Meet Stacy Rudin Harding | Hospitality Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stacy Rudin Harding and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stacy, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Plate & Glass started relatively organically. There was no major thought process, business plan writing, or concept creation. I had been working as a Director of Event Sales for a prominent celebrity chef in New York City and was completely burnt out. I decided to take hold of my own happiness, and walk away from that position to take care of my wellbeing.

After hustling and working my way up through the hospitality industry in New York City, I took a break and came home to Miami for a month. Word was getting around that I left my position, and I started getting phone calls from friends and other industry connections looking for support with their restaurants, primarily streamlining and growing in-house event departments.

I signed two clients within a few weeks of each other, and went back to New York to work with incredible business owners and operators on refining their systems and enhancing their event operations. It was my dad that said, “Maybe you should set up an LLC and see if this becomes more than a couple of clients.” I sent out an email to my closest friends and family telling them about this new “project” and asked for help coming up with a company name. My dad, yet again, was the one who suggested Plate & Glass as the name.

Most of the people in my life worked corporate or other main-stream jobs, and this was really before other peers and colleagues were treating freelance as their full time jobs. Looking back, it was a huge leap of faith, and I’m so happy I took it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Plate & Glass is a restaurant consulting and advising company for restaurants and hospitality-focused businesses. When we first started, we were focused primarily on building out event departments for restaurant groups and venues, working with owners/chefs to either build a department from scratch, grow, or refine an existing event department.

I moved to New York City after college to be a career hospitality professional. After working in kitchens, I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t want to be a chef professionally, and took to front-of-house restaurant management. The events person at my first job in the city wound up leaving a couple of months after I started, and I quickly jumped into her role and that’s how it all began. I’ve worked for incredible businesses and chefs throughout my career, but was always focused on events within a restaurant setting.

What started as a pretty niche service for Plate & Glass grew over the years as clients came on board and needs developed. Events and catering is at our core, but as social media and digital marketing evolved, we started focusing on content curation, branding, and marketing work for clients. In early 2021 my husband Robby joined the company full-time, offering his skills in restaurant operations and management, budgets, and financial forecasting. We’ve evolved into a full-service consulting company for the industry we both love.

Starting your own company takes a lot of risk and faith. Thankfully, we don’t have a lot of overhead and as long as we have our phones and laptops handy we can pretty much conquer the day. There have been so many ups and downs and uncertainties over the years. Some months you’re so busy you don’t know how you’ll get everything done, and other months are slower and income is lighter. It’s really important to find a balance, and to take advantage of that down time when it does come around.

The pandemic was probably the greatest challenge we, and so many others, ever had to face. We relocated to Miami in May 2020, and watched as our industry cracked, restaurants closed, and businesses pivoted to stay afloat. The biggest lesson that rang true during this time, and over the past five years of running this company, is to always keep your head up. You never know what’s going to come at you and you have to be quick on your toes to make decisions, and changes, when necessary. If you love what you do and you think all of the hard work is worth it, just keep pushing. We both try to approach life and business with a happy and positive attitude. It makes the days a lot more fun.

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?

We’re really starting to rediscover Miami! I grew up in the South Miami area but moved away from home for college and had been gone for 16 years. I have my tried and true favorite local spots like A.C.’s Icees and The Last Carrot (where you can now find our client The SisterYard’s delicious Coconut Water Cold Brew Coffee) in Coconut Grove, and Roasters N’ Toasters in Pinecrest.

A day/night in Wynwood is always fun. We recently went to dinner at Uchi and absolutely loved it. NIU Kitchen x Arson is incredible, especially for delicious natural wines. I’m still dreaming about a dinner we had a Boia De and can’t wait to go back.

No trip to Miami is complete without a day(s) at the beach. South Beach is always a good time, but we’ve been loving North Beach and going to Taquiza for tacos and their amazing Totopos and Guac. We also love picking up sandwiches from La Sandwicherie and taking them to Crandon Park.

South Beach at night is a must for visitors. Driving over the causeway and seeing the cruise ships is one of my favorite parts about going to the beach. Drinks at Sweet Liberty or Broken Shaker and dinner at Baôli or Joe’s are always a hit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom and dad are my ultimate support system and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the two of them. They’ve always supported my dreams, ambitions, and goals. They give the most incredible advice, and always motivate me when I need it.

Professionally, I have incredible mentors and other women in the hospitality industry who have been such an incredible support system to me over the years like Erin Bellard (Owner, e’s Bar NYC), Susan Spikes (Senior Director of HR at Quality Branded), Ali Cayne (Owner, Haven’s Kitchen), and Sandra Di Capua (Partner, Union Square Play & Co.create NYC). It’s so important to find people who support and believe in you and keep them close.

Lastly, my husband and now business partner, Robby. He is my rock and biggest cheerleader and Plate & Glass wouldn’t be where it is today without him.

Website: plateandglass.com

Instagram: @plateandglass

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/plate-&-glass?trk=public_profile_topcard-current-company

Image Credits
Headshot – Lani Lee Photography Picture of Me and Robby – Katie Lopez Photo Coffee Picture with bottle – The SisterYard Meshugganah Branding – Meshugganah/Chris Cristiano