Check Out William Mellon’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to William Mellon.

Hi William, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I started in the restaurant industry when I finished my tour of duty in the US Army. I don’t think it was a field that I felt like I would stay in forever–mainly something to pay the bills while I finished college and “figured out what I was going to do.” However, it became an industry that I grew to love: the people, both those that I was taking care of and those that I was working with; the pace and the pressure of having to deliver over & over again, day after day…it was all very satisfying. I became good at taking care of the details; focusing on the next step in the process; I enjoyed food & travel & hospitality…so it seemed like “we” found each other. 

I’ve worked in busy college bars, burger joints, high-volume beach bars, and in fine dining. I’ve washed dishes, cooked, bused, served, bartended…really, I’ve worked any & every position imaginable in the service industry. 

I took over as a general manager for a new restaurant–really the first “Chef owned/driven” spot in town within a few months of its opening. The restaurant was WAY ahead of its time (wood-burning oven, farm-to-table mentality), and I had to learn how to run it on the fly. It made me grow up quickly because the ownership expected me to run the ship, and they weren’t big on excuses. I had a successful run there, but I felt “attached” to them and needed something with a little more freedom so I could begin to travel again. 

I was fortunate to find the perfect restaurant that needed a server/bartender. It was a super hip spot in an old downtown brownstone with great food & wine, a vibrant bar that attracted tons of guests, actors, athletes–eventually, it was THE spot to be seen…I REALLY learned the art of entertaining from behind the bar–I loved my time there. 

Eventually, I needed a new challenge, so I took a position as a server at a new restaurant that had taken the city’s culinary scene by storm. The chef there was as passionate about food as anyone I had ever worked with, and his drive was unmatched by anyone I had ever seen. The chic layout & decor made it the NEW place to be…the staff that was assembled was probably the best group of people I have ever worked with…the food was on another level; we were serving things that no one in the area had seen before (it was like this place popped up out of a ritzy neighborhood in the upper east side of Manhattan–it felt foreign)…but I learned to become a server there–my tableside mannerisms grew, my knowledge of the food & cooking techniques went to another level. We were doing something VERY special there. 

After a few years, I decided to live in Europe and spent nearly a year going to college & traveling the continent. When I returned, I maneuvered to the new restaurant that was being opened by the husband & wife that I worked with prior to my sabbatical. I was hired to run the floor as the captain server, and the restaurant quickly became the best in town (at that point, it was one of the best in the state) with the best food & an outrageous wine list. 

The wine bug had bitten me earlier in my career, but I was challenged to push myself further by beginning the pursuit of the sommelier title. After receiving accreditations in multiple “schools,” I took a job with an upstart wine distributorship in hopes of taking my wine game to the next level. 

I spent five years working in this field and was fortunate to meet several folks in the industry who would become mentors and friends–our relationships would come full circle when I took the leap of faith in opening my first restaurant and would build a wine list featuring many of those people I met along my recent journey. 

We built the restaurant with a minimal budget, survived a terrible business partnership, & the pandemic, and continue to be a part of Wilmington’s culinary community. Over the 12+ years of our existence, we’ve seen multiple restaurants open bringing chefs & owners from other areas of the state & the region, which adds to the richness of our food scene. In the time, we’ve been fortunate to expand into all of the spaces in our beautiful historic structure, which house a private dining room, music venue, auxiliary bar, offices, bakery, wine store, and a quaint little apartment on the corner. We’ve also been lucky to assemble a private cocktail club in a tiny little spot on the first floor of an old building just one block away from our group’s headquarters. 

All of these additional spaces have come to be primarily because we want to empower the members of our team who show dedication, acumen, loyalty & understand the principals that we like to operate under, and bring them into positions of management & ownership. Not only does this allow them to move up in our business, it provides a model for everyone to have upward mobility. 

Recently, an opportunity to promote one of our longest-tenured team members wound up with us in a circumstance where we could take over a renowned bar, clean it up, put our “touches” onto it, and take a stab at a cheeky neighborhood bar. 

