and friendliness of the city fell in love pretty quickly. And so when we we we opened Junto, it was very well received and be able to provide that experience for people was incredible. Something different than what had been out here previously. So when Oak was coming around, I said, yes, absolutely, I will come back here for Oak Steakhouse. Fell in love with the city all over again, and uh yeah, recently bought a house out here because of what we have going on.
SPEAKER_01All right, how long has it been now?
SPEAKER_06Junto just celebrated their one year.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, August 30th was was one year of them being open. Oh incredible restaurant. And Oak Steakhouse has been open just for a few months, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so new.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I haven't tried it yet. Have you been there? I have been, yes. I want to go on a more formal setting. We we were like, hey, let's just see if they have a reservation the next day, and they had like a five o'clock. So we went just you know, not that hungry when you're at five, but we we still went, had a great time. It was excellent. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04I got to experience it at Byte NWA. The one day that it did not rain. So that was really unfortunate for the other days, but uh it was really good. I'm excited to go there and actually experience properly as well. So all right. Well, tell us a little bit about so you grew up in Charleston, is that correct?
SPEAKER_06I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_04Okay. Oh grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_06Uh then moved to
Career Origins And Early Lessons
SPEAKER_06Orlando, Florida when I was 12.
SPEAKER_04Right. Okay.
SPEAKER_06Lived in Orlando for about 20 years. And then I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in two 2016 when I joined the Indigo Road.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So you're more Florida's kind of more of your was more of your home fur.
SPEAKER_06It was, yeah. Yeah. It was for a lot of it growing up was yeah, it was through middle school, high school, college, graduated college in Florida. So yeah, Florida was a big part of it.
SPEAKER_04Is that where you got your start? Was in Florida?
SPEAKER_06Is that what your first it was when I was 16. I started at McDonald's. All right. No kidding. And I worked at McDonald's for three years when I was 16. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_04That's a good for first job, I think. It is a good first job. I worked at McDonald's once. You did? Not for very long. I had somebody throw a cheeseburger at me, a customer. Goodness. Because they were it was wrong.
SPEAKER_01Did you like no pickles? Yeah, I don't remember.
SPEAKER_04I was like 15, 16, same, but I did a lot more babysitting and uh lifeguarding type jobs.
SPEAKER_01My first was an ice cream shop.
SPEAKER_04Oh, that's fun. That would be really fun.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but the owner's main restaurant was uh she was from Spain and she had a Tapas restaurant in Dallas. It was very like famous. I'm pretty sure it's still around. But yeah, she just decided to open an ice cream shop, and I'm not sure I was the best in play because we were like it was all teenagers that ran it. Yep. And you know, we would try the different flavors. Yep. You did, of course. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I mean, that's how it is.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So all right.
SPEAKER_04So Justin, you went for McDonald's. What was next? Where did where did that kind of passion start for?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, then I went to Outback Steakhouse. Okay. And because that was the great steakhouse back then. And was a dishwasher there.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_06And then I became a busser in that restaurant, and then eventually uh made my way out to the dining room and was a server. So I was at that that location uh in Orlando. I was there for about three years. Then I went and served at a high-end steakhouse, was there for about three and a half years, got into a manager and training program for about a year and a half where we would cut steaks every day, do whatever was needed, and then eventually got into a management role as my first management job. I was very underpaid and wasn't treated the best, but you know, it was a it was a foot in the door to management. And then at one point over that course of the year and a half, we I had someone approach me and say, Hey, I want you to come look at this restaurant. And so I did, and he was like, I want you to tell me what you think, and I told him everything I thought he should do and and what would be great for the restaurant, and then he said, I want you to come run it.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_06And I told him I've never been a GM, and he said, It doesn't matter, I know you're the right guy.
SPEAKER_04That's so awesome. Which was cool. That's great to hear.
