Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Kramer.
Hi Sara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We met working in restaurants in NY and made the move out to Los Angeles in 2014 to open a falafel shop in Grand Central Market. It was a very spontaneous decision for two Brooklyn-ites, but it felt like the right moment for the two of us, personally and professionally. LA was (and still is) a very energetic and inspiring city, and we feel so lucky to have been welcomed into the food community here. We’ve since closed our original falafel shop (a pandemic casualty), but in the last seven years, we’ve opened our flagship California-meets-Mediterranean restaurant, Kismet, along with three locations of our craveable fast-casual concept, Kismet Rotisserie, in East Hollywood, Culver City, and Studio City (with more to come).
We’ve always wanted to create businesses with a strong sense of community while putting our employees first. We come from backgrounds where we’ve both been vegetarian or vegan at different points in our lives, so sustainability is at the forefront of our business model. Even our rotisserie chicken restaurants have a surprisingly plant-forward menu. Los Angeles has really influenced us because we have access to incredible produce with year-round availability. We try to showcase that variability on our menus as much as possible.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Remaining afloat during the pandemic came with obvious challenges, shared by most everyone in the industry. Our first location of Kismet Rotisserie had opened two months prior, so we had a very new business to establish during very uncertain times. We decided to close our first restaurant, Kismet Falafel at the outset of the pandemic to focus on our two restaurants in East Hollywood. While Kismet Rotisserie was perfectly poised for to-go ordering, we had to transition Kismet to an order-online-for-pickup grocery/goods business for almost two years. We sold wine, produce boxes, and other goods out of Kismet which helped us keep the doors open. We’re very grateful to have made it through with the support of our amazing staff and have even added locations in spite of pandemic setbacks.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Creating reliably delicious food that utilizes locally sourced, seasonal produce is the main goal, but above all, we want to foster an open and encouraging work environment for our staff. We feel a responsibility to our community to run an ethical business, which extends to our sourcing and employment practices. We have an open-door policy, so we’re always encouraging our staff to speak up about how they feel about policies and be a voice for making change in the restaurant. We are always evolving. Creating a pleasant space to work is not only a crucial component of Kismet’s overall vibe but a business necessity.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
What’s most important to the two of us is creating an inclusive environment for everyone who works for us. That’s always been a top priority in terms of how we run our company. We want to create as much equity as possible for all the people who work for us. We’ve actively tried to make sure everyone has an opportunity to be seen and heard, and that’s important to us. These values aren’t necessarily different from how other people run their businesses, but it’s at the top of our priority list and it’s how we want to envision the future of the Kismet world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kismetla.com/ and https://www.kismetrotisserie.com/
- Instagram: kismetlosangeles and kismetrotisserie
Image Credits
Frank Wonho, Oriana Koren, Aliza Sokolow, Chris Bernabeo
