Meet Andrea Borgen of Barcito

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Borgen.

Andrea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started my career with Hillstone Restaurant Group, working at locations in both South Florida and The Greater New York Area, moving my way up, from beverage manager, to service manager, to AGM. I eventually left to join Danny Meyer’s restaurant group as the General Manager of Blue Smoke, where I stayed for almost 2 years, before moving back to Los Angeles and getting to work on my own concept. We opened barcito in September of 2015, and eliminated tipping in April 2016, in order to provide our employees with stable wages, improved benefits (including health insurance), and better opportunities for advancement and growth.

Great, 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?
We’re in a challenging neighborhood, that changes every day. An area that used to be full of parking lots (and foot traffic) has turned into a construction zone, with various, massive scale developments under way simultaneously. The prospects are exciting, but figuring out how to weather the storm, and continue to draw in our locals and regulars, always keeps us on our toes.

Barcito – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We’re a neighborhood gastropub, inspired by the classic corner cafes of Buenos Aires. Serving coffee and empanadas by day, and cocktails and bar bites by night, we strive to be a go-to for locals and regulars, alike.

Eliminating tipping in the spring of 2016 was a massive undertaking, and one we’re incredibly proud of. It’s a crucially important change for this industry, for how we compensate and reward our employees, and for the continued health (both physical and mental) of all our team members.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I received an Eater Young Gun award in 2016, less than a year after barcito had opened. I was amongst some really incredible company, and felt honored to be considered with such nationally-acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs.

Contact Info:

• Address: 403 West 12th Street
• Website: www.barcitola.com
• Phone: 213 415 1821
• Email: hello@barcitola.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/barcitola
• Facebook: facebook.com/barcitola
• Twitter: twitter.com/barcitola
• Yelp: yelp.com/biz/barcito-los-angeles

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