SPEAKER_06You know, so I remember standing in in when I was serving in that steakhouse. I remember going back to my general manager and telling him, Hey, I'm going to Well, I was a manager at the time, but I'm gonna go leave to go open this restaurant with this gentleman. And I remember exactly where I was standing when he looked at me and he was shaking his head, and I said, What? And he goes, You're too young, you're too inexperienced, and seven out of ten restaurants fail in the first year. That's urgent. Boy, was that great motivation from So you're like, so they're saying there's a chance. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01They're saying there's a chance.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, and so so that was kind of the start of it, and then it kind of went from there.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, did his words kind of light a fire under you?
SPEAKER_06It did. Yeah, it did, you know, because I was young and I was hungry and I had a lot of curious intelligence, which is something we look for in in people that joined the indigo road. And so, yeah, it was if I could go back now, if I ever met him, I would say thank you for saying that. You know, even at the time it was probably gave me more fuel and frustration. Prove him wrong. So awesome. Yeah, but it was great, but that was the start.
SPEAKER_04I love that. I think that's really great that sometimes you can learn and grow and take something that is said to you that's a hard words that would be hard to hear, those things, as you're like bright-eyed, ready to go, excited. This other restaurant is telling you you're the guy, and then your GM is saying, Yeah, you're gonna basically fail. And that that fueled you to move forward. That's that,
Fuel From Doubt And Leadership Philosophy
SPEAKER_04you know, that's a good perspective. I I appreciate you saying that because I am the type of person where I'm like, oh my gosh, I would like let that ruminate in my head. And I would be like, Am I good enough? I can't do this. Can I do this? I can't do this. I would feel like a I would feel like an imposter, like all over again. And I so I appreciate hearing that perspective and thinking in those terms of like, okay, you know what? We can let those kind of circumstances fuel us in the right way that take us in the direction of our dreams or in the direction of our goals. And I love I loved our conversation that we had at coffee with you and just hearing about just how valuable it is for you to pour into the staff that you have. And it shows, you know, the times we've gone to eat at Junto have been amazing every single time. So it's it's it's really neat to see that you took that hard experience and made it into something good. That was a really long dialogue registered. That's great.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think it's a good match for Bitonville because the mentality I feel like here with a lot of companies and a lot of people is servant leadership and kind of open door policy. Like, you know, anyone at any level should be able to talk to anybody at any level. You know what I mean? Like open dialogue, and also, you know, the people that are leading or managing higher up have also done the entry level jobs. So I that's interesting that you've you've it sounds like you've done every position in a restaurant. You've worked every pretty much every job.
SPEAKER_06I have. Um not as strong on the bar. Okay. Not a good bar gender. Not as strong on saute, but but yeah, I've done all the positions.
SPEAKER_02But you know what it takes to for sure. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06I remember when I was at at that high-end steakhouse in a manager and training role, and I remember I had curious intelligence and I would ask a lot of questions on hey, what trimming stakes, why do we do it this way, or what's this? And I remember being told, you don't need to know, just do what we're telling you to do. And I remember how that made me feel. And I vowed at that time as I had gotten into gotten into a manager role that I would never say that to someone, that I would always I would always take the time to show them and to you know, feed the curious intelligence someone else has.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_06And wanting to learn something. Hospitality is how we make people feel. Very important.
SPEAKER_01It's true. Yeah, it's almost like when a parent says to their kid, like, because I said so. Right. That's exactly what it's like. And the kid's like, so this is probably no questioning here.
SPEAKER_04It's probably why Gen Z is like in that mindset of when they go into a job. I read about this somewhere, how the Gen Zs of the world right now are very are very intentional about the types of jobs that they go after. Absolutely. They want to get something out of it, not just give to it, which is how it should be.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. We should have an interest in the job that you seek not to be a job. Right.
SPEAKER_04I mean, interest, but I think that there's I think that there's something to say about that. What it w how what are you phrasing? What how are you phrasing it? Curious intelligence.
SPEAKER_06Curious intelligence.
