Worden Up
Gary Worden was in the publishing business before he decided to open a restaurant in Parkville, the Argentine-style steakhouse, Piropos. Worden had parlayed his interest in diving and flying into two glossy magazines, the eleven-year-old Dive Training: The Monthly Magazine for New Divers and Their Instructors and Flight Training Magazine. He sold the latter publication to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association five years ago, which gave him the funds to open Piropos.
But, Worden says, when he was getting started in the restaurant business, he discovered there wasn’t a lot of information available for first-time restaurant owners. “The books were outdated, and what information they did offer was pretty basic,” he says. Worden says his research shows that 42,000 people get into restaurant operations each year. “Although there are magazines directed at the restaurant business, there isn’t one specifically designed for independent operators starting their own places.”
So now that Piropos is up and running, Worden is back in the publishing game. Last week he distributed the first issue of a new monthly, Restaurant Start-Up & Growth. The 75-page magazine is based in Kansas City, though the editor, Barry K. Schuster — a lawyer and editor in South Carolina — hasn’t moved to town yet.
Schuster has no background in the restaurant business, which Worden sees as an asset. “This magazine is about learning the ropes of the restaurant industry, so Barry will be learning from consultants and freelancers how the business works, just as our readers will,” he explains. “Our readership is the people who are just in the start-up phase of operation.”
Worden’s masthead includes some familiar contributors, including local wine expert Doug Frost. “Doug hasn’t actually written an article for us yet,” Worden says. “But he’s going to.”
The first issue includes features on restaurant service, including an overview of a pre-shift server’s lineup by former Gilbert and Robinson waitress Susan Dickson and a column on controlling employee theft. A recurring monthly article will list the number of restaurant start-ups by state.
Worden is distributing his publication to new restaurateurs across the country from a list of applicants for new business licenses, liquor licenses and building permits. “We’ve had very positive feedback from this issue,” he says. “We’re filling a niche.”
