Tell me about the origins of Petula’s.
Petula’s has been something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time. I’ve been in the Boston restaurant scene for about 10 years now, and I’ve lived in Southie throughout that entire time as well. I always had my eye on this specific location: I always thought that Boston, and Southie specifically, needed a little neighborhood spot that was different, in a sense. When you walk in, it kind of transports you, almost, to a European café — it’s bright, light, and airy. The space is a little different, and you don’t find that as much in Boston, with food offered all day. We do lunch, dinner, and brunch, and we’re gearing up to add breakfast. Southie is such a great, supportive little neighborhood.
Take me to the very beginning. What was your first job?
Way back when I was in eighth grade, I was working at a pizza shop in my hometown of Henniker, a little town in New Hampshire. I just always loved the buzz of restaurants and being in the mix — even as a dishwasher, I thought it was pretty fun. Throughout high school and college, I always had a serving or bartending job on the side, but I honestly never really considered it as a career option.
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When I landed back in Boston, I was working on the side as a server at Lincoln. I became really good friends with the GM there, Mike Shaw. I ended up quitting my 9-to-5 corporate recruiting job because it was just sucking the life out of me. I dreaded it every day. I looked forward to leaving to go to my restaurant job. And I was like: Something isn’t right here.
Mike was working on opening his own place, Loco. He said, ‘Why don’t you try managing?’ I was hooked ever since.
What it is about restaurants that made you actually look forward to going to work?
I think, when you really try to boil it down, it’s the energy and the people. When you’re out at a restaurant, generally people are there to celebrate something, to relax, to escape something — and I just love being around people who have that mindset.
Growing up, my parents were really into throwing parties in my tiny little town. There wasn’t a lot to do, so they would host big parties. It was so fun, getting prepared for the parties, the signage, the drinks, the food, the music, all of that. I think it’s in my DNA.
We were known for our big New Year’s Eve parties, big tubing parties. I was always responsible for getting the food and drinks organized. What’s the playlist going to be? What’s the flow of everyone coming in and out of the house? Where are they going to put their shoes? Where are they parking? All of these logistical things actually ended up being a lot of fun.
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What goes into being on the opening team of a restaurant?
At Fat Baby and Nautilus, I was the general manager. It’s always a s--- show, honestly.
Things always are unexpected and go wrong. You need to mentally prepare for that and make sure you know that the big thing is getting a team who buys in and understands that the first three months are going to be rocky.
There are all the behind-the-scenes things that just take up time, like reservation systems, your website, floor plan, ordering, setting up all of your accounts. That’s kind of the boring stuff, from trash pickup to linen deliveries, all of those things.
This is a blunt question, but this is Getting Salty, so: How did you actually pull off the finances and the wherewithal to open your own restaurant in Boston?
The restaurant that was here before was called Sixth Gear, and I had touched base, popped in a couple times, and talked to the owner to see where she was at and planted the seed a couple years before it finally worked out. So I was on her radar, which was great. When she was ready to make a career change, she reached out. At that point, you have to buy the business, and the licenses come with that.
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I made a personal investment with savings. My partner, Mike Shaw, and I put in some of our own money, then we got a loan, and then we went for it.
The origin of the name is fun. I love my Oldies.
Petula’s is named for Petula Clark, an English singer from the ‘60s and ‘70s. I’m so impressed. A lot of people don’t know her. “Downtown” was her big song. My mom used to play her all the time to wake me and my siblings up in the morning, to get us up for school. It just kind of set the day on the right foot. She was in my head throughout the entire day, and I just wanted to translate that feeling for people when they came in, to set their day or their night off in the right direction. I want them to have a good feeling when they walk in.
What’s the vibe?
It’s a European cafe vibe: bright, airy, plants everywhere. I love antiquing, and I’ve found some really cool things throughout New England. There’s a really good French antique shop in Brookline, Autrefois. Our host desk is an old Harvard lectern, which is pretty cool. There’s a big marble bar, marble tiled floors. It’s a light, bright space where you can come in for brunch, or you can stick around for dinner, have a good co*cktail. The best thing is when we see people come in for brunch, and then they end up staying through dinner and having two meals. That’s my favorite thing, to see that happen.
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Why Southie?
It’s a really supportive, great neighborhood. I’ve lived in it now for over a decade. It tends to be a little more family-oriented. Again, there are still tons of young people who are moving in and living there. But I just love that there are people who’ve lived in Southie for 80-plus years who will walk by, and then there’s the new people who moved in last week. It’s a really nice variety of people, a lot of young families. We get a lot of them in for brunch, which is amazing. And then you get a younger crowd for dinner and late nights. It’s just a really nice mix.
