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Cool Under Pressure Brasserie by Niche’s Catlin O’Toole thrives in the chaos of COVID-19 Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
W
hen Catlin O’Toole talks about her love for hospitality, the conversation quickly turns to her dad. As a kid, it was the norm for her to watch as he generously entertained guests and welcomed people into their home for food, drink and conversation. It made a lasting impact on her. “My dad was the ultimate giving, home-hospitality kind of guy,” O’Toole says. “He’s just the kind of person who puts a drink in your hand once you get two steps in the door he’d keep filling your plate with food and give you some to take home. He always cooked a lot, too, so I grew up cooking with him and loving food. He really loves food, and I do too, so it was a way to connect with him.” As assistant general manager at Brasserie by Niche (4580 Laclede Avenue, 314-454-0600), O’Toole draws upon those foundational experiences to take care of her guests, something that has been equally challenging and rewarding over the past year. It’s a huge change from the environment she worked in when she started out in the business at her uncle’s restaurant and bar. There, she cooked, washed dishes, worked the cash register and fell absolutely in love with the energy of a packed room. She knew that this was where she belonged. O’Toole did not immediately pursue the restaurant business as a career, however. Instead, she went to college for psychology, not quite clear on what she wanted to do with her degree. She traces one part of that uncertainty to her free spirit and the other to her genuine love of the hospitality industry.
When COVID-19 came to St. Louis, Catlin O’Toole sprung into action. | ANDY PAULISSEN One thing that was clear was that she wanted to be in restaurants. While in school, she worked at places like the storied Jimmy’s on the Park, and she could not shake the feeling that this was what she was meant to do. O’Toole left St. Louis to live with her aunt in California, where she continued to make her living in the hospitality business. After she returned home to St. Louis, she stayed on that track before landing as a hostess at Brasserie. For seven years, she worked her way up at the restaurant, jumping at every opportunity to go above and beyond her regular job tasks to prove her mettle. That spirit would serve her — and the restaurant — well when the COVID-19 pandemic upended St. Louis’ service industry last March. Though she had not yet been promoted to her current role, O’Toole sat in on management meetings where it was clear, even well before the March shutdown, that things were going to get bad. O’Toole sprung into action. “We were all like, ‘Oh no. This is happening,’” O’Toole recalls.
“When it all went down, I was helping people get on unemployment and trying to do everything I could to figure out how to help. I was asking everyone, ‘What can I do, how can I help, and what do we need?’ I thrive in chaos, and that side of me just took over. I guess it’s a fight or ight response We need to survive, so what are we going to do?” In the course of the pandemic chaos, O’Toole was promoted to assistant general manager, a role that has allowed her to help guide the Brasserie ship through this tumultuous, pandemic-induced moment. As the restaurant slowly reopened for carryout, then inperson dining, she’s been mindful of her role that balances safety and service. She works hard to create an environment where people can feel like they have a momentary escape from the outside world, because they feel safe with Brasserie’s protocols. Moving forward, she see’s that as her ongoing role — and the ongoing role of service, in general. “I feel like hospitality is all about empathy, but also intuition
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too,” O’Toole says. “I think it’s just being able to read people’s boundaries. Some people want to come out and celebrate whatever occasion they are celebrating, but they are still scared. You can feel people being more tense, and our job is to try to meet them where they are. Every table and guest has different expectations, so having a strong, empathetic staff that you can trust to tell you what’s going on is super important. We’re trying to make people feel as comfortable as possible. When they are coming in they are trying to escape whatever is going on on the outside, and, for the most part, people are just happy to be there. It’s given people a little more gratitude that they are able to come out.” O’Toole took a moment to share her thoughts on the state of the St. Louis food and beverage industry, her love for music and why a little kindness — and a lot of mac and cheese — will go a long way. What is one thing people not many people know about you that you
MARCH 10-16, 2021
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