San Francisco-based Rafe Gabel – the vice president of operations for Triangulo Restaurant Group – runs and co-owns the highly successful Duende and Occitania restaurants (both in Oakland, Calif.) with business partner Chef Paul Canales. He’s also a hospitality management expert and consultant with Mootz Consulting.
Gabel started his restaurant career as a dishwasher working at a local Steak House in Cleveland, Ohio that was managed by his mother. He immediately fell in love with the industry and the business of food and beverage. He moved to San Francisco at 19 to go to school and continue to grow his experience in the restaurant world.
Over the course of his career, Gabel worked his way from dishwasher to vice president of operations, studying all positions from front-of-house to back-of-house along the way. He has worked in nightclubs, casinos, resorts and Michelin star locations, in cities such as Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, San Francisco, Oakland, Memphis, Toronto and Victoria, British Columbia, in stand-alone restaurants and in hotels such as Intercontinental, Fairmont, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and Delta, domestically as well as internationally.
Gabel’s passion for excellence in hospitality and food is also evidenced by his Sommelier certifications, including Italian Wine Specialist and California Appellation Wine Specialist credentials.
Bar & Restaurant spoke with Gabel to learn how his restaurants have coped with the challenges of the last two years, to discover his best advice for other bar and restaurant operators and owners, and to get a feel for what’s trending in the Oakland-area restaurant scene right now, among other topics.
Occitania & Duende in Oakland, Calif.
Occitania is Triangulo Restaurant Group’s Southern-French restaurant, taking its name and inspiration from the ancient Occitan linguistic region, which reaches across southern France and dips into northern Catalonia in Spain and as far east as Piemonte in Italy. Duende is the group’s Spanish-Basque restaurant with a strong focus on tapas and paella. Both restaurants have in-house charcuterie programs.
At Occitania, the wine list focuses more on French wines, especially those from the Occitan region, while at Duende, the wine list is strongly focused on Spain and includes a number of sherries. Duende also hosts regular cultural events, such as dinner and a flamenco show every other month, or a Spanish wine dinner with the winemaker or importer and a Spanish guitarist.
During the pandemic, Triangulo Restaurant Group survived by being flexible with their business model. They went from an environment that had not offered takeout food because of the type of cuisine they offered, to one that did.
“We converted over into takeout only, and then did a first responder meal,” said Gabel. “It pushed our creativity to take a cuisine that we felt was not able to go in a to-go package and aesthetically make it look pleasing and still represent the brand.”
Determining What's Trending
Gabel attributed Triangulo Restaurant Group’s success to having a finger on the pulse of what's trending – what they see happening in the marketplace, not just within their four walls.
Gabel said for bar and restaurant operators/owners to achieve greater success they’ve got to read as much as they can and pay attention to what other operators are doing in the bar and restaurant industry.
“Be a consumer and know who you strive to be like – whether that's ‘I like the way this restaurant group is social posting,’ or ‘I like the way that this restaurant group brands itself’,’” he explained. “Always know what your influences are and then be a consumer and sit down and dine.”
Other multi-unit operations should also keep technology scalability top of mind, according to Gabel, who believes that if the technology isn't working for you, find one that does.
“Find something that'll have the least amount of channels communicating pertinent information – whether that's one point of sale, one payroll, one human resources,” he said. “Be thoughtful about how you're purchasing as well… That's where you find success and the ability to streamline.”
Gabel said that Triangulo Restaurant Group is constantly changing its restaurant menus with a real appreciation for seasonality – down to the week and day. He said this makes it exciting for people to enjoy the best produce and or best protein of the day.
Mocktails on the Rise
Gabel noted that he’s also paying a lot of attention to mocktails. “I've always had my eye on it, and we've always had some offerings, but I'm seeing that envelope being really pushed from a creative standpoint,” he shared. “I'm also seeing the price point increasing for a well-executed mocktail.”
While there's always an appreciation for classic cocktails, Gabel – who oversees the wine lists for both Occitania and Duende – said he’s seeing a lot of contemporary beverage and cocktail ideas coming through in the Oakland area, and consumers continue to be more savvy and knowledgeable about wine.
“Regarding wine, a very well-read knowledgeable consumer is looking for everything from second growth Bordeaux to natural wine. People are doing their homework out there,” Gabel added.
Engaging with Guests on Social Media
Triangulo Restaurant Group management is also making themselves available for industry trade shows and events, to learn more, but the one area they’re spending more time on is their social media, where they’re engaging with guests and creating special programming.
Gabel said they’re using social to drive their brands in a natural manner. “We're a Spanish restaurant doing Spanish food. Okay. What’s next? Let's add something else Spanish too; it doesn't need to be so literal on the plate or in the glass. That's the easiest canvas, but how can we add another layer to that?” he asked.
Appreciating Thoughtful Brands, Knowledgeable Suppliers, Driven Team Members
What inspires him in the restaurant world right now? A thoughtful story and a brand that has direction. Gabel noted he’s also a big fan of looking at how they can expand a concept or go into another marketplace.
For supplier relationships, Gabel seeks partners in the industry who are very knowledgeable and push him to think outside of his box – brands that educate him continuously on new products and trends within their portfolio.
Overall, Gabel thinks that success in the hospitality industry begins with enthusiastic and driven team members who understand how to treat guests properly. He said guests deserve a stellar dining experience that can only be delivered by staff with proper training who are mentored and trained on brand standards, leadership, profitability, guest relations and the total dining experience.
To learn more about the Triangulo Restaurant Group’s Duende and Occitania restaurants in Oakland, visit DuendeOakland.com and OccitaniaOakland.com.
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