EnTrends [ahn-trends]

Taking a Look at How Modern Entrepreneurs Work & Live!

"I sat at a desk and I talked to twenty-six chicken farmers everyday, trying to sell them chicken feed. To me, that just wasn't what I went to school to learn how to do."

When he was younger, Bonnet had worked in the restaurant of the renowned Eagle Ridge Inn & Resort in Galena, Illinois. There, he met the owner of a restaurant in Jo Daviess County. Years later, about the same time he was growing tired of his commodities career, the owner approached Fred about taking over the business.

Bonnet took his first year's bonus and used it as a down payment on the property. The owner set up a two and a half year financing plan for the rest. The deal was perfect for the twenty-two year old budding entrepreneur. He did not have to submit a business plan or go through any of the other rigorous tasks that would have been required to get outside financing.

In 1993, Bonnet opened his restaurant, named Fried Green Tomatoes, after a film that opened around the same time. In the beginning, Bonnet worked almost ninety hours a week and put in a great deal of sweat equity to turn the restaurant into a new enterprise. He even lived in the upper floors of the historic building.

In the late 1800s, the site of Fried Green Tomatoes had been designated as the Jo Daviess County Poor Farm. The original structure on the property housed the poor, sick, and mentally ill from March of 1850 until January of 1870.

The restaurant specializes in country Italian cuisine served in an elegant atmosphere. Visitors are welcomed into a warm, inn-like structure. An abundance of brick and large wooden beams accent the lobby that is furnished with plush couches in the waiting area.

Today, Bonnet works about 65 hours a week. "To me, it's not that bad. It's a lot better than forty hours a week selling chicken feed." During a typical workday, Bonnet takes care of a barrage of administrative tasks in the morning, such as insurance, marketing, contracts and supply ordering.

Once 4:30 rolls around, he gets into the operations of the business. At 11:00 P.M., Bonnet heads downtown to his other business, The Grape Escape, which he opened two years ago. It is a martini and wine bar that offers appetizers and occasional entertainment until 1 A.M., Tuesday through Sunday.

In the last seven years that Bonnet has run Fried Green Tomatoes, business has doubled in volume. His restaurant has been featured in Gourmet Magazine, Midwest Living and several other notable publications. Bonnet has also begun to sell his restaurant's house dressing and olive oil through Oberweis Dairy of Chicago.

Sixty-five percent of Bonnet's clientele come from Chicago and the suburbs. Twenty-five percent come from outside a thirty-mile radius, and the remaining ten percent are local patrons. Bonnet says that an average bill for his customers runs around $35 to $40. The most popular dishes on the menu are the fried green tomatoes and the steaks.

On average, Bonnet has sixty-five employees working for him. During the summer, that number rises to almost eighty. Bonnet takes great pride in maintaining a strong team atmosphere for his employees. He regularly takes them on trips to view how other successful establishments are run. When it comes time to order things like new uniforms, he gets their input and lets them choose. Bonnet says, " I do not like corporate nature or dictating to my employees exactly how they should work." Employees are also rewarded with vacations and other incentives if they meet their goals.

Bonnet does not attend many trade shows for the restaurant industry. "I don't really care for those. When you go, it's Utopia. All the equipment is new and fresh. I'd rather go see it in action. When you go to a restaurant and you see good operators, it inspires you to try harder and do a bit better."

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