An offshoot of the Salvatori family's authentic Italian eateries, Salvatori's Hospitality group has taken iconic Fort Wayne restaurant Paula's on Main market and restaurant under their umbrella.
The Salvatori’s family business was founded in 2006, its New Haven, Indiana location quickly becoming a county-wide favorite.
By now the family’s number of Italian restaurants has grown to seven, including two more in Fort Wayne, as well as Auburn, Leo Crossing, and Warsaw.
We spoke with their managing partner Joe Sirk about the ventures and what it means to be part of that family.
Paula’s on Main is located at 1732 W. Main Street.
Here is a transcript of the conversation:
Julia Meek: Joe Sirk, welcome.
Joe Sirk: Thank you. It's an honor.
Julia Meek: You are now managing partner of Paula's on Main Street. Congratulations. And with 10 months, almost a year, under your belt, in a word, how's that all working for you about now?
Joe Sirk: Well, in a word, it's going smooth. Staff is wonderful. We retained 100% of our staff. Guests are really receptive and being wonderful at the same time.
Julia Meek: Now, okay, Joe, just where and when did your passion for the hospitality business emerge?
Joe Sirk: Well, most of my experience was at Biaggi's here in Fort Wayne; I worked with a great man, Ken Davenport, and learned a lot underneath him. Struck that passion. He grew me a little bit.
And then life happens, and had an opportunity happened where I could go manage in Cleveland, and then Chicago, and then Indy. (chuckles) And then my wife and I had our first son, and we moved back to Fort Wayne and got with other great restaurant groups.
Julia Meek: Well, is it fair to say that you are a foodie?
Joe Sirk: (chuckles) Yeah, I would think it's fair to say. Restaurant industry itself has been really good to me. I've worked with some great people.
I've been mostly with local owned restaurant groups, chains as well. It doesn't hurt to always be able to eat really good food. It's always a perk of this job, but it's also a passion of mine.
Julia Meek: And the appreciation that you brought into the business has to continue to grow by leaps and bounds as you carry on.
Joe Sirk: Oh, yeah. It definitely depends on which restaurant you're with. When you're in a restaurant or any job, and you know, if you're feeling worn down or anything like that, it helps if it's a job that you look forward to going to every day. And with Paula's, I'm always excited to go into there.
Julia Meek: And with all that passion, how did you happen upon the Salvatori Hospitality Group, and what did that mean to you as kind of the solo guy being invited to join a family?
Joe Sirk: Well, I would say this. Fort Wayne is a large city, but a very small city. So, I mean, I grew up here. I know a lot of the same people that, I mean, it's two degrees of separation in this town of knowing every single person.
So, I've always been a kind person. I've always treated people with respect. It just so happened that the Salvatori group, from one really good friend of mine that works for that group, beforehand, the group knew what I was looking for to advance my career and what I was wanting to do.
And we had to sit down and probably one of the fastest interviews ever, because they knew a lot of the same people that I worked with, and they all spoke highly of me, which is always an honor to hear. And yeah, then they said Paula's, and I was, I mean, that's like a dream job in this industry. I mean, a wonderful establishment, wonderful food, great reputation, so yeah!
Julia Meek: All of a sudden you have the chance to be part of the family.
Joe Sirk: Yeah, exactly. I mean, it's a great restaurant group. It's a great restaurant. I agree with every decision that we're making as a company.
Julia Meek: And meanwhile, keeping that tradition, what is it exactly about that iconic eatery that makes it special to you, as well as the community?
Joe Sirk: Well, what makes it wonderful is the guests. People walk in, they know my name. I know their name. I've gotten to know the community even better, even though I've been living in Fort Wayne for most of my life. So, it's just a wonderful place.
Julia Meek: Does it feel like it was meant to be?
Joe Sirk: Yeah, it really does. This industry does have its hardships, and one of those is always staffing. In just this amount of time, we've still retained 100% of the staff. That speaks leaps and bounds about them.
