Bruce Bronster moves seamlessly between two high-performance worlds: as a Manhattan-based hospitality, corporate and real estate attorney—whose practice spans everything from restaurant formation and leasing to litigation and licensing—and as co-owner and daily operator at Santi, an upscale Italian fine-dining restaurant, alongside Chef Michael White.
A lifelong restaurant operator who started busing tables as a teenager, Bronster now oversees BBianco Hospitality’s infrastructure, development partnerships and design, while still stepping onto the floor each night at the restaurant to help shape the guest experience. As operating costs rise and guest expectations climb, he shares with Bar & Restaurant how he tackles the increasing challenges facing operators today.
Q: Where are you feeling the most pressure on margins right now?
A. The twin pressures of cost of goods sold and labor are relentless right now. Chef White is committed to an exceptional product and the staffing level a genuine hospitality experience requires, and the math gets very tight very quickly. Food costs are what they are. You can't cut corners on quality and still claim to be operating an elevated restaurant. At the same time, everyone on the team deserves fair and competitive compensation. That's not a complaint; it's a commitment. But it does make margin management one of the most important disciplines in the business.
Q: What’s one cost increase that you think operators aren’t talking about enough?
A. A few come to mind that don't get enough airtime. Energy costs in New York have risen significantly, and they affect every hour of your operation. The cost of flowers sounds trivial until you calculate what it takes to maintain a beautifully appointed dining room night after night. Then there's capital replacement: equipment breaks, interiors wear down, and operators often underestimate the cost of keeping a restaurant looking and functioning at a high level until they're confronted with it. These aren't glamorous line items, but they add up quickly.
Q: What is your biggest challenge today when it comes to hiring and retaining staff?
A. We're fortunate to have Michael White leading our kitchen. He's an extraordinary chef and, just as importantly, an extraordinary employer. The culture he creates attracts serious people and keeps them. In a busy, well-run restaurant operating at a high level, retention tends to take care of itself — talented professionals want to be where the standards are high and the work is meaningful. The challenge is more in the hiring: finding people who are genuinely passionate, not just available.
Q: In a high-touch dining environment, what has actually worked when it comes to keeping strong team members?
A. Culture and leadership, full stop. People stay where they feel respected, challenged, and part of something they're proud of. In a high-touch environment, the team understands that what they do matters, to the guest, to each other, to the restaurant's reputation. When that sense of purpose is real and not manufactured, retention follows. Michael sets that tone in the kitchen, and it radiates through the whole operation.
Q: How do you maintain service standards while operating with a tighter labor pool?
A. Fortunately, we're in a position where people genuinely want to work with us. The pedigree of the restaurant and the excellence of the food act as a magnet for serious hospitality professionals, which helps enormously in a tighter labor environment. Beyond that, it comes down to structure: clear systems, strong training, and managers who lead by example. In a leaner environment, everyone needs to understand not just their own role but the role of the person next to them. Cross-functionality and team cohesion become even more critical. The standard doesn't move. The preparation to meet it simply has to be better.
Q: What shifts are you seeing in guest behavior right now in terms of frequency, spend and expectations?
A. Guests are being more intentional about where they spend their time and money. For Santi, all three expectation have risen. Frequency comes from consistency and excellence, The spend has gone up because of pricing of the food and beverage. What's shifted is the threshold for "good enough." It's higher than it's ever been. Guests have more options and less patience for a restaurant that's merely competent.
Q: How has the definition of a “great dining experience” evolved over the past two years?
A. Authenticity has become the defining factor and authenticity today means the entire environment, not just what arrives at the table. The best restaurants right now are fully immersive experiences: the ambiance, the greeting, every step of service, the artwork on the walls, and of course the food. Each element must feel intentional and cohesive, as if it belongs to the same world. Guests sense immediately when something is genuine versus assembled. A room with real character, a service team that embodies the spirit of the place, and art that speaks to the concept. These aren't decorative choices, they're part of the story you're telling. The food is the centerpiece, but the experience surrounding it is what people carry with them and what brings them back.
Q: How do you approach menu innovation while keeping operations streamlined?
A. Innovation must serve the guest and the kitchen simultaneously. A dish that dazzles on the plate but creates chaos in execution is a liability. We think about new additions in terms of what they contribute to the overall arc of the menu: does it fill a genuine gap, does it fit the season, does it elevate the experience without overcomplicating the operation? Michael is disciplined about this. The menu has a point of view, and additions need to belong to that world. Changes are made monthly at a minimum.
Q: How do you decide when it’s time to evolve the menu versus sticking with what’s proven to work?
A. Some dishes become part of a restaurant's identity, anchoring the menu and drawing guests back. Other dishes serve their purpose for a season and can make way for something that reflects current availability, excitement, and team inspiration. The discipline is knowing which is which.
Q: What’s one area operators should be paying closer attention to in the current environment?
A. The total cost of the experience you deliver and whether your price reflects that cost. Many operators are absorbing cost increases rather than pricing them through, and that's a slow erosion of the business. Guests at the higher end understand value. If you're doing something exceptional, charge accordingly and explain it through the quality of every element of the evening. Struggling restaurants are often those caught in the middle: not differentiated enough to command a premium, and not efficient enough to win on volume. Our restaurant prides itself on individual touches. I'm generally in the dining room every day, Monday through Friday, and I have deep relationships with our guests, as does Chef White, as do our captains and managers. When you know your clientele that well, accommodating their preferences isn't a systems problem; it's a natural extension of the hospitality. You know who has a dietary restriction, who prefers a lighter portion, who wants something off-menu that they've had before. That kind of relationship-driven service is what separates a truly special restaurant from one that's merely executing well. The individual touch isn't an accommodation, it's the whole point.