Today, we’d like to introduce you to Charlie Greene.
Hi Charlie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My former business partner and I started Pierogi Mountain in early 2016 in a tiny kitchen with a service window inside Cafe Bourbon Street, a punk rock dive bar in OSU’s University District, with $1000 between us. We were only able to do so with the support of our indie music/art community and the benevolence of Dave Fricke, the bar owner. We became popular for a late-night meal among the local artist & musician community, townies, college students, and touring bands alike. In 2017, we were featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri (“College Town Champs,” s27e13). We also ran a pop-up at local independent radio station CD101, started a catering side business, and catered the green room at Nelsonville Music Fest every year. In 2018, we opened a second location (also a tenant kitchen) in German Village at the original Max & Erma’s location. We were in negotiations with an investor to purchase said business and take the bar over as well when COVID-19 happened, forcing both of our locations to shut down. However, this did qualify us for EIDL and PPP loans from the government, which we used to open our own standalone full-service restaurant at our current location. We pride ourselves in our scratch-made menu, our extensive vegan options, our ties to our community, and paying our employees a living wage by eliminating the sub-minimum tipped wage and extending a living wage and even tip split to all our employees. We are also a member of One Fair Wage, a nonprofit, non-governmental organization in the United States for restaurant workers to end the sub-minimum wage for tip workers who make less than the minimum wage before tips.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting any business is a challenge, but we literally built ours from scratch, managing every growth phase by the seat of our pants. Weathering COVID was also a wild time, to say nothing of opening a new location with new challenges such as expanding to FOH operations, sourcing all the fixtures and equipment needed for a new location during the shipping and material shortages affecting every industry globally, managing a whole property including HVAC, refuse, a parking lot, and a patio; and the responsibilities of obtaining and maintaining a liquor license.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I worked my way up from the bottom in this industry, starting with dipping ice cream and making milkshakes at a local ice cream parlor when I was a kid. I’ve washed dishes, done prep, worked on many lines, had management roles, and been an Executive Sous Chef developing recipes and training materials for a franchise business. I have over 20 years in the industry and have always been drawn to cooking and the general din of the kitchen.
I’ve been vegetarian for 18 years and vegan for 9 of those. I pride myself on and have a reputation for creating vegan analogues to meat and dairy ingredients. I am known for my seitan kielbasa, tofu-infused seitan schnitzel (once called the “best vegan sandwich in Columbus”!), vegan cheese sauces, creamy dressings, and cold sauces (all offered in Pierogi Mountain’s regular menu), egg analogs, and meltable vegan cheeses.
I think what sets us out as a company is our rotating menu (pierogi and specials change very frequently) which is scratch-made, a little quirky, and committed equally to omni and vegan food at the same price point and level of presentation; commitment to sustainable eco-friendly packaging, fostering a queer- and trans-positive safe space for employees and guests alike, and paying our employees a living wage while taking a stand against the traditionally exploitative labor practices present in the industry.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
For aspiring chefs: you should be ready, willing, and able to cover any station or do any job in your restaurant at all times. You can graduate to writing menus and creating specials, but you never graduate from taking out the trash, doing dishes, and cleaning. If you aspire to that, then pick another industry or know that you are basically asking your staff to wipe your ass for you. Don’t ask anyone to do any task you wouldn’t do. The old ways of being physically and emotionally aggressive to your staff need to end; do better! Your staff should respect rather than fear you.
For aspiring business owners, a 50/50 partner is a double-edged sword. You can split duties, but you also either have to be willing to spend the energy to reach a consensus on every single decision or live with relinquishing some control over certain aspects of the business. You will also ultimately be held accountable for all of your partner’s actions or lack thereof; including to your staff, customers, business relationships, and even legal matters. I’ve had two great business partnerships, one of which ended with a complete breakdown of communication, trust, accountability, and responsibility.
For people like me who have plenty of experience being a chef and also owning another type of business, I thought with my 30sih combined years of working in the culinary field and owning side businesses in live entertainment production and garment printing. I would be well prepared for the unique challenges of the role of chef/owner. I WAS SORELY MISTAKEN! I still learn something new every day!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pierogimountain.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pierogi_mountain/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PierogiMountain/
Image Credits
Dylan Batt
Laney Spencer
