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Sep 18, 2024
Didn’t catch this episode of Invest Ottawa’s Invested in Our New Reality podcast? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered!
Below, you’ll get a full guide to Episode 1 of Season 14: Downtown: Evolved, including a full transcript and a snapshot of the themes covered in the conversation with Ottawa food and restaurant entrepreneur and founder Stephen Beckta, led by our Season 14 guest host Sam Laprade.
Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Simplecast
Invested in Our New Reality is a dynamic podcast where business leaders offer honest observations about navigating our ever-evolving reality. Each episode provides a space for entrepreneurs to speak candidly about the challenges and opportunities they’ve faced, arming listeners with practical advice on how to thrive in the future.
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Season 14 of Invested in Our New Reality Downtown: Evolved celebrates the companies that make their home in Ottawa’s downtown and those working to transform and revive the city’s centre.
Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Simplecast
Sam Laprade: Hi, I’m Sam Laprade and I’m so glad you’re joining us for Invested in Our New Reality – Invest Ottawa’s podcast for business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Cities have seen a lot of change in the past five years and Ottawa is certainly no different.
That’s why the 14th season of this podcast is called Downtown: Evolved, because we’re looking at the evolution of Ottawa’s downtown core. We’re chatting with leaders that call the downtown their home base, as well as the people helping to transform and revive the city centre – a network of engaged stakeholders helping Ottawa maintain and grow its reputation as a vibrant, exciting place to live, work, play and visit.
Stephen Beckta is exactly one of those people. He built a trifecta of some of Ottawa’s best-loved restaurants: Beckta Dining and Wine Bar, located in a historical building downtown, as well as Play Food and Wine in the ByWard Market and Gazellig in Westboro, and he launched, curated by BECHTA, which delivers hospitality right to your door.
Stephen is also a community builder who gives his time freely to multiple charitable initiatives and events. All with the goal of building a better stronger Ottawa, and I’m thrilled to have him on the podcast today. Welcome, Stephen.
Stephen: Thanks so much Sam. It is a joy to be here today with you and to be able to talk Ottawa and all the great things that are happening in our fair city.
Sam: We are thrilled – let’s dive right in! Stephen, one of the things we hear a lot about Canadian talent is that sometimes they need to leave the country to be discovered. And you did leave the country, you went to work in the restaurant scene in New York City, but you came back. We’re so grateful for that. What brought you back to Ottawa?
Stephen: Like any good move, it was done for love. I was living and working in New York for four years and I came back to go to a friend’s wedding. And I met my now wife at the tail end of that wedding, and we spent a couple days together and then I had to fly off to Paris for work. But we would spend somewhere between five and eight hours a day on the phone together during my time in Paris. And yeah. And she came and visited me, and I came and visited her. And within a few months, we knew that one of us was moving and the universe seemed to decide that it was Ottawa.
So yeah, I was thrilled to come back in October of 2002 and marrying my sweetheart Maureen and opened Beckta in the same year, 2003.
Sam: Well, I have seen you two together and it warms my heart. You are such a lovely couple and I love that she brought you back to Ottawa because we adore you here.
And we know Steven, that the restaurant industry, it’s a tough one. You’ve built an incredibly successful fine dining restaurant in Bechta Dining and Wine. I’ve been there a number of times, which was almost immediately rated by enRoute Magazine as the fourth-best new restaurant in Canada. How did you know that Ottawa’s downtown core was ready for a restaurant like Bechta?
Stephen: I don’t think you ever really know, you just kind of have to put it on faith. And I knew, you know, from the time I was 13 that I wanted to open my own restaurant. And when met Maureen, that was the missing piece of, you know, coming back to Ottawa and I’d always really wanted to do it in Ottawa.
And so, you have enough people, very sophisticated people in Ottawa that travel around the world and eat at some of the best restaurants, and so I just I knew that they were ready for this. There was a smattering of really great restaurants at the time but we tried to do something a little bit different. We really tried to put the focus on hospitality and really have it being a very caring-first restaurant. Food and wine are tools in order to care for people, so we sort of turned it on its head. And rather than it being a chef-focused restaurant, of course we have wonderful chefs, but we really want to care for people first and foremost, and that stems from the kitchen as well.
Every member of our staff believes in this idea of this philosophy of caring for people through food and wine. And I think when you have a great team and you put it together, then you know you can’t do anything wrong.
Sam: And I think you’ve done something really magical, Stephen as you’ve created this fine dining restaurant, but it’s not stuffy. It’s very welcoming and it almost feels like you’re in someone’s home in the best possible way and getting that level of hospitality. You do it better than anyone.
