By Sally Deering
Luke Gomez, who owns HopsScotch bar and restaurant in Jersey City with his wife Sarah, compares running a restaurant to coaching a sports team. Every member of his staff participates – no benchwarmers – and when the place fills up with hungry patrons, it’s a huge win for the team.
You have to have your staff work well together, like a basketball team,†Gomez says. “The Line Cook is the Center. The Bartender is Point Guard. Servers are Guards. My management is my Assistant Coaches. And we don’t say we have guests. We have fans. Before the shift starts, I tell my staff we have a big game tonight and it’s not what’s on TV.â€