Barzotto & Mister Jiu’s Marko Sotto on getting it right
Marko Sotto is a force to be reckoned with. Born and raised in San Francisco, Marko has been part of the food and beverage industry since he was 16. Though early roles included positions at Olive Garden and Chevy’s, Marko was later noticed and taken under the wing of some of the world’s most influential restaurant operators. Marko credits much of his overall current success to the mentorship of Michael Mina, who helped him grow from a 21-year old bartender at Aqua to a chef, businessman, and leader over the span of 10 years. Later, Marko opened Thomas McNaughton’s Central Kitchen with Ne Timeas Restaurant Group and worked with Adriano Paganini as General Manager of Beretta and most recently, as Back of the House Restaurant Group Director of Operations. Today, Marko owns and manages the highly rated Barzotto in the Mission and is the manager of the recently Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s in Chinatown, which was rated the #3 restaurant in America by Bon Appetit last fall.
Can I Speak with the Manager? sat down with Marko to discuss restaurant leadership, dim sum breakfasts, and fine dining with a 5-year old.
On Barzotto:
I opened Barzotto in August of 2016. After working with Adriano (and his Italian-American Pasta Pomodoro chain empire), I had the confidence to take the charge of opening a restaurant and management company. Barzotto is a scalable concept and fast casual seemed to be an intelligent move because operators face so many challenges now with labor costs and city ordinances. Fast casual concepts can save money by having less staff in the front of the house but still maintain some of atmosphere of a full-service restaurant. Charles (Bililies, of Souvla) hit it out of the park with his concept. Barzotto is doing well but there is a learning curve on building a (sophisticated) restaurant with a fast casual budget. Making hand-cut pasta everyday can be difficult in the fast-casual setting.
Most people ask why we would choose pasta. It’s a cuisine that expands beyond Italy to all cultures now. Pasta brings people together, it’s nourishing, it’s comfortable. Everyone likes a big bowl of pasta. From an operating perspective, food cost can be easier when you are working with predominantly flour and water. We are trying to reach more people, give them quality food, give them something they can appreciate. I want to make food where the people cooking the food can still afford to eat it.
On how he got connected to the hottest Chinese restaurant in America:
After two decades of operating, there come to be these people that you “know” but have never met. Anna (Chet Jew Lee, co-owner of Mister Jiu’s) was working with me when I was the GM at Beretta. I always had an awareness of Brandon (Jew) and knew he was going somewhere. When he opened Mister Jiu’s, I was working on Barzotto but had extra time to get my hands into a General Manager role at another operation. For me, because of the timing, it was a calculated risk - I wanted to invest in a chef that was going to go far. Overall, we have very similar philosophies of how we want to run our restaurants and I believe there will be future collaborations. There is safety in numbers - you can achieve a lot of greatness with your network.
Outside of the #sffoodie scene, Mister Jiu’s is a quintessential Chinese restaurant. Inside San Francisco, they are a major symbol of the progression of Chinese food and the first to apply Western techniques like what you would see at Quince or Zuni or Bar Agricole - a more California approach to local produce and a focus on building relationships with farmers and producers and not being restricted by tradition. We’re also one of the first Chinese restaurants to have such a strong dessert program; Melissa is making some amazing desserts.
Brandon was born and raised in San Francisco, wand early in his adulthood, he was trying very much to be more American and now I think he finds himself trying to be more Chinese. I experienced that as a Filipino-American growing up in San Francisco - we were diverse but I was drawn to American culture. Now we see more operators and chefs that are finding themselves and their heritage.
On what we’re eating at Marko’s house:
I cook every night. If I want to impress, I have two versions of tuna tartare that I have dialed. Laurent Menric’s moroccan tuna tartare and Michael Mina’s version. Those two tuna tartares and glass of champagne will impress.
On his favorite meal period:
Brunch is perfect for restauranteurs. We can enjoy waking up later than the rest of the world and have our first meal with a a level of expectation that you would get from a dinner period. Lunch is more business focused, but brunch is about pleasing your palate and getting together with friends. You can have a mimosa (or three). It’s the most social meal and there’s no limit on what is acceptable to order at brunch - have a steak if you want to!
