Meet Scott Richter

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Richter.

Hi Scott, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a native New Yorker who has always had a passion for the Hospitality Industry. New York City restaurants, chefs and restauranteurs have inspired me my whole life to one day have my own restaurant. After working in bakeries and delis as a kid, I re-entered the food world back in 2012 when Smorgasburg first opened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Smorgasburg has become a very well-known food market, which also has a location here in DTLA. At the time, I was selling Insurance, which was paying the bills but not satisfying my true passions. The entrepreneur in me decided to give it a shot, apply to this market and open my own food stand. I remember having to prepare food on a board room conference table in Brooklyn to be selected into this market. I was fortunate to be selected at the time, as thousands of applicants apply every year.

Starting that business at Smorgasburg truly changed my life. It led me to then leaving my full-time job in Insurance to move to Las Vegas. This may seem like a random move, but I had the opportunity to work on the Vegas Strip at a high-volume restaurant, that gave me my first opportunity to work in a restaurant as a manager. I always believed that to really learn the restaurant business, I needed to start from the bottom and learn my way through the ranks. The management ranks in this case.

I ended up working in Vegas for two years, which gave me invaluable experience. At the time, Shake Shack was opening their first location at NYNY hotel on the strip. Being from NY and seeing Shake Shack grow from its inception, it sparked my interest to learn more about their West Coast expansion. I ended applying to be a part of the team that would be opening the Los Angeles market of stores, the first ever in California. I was hired for the position and helped Shake Shack open their flagship West Hollywood store upon helping them open eight others around LA and one in Internationally in London.

After working for Shake Shack for 3.5 years, I decided to go out on my own. My previous experiences had provided the foundation to get to this point. I wanted to find a location that would help build community and be a neighborhood gathering spot. The DTLA community fit this mold perfectly, but also finding a unique location, inside of an Arts Building on the 9th Floor, in the same building as The Last Bookstore, felt like home.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Upon opening Spring St Cafe, we got off to a nice start, being a new business. We knew we needed to stand out, as our location is unique, being a 9th floor café in the middle of DTLA. We opened in October of 2019, at the time my wife was pregnant with our first child and due the next month around Thanksgiving. Opening a new business and becoming a father back-to-back was something that I’ve never experienced before, that took a lot of courage and discipline.

After the first four months of business, COVID-19 occurred. We had to shut down the café for six weeks, just after finishing our best week of sales yet. Times were so uncertain, my new business was going 60mph to zero, and I needed to figure out how I was going to be able to support my family.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are a hidden gem cafe located in the heart of DTLA. We are focused in providing great hospitality, along with a clean, fresh menu. When you come to Spring St. Cafe, you immediately feel welcomed and as if you are in an oasis from the city streets. We have amazing views that make you feel as if you are in New York City.

We specialize in Breakfast, Lunch and Catering to locals, offices and production shoots.

We are proud of the community we have built through the cafe and being genuine in doing so. It is an old school establishment that plays good music and where everybody knows your name.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.springstcafela.com
• Instagram: @springstcafe
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/spring-st-cafe-los-angeles-2

Image Credits:
Jason Rivera (JAYRIVPHOTO)