Philip Marshall doesn’t earn his paycheck at a bar or restaurant. By day, he works in branding, marketing and design. After hours, though, he’s everywhere you wish you could be.
You go to restaurants and bars all the time.
Well, yeah.
What’s the allure?
I grew fond of the type of person and personality that dedicates themselves to the hospitality industry.
How did that happen?
I became friends with a group that opened rBar in The Grove. I had recently moved back into the city after living in West County. I didn’t really have a social outlet. I wasn’t officially on the books at rBar, but I would help out as needed. I did everything from watching the door, to bar backing to doing a little bartending. I slowly got to know some of the more celebrated bartenders around town. The great thing was that Gerard Craft opened Taste, which was a block and a half from my apartment. I was always intrigued by Niche, but it was out of my price range. Going to Taste allowed me to access that quality of food. That’s when I started to be able to appreciate higher-quality cuisine and cocktails.
You can walk into any restaurant kitchen, and no one says anything.
I worry all the time of being overly presumptuous. I am grateful that St. Louis is the type of market that is hospitable in a way that doesn’t pay lip service to hospitality. We have a high standard of restaurants and bars, but the proprietors aren’t closed off. When you show that you appreciate it, it’s a very welcoming environment.
Do you always go out alone?
I never go out by myself because wherever I go, there’s someone there.
Table or bar?
Bar. I’m not always comfortable in social settings. The bar gave me a way to circumvent that. I could engage or disengage as I felt comfortable, so I was still in a social setting without needing to be “on.”
Any good conversation at the bar?
It’s interesting to hear someone speak about the establishment or the proprietors candidly when they don’t know that you know them personally.
Do you share that information with the owner?
Sometimes. Usually it’s very complimentary, and that’s the sort of conversation that you’re very pleased to share.
What if it’s negative?
It depends if I feel like it’s constructive criticism or not. I think most business owners and those in the hospitality industry want to know what their patrons feel about it.
When Planter’s House first opened, you worked two days at the reception desk. Then, you informed the staff you couldn’t come the next day. Why say anything? You’re not an employee.
It is absurd when you put it that way. I know how challenging it can be to open a restaurant. If I’m able to help, I would like to help.
What have you learned most by being on the inner periphery of restaurants and bars?
How much work goes into it that’s often thankless. As hard as I may work, it’s nothing compared to the hours that a chef puts in at a restaurant or how hard a server or a bartender works to make sure that the guest leaves happy.
What’s your favorite restaurant?
You know I can’t say that.
OK, then what’s your favorite dish in town?
It changes throughout the year. The restaurants I enjoy are constantly changing their menus. The classic egg that Gerard [Craft] sends out [at Niche] – that’s like seeing an old friend.
Are there other people like you?
I hope not. That would be annoying. You’d have a bunch of people just walking into kitchens like they belong there. Hopefully, I can recognize when I’m in the way. I try to respect that this is a place of business. It’s a social outing for me, but it’s work for them.
– photo by Ashley Gieseking
This article appears in Guide to Beer 2014.