SPEAKER_04Curious intelligence. I haven't heard that terminology.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, it's one of the one of the things that is important to us and our that we look for in employees. It's it's a part of our core values that we want people that have curious intelligence. Okay. That are always wanting to be a student, that are always wanting to learn more. I think that if you ever get to a point in any career where you say, Okay, I've made it. I don't need to learn anything else. I've mastered it all. I think that's where growth stops. And I think that's where then you have the opportunity to get passed by. You know, Junto has been great, but we're always looking at Junto and saying, What's next? How do we
Curious Intelligence And One Size Fits One
SPEAKER_06make this just a little bit better when people come in? And never losing that focus and losing that perspective of we have to always focus on what's the next thing to make us better or to make the experience a little bit better.
SPEAKER_04That's awesome. How does that realistically play out in your life and in your role as the COO? Is it additional training? Is it what does that look like?
SPEAKER_06Well, I I think each I think each place is different. Uh we have this another saying in our company that one size fits one. Right. So when we go in, uh when I go into Junto and I'm talking with that GM and that team, I'm seeing what is the best way that I can be of support to them and what is the best way to approach something that they're going to feel bought in, they're gonna feel like they have all the tools they need to be successful in that we can execute at a high level. That's different for every restaurant. Yeah, it's different for every person, right? So everybody everybody operates different. So it's important to have the mindset of one size fits one and figure out what works for them because support for everybody looks different. A support for one GM looks different than support for a host or a support for a barista. So it's important to keep that in mind.
SPEAKER_04That's great. I love that. Again, it makes me think of being a mom. Yes, how I raised my children different than my daughter.
SPEAKER_06Yes, yes, who are very different.
SPEAKER_04Yes, who are very different. Yes, exactly. I love that everything keeps paralleling back to parenting.
SPEAKER_01Well, we all are parents, we all are parents here, and so yeah. I mean, I think you can parallel anything to that, right? And if you can parent, you can manage people, I think. If you can manage children, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_04It's like we should all be managers.
SPEAKER_01Well, we are managers, we're household managers.
SPEAKER_04I'm adding that to my resume now. Yeah, I've been a manager of two.
SPEAKER_01Tell us about your kids that you have two kids, boy and a girl.
SPEAKER_06Yes, my son's 21. He actually was just here two days ago. Uh he he graduated back in May and said, I'm gonna go on a two-week road trip with his buddy, and we're gonna go up to Chicago, over to Glacier National, Yellowstone, down to Utah, New Mexico, and ended up in Arkansas for two days, and then now he's back in Charlotte. So he said he was just gonna get in a truck with his buddy and take a two-week venture. And I said, That's exactly what you should do at 21. Yo, yeah. 100% what you should do.
SPEAKER_01This is the time, yeah.
SPEAKER_06And uh my daughter's 18, she's in Charlotte, she goes to UNC Charlotte. Okay, very into dance, very she excels at it. It's it's incredible.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome. So you're empty nester now.
SPEAKER_06Almost, almost almost.
SPEAKER_04Almost. So are any of them moving here? Your wife, has she been sold on Northwest Arkansas yet?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, she she does want to be here. Uh my daughter and son both still live at the house. So it's it's gonna take some time, but yes, she loves it here.
SPEAKER_01That's logistics. That's always the hardest part. Yes, isn't it?
SPEAKER_04It's like it's a it's a short period, you know, like when you're starting something new, there are sacrifices that have to be made, and just as you kind of figure out what that works. Well, we look forward to meeting her when she moves here. So she's an amazing name. Yes, yes, I love her name. I want to meet Buffy, I want to be friends with her. I do too.
Family, Relocation, And Community Fit
SPEAKER_04Absolutely. So now that you're bringing the Indigo Road is coming to Bettonville, is here in Bettonville, it's making a big impact on Bettonville. And I mean Northwest Arkansas, really, if you think about it, because Oaksteak House is technically in Rogers, and then you're gonna be opening up in Springdale. You know, from what your from your perspective, why was Bettonville the right fit for Indigo Road's vision?
SPEAKER_06I think the intention of what's happening here in Northwest Arkansas, there's there feels like there's a lot of intention of uh quality, genuine hospitality fits into a lot of things that are already happening here.
SPEAKER_05Right.
