According to a survey from Restaurant Owner, restaurant startup costs can range between $175,500 and a staggering amount of $750,500! If you are doing it for the first time, that’s an overwhelming obstacle. Despite this barrier, it is interesting that two young entrepreneurs managed to open Le Great Outdoor with almost no capital and no investors.
Due to the cost of commercial leases, co-owners Rudy Beuve and Pedro Mori got creative and secured space in the Bergamot Station. Because the city of Santa Monica owns the space to house art galleries and is almost entirely outdoors, rent is below a typical restaurant space in LA County.
Since they lacked funding to purchase commercial kitchen equipment, they secured a grill instead, and Chef Beuve developed a menu sourced from local farms such as Valdivia, Wong, and Weiser. Their “kitchen” is sans roof, entirely outdoors, and exposed to whatever Mother Nature has in store. Think about the last time you barbequed in inclement weather.
I had high expectations for Le Great Outdoor because I had to wait weeks to secure a reservation and imagine my surprise to find it set up as a fast-casual restaurant. You first see a table with a POS system, with co-owner Mori taking the orders. The duo doesn’t have to worry about dashing and dining theft because diners pay for their meal upfront.
Chef Beuve learned his craft in various Michelin restaurants in Europe. After relocating to LA, he worked at Gjusta, a bakery and cafe known for its seasonal food. Beuve focuses on Mediterranean cuisine, and his starters include marinated sardines with tomato caviar and hummus tartine sprinkled with za’atar seasoning. He ventures beyond with broccolini with miso vinaigrette and burnt red pepper with chimichurri. The latter of which pairs nicely with grilled meat.
Le Great Outoor is informal, with dishes delivered to your table on shared trays. Grilled items are prepared with fragrant seasonings, grilled over a fire, basted with olive oil, and topped with fresh herbs and occasionally edible flowers. The flavors work together, and everything is well executed.
The Grilled Lamb Chops with rosemary and garlic ($28 half) were dusted with sumac, which gave them an earthly and slightly sweet flavor. Beware that the chicken and shrimp skewer ($16 ea) is each a single skewer, which is amusing because when you are sharing, you have to peel them off the stick to pass them off.
If you want wine or beer, pull out your credit card again and get in line at the “wine bar.” While it resembles a mini-mart, they also use the inside space to assemble plates not prepared on the outdoor grill. Co-owner Mori got his beverage creds from Julian Cox and Nick Myers, two big names in LA’s cocktail scene. His curated wine list includes organic wines from Italy and France.
Le Great Outdoor doesn’t portray itself as a fancy restaurant with excellent interior design. The experience is like dining in your friend’s backyard, with a barbeque grill, music, and good company. In opening the restaurant, Beuve and Mori wanted “to celebrate life, bring good vibes, and as always, good food.” I think they achieved that.
Le Great Outdoor, 2525 Michigan Ave. Santa Monica, 90404; 323.740.7931; legreatoutdoor.com