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Ron Perelman , and managing restaurants in Manhattan and East Hampton for Hillstone .
At first , she was taken aback . Where was the cutthroat behavior and the Machiavellian tactics to get ahead ? What happened to the grueling 16-hour days ? She was not in the Big Apple any more . The shift was hard at first , she tells us . But at least she was not getting work calls after midnight . “ I had a hard transition back to Philadelphia from New York : I had to learn what a healthy culture looked like ,” she recalls . “ Not to mention transitioning into a family business where my boss was also my dad . We had to learn when to turn off work conversations .
Entrepreneurial spirit
“ At first , my dad was cautious about branding Fearless as a group ,” Sydney goes on . “ He never wanted the restaurants to be about him , calling it Grims Restaurants .
“ He also never wanted to be a corporate restaurant group because he felt we would lose the soul of what made Fearless so special – namely , the diversity of thought and the independent , entrepreneurial approach that our team takes .
“ It is worth pointing out , we do not label ourselves a corporate
It ’ s quite clear that Marty was building a legacy group because , to be truthful , we are a family-owned and -operated collection of artisanal restaurants .
For Sydney and Marty , maintaining the authenticity of that statement is paramount . “ Creativity is really important to us and it must be incorporated in all aspects of our business ,” she says .
“ We certainly see it , and we strive for our guests to see it as well . This is not a huge corporate entity , sapped of its creativity .
“ Our employees are not pawns on a chessboard , I care what each one thinks and I want to know their opinions to help shape our business ,” Sydney continues .
“ When we branded the collection as Fearless in 2017 , we wanted that sense of bravery to be instilled in our managers , motivating an entrepreneurial spirit across the team .”
In doing so , Sydney asserts that team members – whether they are working at Tuckers Tavern , White Dog Café , Daddy O , Moshulu , Louie Louie , Rosalie , or Autograph Brasserie – possess a unique sense of ownership .
Unique concepts
But which concept does Sydney feel a particular affinity toward ? “ I can ’ t answer that !” she laughs . “ That would be like me telling you which one of my children is my favorite !
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