SPEAKER_06And our restaurants are focused so much on hospitality. I I said hospitality is how we make people feel. And you know, we there's a lot of people that are moving to Bentonville and coming from cities LA, Chicago, Toronto, different places. And so it it's important that we have elevated dining experiences, intentional dining experiences, and something different than what maybe hasn't been here before, which has been exciting.
SPEAKER_01I think it's coming at the right time because when I moved here, I guess eight and a half years ago, I don't know if that would have been the right time. You know what I mean? You're I think it's like the perfect opportunity in the space. People are ready for more and people are hungry for more. They're always asking me, like, what's new? What should I go to this week? And I'm like, I don't know. Like, I need to follow more social accounts, or I'll just follow Indigo Road now, because you guys have a ton of concepts coming here, right? Can you talk about any of them yet?
SPEAKER_02No, no, okay.
SPEAKER_01Dang it. Well, that's okay. We tried. We tried to do that. If we follow Indigo on Facebook or Instagram, okay.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, I wouldn't say, I mean, we're we're doing something in Springdale, but that that's pretty much all I can say. Okay. Okay.
SPEAKER_04Oh you can tell us off there. I'm just kidding. It's like, nope. Nope.
SPEAKER_01He's like, that's okay.
SPEAKER_04That's okay. We won't push too much.
SPEAKER_01No, it's fine. No, we're excited about it. I think Oak is great. I like I I love a restaurant that's we'll kind of look into the people that are coming, get a feel for their personality. You know, it reminds me of restaurants that I would go eat at or steakhouses, like where I'm from in Dallas, where like there was definitely great attention, you know, taken to whoever was dining there to make it really special. And those are always the places that we would return to that would make it like one step further, right? I love Oak for that. Junto is just fun. I mean, where else can you uh get a hot rock and cook Wagyu?
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I that's fun.
SPEAKER_06Junto has got a great vibe. Yeah. No question. And in with that lobby that's the Motto Hotel as well, it all ties in uh to just a really great vibe in the in the place and just a really warm, fun experience.
SPEAKER_01I've actually eaten at Motto more than I've eaten at Junto. Because I feel like I always just end up going, let's go have a cocktail in the lobby, and then we'll end up ordering food and it's delicious. I agree. Yeah. We've been there a few times working. Yeah, yeah. We love it. Working happy hours. Working happy hours.
SPEAKER_04Hey, you know what? Our we are building a whole podcast over there at the motto.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, why not over a different podcast?
SPEAKER_04So while we can't talk about the concept that's coming to Springdale, can we talk
RopeSwing Partnership And Local Concepts
SPEAKER_04a little bit about what else Indigo Road is coming and doing here in Northwest Arkansas and the different I don't know how to phrase this. Maybe you can go ahead and phrase it for me the best.
SPEAKER_06Well, we just uh we just uh acquired rope swing hospitality. Right. And so there's been a lot over the last couple weeks of us just just getting with those restaurants and seeing what they're doing and supporting them the best way that we can. And so uh it's been really cool. There's a lot of really great people and a lot of great things that they're doing. So spend a good amount of time at Preacher's Sun. What a a great building. And Preacher's Sun. Three different concepts. It is, and Celeste on the rooftop is fantastic. Undercroft downstairs is great, but just getting really familiar with those those different concepts.
SPEAKER_01The seasonal thing in Undercroft, people love that. I love that. It's fun.
SPEAKER_06Yeah. So it's neat, it's it's really good things.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's great. And just for our listeners, I think it might be helpful for them to know some of the restaurants that are part of Rope Swing. And yeah.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, so Preacher Sun, you have Co-op Ramen. Right. You've got Cafe Louise, which is out at the Thayden Airport.
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_06Blake Street, which is the private membership club, Sonny's, which is smoothie kind of breakfast lunch spot right there. And Lady Slipper.
SPEAKER_01All right. It's like many of my favorite spots. I can't wait to see what how these changes go forward, and it starts pretty soon, right? So October, he's like already.
