The Dynamic Spark of the Stark's

The Dynamic Spark of the Stark's

BY KELLI COLACO

I’ve heard of couples in the industry who manage to successfully open and run a venue together. This is a rarity to be respected. So, when CW ‘wine country wonder’ rep Sherri Barrows pitched the idea of CW Magazine covering dynamic duo Terri and Mark Stark, who, if you didn’t know, own and operate seven dynamically killer venues in Sonoma County, my mind was blown. Surely she was exaggerating.

Where do you source your ambition and energy?

Mark: We just start with a conversation that usually begins with one of us saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if…?’ Everything with us has always grown organically in this way.

Terri: And the location. What that location kind of says to us.

Mark: Yea, that’s a big part of our motivation.

What is your secret for making a marriage and business partnership work so well on this level?

Mark: Pinot Noir and a sense of humor.

Terri: We met back in 1995 while working at the same place.

Mark: When both people are involved in a restaurant it can takea toll on a marriage. We really love what we do so this makes it easier.

Terri: Clear lanes are important, no crossing lanes. When we do, we are quick to remind one another. Still, the separation of church and state can get tough sometimes. Setting boundaries is really important.

Mark: We have conflict code words. Terri’s is ‘Shut the F-k up. Mine is,‘Yes, honey.’

Did you set out to own and operate seven venues?

Mark and Terri: NO!!

Mark: The plan was, we’d open Willy’s wine bar. Terri would work in front, I’d work back. We’d take a break at 2 pm each day to have an espresso, and then go back to work for dinner. The plan was we would do this for ten years and then jump out.

Terri: We were pretty successful right out of the gate. Three months after opening Willy’s we were approached about another location for Willy’s Seafood. We were just getting used to having one venue! We ended up opening three venues in under two years.

You have a lot of long-term employees and offer your team supportive employment opportunities. Do you credit this for part of your success?

Mark: We have always thought about our employees’ happiness first. Wenever worried about the customer because if your people are happy, the customers will naturally be happy.

Terri: We learned early on that the key to retaining people is to provide the opportunity for them to enjoy work, pursue future goals, make a nice living, get married, go back to school, buy a house, etc. Creating this kind of support system for employees who stay allows you to open new venues. This also allows you to help extend your staff’s knowledge and advancement, which all feeds into the success of our venues.

Keeping one restaurant alive during the pandemic has been greatly challenging for restaurateurs. You have managed to keep all of your venues alive? What do you credit for this?

Mark: Our venues being so well received in the community really helped.

Terri: And the fact we have all of the venues within a 15-mile radius. However, Grossman’s opened the day before the shut down so it wasn’t eligible for PPO support.

Mark: All the stores except for the steak house had outdoor dining facilities. The steak house had none. To pivot for this, we created a Brazilian Churrascaria (steakhouse). Built a huge wood grill in the parking lot. All you can eat. People still ask for it to return!

How do keep everything firing on all cylinders?

Mark: We promote from within.

Terri: What that means is that people and culture stay alive in each store. We also have an E.M.T (External Management Team).

Mark: Or as many call it, ‘Extra Mark and Terri’s!

Terri: EMT assistance greatly supports us across all seven of our venues. We have been in a relationship with most of them for over 25 years. This extra support allows us to foster greener employees with learning support for their culinary careers.

Mark: The EMTs also help us with external challenges; our present challenge is everything costing too much.

Terri: They look for opportunities to control our costs without affecting the guests.

Mark: They also help maintain consistency, from the big stuff to little stuff, like making bread crumbs, it’s a small detail but when we noticed our bread crumbs weren’t up to snuff, our EMTs could support this and get everyone on the right track. It’s the little details that matter.

Terri: EMTs can also fill in so chefs can go on a vacation and so people don’t get overworked. It’s important for everyone to get a break from time to time.

Which one of your venues currently exemplifies you the most?

Terri: Bird in the Bottle. It’s located in a 1906, beautiful two-story building that used to be a doctor’s office in downtown Santa Rosa. It boasts tons of character with a restored wood floor and bespoke design elements.

Mark: We love places that used to be cool spots but got worn down by time and neglect and then we bring them back to life in a new way. Like Stark’s Steak house (a Landmark building in Santa Rosa’s Historic Railroad Square in Sonoma County. Built in 1934) was the oldest freestanding building in the area. We’re kind of like venue flippers.

Terri: Like Bravas used to be a small old burger joint. When we decided to take it on I asked Mark what we should do there and he said:

Mark: Something very small.

Terri: So we decided on tapas vis a vis smallplates.

Mark: Really small plates!

It is deceivingly difficult to maintain a high level of excellence with tapas. And yet you do it so extremely well; so unique and authentic at the same time. As good or better than I’ve had in Spain. How do you make this look easy?

Mark: We went to Spain, ate tons of croquettes, read a lot of books and studied.

Terri: It’s funny the first day we opened Bravas a man walked in and sat at the bar. Right away he shared that he’s just gotten back from four years in Barcelona.

Mark: We were like, Oh great. This is just what we need!

Terri: But after his meal, he said he enjoyed our tapas just as much if not more than what he had in Barcelona. He said we assimilated extremely well. Was such a relief!

Healdsburg has become one of the hottest hubs for North America killer cuisine; kind of like a high-end amuse ‘bouchement’ park. What is it like to have such a prominent stake in this culinary mecca?

Mark: We were initially nervous to open Willy’s in Healdsburg in 2003 when there were only about, 11,000 local residents. Our inspiration was to appeal to the locals who would also be here during the winter. Then Charlie Palmer opened and put everyone on the map, things started shifting.

Sonoma County is palpably overflowing with vibrant culinary talent who happen to also be nice people. Is there something in the water here?

Mark: It is in the water. The restaurant communityis a small town. Everyone knows everyone.

Terri: The community here is very vibrant and real. They still have a ‘Future Farmers Parade every year. The whole town sets up chairs; very Americana in a very sweet way.

Finally, with seven incredible venues and massively full schedules, is it possible you guys have future plans for a new venue?

Mark: You know, we were just talking the other day…

Terri: And we were saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if…?