The Owner of Mathew's Food and Drink Tells All
When New Jersey native Mateusz “Mat” Kopec opened Mathews Food and Drink in November, 2016, he was already the successful proprietor of two beloved JC restaurants, White Star and White Star Warren. Inspired by the beauty and hospitality of Charleston, South Carolina, Mathews has quickly become a treasured neighborhood favorite.
Charleston is having a moment now. There is so much being written on the architecture, the dining scene, and the design trends coming out of Charleston. It is so nice to have a little piece of Charleston here in JC! Do you find that you have always been ahead of the curve, in terms of cultural trends?
I am always travelling and always reading. I want to know where chefs are working and what they are eating.
You have two amazing chefs at Mathews, John Mecca and Mike Kedale, who both worked at the legendary One If by Land, Two If by Sea in NYC.
Yes. Those guys grew up in the same town in Sussex County, and both live here in Jersey City now and get to work local.
Back to design for one moment, because the interior of Mathews is just stunning. Wallpaper is such a huge trend right now, and every time I eat at Mathews, I want to wallpaper my entire home.
That comes from a company in San Francisco, Hygge & West. They actually flew out here to photograph it.
Beyond the beautiful ambiance, the food! I so often long for your deviled eggs. And the Mediterranean salad with black-eyed pea falafel. Do you have a favorite dish that you serve?
The roast chicken. Everyone has a roast chicken on the menu, and I try it at every restaurant I go to. It’s a dish that sounds easy but to make an exceptional one that stands out, you really need to bring it. There is a long process involved in our chicken dish that starts with brining and drying it over several days.
The restaurant industry is a notoriously challenging one, and you have opened three very successful restaurants in a relatively short period of time. What’s the secret ingredient to your success?
People. You have to have good people who believe in your core values - how your guests feel about their experience and making sure they are having a good time. It’s scary sometimes, in this business. We have 70 people working now across our restaurants. We all want to serve a great product, delivered by good people so we give our guests a total experience. It’s a whole formula and it can be nerve wracking to see if it works. Keith McNally describes it as a big theater and that is it. There are so many little details that go into it.
What would be your advice to someone working in the industry who would like to break out on their own and open up a restaurant in Jersey City?
It’s tougher than ever now, with labor and food costs up and a more competitive environment. You just need to wake up every day and push to get better in every aspect of the business. If you do that every day, it will happen. Also, we have been at this 13 years now, and you have to really listen to the people around you.
How has your experience been like as an entrepreneur in Jersey City, in terms of working with the City and also in establishing such a loyal customer base?
It’s been very favorable. It’s a growing city which is great and it helps there are so many new people coming in and the City as a whole improving in a lot of ways.
I find that most entrepreneurs, even when they are not technically working, are always thinking about their business. They really live and breathe what they have created. Would you say that is accurate, in your case?
All day long. It never stops. When I am out to dinner with my fiancé, I am constantly turning over my dishes to check out the plate ware. I am always looking and thinking about the business.
As we all know, JC is in a bit of a tricky transition period right now, with the reval. Do you think that this will affect the current restaurant boom, or has it already?
It’s tough to know what is going to happen after the initial shock of this is over. It’s definitely a rollercoaster running this business month to month. The good part is that the city keeps growing. But yes, we just don’t know.
One last question. Can you please explain the reasons behind the no-reservations policy at Mathews? I have always been curious!
We are a bit more lenient these days, but this is a hard business. When you have no shows or guests are late or change the number of people in their party, it is challenging to the bottom line. Of course, we are very sympathetic that things happen and we try to accommodate all of our guests. But we hate to turn people away who walk in for a meal and then leave, when in fact someone cancels and we find out we did have availability.
I know Blue Ribbon in the City has the same policy. And it’s very egalitarian, it’s come one, come all, no one cares if you are famous or have other stature.
We have been eating there since the 90s. That is a great place built by people who love food for people who love food and it’s where chefs come to eat late night.
Very similar to Mathews! Anything new in the works?
Always. Always searching and weighing new ideas for our business. Nothing definitely formed for now but stay tuned.
Mathew’s Food and Drink, 351 Grove St mathewsrestaurant.com
White Star Bar, 230 Brunswick St. White Star, 179 Warren St. whitestarbar.com