Stephen: You’re very kind, Sam. Thank you. It’s a joy for us to be able to do it. Like I said, the whole team is really on board with this idea. These are our shared values. These are the things that are important to us and it gives us joy coming into work every day to be able to take care of people like they were in our home.
Sam: Oh, it’s beautiful. You’ve received multiple awards and accolades for your restaurants and always so humbly by the way, because I’ve seen it. They each have their own unique flavour and atmosphere, and I’m always encouraging people, if you’ve gone to one, you’ve got to go to the other two because they are different, but still delicious, of course. But there’s the flavours, the atmosphere, the location. How do your restaurants reflect the Ottawa neighbourhoods in which they’re located?
Stephen: It’s a good question, Sam. I mean, if you think about wine, there’s a term called terroir, which is the taste of the place that something is from. And I think naturally, each place because they are unique, they are reflective of the neighbourhoods where they are. But hopefully, we have that same sense of caring vibe that goes on throughout no matter where each of the places are.
You know our flagship Beckta on Elgin St. is in a grand old house from, you know, 1875. And it tends to be, for most people, more of a celebration restaurant. It’s something that they do when they’re getting married or celebrating a birthday or anniversary or a special business occasion. We do have a lot of private dining rooms and certainly, it draws people internationally as well.
Where Play, in a lot of cases. was created because when we first opened Beckta, it became a little more serious than even we wanted. Our customers sort of demanded something bigger and bolder and better, more advanced tasting menus, more intricate dining. And after a while, we really just wanted to do something more playful. And that’s where we created Play.
So same great ingredients, but more simply prepared and much more accessible from a price point. It’s on its 17th year now, and you know, just doing really well.
And then Gazellig, like I always really wanted a great neighbourhood restaurant. That’s what I wanted Beckta to be originally, but then it decided to take a different direction. Both our staff and our customers kind pushed it to be more. And so Gazellig is in my neighbourhood of Westboro, and you know, I love that. I love that most of our diners tend to walk to the restaurant and are really from Westboro, although we do get lots of folks in from the near West, you know Kanata or Stittsville or Carp. Instead of going downtown, they think of Westboro as something a little more glamorous, a little more sophisticated, but without having to go all the way downtown.
So, each place has its own charms that are specific to the neighbourhood that they are featured in.
Sam: And I have to ask you because I already know the answer, but I want to share it with everyone listening. What does the word Gazellig mean?
Stephen: My first travels, my first real travels or work abroad was actually in Amsterdam. I was managing in American comedy dinner theatre in Amsterdam. And I loved. It, but I loved the Dutch culture and they have this term gezellig, which was more recently made popular on Ted Lasso. It doesn’t really have an exact English translation, but it’s the idea of this coziness of a feeling. Usually when you’re, you know, a time spent with friends, it’s an atmosphere, it’s just a feeling.
I walked in today to the bar at Beckta where our director of operations, Peter, was sitting. The lights were dimmed, he had a nice coffee with his computer. And I said “Oh, isn’t this gazellig?” And that’s it. And so, we wanted to create those types of feelings for our diners and for our staff when they go into the building.
And so, it’s not necessarily about, you know, dark and small and whatever, because Gazellig has these soaring ceilings, but it’s about this coziness and warmth that you get when you go in there.
Sam: It’s beautiful, and as soon as I saw that Ted Lasso episode I was like, that’s Steven! I know it. And I knew the meaning. That’s beautiful.
Your restaurants, Steven, are built around the idea of caring as you’ve mentioned. Both for patrons and for your staff. And I saw this so clearly on a number of occasions. We’ll get to talk about the pandemic in a minute, but I want to focus on why that element of caring is so important to how you approach business.
Stephen: It all started really when I started in the restaurant business, when I was 13, working at a restaurant called Malibu Jack’s. If people out there, if your listeners remember the early market days at the corner of Parent and Clarence Street. So, I came from a family situation that was not great. My parents had split up and I really didn’t feel very much at home at home. And so, when I first started working at this restaurant, a lot of older people and they took me in and really cared for me. I felt accepted, I felt supported, I felt, encouraged, I learned a lot and I really enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun. And so I thought, you know what? This is why I want to own my own restaurant, because I want to choose my family. I want to choose the people that I spend my days with.
