Restaurant Roots That Run Deep
George Poll (CGS’82, SHA’84) carries the hospitality legacies of his father and grandfather into his Long Island restaurant empire
Restaurant Roots That Run Deep
George Poll (CGS’82, SHA’84) carries the hospitality legacies of his father and grandfather into his Long Island restaurant empire
At the beginning of season 2 of FX’s series The Bear, which follows a Chicago chef and his staff as they attempt to open a fine-dining restaurant, viewers see the walls and ceilings of the under-construction building crumble from hidden water damage. FX categorizes The Bear as a comedy, but George Poll didn’t find these scenes particularly funny.
“I’m there, shaking, and my wife says to me, ‘Are you sure you’re having a good time watching this?’” says Poll (CGS’82, SHA’84), who owns a portfolio of restaurants with his older brother Gillis. “They got it right. I’ve lived through that. Trying to open a restaurant and having delays due to unforeseen problems—it’s a nightmare.”
Like every restaurateur, Poll has seen his share of setbacks. But his track record of wins is evident in his seven popular restaurants, most located on the North Shore of Long Island, N.Y. He credits quality, hospitality, attention to detail, and a great team for Poll Restaurants’ achievements in a notoriously tough business.
He likes to say it took him 40 years to be an overnight success.
The Family Business
As a teenager on school breaks, Poll worked as a cashier at his father’s restaurant in Rockefeller Center in New York. He would put in long hours before commuting back to Long Island. When he was a senior in high school, Poll and his brothers, including middle brother Dean, opened the first restaurant of their own, Pappas Restaurant, in Williston Park, Long Island. After school, Poll would head to the restaurant to work the register until close.
Poll came to Boston University on a football scholarship, majoring in hospitality because of his extensive background in restaurants—which he shared in classroom discussions. In his first course at BU’s School of Hospitality Administration (SHA), the professor, Joe Kirley, asked the students if they thought quality was a necessary ingredient for success. Poll raised his hand and answered, “Yes, absolutely.” The professor shook his head and said quality, on its own, was not enough. “Consistently fulfill the expectations you’ve created,” he said, giving Poll a mantra he has brought to each of his projects.
The day after he graduated from BU, Poll was back working with his brothers at their Long Island restaurant, renamed Riverbay Seafood Bar and Grill. The brothers went on to open Bryant & Cooper Steakhouse in Roslyn, one of Long Island’s top steakhouses. They then opened two casual steakhouses: Majors Steakhouse in East Meadow and Woodbury in 1993 and 1994, respectively.
Poll’s brother Dean branched out on his own, taking over Riverbay Seafood Bar and Grill and opening two restaurants in New York City. Gillis and Poll stayed together and continued to focus on fulfilling high expectations in their restaurants. They expanded with new concepts in Long Island, including Cipollini Italian Trattoria in 2005; Toku Modern Asian in 2007, located at the prestigious Americana Manhasset; Bar Frites Bistro in 2010; Hendrick’s Tavern in 2012; and The Bryant American Bistro in 2018. In 2022, they opened a second Toku Modern Asian in South Florida.
When the Poll brothers come up with a new idea or find an interesting venue, they consider many important factors. Will the space resonate with them? What will the new concept entail? What will the overall project cost? They also consider a property’s history. Was it a restaurant before? Elements such as location and parking availability are crucial, as well as whether the property is for sale or lease. They meticulously evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each project before finalizing any design. As they prepared to launch Toku, Poll recalls how people questioned their expertise in Asian cuisine. “We did our homework,” he says. “We traveled extensively, sampling and recreating unique culinary dishes that we now offer in our restaurants.”
Recently, however, Poll includes a newer consideration when weighing a potential project: “At this point, it should be fun.”
It’s Still About Hospitality
Point-of-sale technologies and online reviews have transformed the restaurant industry Poll grew up in. But he contends that the building blocks of a successful restaurant haven’t changed: “quality, consistency, shaking a hand, looking someone in the eye, giving hospitality from here,” he says, pointing to the center of his chest, near his heart.
Poll, who serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board at SHA, will still rotate a plate that’s not placed with the name of the restaurant legible across the top and will notice what other restaurateurs are doing well, from special cocktails to salt and pepper shakers on the table. If he’s on vacation, he’s taking notes on things he can do better. He learned this emphasis on quality and relentless work ethic from his older brothers and his late father, who was in his 80s when he told Poll, “Retired people die.”
The Polls’ restaurants have staying power, he says, because their staff embodies their vision of hospitality consistently fulfilling the expectations they’ve created—and makes every customer feel special.
“There are some people who can afford to go out literally seven days a week, and some people who wait to come to our restaurants for a special occasion,” Poll says. “Everyone going out to a restaurant deserves that handshake, that eye contact, great food, great service, great atmosphere. No matter who they are, they’re a customer.”