The American dream alive and well in West Hollywood & # 39; s Sur

It is the story of two strangers who described themselves and reached their American dream.

Guillermo Zapata, 51, is from Buenos Aires, a former actor who dreamed of Hollywood celebrity before falling in love with LA in 1992 at the age of 23. Not wanting to return to Argentina, Zapata saw that working in restaurants was the way he could stay in the United States. He started as a dishwasher, then took tables by bus and climbed the ladder to host, waiter, then manager. First at Caf Luna, then Cynthias on Third, Zapata has learned to please capricious celebrities and uncompromising VIPs in the entertainment industry.

Yes, it was an accident, Zapata said of falling into the restaurant business, but it was a good accident.

Becoming a star has lost its sparkle and when 1998 arrived he had the opportunity to create his own restaurant in West Hollywood: Sure (which means south in Spanish).

Parisian Nathalie Pouille, 49, worked as a marketing director in France. To advance her career in Europe, she attended UCLA Extension to learn English in 2001.

I came with my best friend to L.A. and we always go out to Abbey or Rage, she said. Then one evening, we decided to go out of Boystown as very, really deep, and we came to dinner at Sur. Turning her head slightly to the left, she smiled at her husband. And I saw this guy who was there.

They married two years later, she added her name to the end of hers, and today they are the proud parents of two daughters, 11 and 14. They also own and operate On together, serve until At 2000 covers per week, employ a workforce of 85, and offer the possibility of company-subsidized health insurance to those working full time.

The pair divides the endless tasks of running a popular restaurant. Our jobs are really separate because otherwise we can't be on top of each other, explained Pouille-Zapata.

As general manager upstairs every night, Zapata works when the restaurant is open. Pouille-Zapata takes care of accounting, hiring, human resources, communication and promotion all the fun stuff during the day, she added.

They also live in West Hollywood.

So are you going to work? I asked Zapata.

No, I'm driving, he says laughing. I should try.

Vanderpump is not even half the story

Many people, when they think of Sur, imagine something, a person, in fact, and sound five syllables: Lisa Vanderpump. While the star of reality shows The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules, as well as the restaurateur behind Pump and Tom Tom Club, are part of Sur, she is not the only owner or even the only kitchen stove. (Sorry.)

We are partners 50 and 50, said Zapata. She is not running the place. I do that.

His involvement began on an interesting day in 2005, before Vanderpump was a household name.

Guillermo called me and told me that I had just met this couple. They are fabulous and they want to be our partners, said Pouille-Zapata. This lady even told me that she had money in her bag here on the terrace.

They were looking for $ 300,000.

Since the top ten investors of $ 30,000 were not found, it is now easy to understand the excitement of the Zapatas that day. At 11 p.m. that night, after a seven-month pregnant Puglia-Zapata wondered if she had just been invited to some sort of crooked swinger trap, she and Zapata were standing in the Vanderpumps house newly decorated Beverly Park.

It was hard to believe, said Zapata, but at the same time, we had to believe that it was possible. After convincing Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd, that with their only investment, Sur could expand into the neighboring space (which is now Sur Lounge), their partnership was inked.

There was only one stipulation. Vanderpump and Todd said: We want to design the place, and you have nothing to say about it. Well. We were looking around, said the Zapatas, everything was spectacular, beautiful.

How do they describe this conception? Not far from the Surs menu, eclectic with lots of European inspiration, said Pouille-Zapata. Lots of flowers, its cheerful and bright place.

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Celebrity brought success, then challenges

The Zapatas told me that the Vanderpumps star didn't start riding until 2010 when The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills debuted. How has this affected Surs' activity?

For good, says Zapata. Popularity will bring you people, but you have to be ready, accept it and be lucky.

This popularity has changed the clientele a little, he added.

I never did. My memory of Sur in the early 2000s was that of a quiet, laid-back restaurant with whitewashed walls and puffy white sheets on the windows. Eating there was like visiting a tiny Greek island.

