Eric Scheffer, Founder and CEO of Scheffer Group | S2 E4

The Pre-Shift Podcast presented by 7shifts breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about running a restaurant better. Conversations with some of the biggest names, newest players, and industry innovators bring key insights into how they grew their businesses.  Host DJ Costantino asks probing questions to get to know restauranteurs, chefs, and executives better and find out where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what lessons they learned along the way. 

On this episode, we’re joined by Eric Scheffer, Founder and CEO of Scheffer Group.

Here are some of the highlights:

• How to treat your team like family and do it with sincerity
• How Scheffer has kept staff around for years
• What goes into the group's $1620 average annual spend on health and mental wellness benefits per staff member 
• Why Eric's restaurants have a 3% kitchen appreciation fee
• Leading with relentless generosity 

Guest Bio

Eric Scheffer has been a pioneer and key member of the Asheville food scene for over 20 years.

Originally from Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Mr. Scheffer left behind a successful television and advertising career in L.A. to chase his true passions: food, wine, and people. After completely revamping The Savoy in 2000 to become one of the country’s preeminent fine dining restaurants—as well as put Asheville on the map as a restaurant destination—he went on to co-found AIR, the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association.

Among Mr. Scheffer’s numerous hospitality ventures are the creation of Dining Innovations, Asheville’s premiere catering & corporate events company, Bodega Gratia, a boutique Argentinian winery, and Victus World Imports, where he imported wines from Argentina, Spain, and France. He currently owns Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian (voted best Italian restaurant in Asheville for 10 years in a row) and Jettie Rae’s Oyster House, which sit at number 2 and 3 on TripAdvisor’s best Asheville restaurants, respectively. With a slew of other concepts in the works, Mr. Scheffer is only just getting started.

With the Scheffer Group, he’s proud to showcase the culmination of his hospitality experience. “Relentless generosity brings us closer together,” he often says, and the spirit of that sentiment is easy to see in every project he tackles.

Additional Resources

• The Scheffer Group
• Vinnie's Italian
• Jettie Rae's Oyster House
• Cielo Catering Asheville
• Lantern Health

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Credits
Host & Executive Producer: D.J. Costantino
Editor: Fina Charleston
Producer: Samantha Fung
Designer: Jake Sinclair