Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Ingram.
Hi Brian, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I got into the food space, because I was the worst student ever growing up in Alaska. My mom put me into an apprenticeship culinary program and I fell in love with cooking. Since then I’ve been working in the restaurant industry for over 30 years, at all different levels and positions.
From being a dishwasher to a line cook to creating new brands to setting trends to innovating the world of restaurant design. While cooking is my passion, my wife actually calls it my love language, concept ideation (everything from furniture to food) has become my specialty.
As a senior member of some of the biggest hospitality groups in the country—MGM Resorts International, Brinker International, Restaurants Unlimited and the Alain Ducasse Group— I had the opportunity to create concepts and open restaurants all over the world. In 2012, I returned to Minnesota and created New Bohemia—a concept focused on craft beer and cocktails with a chef driven menu, winning 2017 Nation’s Restaurant News Hot Concepts. Opened Truck Park, best design restaurant, and hottest new concepts. Since then, New Bohemia has set industry standards with new labor models and profitability; really changing the industry and how we look at fast casual restaurants today.
After working in the often toxic environments that is ‘corporate restaurant groups’, where employees are often viewed as commodities – I decided I wanted to venture out on my own. Take what I had learned throughout my time in this industry and put purpose behind it. Create restaurants that have safe and inclusive work environments, so many people in our industry have substance abuse, many biopic people are mistreated and we wanted to put women in positions of leadership which is often not seen in the restaurant industry. Also founding our restaurants on the belief that if you take resources out of our community, we have to put resources back into the community.
So my wife, Sarah, and I took a leap of faith and opened Hope Breakfast Bar in 2019
With the foundation of emphasizing charitable contributions and cultivating a culture that prioritizes the well-being of workers. Our Purpose Restaurants have been a fast growing family of restaurants driven by its promise and purpose to serve the community. We have has weathered a pandemic; fed health care workers, protesters and the unemployed; served as a free community kitchen and food bank donating over 2 Million Pounds of Food; established a non-profit (Give Hope) to benefit restaurant workers in the Twin Cities metro area; and, in spite of it all, grown to include four restaurants—Hope Breakfast Bar (St. Paul and coming soon St. Louis Park) The Gnome Craft Pub, Woodfired Cantina and coming soon the Apostle Supper Club. In addition, we now venturing into partnerships with several hotel groups to take over their food and beverage operations.
After creating and opening restaurants all over the world, I have discovered one universal truth, WHEN PEOPLE SHARE A MEAL TOGETHER, GREAT THINGS HAPPEN.
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?
No. Not at all. Some of the biggest struggles coming up, was learning ‘the business of restaurants’, not just the love of cooking. learning how restaurants can become viable. I’ve had huge mental struggles with how corporate restaurants treat people, you feel like you sold your soul. There was times when I was working for large restaurants groups that I would have to go in and fire 100 people at a time.
My wife and I opened my first restaurant 6 months before a pandemic hit. Learning to pivot and navigate the waters of forced closures, and city unrest that happened in MN – for a business was extremely difficult.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My wife, Sarah, and I started Purpose Restaurants in 2019, opening our first restaurant together, Hope Breakfast Bar, after I had spent my career been working for some of the largest restaurant groups in the country. We wanted to have restaurants that were doing something for the community, giving back – to create the type of workplace for all our employees that is safe and inclusive, something that traditionally in the restaurant space is not fostered.
We are most proud of the way our community has really come around us and supported us. When you eat a meal at one of our restaurants we donate a portion of all proceeds to our 501(c)3 charitable organization Give Hope MN, which is focused on feeding and providing support to families, those in need and our community. Since January 2020, Give Hope MN has provided nearly 200,000 free meals to families in need, no questions asked, and provided over 2M pounds of free food and household supplies during the pandemic for hospitality workers who were out of work. Our community doesn’t just eat at our restaurants, they volunteer with us and help us give back to our community.
I am so proud of our team, we have been able to open and continue to open restaurants throughout this pandemic (Woodfired Cantina, The Gnome and opening very soon Hope Breakfast Bar 2nd location, and The Apostle Supper Club) . With many restaurants closing – we have been able to do the opposite and can continue to create and provide jobs for people.
I do alot of mentorship with other restaurants owners, helping them build their businesses so they not only have amazing food – but profitable. For many people, they want to open a restaurant because of their cooking skill and love of food. The business side is where many need help, and we have been able to do
We are known for being a restaurant group that is, like our name Purpose Driven Restaurants, purposeful not just profitable.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My wife always says, ‘Cooking is my love language”. I love to bring people together for a meal.
Seeing my kids follow their dreams, brings me so much pride and joy.
Watching my team at Purpose Restaurants work in their skills and walk alongside me to help us build restaurants with not only great food, great service but are actually giving something back to the community brings me great joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.purposerestaurants.com
- Instagram: @chefbrianingram, @hopebreakfastbar, @thegnomepub, @WoodfiredCantina
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopebreakfastbar
