About Stephane Bombet

I've spent 35 years in hospitality, and the lesson that stuck is simple: guests remember how they were treated more than what they ate.

Between 2010 and 2018 I opened ten restaurants, bars and clubs in Los Angeles as a co-founder, including Picca, Mo-Chica, Paiche, Terrine, The Ponte, Hanjip, Viviane and Faith & Flower. Each one taught me something about the details that make a room work: the greeting at the door, the pace of service, the systems behind the line that keep a team calm on a busy night. The Los Angeles Times profiled that focus on detail in 2015.

Today I run LA'telier with Chef Eric Greenspan and Bill Coyne. We design and produce catering and events for brands, private clients and organizations, in Los Angeles and across the country.

I sold my last restaurant a couple of years ago. Now, through The Operator Forge, I advise restaurant owners on profitability, training and operations. I'm also writing a book about front-of-house hospitality.

I was born in France and grew up in Marseille, in the south of France. In July 2001 I moved to Los Angeles with big dreams and a belief that the city had real room for French-style hospitality. I founded Bombet Hospitality Group in 2015, and along the way my restaurants received the 2 times Best New Restaurant in America award. I'm based in Los Angeles.

“Every mistake I made opening ten restaurants is a lesson I can save another operator from paying for.”