Interview with John McDonald, pt. 1
If Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine could be brought to life in modern day New York, he might very well be reincarnated as John McDonald. A dashing entrepreneur with boundless ambition, McDonald has built an empire that includes several downtown restaurants and bars, beverage company EBOOST, internet property Tasting Table, and City magazine (to which BaseWords has contributed). We grabbed John for a quick discussion about how he makes it all work.
Base: You own some of NYC’s more renowned restaurants and bars including Lever House, Chinatown Brasserie, the MercBar, and Lure Fish Bar; you publish magazines, and recently launched a new online initiative. What do you tell people if they ask you what it is that you do?
John McDonald: I often struggle to nail that answer in one sentence. I don’t really think of myself in a definitive way like, “I do this or I do that.” Most people think I am a workaholic but I never really think of myself as working. My routine is that I have no routine. It eliminates boredom.
B: What is the common thread for you with these endeavors?
JM: They all work together seamlessly. In some form or another all of them involve design, food, wine, people – and I use the restaurants as a social soundboard to gather ideas and catch trends. If I only sat at a desk, I would be reliant on what came to me or who called me to tell/pitch/sell me something.
B: Were these various subjects all things you are personally interested in? Or was it more the excitement and challenge of developing these ideas into viable ventures that intrigued you?
JM: All of it is quite personal. I don’t have interest in, say, publishing and creating a magazine about fishing or some topic that is not a serious personal interest. And similarly I would never open a restaurant that I don’t truly want to be a regular customer. The industry is tough enough, so one must be in it 100%.
B: While maybe not bound by a single style, these projects share at the very least an appreciation of style, and recognition of the importance of style, both in content and presentation. How much of that is you, and how much is finding the right people to match your vision, and then letting them do their thing?
JM: So far I am always instinctively known exactly what I wanted to do at the early stage of developing the few things I have done so far but the real test is in the execution and that success or failure is mostly predicated on the quality of the team.
B: What is the favorite of your properties? Why?
JM: MercBar would probably be the one. It was the first and has so many memories. I can sit in any corner and immediately amazing stories come flying. 1994 in Soho was also a magical window that I feel lucky to have witnessed.
B: What restaurants do you look at and say, “Aw! I wish I’d done that!”?
JM: Balthazar. I know that is obvious, but it is the perfect restaurant. I can remember how the first week it opened some people didn’t quite even now how to say the name.
B: To this day, I remember Canteen. The Marc Newson decor definitely made people take notice. Why do you think that restaurant did not succeed?
JM: Canteen was an amazing project but at the same time very indicative of that moment and the high-living internet boom. Nobody had really heard of Newson in the USA back then and the power of his design was amazing but as a restaurant it was not sustainable. A big part for why I converted that room to Lure as also due to a partnership with my chef that went sour. This is one business that cannot afford any variance in vision by its partners.
B: Did the failure of a property make you stronger? More discerning? More critical?
JM: While I cannot avoid the fact Canteen did not last more than the five years it did, I was fortunate because I was able to willingly make the change. Most of the time you see people lose control of the situation. I also look back at what was learned and the experience itself was worth it. People still ask me about Canteen to this day so it at least made a memorable impression.
B: How do you launch a new business or property? Do you do a lot of research? Or is it more about instinct?
JM: Ninety percent instinct. It may not be right but I think too much analysis just paralyzes most people.
B: How involved do you remain in these projects day-to-day?
JM: Varies day to day. I have two new babies (EBOOST and Tasting Table) that need a lot attention right now. I still check in on the restaurants daily no matter what and I make sure all my meetings take place in one of them which allow me to observe what is happening while taking care of other obligations.
B: Is your father still involved in the business? If so, what is his role?
JM: I see my dad everyday and he is always somehow involved. He helps me see what is important through all the chaos.
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