I hope it speaks highly of me as well as a manager. But we have people that when they make reservations, they request certain servers because they've been requesting them for years and years.
And that type of dynamic you can't duplicate, and it takes time to even get to where it is. So when you have an opportunity like this for a place like Paula's, it's just wonderful, and it does feel like you said, meant to be.
Julia Meek: And then preserving a great local tradition into the 21st Century. Of course, the big challenge making it sustainable. What kind of a vision, a game plan did that require? You've got a good structure, infrastructure, but what did it take from you to put it all together.
Joe Sirk: You know, again, with Paula's being around for so long, the staffing part of it was wonderful, and the guests, but standards. The Salvatori group, we have standards as far as steps of service that we try to make sure that we do.
So, like, if you were to walk into a Salvatori's or Paula's, or even Powers or Azteca, you know, any of our places, the standards, the people trying to call you by your name, the approach as far as how you're going to get your food and everything from the greet to how you're treated when you exit the building. We try to make sure that those are kept throughout all of our concepts.
Julia Meek: And just what kind of a hybrid skill set did you bring to the table to make this all work?
Joe Sirk: I would say my, my skill set is just my personality. I enjoy being there for the guests. There's a lot of places that I've gone where you know, you just feel like it's a job, but you can see it hopefully, in the way that I talk to guests that come into the building.
I care. I care about how you exit that building, loving the experience that you had. And that's very important to me. It's a very intimate thing. We're giving you food. We're nourishing you. We want you to have a good time. We want you to have good service. We want you to have food to take home because you're so well fed. (both laugh)
Julia Meek: You want, you want everyone to come back?
Joe Sirk: Yes, yeah, absolutely.
Julia Meek: So, now that you are immersed in it, and it does sound like it's all meant to be, Joe, what are the advantages, the strengths in such a hybrid, family company type, business plan?
Joe Sirk: Well, the strengths, I mean, we have a good foundation for every place that we've stepped into. The concepts we have are completely different from one another. But our passion, it doesn't matter if we're serving smash burgers or lobster tails, you know, the service and our focus on guests leaving happy is our number one priority.
The benefit of our group is we care about the history of Fort Wayne and the restaurants that are part of it. So we care about keeping the traditions of places that have been around for years and years and years, if we can be a part of that and help hold those standards, and if we can elevate it in any way, that's what we want to do.
Julia Meek: Just as the original families that started all of these businesses.
Joe Sirk: Yeah, we've known all the previous owners. Actually, we've even spent time with the previous owners saying, like, hey, in the good years, what were things that you saw that were amazing?
You know, you don't get to where we are without listening to the people who used to own it, the people who come in day to day, and the staff. And that's what we do.
Julia Meek: The elders.
Joe Sirk: The elders, yes. (chuckles)
Julia Meek: So, okay, stepping back to look at the unique local dining history that Fort Wayne enjoys. We are known for embracing family and ethnic eateries. Is this still a factor in your group success, that built in solidarity?
Joe Sirk: Yeah. So, we have a lot of entities, right? We have the Salvatori's group, which is seven locations right now, and we have all the other concepts, but we're not a corporate structure. You know, we don't have concepts in every city across the US or anything like that.
We're still trying to stay true to who we are and keep it local and keep a firm grasp on the community. We do a lot for donations, and we do a lot for any groups looking for you know, we want to be here for the community.
Julia Meek: And you have that reputation to maintain as being very philanthropic. Does it feel like family when you are putting all that family affair into it?
Joe Sirk: It, it feels like family a lot. I can speak on my part. I feel like family at Paula's 100%. I mean, they all have my phone number. They call me and text me about work, yes, but they'll reach out about anything and everything as well.
And I think that's key in this industry, is to treat people, not like numbers, but people and so, you know, we sit down, we talk. I know all their family life, what's going on, and I try to be there for them. And those are the things that are missing in this industry quite a bit.
And as far as my partners, I've been with some really great restaurant groups that have always treated me like family. I feel very blessed. And this one is on with that par. They're just great people.
