Meet Eric Anderson | Managing Partner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Anderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
“The Customer is Always Right.” Fundamentally, I don’t disagree with it, but overall it can be dangerous to listen to everything customers want you to do–from food and liquor selection to décor. Once we have established our concept, it’s important for us to stick with it and to what we are. If we listen to every person who says, “if you start carrying <insert liquor name here> I’ll be here every day,” we would need another whole bar to stock the miscellaneous items. The same goes for things like happy hour (which we do not have), loyalty programs, and discounts for various groups or segments of the population. We have taken a hard stance on our concept–what we are and what we are trying to be. We believe that our food and beverages are worth the same price at any time of day or night, so we don’t have Happy Hour; that every customer is equally important and none should get something more than anyone else (yes, we do and will take care of regulars on occasion, but no one gets a guaranteed up front discount). At the table or bar level, yes, the customer is always right. If they are unhappy with their food, if they think the music is too loud, or it’s too cold, or if we do make a mistake in the kitchen or with service, we will do everything we can to accommodate. But at a much more macro level, we politely listen to everything, but stick to our plan. It may sound somewhat arrogant, but how will we know if our plan is right if it is constantly changing?

What should our readers know about your business?
We are a whole animal butcher shop, with a bar that serves small plates of food inspired by our butcher case offerings. During the day we have a craft sandwich menu that features our meats, sausages, house made pickled products and condiments. We emphasize local and regional products and work with Florida farmers and ranchers. Our goal is to capture and old-school feel to both our butcher shop and bar. We want to be the place where the butcher knows who you are and what cuts of meat you like. In our bar we emphasize socialization. We only have one small TV and hardly ever have it on. We spin vinyl at night just to create that old-school feeling. When my partners and I first got together we bounced around several different concepts, but couldn’t settle on one. After months of discussion, we somehow fell on the idea of a craft butcher shop and bar. So far it has worked out well. Most of my lessons relate to the buildout, construction, dealing with the city, permits, lease, and things along those lines. Basically, do your homework, ask questions, and most importantly, do not accept the status quo. Just because “that’s how it’s always been done,” doesn’t mean it has to continue to be done that way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wow. That’s a tough one. There are a lot of local breweries that would definitely be on the list–Copperpoint here in Boynton Beach for their great beer and comfy taproom, Matthews Brewing in Lake Worth for their Cask beer and incredible music selection. Driftwood, here in Boynton, is doing some incredible things food and beverage wise. We’d go grab a refreshing bowl of guacamole at GuacaGO for lunch and take it to the beach. No visit to East Boynton would be complete without a visit to one of our waterside establishments–the newly renovated Prime Catch is a great spot. For the final send-off meal, it would definitely be at CUT 432 in Delray Beach–the best steakhouse in the county in my opinion. Of course, we would have to stop by the bar at City Oyster before or after to see the most well-known and friendliest bartender in Delray–Wayne Pasik.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents. I learned so much from both of them, but different things from each. It’s fun for me to look back at the things my Dad taught me as a kid and apply those things to our current business. My Mom just loved every bit of life and I got a lot of that from her. My business partners are an inspiration. Our Chef/Partner Dan, has an amazing palate, and an incredible belief and desire to support local farms and farmers. It shows in our concept and his food. Our Butcher, Jason, is primarily self-taught, and has stepped up in ways that far exceeded expectation. His drive to keep learning and doing better is inspirational. Finally, our 3rd partner Marit, who has an absolutely unmatched natural gift of making people feel welcome. We often tease her about it, but she can meet someone for the first time, and 15 minutes later be laughing or crying with them and hugging them. It’s an amazing gift that the rest of us try to emulate.

Website: www.butcherandbar.com
Instagram: thebutcherandthebar
Facebook: The Butcher and The Bar

Image Credits
Jupiter Compass