When Gene Kwon bought the venerable Mikado Japanese restaurant in downtown Salt Lake City, he had no restaurant management experience. None at all.
But he did have two things: years working at Nordstrom, known for stellar customer service; and a belief that, if he hired "great people" and fostered their creativity and loyalty, he could succeed.
Fifteen years later, Kwon's Salt Lake-based Latitude Restaurant Group encompasses seven upscale restaurants in the Salt Lake Valley and Park City, with plans to expand the business to Las Vegas and beyond.
Kwon's initial goal at Mikado was simply keeping the place in business. While he learned the restaurant trade, often manning the dining floor himself, he relied on his managers, giving them discretion to move the business forward.
Kwon has said that he tends to employ more people than he needs, a strategy that ensures that a surplus of well-trained, loyal employees are in place and ready to move into the next stage of growth. As Kwon has remarked, "Not only does it take money to make money, it also takes people to make money."
Kwon also has kept abreast of changing trends in the fickle restaurant industry. He returned Mikado to success, and oversaw the building of two more locations in Park City and Cottonwood, by focusing on the sushi menu. But as competitors also moved into that area, Kwon expanded his operations with a Japanese fusion menu that is now as popular as the sushi.
His newest restaurants, Harry's and Hapa Grill, also emphasize the fusion theme.