🔒Undeterred by pandemic, Al Gamble looks to future growth of his restaurant empire

The global health pandemic hit all sectors of the economy, but possibly none more than the restaurant industry.

The Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) estimates that about 600 restaurants shuttered during the pandemic bringing the total number of eateries in the Nutmeg State to a little more than 8,000.

As restaurants closed their doors in March 2020, many restaurateurs were worried about their immediate future: Would they be able to sustain a business given the many unknowns?

Those in the industry said that if anyone could ride out the storm, it would be restaurant entrepreneur Al Gamble.

“He adapts. I look at him as a good operator who is always willing to figure out whatever the problem at hand is,” said Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) Executive Director Scott Dolch, who has known Gamble for several years and whose organization named him Restaurateur of the Year in 2017. “He is a survivor and, without question, one of the best. He still has aspirations to open up new establishments and that is exciting. He has created an iconic brand.”

Gamble, a 55-year-old Brooklyn, Connecticut native, has been in the restaurant business for more than 25 years. He opened The Half Door in Hartford in 1999 and formally established the Locals 8 Hospitality Group in 2008, where he serves as founder and CEO.

Along the way, Gamble acquired numerous award-winning establishments, known for their casual atmosphere, and currently has seven Plan b burger restaurants in Connecticut and one in western Massachusetts; Tisane Euro-Asian Cafe in Hartford; Butchers & Bakers in Farmington (featuring coal-fired American food); Nobul Chicken in Hartford, which is a ghost kitchen; Bespoke Catering; and restaurants in both Virginia and Washington, D.C.

His latest new brand is Glastonbury’s The Diamond Pub & Grill, which Locals 8 acquired in August — a rare industry expansion in what are still uncertain times.

Culture shock

Gamble discussed the effects the pandemic had on his restaurants and staff and his future outlook for the industry in an interview at Butchers & Bakers in late October.

Like many business owners, Gamble said the height of the pandemic in early 2020 was frightening.

“I thought I’d lost everything,” said Gamble, who grew up on a Connecticut farm, where he worked at least 10 hours a day. “It was a day-by-day process.”

Gamble said he had no choice but to let go of about half of his employees. While his chain had 750 employees pre-pandemic, it’s down to about 350 to 375 workers today.

“Originally, they were furloughed and then I had to lay them off,” Gamble said. “It was terrible, I had to have those conversations with people who had been with us for 10 or 15 years. Some came a distance to work with us.”

From the emotional side, “we lost part of our culture,” he added.

There was also speculation Gamble might lose one of his well-known restaurants — The Half Door pub in Hartford — during the pandemic, but he ended up renewing the lease this summer at the Sisson Avenue site for 10 years.

Gamble said it took long negotiations with the landlord and plenty of give-and-take from both sides to keep the establishment open. That mirrored the negotiations many restaurant tenants and landlords have had to deal with since the pandemic began.

Despite signs of recovery in the overall economy, Gamble said his company’s sales are still down 45% compared to pre-COVID times.

Aid and growth

But things could be worse, he acknowledges.

Both Gamble and Dolch lauded the Lamont administration for its role and executive orders during the pandemic in helping restaurants stay afloat.

“There were three major things that helped the industry,” Dolch said. “The second wave of [Paycheck Protection Program] loans were a lifesaver. Then there was the expanded outdoor dining and the governor’s team working with us, not shutting us down, and keeping capacity at 50%. Connecticut was also the first state in the Northeast to lift all business restrictions, which happened in May 2021.”

Gamble said “the [Lamont] administration and the association did an amazing job during the pandemic. There was also a lot of support from local governments.”

Specifically, Gamble said, his eateries benefited from “rebate checks, deferred sales tax and outdoor dining.”

His company also received Paycheck Protection Program funding but he declined to say how much.

Despite still being in recovery mode, Gamble said he believes the future for business growth is bright.

“I enjoy growth, but responsible growth,” said Gamble. “I feel our brand serves a niche that is needed and I enjoy creating jobs.”

Gamble said he gets many calls from individuals wanting him to take a look at a certain location, adding, “You need discipline to say no sometimes.”

Gamble, who also owns a small commercial real estate company, said he was looking to grow his restaurant chain and that, after meeting with the then-owners of the Diamond Pub, saw how their culture and core values were aligned with his.

He declined to disclose the purchase price of that deal.

“I decided to purchase the property and keep the Diamond true to its original brand and model,” he said.

Within a year, he said he’d like to add one or two more restaurants.

Constantly evolving

Moving forward, technology will play a big role in the restaurant business, Gamble said.

“I don’t know where it will end as technology is good and bad,” he said. “With technology you are having more orders from the phone and more pay at the table. That’s the future, but with that you lose the personal connection and that interaction with the staff. We hunger for it. We want to keep that connection at our restaurants for as long as we can.”

Dolch said Gamble is known in the restaurant community as “someone who is running the ship everyday, but is also willing to get involved in all facets of the business. He has a vision for caring for his team and his staff. He has a certain culture that he has kept.”

Kevin Smith joined Gamble’s restaurant group six months ago as executive chef at Butchers & Bakers. Smith, who has been in the restaurant business for 25 years serving in past roles as a corporate and executive chef, became culinary director of Locals 8 Hospitality Group Oct. 1.

Smith said he came on board, in part, because of Gamble’s reputation.

“He is always looking for the next idea and the next innovation,” Smith said. “He is constantly evolving and he listens to his staff and employees. I believe he tries to empower the staff to bring up ideas and get things resolved. In some places, there is red tape to even get a new set of tongs. It’s not that way here.”

Gamble also said he learned growing up on a farm that it’s important — when possible — to keep things local.

“Our goal is 10% local [buying from local farms] and to grow on that by 10% each year after,” Gamble said. “All of our food is made fresh daily at all of our restaurants.”

Gamble said his philosophy is simple: “I love to create and I have a passion for creating new concepts.”