SPEAKER_06It's already started. Yeah, we've already been, you know, I was I was working over at Lady Slipper Friday. Um we've been and getting into a lot of the spaces and meeting with the teams, and it's been awesome.
SPEAKER_04That is really awesome. I think what's great about Indigo Road coming in and working these restaurants. And so what is the phrasing? I don't want to say the wrong phrasing. Is it acquired or is it kind of merged? Partnered. Okay, so your partnership. So it will there will still be terminology of rope swing, correct?
SPEAKER_06We're probably gonna see a lot of things transfer to to indigo road language.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_06You know, we're gonna do a lot of indigo road things that that we're about that are important to us, right? And our core values and and small things to elevate the hospitality and some things like that. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I can't wait. I can't wait. There's so much happening around here, it's hard hard to like wrap your head around all of it. Everything that's happening in downtown Bentonville. And I live in Centerton. They're about to redo everything. I heard that. July 2026, they want to make it a destination. And we we were talking about this before about NWA becoming a food and culture destination. I was talking to someone recently, and they were saying that they have friends that come here just to like eat here, just to go to the museum. And I find that pretty incredible because in a short time, become a place where people want to travel to come see the art and culture here.
SPEAKER_04And that's really exciting. What's really great about what's happening too with Indigo Road is they've brought a concept here, they've shown that it works. And now Rope Swing is basically like we want to be a part of that. And they already have some great restaurants and bars
NWA As A Food And Culture Destination
SPEAKER_04in the area, and so now they're just gonna be taken to that next level, and that's what's really exciting about it. Exciting to see those changes made that are just gonna go the extra mile, which I love. And I love that your has such been just really our conversation with you at coffee and then our conversation today, just very impressed with your emphasis on learning and growing for your staff, your emphasis on hospitality and the value of that for people and the customers' experience as they come in. You know, yes, we want to elevated experience, yes, we want good food, but we also want good service and we also want to leave and say, we're gonna come back, you know, and keep coming back and keep coming back.
SPEAKER_06So yeah, that starts at the front door. As soon as you walk in, you have to have a warm welcome greeting at the front door. One thing that we do is we don't when you walk in, you should never hear, do you have a reservation?
SPEAKER_02Interesting.
SPEAKER_06Because do you have a reservation can make you feel a little bit unwanted if you don't have a reservation. You kind of ponder for a second and go, Oh, we don't. Can we eat here? Of course. So what we like to say when you come in is, Hey, welcome to Preacher Son, for example. Are you having dinner with us?
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_06That's that's a little more welcoming. So we're always trying to think about ways that feel warm, that feel welcoming. Small things like that, a lot of little details that go into a great experience.
SPEAKER_01I would have never thought about that because I feel like I get asked that quite a bit. Like, do you have a reservation? You're like, Do I? Do I? Yeah. No, I've so I I worked briefly in restaurants, but I worked for Marriott for a long time of my career in hospitality, just on the hotel side. But we always said that at our valet we would like train them extensively. This is the hotel's first impression. Like you, if they have a bad experience here, the rest they we were always taught that it takes 26 good things happening after one bad thing to change your mind. That would now I haven't worked in hotels in all, I don't know if that's there's more or less now. But so you've yeah, it's the person that greets you is your first impression. So I like that you guys focus on that.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, if you start off wrong, it's you gotta take a lot of work to get it back.
SPEAKER_0126. Yeah, that's I don't know what that's a huge number. I mean it's like the problem that is it maybe a smile from your server or an extra you know, at Oak, they offer you all those little accoutrements for your water. That's nice. That's another positive. So but I'm just saying that it's yeah, hospitality is really difficult. Or it can be, maybe not difficult, just I think it's just situational and people awareness, right? Sensing, having awareness of what people are feeling and multitasking, multitasking like crazy. Yeah. I feel like everyone should have to work in a restaurant. My kids definitely will. And they love, they're like, mom, tell us a story about something that happened when you worked in a restaurant. I worked in a top-notch French restaurant that's still in Dallas, and I'd wear the tie
Hospitality Details That Change Everything
SPEAKER_01and the suit, and I spilled an entire tray of drinks on somebody at like a very like in one of the private rooms for reception, and it was horrifying.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, you don't forget those moments.
