Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Knox.
Michael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always loved food. Making food, sharing food, thinking about food, talking about it. I think it runs in the family. My mother says that both myself and my grandfather could contemplate what’s for dinner while eating lunch. It is just a part of my nature.
Despite my love of all things food, I stayed away from professional cooking and hospitality for about as long as I could. After pursuing a Liberal Arts degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and then working some labor and institutional jobs, I found myself in need of a little extra cash. My brother was the manager of a restaurant in South Minneapolis, Cafe Maude, and one night he offered me a weekend gig running food to tables. I was immediately hooked. The staff was so cool, I got to work in a hip and trendy space, the food was excellent, and I got to be a part of it. I worked almost every weekend, and any extra nights I could as well while working my day job for a year.
In the early winter of 2010, I heard that a new restaurant would open in Linden Hills called Tilia. I had some acquaintances in common with the chef/owner Steven Brown and they got me set up with an interview, which is how I found myself on the opening staff of one of the best-received, coolest new restaurants in Minneapolis. Gone was the day job, full-time hospitality was my gig from now on. I worked at Tilia for the next 9 years, working my way from bartender and server, to bar manager, and finally to General Manager. From my co-workers and colleagues, some of the best in the hospitality industry, I learned the finer points of service, all manners of food and preparation, grew my beverage knowledge, and learned about the not-so-glamours side or restaurant, keeping equipment and the books up-to-date and shipshape.
In 2019, I was approached by my current business partner, Paul Backer, about an idea for a fast-casual restaurant he had been kicking around, called Toma Mojo Grill. On nights and weekends, we met to work on the menu, figure out our culinary position, and play at making delicious food. Fall of 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic underway, we set up a tent in the parking lot of a friend’s brewery and started selling our marinated grilled chicken sandwiches. We now have two locations, one in Richfield and the other in the West Metro, right by Ridgedale Mall.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
COVID-19 and the required response threw some interesting challenges our way. For one thing, it scared a lot of people away from gathering in large groups, opening and closing their mouths for an extended amount of time. Not great for restaurants.
Second, the impact on the labor market for restaurants was extraordinary. Almost all hospitality workers were laid off in March of 2020, and the majority of those, especially those with skills that could be moved to other sectors, moved on to other industries. It left a depleted, under-trained worker pool that the hospitality industry has still not gotten back up to pre-Covid standards.
The third major struggle has been supplying lines and cost increases. Those two issues are wrapped up in each other, making it difficult to know if what we are ordering is going to show up, and if it does how much is it going to cost. It’s been challenging, to say the least.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Toma Mojo Grill?
Toma Mojo Grill is a fast-casual restaurant with two locations in the Twin Cities; one in Minnetonka’s new Ridgedale Mall and our newest location in Richfield, just north of the Mall of America on Highway 77.
What we think sets us apart from other fast-casual restaurants is our flavor. We take inspiration from flavors that are found in southern Europe and the Mediterranean, making house-made Mojo marinades and sauces that bring a unique flavor to our food. Our foods are comfort in origin, with chicken sandwiches, roast chicken, rice bowls, salads, and even a hamburger, but we add our signature flavors; hints of spice, a little heat, citrus, and vinegar.
Our flavors are also fresh. We use fresh, whole ingredients in our scratch cooking. Something you do not always see in similar restaurants. Our food leaves you feeling good and satisfied, not overfilled with who-knows-what.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
You have to take risks in life or you are going to grow stale. Big risks and little risks don’t matter, as long are looking for change and open to possibilities. This promotes growth, I think.
My business partner and I have taken a huge risk in opening a restaurant and then doubled down within the first year of opening a second location. From a financial aspect, it is a huge risk. But it has also been an emotional risk.
We have put so much into Toma Mojo Grill that we cannot help but be emotionally invested. We take a risk every day we open our doors and say “Come in and buy our food. We hope you like it”. But we learn every day how to live with that risk, and it gives us the courage to risk more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tomamojogrill.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomamojogrill/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TomaMojoGrill/
Image Credits
T.J. Turner
