Known just as much for his killer burritos as his charisma, Tristan Sapp is the legend behind Tristan’s Calmex Restaurant and Bar, recently honored at our annual That's PRD Food & Drink Awards. We caught up with Sapp this month to hear how it all began and what advice he has for other aspiring restaurateurs.
What first brought you to China, and why Guangzhou?
I came to Guangzhou sight unseen in January 2014. My friend Will from the States was working here and encouraged me to come and try teaching ESL. I’d spent the last five years managing hotels in San Francisco and LA and wanted to try something different; it seemed like a great opportunity, so I took it. I thought I’d be here six months and then head back to LA and restart the grind, but things spiraled wildly out of control and here we are.
Was there any single moment or experience that really pushed you to open Tristan’s or had you been planning it for a while?
I’d been wanting to open up a restaurant or bar back in California, but the cost of doing so was pretty daunting. I didn’t initially set out to open up anything here, but after about three weeks, I caved and really needed a taco or burrito. The only place at the time in GZ was… terrible. I mean, it was really the worst burrito I’d ever had in my life, and the most expensive.
My first Taco Tuesday, born out of necessity, was literally me, three roommates, and one roommate’s girlfriend; the next week, it was double the people, and it just kept growing from there until we took it to a few bars as a pop-up kitchen. The politics and logistics of using other people’s spaces is tricky, and after a while, my now-wife and I decided to open up our own place and do it my – er, our way.
Describe the process of ‘inventing’ a new dish and/or how you decide which of your creations make it onto the official menu.
It usually starts with me reminiscing about a place I loved back home and then trying to replicate the flavors, or going way, way back to when I was working in food service back in Boston as a teen and remembering Abed yelling at me for making the sandwiches too big (whose sandwiches are too big now, Abed??). I’ll get excited, go back into the kitchen and whip something up, then go give samples to customers and see what they think. If people like it and it’s logistically possible, then we’re off to the races!
What’s the biggest change in the F&B scene in Guangzhou that you’ve witnessed since working here?
I’ve seen a lot more focus on smaller or mid-sized bars and restaurants that have a special focus, whereas a few years ago, it was mostly big, mega bars that got all the attention. Basically, that it’s maturing; people aren’t really accepting foreign places that are "good for China" anymore, they want places that are just straight-up good by any standard.
Strangest/funniest request you’ve ever received from a customer?
I had a couple gals come in on Valentine’s Day and ask if we could make a heart-shaped burrito. It was cute, and I wanted to make it happen, but after about 20 minutes of trying to figure out how to make a heart-shaped burrito, my chef Bill and I gave up and I just served them two burritos in a ‘V’ shape. That was the closest we got.
Any advice for other restaurateurs starting out in Guangzhou?
Before you pull the trigger on a business, make sure that your concept is sustainable – it’s better to start small, be swamped with business, and have to move up, than to have a huge place that you’re never able to fill up and have to move down (which usually means closing). Also, following trends is great, but that means that you are going head-long into competition and you’re going up against places that are established already; never lose sight of or compromise on what makes your business unique.
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