And for people who are professionals in this business, they all seem to have one thing in common. They get it a real rush, a real joy out of caring for others. It’s this idea of making people happy, and it comes back to you immediately. You know, it’s not like you’re just sitting in the in an office, working away on some projects, where you don’t get much direct feedback. When you clear a plate from someone or when you pour a glass of wine for someone, or when you make someone’s day more special through their experience in a restaurant, it brings you joy. It is something that’s so fulfilling and gratifying. And so, it’s something that I think we all share at our restaurants. Our staff really share that idea and that’s where we wanted to build the business around it. And it’s less about the business model, you know? It’s also good for business, but it gives us joy in the process.
Sam: And once again, you do it beautifully at all three locations. I can attest to that.
You know the early days of COVID-19. I had a number of conversations with various community leaders and business leaders during that time. My conversation with you, I’ll be honest with you, Steven. It broke my heart. Talking to you when COVID-19 first started, and we were all trying to look at this new reality and try and figure it.
Can you talk to us a little bit about your experience getting all three restaurants through that time in history, which will of course we’ll never forget, but how it created a new business opportunity for you with curated by Beckta.
Stephen: We knew we needed to do something. At first, we were just happy to let this wave pass by. You know, we thought it would be, like most people, shorter than it was by a country mile. But after the first four to six weeks and enough friends telling us, “No, no, this thing’s going to go on for a long, long time,” we knew we needed to do something in order to care for our staff first and foremost.
You know, we would be delivering them care packages or family meals like they would have normally in the restaurant. I’ve never laid off anyone in my life and we had to lay off the entire staff. And that was the most heartbreaking part, because it’s so important for us to care for our staff first and foremost, even before our guests. Because if they don’t feel cared for, they can never care for our guests. They’re really part of our family. That’s our mandate.
And so, in order to create opportunities for them, we knew we had three good wine cellars to draw from. So, instead of offering people a bottle of wine with some takeout, we decided to curate these custom wine cases.
And we sold about 3000 of them during the pandemic for about two years, where people would write in and tell us their favourite styles of wines, their budget and we would create these special 6 or 12-bottle packages for them and then we would serve a little bit of food, a cheese place or charcuterie plate because we still were concerned about people’s health. We wanted to keep socially distant.
But then when it got to the point where vaccines were starting to come out and we knew the worst of it was over, we said, “OK, how can we employ more of our staff?” And so, we started these fine dining meal kits. And so we did about 30,000 fine dining meal kits – three-course meal kits, where we would deliver to people’s homes, I would record one or two meal kit videos a week to show people how to finish this wonderful high-end, fine dining meal at home in 20 minutes or less. And it became a real business. We still have it with the LCBO, one on strike recently. Suddenly, our sales of curated wine cases went through the roof again, which was fantastic. It’s just lovely to see that people are still connected to it, and we also do the meal kits but now, only on special occasions, so Christmas New Year’s, Valentine’s Day etcetera. You know the next one will be Thanksgiving and then we’ll do Christmas after that.
Sam: It was incredible to see how you, I don’t want to use that word pivot, but you really did come out of that, and once again trying to care for your staff, it was it was wonderful to see.
Stephen: Thank you.
Sam: Let me ask this. You’re deeply involved in the community and whether it’s through Algonquin College or BGC (Boys and Girls Club) Ottawa or through mentoring. What has this community involvement taught you about what sets Ottawa apart? Because you’ve lived lots of different places, but what sets Ottawa apart as a place to live, work and play?
Stephen: You speak about the community aspect first. You know what I’ve really discovered through my work with the Boys and Girls Club is the amount of compassion that people in Ottawa have. The amount of commitment that they have to supporting their community and that’s just wonderful to see. There is a kindness that exists here, that certainly is very different from other cities that I’ve lived in. There is a sense of obligation to give back and to be part of that greater community whether you were wealthy or not. Some of the greatest acts of kindness I have seen from people who have the least and their commitment to supporting the community in different ways.
Each quarter our restaurant group picks a new charity to support, to shine a spotlight on, and also to raise money for them through the restaurant, through the sale of one or two of our items. And I get to go and interview the executive director or the head of whatever charity it is, to talk about, you know, the impact that they make in the community. And, you know, I get to meet a lot of the volunteers, you know, I had such a great time recently connecting with the folks at the Parkdale Food Centre and seeing the impact that they have, or the Shepherds of Good Hope, which is the charity that we’re raising money for right now, they’ve got, like, the hardest, hardest job in the world right now trying to deal with the crisis around housing and addiction in our downtown core. And they do it with such smiles and generosity.
But it’s the volunteers, it’s the donors, it’s people who just contribute in small ways, because they know that if we’re going to have a great city, then we need to all contribute in many different ways.