Let’s talk about the Boston food scene. What are the big challenges? What do we do well?
I think Boston has grown so much in the food scene, even just in the past 10 years, which has been really fun to see. Even Southie specifically, it’s definitely not [just] a bar party scene. There have been so many good operators who have come in and opened some great places. So I think everything is moving in the right direction. I do think there’s a lot of opportunity for different types of cuisines to come into the city — I just went to Baleia, the new Portuguese restaurant. It’s nice to see these new concepts opening up that aren’t just foods you’ve seen a million times. I really think Boston is growing a lot.
Where do you eat when you’re not working?
I’m a huge fan of Gray’s Hall. And, of course, I love Loco. That’s my roots. It’s always good to go for a marg there, and a taco.
Let’s talk about early food memories. What did you eat as a kid?
I grew up on a farm, so a lot of our food was homegrown. A big thing that my dad would do on the weekends is make what we’d call slam-dunk breakfasts. Pretty much everything we were eating was from the farm, so it would be farm-fresh eggs and homegrown bacon. We boiled all the maple syrup, so our pancakes would have our maple syrup that we would make during boiling parties. That was one of my first big memories of really enjoying food and appreciating it coming from our backyard.
What was it like to be a dishwasher?
Honestly? I can’t believe I loved it as much as I did. Looking back on it, why did I enjoy that? I was definitely one of the youngest people on the staff. And I loved being around this older crew who knew how to run what was, in my mind, a big operation. It was a local pizza place, Main Street Pizza. I loved that part of it. I loved meeting the people who were coming in. I love that I got a free calzone once a shift!
I didn’t get paid much, and there was no AC. I think it was really just the energy and excitement of being the go-to spot in town. Lots of friends came in. It was definitely the social atmosphere that I enjoyed — not so much the scrubbing of the pots and pans, but I do have a serious appreciation for what goes into that position. It’s important.
What’s challenging and what’s gratifying about being a restaurant owner?
It was interesting: Going from being a GM to being an owner, I wasn’t really sure what the difference would feel like. But looking back over this past year, I absolutely feel so lucky. It’s really nice to be working for yourself.
But it definitely is not a glamorous industry. There’s a lot behind the scenes, like any job, that you don’t see on a day-to-day basis. And it takes a lot to make sure the restaurant is up and running with the right people and the right food and the right menu. There’s some not-so-exciting stuff that goes on in the background. But again, the majority of it is great.
Tell me about the food.
We tried to put together a menu that, again, is approachable. We’re a neighborhood restaurant. We wanted to be the type of place you could pop in multiple times a week and get something different each time.
We have a variety of pizzas. We have lighter, seasonal options. During lunch, we have a bunch of different salads and bowls, things that you can eat midday and leave feeling good and not wanting to go take a nap.
And then, come the summer, we’ve added a shellfish tower and these things that you can eat outside with our windows open, things that are refreshing and local. We have a mix of everything.
Our chef is Dan Haley. He and I met at Nautilus. He spent a lot of time in Nantucket. We’re constantly trying out new things, tweaking things. If there’s an idea that I have, or he has, we just discuss it. It’s very casual. There’s never really like: ‘You have to do this.’ It’s, ‘This would be great on the menu; what do you think?’ And then he puts his spin on it, and we try it out. It’s really fun. It’s a lot of back and forth.
Time for some quick, fun questions. How would you describe Southie?
Energetic. People take pride in the neighborhood. I would say, when it comes down to it, there’s a lot of pride here.
Who’s been your most memorable customer ever?
Oh my gosh. What a question. Good or bad?
Up to you.
I’m going to try and go positive on this. Al Horford from the Celtics was very memorable, and the nicest guy. He came into Fat Baby with his wife and his kids, and they were just the nicest family. They couldn’t have been better guests.
What are your restaurant pet peeves?
Bad lighting. I can’t stand the white, bright lights.
Favorite snack? What can’t you stop eating?
Oh, God. I love cheese. I’m a huge fan of cheddar cheese. I grew up on Cabot.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I spend a lot of time with my dogs. I have two French Bulldogs. I love going on walks. I love going out to eat, obviously, and I spend a lot of time in Maine. My family has a place up there.
In that case, do you like lobster rolls? And if you do: mayo or butter?
I do like lobster rolls. And: butter!
Petula’s, 81 L St., Boston, 617-752-4531, www.petulasboston.com
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.