Julia Meek: Good for you and for them.
Joe Sirk: Good for me. I'm good for them. They tell me, I'm good for them. (both chuckle) Nah, I'm good for them. They're good for me. They treat me like family. It's a wonderful deal.
Julia Meek: Now, a real quick look at those challenging COVID quarantine months; you were on the local scene at a restaurant.
Joe Sirk: Yeah.
Julia Meek: How did local restaurants come out on the new normal side, would you say?
Joe Sirk: One of the biggest struggles after COVID was staffing. There was a lot of government help, which is great, but getting staffed up after COVID? The restaurant group I was with, we only closed for two weeks, and then we came right back into to go and delivery.
Tried to do our best with that. And it, yeah, it took a long time. You learn a lot in this industry when you go through those types of things. I mean, there were loans that we applied for.
There was pretty much anything that we could do to make sure that, not only we could keep the doors open, that we could also provide for the staff in a way that when they did come back, they were making just as much money. Or, if you were a line cook, you were making more money.
Or, you know, we tried to be there. We have the philosophy at every restaurant group that I've been with of, if we treat the staff right, they're going to treat the guests right, and then there's nothing really, you know, you don't have to worry about the guests so much because, you know, they're being treated correctly.
Julia Meek: That's sound advice.
Joe Sirk: Yeah, yeah. We've always hung our hat on that type of mantra, but COVID? COVID was a struggle. Yeah, there was a struggle of knowing how we're going to change our business models and stuff like that.
Julia Meek: What are the biggest differences now, five years into it, would you say? And as it's applying in your life, through your place at Paula's?
Joe Sirk: The biggest changes? Sometimes it's product. Sometimes it's can we get this product in? Is it the price that we were guaranteed with our reps at that time? Looking over invoices is always something that's, if you think running a restaurant is easy, there's a lot that goes into it that's not seen from the, from the guest perception.
But yeah, there's a lot of changes with those things that you have to always keep your eyes on. And if you have good reps, they'll know and work with you and let you know about situations. Staffing is...staffing is always an issue in this industry.
So, if you have good staff, treat them right, because it's a blessing to have good staff. After COVID there was a lot of people who switched their industry. I would say this long after that effect, we do see a lot of people coming back into the industry. We see a lot of people having that passion to be chefs and cooks. So I feel like the trajectory's in a better way for that part of this business.
Julia Meek: And Paula's has historically been regarded as a mecca for people that wanted a good place in that industry. Are you feeling that as everything kind of picks back up?
Joe Sirk: Oh yeah, I don't, I don't want to brag, but if I put up a job posting for Paula's, I'll have somebody in there. It's a wonderful place to work. We pay our employees well, and they deserve it, because they work really hard. It's a technique to do fish correctly.
And I'm not going to sit here and say I can, because if you want me to make you a salad, I got you. (both laugh) But if you want me to correctly sear 100 dishes of seafood, I'm not. I've got good people, great people.
Julia Meek: That's what your staff is all about. And it's pretty obvious that Paula's staff is as legend, if you will, as the food, the product, and the whole history of the place. Now, even though you are still getting down in that new managing partner groove there, Joe, what can you be considering for your medium, even, long term future? Or have you had a chance to do that yet?
Joe Sirk: Well, I've gotten a chance to do that. So, I also am managing partner over at Shorty's Steakhouse up in Garrett. So, I split my time between the two. I'm mainly at Paula's for the, for the most time, but we've got a great thing going over at Shorty's.
That's another establishment that has a great history, wonderful staff. The same thing that we did with Paula's, we're trying to do over there. The community around there, I love the same thing. A lot of people coming in telling us how much they love the place, how much they love the fact that, since it did sell, at least it went to a good group that would preserve it and keep it Shorty's.
I've already had that opportunity with this group. We want to do more down the road, but we're not just going to jump on any opportunity. We want it same as all the other places. If it's a place that has a really good, strong history, and we feel like we can elevate it, then that would be something we'd do.