Sam: Yeah, beautifully said.
There’s been a lot of talk about Ottawa’s downtown core going dormant during and after COVID, and two of your restaurants, Beckta and Play, are located in the city centre.
From your perspective, how can we revitalize the downtown core so that we’re creating the Ottawa of the future and really evolving?
Stephen: It’s a tough one Sam. I have to say. You know, the Ottawa Board of Trade came out with a study recently that the district that both Play and Beckta are in, the foot traffic was down 65% in 2023 compared to 2019. And 2024 is not any better. It’s hard. It’s really hard when people are not around, it’s very difficult to run a profitable business in order to do the thing that you do best.
You know, we’ve invested a lot of time and money and effort into keeping that flywheel spinning. In some ways, trying to create new opportunities, but also just trying to keep the momentum up and the spirits up of the people that work for us and that the diners that come in.
But it’s a question at the time. I mean, interest rates will have a lot to do with it. We started to see the interest rates come down recently, and I expect we’re going to see more, a lot more in the next year, which will free up some disposable income for people. But people have just gotten out of the habit of coming downtown. Of our three restaurants, Gazellig is miles ahead of the other two right now, because people are very comfortable staying in Westboro.
And it’s tough, you know, I know a lot of places downtown are struggling and we’re doing OK, you know? But it’s definitely not pre-pandemic by any means. Expenses have gone up dramatically in so many different ways. Food and labour and rent and everything else, and you just try to do your best. And you, in some ways, you just need to keep coming back to your core reason for being, which is about caring for people and knowing that if you do something great, people will continue to come back and see you.
But it’s getting people back in the habit of seeking out culture, which is downtown, which is not just going to a restaurant but going to an NAC (National Arts Centre) show or going to Jazz fest or Bluesfest or, you know, doing one of a million other great things that Ottawa has on a regular basis. But it’s getting people back in that habit.
A lot of people put all their eggs in a new home basket during the pandemic. And with interest rates rising, they kind of feel like they’re locked in the suburbs in a lot of cases, and they don’t have that disposable income.
So, it’s going to take some shifts both in the way people work, I think, you know, more people are starting to come back to the office on a more regular basis. It’s going to take a shift in the balance of their disposable income to be able for them to seek out the culture that they desperately want, but maybe feel like they can’t afford right now. So, for those people, I say, you know, please come on downtown, you don’t have to have, you know, a full meal, just come in for a drink and an appetizer and wander around.
It’s the vibrancy that we want again – you know? You don’t need to spend a fortune to be able to experience that downtown. And I know my colleagues in other restaurants and people and organizations all around the downtown core would just love to see people come back.
So, I just encourage our neighbours who live in the near burbs and the far suburbs to come back and spend some time down here. It’s a wonderful place and everyone’s dying to see you.
Sam: Such an interesting perspective, Stephen. thank you for that. Before I let you go, I just want to ask what would you say to your 13-year-old self, if you could go back to the kitchen at Malibu Jack’s and say, “Steven, someday you’re going to own three of the most popular and well-loved restaurants in this city.” What would you say to Stephen Beckta at 13?
Stephen: “You’re on the right path. Keep at it. You’re going to really enjoy this.”
And I have taken so much away from my time in the restaurant business and from Ottawa that has been incredibly good to me and my family, the extended family at the restaurant. It’s been a wonderful, wonderful ride and I know it’s not anywhere close to being over. It’s great.
So, I’d say that you’re making the right choice to being in this business. It’s hard at times, for sure, but it’s also very gratifying. And in a way that many other careers I think are not, because again you don’t get that immediate feedback from staff and guests. When you make people happy, it comes right back to you.
Sam: True, beautifully said. It’s been such a delight to get caught up with you today, Steven, and thank you for all you do in the community. And thank you to you and your team for all the great delicious meals that so many of us have enjoyed. We’ve created many, many memories in all three of your restaurants over the years, and I cherish every single one of them. So, thank you so much.
Stephen: Thank you very much, Sam. I really appreciate it and all of the support that you’ve thrown our way for all the years and it’s just such an honor to be with you here today.
Sam: Thanks for listening to this episode of Invested in Our New Reality. We’re committed to bringing you dynamic conversations with business leaders who are transforming and reviving the National Capital Region.
So, stay tuned to our next conversation about Downtown: Evolved, and be sure to reach out us at investottawa.ca with your thoughts and comments. We’d love to hear from you.
Until next time, I’m Sam Laprade and I’ll chat with you again soon.
Don’t miss an episode of Season 14! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Simplecast.
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