Now, we’re seemingly up to speed. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never smooth in this industry. Seemingly, you may have a day or two that go by without an issue but then there’s an HVAC that goes out on a holiday weekend, or a walk-in refrigerator that needs a new compressor, someone on the staff has a family emergency, hurricanes, power outages, pandemics. Our industry also tends to have its fair share of people who don’t take what we do very seriously. That is because they can cook a steak at home, they know what it is like to be a chef; that they’ve been to Napa, so they are sommeliers. That their server is a young person, so they don’t know anything. Here, WE are the professionals. WE are the ones who procure the proteins & vegetables every day to build our evening’s menu. WE are the ones reading industry journals & listening to PODCASTS on food & wine…this IS what WE do. No one is questioning the mechanic who is rebuilding a carburetor OR asking the pilot if they are sure that we are flying at the proper altitude OR questioning the professor’s syllabus…but for some reason, the door is open for commentary for anyone who comes though our doors to feel that they “know what we know.” and since we are in the hospitality business, we often have to take it on the chin, grin and bear it and move forth with the service. To be clear, the restaurant “life” is like a seesaw, just ups & downs over & over & day after day. On those days when we have everything go the right direction, the sad part is that tomorrow is a new day filled with opportunities to go awry. Conversely, those days that are tough have the potential to become a great day tomorrow. Ahhh, the paradox. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have become a workaholic. I’ve always enjoyed working and like to work hard…I like to be organized. I love to prepare for events, dinners & each service. I look for all of the details. I focus on finding them and fixing them, and continuing to push myself in the pursuit of excellence. I tell those that work alongside me, “I am easy to work for…just do it right all of the time & it will be smooth sailing…” unfortunately, my expectations are high because our guests expect that from me and from all of us on the team…there shouldn’t be any excuses for not turning the lights on over the bar tables or that the music is too low or that we forgot to bring Mr. Smith a steak knife for his NY Strip…those things are part of the details that provide the total experience. 

I don’t know that I specialize in anything specific…I think I am good at lots of things…do all of the little things well…or at least putting forth the effort to do them correctly. Leading by example…trying not to step past something that needs attention (even when no one is watching). 

I am proud of all of those persons who no longer work with me but continue to stay in touch. I think they look at their experience working under my watch has made them better at what they are doing today. Many of them DON”T work in the restaurant world any longer–they’ve moved on to be lawyers, professors, nurses, filmmakers, real estate moguls, CPAs, computer programmers, etc…when someone is hired, I try to emphasize that I/we will try to make them better people while they work with us and that those “things” will translate into EVERY other industry with great ease. 

What separates me from others is that I can work sun up to sun down and typically do…most owners aren’t in the building at 930am working on a humongous To-do list, taking phone calls, answering emails, ordering wine, receiving wine, coordinating events, talking to distributors, planning menus, taking reservations, cleaning trash cans (and on & on); go home for 60 minutes and then work the dinner service, close the bar, bar back, work security, take out the recycling, mop the floor and be the last person out at 1:30 am. While I don’t do that every night–I do work a lot of hours (60+) doing a lot of things during that time, and I have been doing that at manna for over a dozen years. 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
My mentor list is long. Every person that I ever worked for deserves credit for where I am today, but a few worth mentioning are: Steve Webb, who taught me how to be organized & to stay that way; John Malejan taught me how to pay attention to the details; Shawn Wellersdick reminded me of what work ethic should look like; Dr. Robert Sutton taught me how to be kind; Bobby Stuckey shows me how to do it again & again; Josephine Blaschke taught me how to make sure everyone is taken care of; my best friends keep me grounded; Carson Jewell motivates me to lead like he does. Several successful businessmen & women (a list too long to mention), they are my north star, providing me an audience for thousands of questions, queries & comments where their wisdom kept me on the right path so I could continue on this journey. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.greenfieldlakeyachtclub.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/115975998047124/greenfield-lake-yacht-club/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenfieldlakeyachtclub

Image Credits
Lighthouse films