Julia Meek: That's your goal.
Joe Sirk: Yeah, that would be the goal.
Julia Meek: And this has been a year of uncertainty in many, many areas, including the economy. How does that affect your own plans? And how could you turn the negative around if it does exist?
Joe Sirk: (chuckles) Well, there is negative. Fish prices are not immune to everything that's going around. There's wine that we order at some of our locations that have gone up in price.
The one thing that's really wonderful is the companies that you deal with in a restaurant, they also inform you of all these things that are going on, so you can plan ahead. A lot of the seafood and a lot of the products that we order in our kitchen, in general, they'll be marked as high tariff prices. So, we can look into supporting more local or ordering something that's a little bit better price.
But the quality is always a big concern. So, you just you know, when you get a product in, if it's something new, we're making sure we're giving it a test drive before we are actually do anything with it. But yeah, the keeping the quality is number one.
Price is always like a secondary type thing. If you can make sure that the quality is there, if we have to up the price for some of the market price items, like at Paula's, that's an unfortunate thing, but it's also part of the whole situation that's going on in the economy. (chuckles)
Julia Meek: And you obviously are committed to bringing on the best for your customers that you have?
Joe Sirk: Oh, a hundred percent. I could look at my phone right now, there's probably 15 emails from my partners, and we're talking about quality of some of the dishes that we're getting in. And we're discussing prices, and you know what would be best for the guests overall.
Then from there, we had talk to the chefs. I've got an amazing chef at Paula's. She's been there for 18 years, and I couldn't ask for somebody better. So she looks over the prices, and she'll always talk to me beforehand and be like, Joe, just a heads up, this went up a lot in price. So we do everything we can to make sure that the quality is there.
Julia Meek: From what you're telling us, Joe, everything you are doing, including working very, very hard, is bringing the best of the family tie situation of these individual restaurants with a lot of cred and history into the 21st century with all the power of a really, really strong family. Is that what it feels like on your side of the business?
Joe Sirk: Yeah, when you have this large of a group and this many concepts, the nice thing is, you do have a lot of contacts. I don't feel alone at all in this group. So when you say you're a managing partner of something, people think that that all weighs on you.
I have a group that, if something went wrong, or I need something, or anything. I don't have a dishwasher show up today. So, you know, I call my group and they're like, hey, we'll have somebody to you shortly, or they'll be there.
I have a restaurant group that has so many capabilities to provide for one another, and they do it without hesitation. There's no hour-long wait to get a response or anything like that. Just a good group that always is communicating and always making sure that we have each other's back.
Julia Meek: It takes a village, and we are all in this together. (both laugh)
Joe Sirk: Always takes, takes a village for sure.
Julia Meek: So, as the community celebrates your commitment to preserving this local treasure we know as Paula's, Joe, would you tell us, at the end of the day, what the challenge, the hard work and the sense of place that you obviously exude, all mean to you?
Joe Sirk: Well, it's, it's honoring. When the guests come in and they're enjoying themselves, again, I've worked in this industry a long time. I've worked with concepts where it's constantly like crowd control, and you're trying to deal with issues.
Between five and nine at Paula's, walking the floor, talking to guests, hearing wonderful feedback, seeing five-star reviews all the time. We do what we do, and we put our heart and soul into it, and it reflects in the reactions from the guests. And that's very rewarding.
I can go home and feel happy about my day, therefore my wife sees I'm happy, therefore my kids see I'm happy. Those things all resonate. So if you were working a concept that you're feeling just beat up all the time, I know that reflects into your personal life. It's the guests, it's the staff. It's the honor of being with a concept like I'm with that reflect into my own well being. It's an honor.
Julia Meek: Joe Sirk is part of the Salvatori Hospitality Group and managing partner at Paula's Seafood on Main. Thank you for your commitment to food, to all of your endeavors at Paula's and for sharing this story with us, Joe. Keep up the good work. Many blessings.
Joe Sirk: Thank you.