SPEAKER_01Do not forget those moments. Do not forget those moments. Luckily, we kept a lot of starch shirts, so we got him a new shirt, but yeah, never good with the tray. It's never good with a tray. I blame it on the seating because they had them stacked like parallel. And so when people moved back, you were like pinned. So being a server, they just put too many people in. Like they oversat the space. And so when the person moved back, it pinned me in, and then the whole yeah, terrible.
SPEAKER_04How many drinks were on the train? Like five or six markets. Oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_06If you've been in the industry a little bit, we all have those stories. You know, I will never forget it was either a Mother's Day or Father's Day. We had these tall pilsner glasses of beer, and I took one of the drinks off the tray, and that the tray was off balance, and dropped an entire beer into a uh a little boy baby's lap. And and very embarrassed. And we were covered. We bought the check, we did the whole thing, you know. But the baby obviously burst into tears, and the data said take the baby to the restroom. And boy, was I embarrassed. Those things happen. They do. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Oh my goodness. And the baby smelled like that.
SPEAKER_06And this baby smelled like beer.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's yeah, those stories. Yeah, the the balancing of the drinks on the tray is always whoo, that one's tough.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That was tough.
SPEAKER_04I never worked in a restaurant.
SPEAKER_01What? That makes sense. Experience.
SPEAKER_04It it ruined me. It could do that.
SPEAKER_01Anyway, back to Justin. I'm curious about food now because you you probably are into food if you work in restaurants. What's your favorite cuisine? Like, like if you're picking one type of cuisine, what are you like your dish? What are you picking for comfort?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, I get asked this a lot. It really depends on my mood. It really shifts. You know, there's times where I would do anything to get to Junto or one of our sushi concepts and get some Nigiri and a crudo and love it. And there's other times where uh I would do anything to have some fresh pasta, which is what we do on our Italian concepts, you know, and then other times where I'm like, man, I really want a steak. I want a steak and some mac and cheese and jalapeno cornbread that that Oak has and you know, or the Parker House rolls that are fresh baked. And and so it really depends on the mood, you know, and and the company that I'm with. On you know, there's so many different great cuisines I I couldn't put it to one thing.
SPEAKER_01Is there one that's kind of like on the rise, like a new trend in, I don't know, like fusion or any style of restaurant that's very popular, a type of cuisine that you think is going to become really popular?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, you know, Okus do our Oku sushi concept does really well. Junto is based off of our Oku concept. The reason we didn't call it an Oku sushi coming out here to Bentonville is we wanted this to feel like it's Bentonville, and we were doing something a little bit different with the menu, and it was in the Mato Hotel. And so we wanted Junto to feel like uh a Bentonville Northwest Arkansas thing, and so we're really passionate about the Japanese restaurants we do and and the okus that we do.
SPEAKER_04I feel like it's really interesting. I feel like we need to go out to eat after we're done with this interview. I'm getting hungry. Also, I'm just gonna point out that did you notice that he mentioned three types of concepts Japanese steak and pasta? Yep. Interesting. That's interesting, and we already have Japanese and steak, and there isn't a indigo road
War Stories From The Floor
SPEAKER_04pasta here yet. I did notice that. Interesting. Okay, well, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes to Springdale. And moving on. All right, so Justin, what is it that you are loving about Northwest Arkansas? You're here, you're getting to know people, hopefully, you're getting to know people and getting to get out and experience this place. Are you? Other than just work, work, work, work, work. But also with the work, you're getting to meet so many people that live here and have lived here for a while. So, what has been your experience?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, you know, I when I think about Northwest Arkansas, the thing that I love the most is being able to show people how great this industry can be and show people what hospitality really means. When we were interviewing for Junto, we probably interviewed 250 people to find that staff.
SPEAKER_05Wow.