Today Sur is often like what some might call a scene. And, in fact, they do. When I asked three WeHo residents, two men and a woman, if they were going to Sur, each replied independently that they had not done so. When asked why, all three used the word scene.

Perhaps due to the reputation of Vanderpumps and the fact that the restaurant is regularly presented on television (a video team for Vanderpump Rules arrived at the end of our interview), Sur has become a destination for tourists.

I live two blocks away. What I regularly see in front of Sur are young women, most of them dressed in high heels and low-cut dresses. They gather in groups, taking photos in front of a red neon sign displaying the name of the restaurant. This face makes me, and maybe other former clients (i.e. locals) feel that Sur is no longer for them.

The Zapata are fully aware of this. While they don't want to lose the valuable customer segment that television brings to them, they miss the good old days, especially midweek, when the place is less busy.

I want the community to come back, admitted Zapata, referring to his original clientele: the locals.

Promotions and pectoral

To help achieve their goal, Sur hired a publicist to offer a series of promotions, many of which target well-established LGBTQ customers, West Hollywood is famous for.

For example, Wednesday evenings were slow. According to Zapata, the three bartenders who worked said: What if we did a little dance? How about a show?

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the SURpendales dancers (think Chippendales), bartenders who take off their shirts at a certain time, climb to the top of the bar and do a little choreography. Backed up by an advertising campaign last fall, it worked. Sales at the bar increased and the bartenders were so busy that they couldn't make a showroom and brew drinks.

SURpendales starts again in mid-March and will perform every Wednesday around 9:30 p.m. New professional dancers will be hired. How will Zapata find them?

Putting his fingers against his mouth, he said, I can (dog whistles) and the boys will come.

Ooh la la, joked Pouille-Zapata.

It was clear that Zapata had said this with a wink and a nod. He has been a member of the LGBTQ community since the 90s, when it was him and David Cooley, founder of The Abbey, who were trying to grow their new businesses south of Santa Monica Boulevard, which entrepreneurs did much less often at the time.

I am very grateful to the gay community, they were my first customers, said Zapata.

But that's not all. Mondays will cost $ 7 martinis, Sundays will offer jugs of sangria at half price and the brunch will serve lower and upper mimosas.

In terms of gastronomy, Surs Locals Dine IN Night launches on March 24 to benefit Los Angeles Children's Hospital . And her Dine OUT party begins on March 19, which will benefit a different LGBTQ charity each month. Both will be monthly events with 10 percent of food and beverage sales being donated.

A need for constant reinvention

When asked what was the most difficult aspect of running Sur, which the couple see as two businesses, the restaurant and the lounge, Zapata said, "You can't relax. You always have to be creative and always think ahead of the game.

Vanderpump brought television and a national exhibit. But lunch was not profitable, so investments in weekend brunch and at 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. after dinner had ended.

People want brunch, said Pouille-Zapata. And there are never enough places, so that's how we changed like from lunch, we developed this brunch, which is pretty cool.

In terms of the late evening, Zapata acted like any smart businessman: by enticing customers to stay after dinner at the Sur lounge. Why should you go to the abbey? Or why do you want to go to Cahuenga and Hollywood when you have a great dee-jay, a great bar and a great atmosphere?

This is why Sur feels fairly residential indoors, like someone else's. Yes, said Pouille-Zapata. This is the feeling we want, added her husband.

You always have to reinvent yourself, added Pouille-Zapata. Many restaurants are beautiful when they come in, but somehow only last a few years. You always have to think, for example, how can we attract new customers?

Why WeHo?

So why West Hollywood in the first place and always? First of all, I want to be in this area, said Zapata. I don't want to be in another field.

Pouille-Zapata rang. The community is so different. It is a mixture. That's why it feels good, West Hollywood.

Zapata agreed. Yeah, different. You're going to Beverly Hills, I feel like I'm safe. (Here) I'm disputed. I am surrounded by the people I want to be. I bring customers from all over the world.

He stopped and looked at me like he just had no other choice: I have to be here.