If I’m having brunch with just one other person, I’ll go to Plow in Potrero Hill. For a large group, I like a nice dim sum brunch. Since working at Mister Jiu’s, my palate has changed. Dragon Beaux or Koi Palace are great places to bring a lot of people together. Dim Sum is about sharing everything. I like seeing something, taking it off a tray, and having it within seconds. I'm not patient person.
On San Francisco favorites:
Z&Y Restaurant in Chinatown has been operating for a long time. I get the 1000 chili chicken (also called “Explosive Chicken”) and Bitter Melon with honey. It’s food you won't order at a lot of Chinese restaurants. They don’t know where I work - it’s nice to turn off the restaurant manager. I'm just another hungry person.
I send out of towners to Mourad. Rich Table is an excellent representation of the San Francisco dining scene. Then I’ll send them to Souvla and Barzotto, which I think bridge the gap between fast casual and fine service.
And anything Michael Mina. Michael Mina applies new things to his restaurants without having to be in the restaurant everyday - he can be part of 30 restaurants at once.
On his favorite dives:
Lone Palm on Mission and 22nd. The more upscale cocktail bars are are great for impressing out of town friends, butt we go to Lone Palm when we want to relax and take a load off. Buddha Bar in Chinatown near us is good too.
If I’m going to a cocktail bar, I’ll order a Negroni - it’s hard for bartenders to get terribly wrong. I like balance of bitter and sweet.. I’ll also go for a gin and campari. As an ex-bartender, I sometimes have an appreciation for a guest who just gives you an easy drink order that won't make you work too hard.
On his service pet peeve:
Lack of acknowledgement. Taking it back to Chevy’s - you learn right away the most important thing is “hi's and goodbyes” - you should be thanked by everyone you pass by on your way out. A lot of restaurants don’t do that.
On his leadership style:
My leadership style was shaped by Adriano (Paganini) and Michael (Mina), who were very different. I try to have a mix of diplomacy, leadership, and organization; it’s hard to find managers that have it all. Most lack either experience or diplomacy; sometimes managers have been around the block but they’re burned out. I’m very aware of staying relevant and effective by utilizing more than one philosophy to connect to the staff. It does take a lot of hands-on time.
When I first moved into management after 10 years bartending at Aqua (run by the Mina Group and now closed), I made a lot of the common fumbles that managers make. The problem is that you get the job because people like you, but the skills that made you endearing to guests or co-workers can be challenging as a manager. It took me 5 to 6 years to really become the effective GM I became at RN74.
On his ideal day off:
I get weekends with my 5-year old son and I take him around the city to eat food he won't appreciate until later in his life. But he’s very mature and it’s nice to be able to walk into a restaurant with a 5-year old and dine. We recently drove down to Bodega Bay to a little fishing shop and small eatery (Spud Point Crab Company) across from where the crabbers bring in the nets. We get big crab sandwiches and a glass of sparkling wine for me. What better place is there to eat Dungeness crab.
For everything that has been good in my career, I haven’t taken many vacations aside from my honeymoon 8 years ago. Vacations are based on emergencies. With all the relationships I have as an operator here… your most precious offering is your reliability.
On where he goes to celebrate:
Hog Island Oyster Company. Get a picnic table, get some oysters, bring some champagne and just decompress. When you work in the industry, sometimes the best thing is to remove yourself from the entire city. In hospitality, you are always on. You'd be surprised how much it can make a difference once you get out of the city.
On hobbies outside of the industry:
I’ve been doing Muy Thai and boxing for 15 years. It’s a great stress reliever and its helped me stay in shape, and stay disciplined and focused since my early 20s. I trained with Chris Cariaso and Paris Alexander - they’re old fixtures in San Francisco martial arts and boxing.
Notes: Interview with Marko Sotto edited by Alison Harrigan. Pictures provided by Mister Jiu's restaurant.