SPEAKER_06I think it was right over about 150 when we were when we were interviewing for Oak Steakhouse. Uh, and to be able to find individuals who are really passionate about taking care of people, want to be a part of a great team, want to be supported by their managers, want to have good communication, want to have high quality and really love what they do. I think being able to show our employees what hospitality really can be has been incredible. And uh Junto, we have so many people there still from day one, but we have had our employees say, This is the best job I've ever had. I haven't experienced anything like this. And and for me, that is the thing I'm most excited about is because this industry is great, and sometimes you could have you know bad experiences and things that get tarnished, you know, and usually it gets tarnished because people just make bad decisions, you know. So being able to show people how great this industry can really be is has been awesome.
SPEAKER_04The culture that's happening here in Northwest Arkansas, the biking community, the trails, the music, the art, what is it that you're gravitating towards?
SPEAKER_06You know, when I came out last year, I was here four days and I saw all of the people mountain biking, and I was like, I have to get a bike. And so I think I went riding four or five times last fall, last summer, last fall. This year I haven't had a lot of time to do that. But I think it's just the the fact that there are all those different avenues of things to do. It is it is such an outdoor city and just really cool, all the different things that are happening here. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_04It's exciting. All right, well, we like to wrap up the episode with your favorite thing about Northwest Arkansas. We know you haven't been here long, but so far, what's your favorite thing about this place?
SPEAKER_06You know, I think going to a concert at the Amp has been pretty
Food Preferences, Trends, And Junto’s Identity
SPEAKER_06cool.
SPEAKER_04Nice.
SPEAKER_06I've gone to the a couple shows there already. It has to single-handedly be the people that I've met. Met some really pretty amazing people here.
SPEAKER_01Which two sh two concerts did you see?
SPEAKER_06I went to see Rufus DuSoul.
SPEAKER_01Me too! Wasn't it so good?
SPEAKER_06It was great.
SPEAKER_01It was one of the best shows they've had here.
SPEAKER_06That was great. And then I went and saw Allison Cross.
SPEAKER_01We have the same style of music. That's what I wanted to ask.
SPEAKER_06That was my wedding song that she sang, so that's why I went to see her. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. Yeah. So Rufus do Soul was like one of those concerts that you you just think about because you're like, wow, that was I just I didn't know what to expect because I've never seen them before.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, it it was it was so much fun and it was such high energy. I remember leaving that show and going back to the motto where I was staying, and it took me a good hour just to relax. To settle down. Because it was such an incredible show.
SPEAKER_01Did you see the guy in the pink bunny suit?
SPEAKER_06I did. I knew dancing.
SPEAKER_04Surprise, he was the guy in the pink bunny. No, it was not.
SPEAKER_06No, but I did see the guy in the pink bunny suit dancing. It was Brock, probably. Living his best life.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was Brock. He was in the lawn, and all of a sudden he comes to our row and it's like friends with the guy at the end, and we just could not stop looking at this guy.
SPEAKER_04That's amazing.
SPEAKER_01If you saw him, you wouldn't forget. Yeah. And then I sent that picture to a friend. I snapped a secret one, and my friend was like, You should see if he'll come on your show. And I was like, No, that's not the kind of show we're gonna have. I don't need to know any more about this man's life.
SPEAKER_04Come on. I'm just kidding. All right, Justin, thank you so much for coming on our show. Sharing a little bit of your story and what you're doing here in Northwest Arkansas. How can our listeners find you? What should they do to go seek you or the things you're doing out?
SPEAKER_06I'm not really big on social. So don't follow him. Yeah. I would say that I may see you in one of our restaurants.
SPEAKER_01All right. I like it.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, Justin. Thank you.
SPEAKER_06Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_01Hey, thanks so much for listening today. If you liked what you heard, please consider subscribing to the podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also follow us on Instagram at PeopleofNWA. Thanks so much.
SPEAKER_00People of Northwest Arkansas with the two Danielles, produced by me, Brock Short of Brock Entertainment. Please rate, review, and like us on any podcast platform where you listen. For more information about today's guests and the show, please check the show notes. Thanks for listening.