In Oakland, California, a culinary revolution unfolds at Homeroom, a restaurant that turned a simple craving into a comfort food haven. At the heart of this transformation is Erin Wade, whose journey from lawyer to pioneering chef and entrepreneur captures the spirit of innovation and resilience.
Wade's story is rich with lessons on creativity, grit and the art of cheese. Her book, The Mac & Cheese Millionaire, chronicles this adventure, offering insights that resonate with anyone looking to turn a personal passion into a business.
"I was working very unhappily as an attorney, and I came home one night craving mac and cheese and realized there was no restaurant I could go to," Wade says. "I thought, How wild there are restaurants dedicated to pizza and burgers, but there's no place I could go to just for mac and cheese."
The country was in the midst of a housing crash, and Wade recognized an opportunity to offer people comfort food during tough economic times. Thus, Homeroom was born, aiming to provide relief through simple, satisfying dishes during times of uncertainty.
Wade started her entrepreneurial journey by venturing into the market through pop-up events, which helped her gauge customer interest and refine her menu. "I priced my bowls of mac and cheese at $2, which is just obscene," she says. "I mean, that makes no sense at all. I wanted no one to ever think twice about getting it. I wanted to be packed. I wanted to sell out."
Beyond pricing, Wade invested deeply in customer engagement, and her methods helped cultivate a strong community around Homeroom, turning first-time visitors into regulars and advocates for her brand.
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Behind the scenes, Wade also focused on cultivating a supportive team culture, including a unique hiring process that focused more on candidates' aptitude and values than traditional metrics of skills and experience.
"Hiring is eerily like dating insofar as what you're measuring is how good a conversationalist someone is," she says. Her hiring process includes practical trial shifts, allowing candidates to demonstrate their abilities in a real-world setting.
"Something that we did that's particularly unique in the restaurant industry is we started hiring, training and promoting based on our values," she says. This strategy fostered a cohesive team that not only shared Wade's vision for Homeroom but also contributed to a culture of mutual respect and innovation.
With a shared language and mutual respect, staff felt free to infuse their personality into their work, making each guest's experience uniquely memorable.