Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Simpson.
Hi Michael, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Paris France, I started my hospitality career very quickly at EuroDisney where I worked attractions, restaurants and more. It quickly became a passion and an industry I felt I was really good at. I obtain my degree in Hospitality in Paris in 2000. I moved to San Diego in 2002 where I worked for St Tropez Bakery and restaurant then the French Gourmet as a server. Got quickly promoted as a manager and then a General manager. While obtaining my Sommelier diploma I discovered my passion for wine and fine dining.
I then worked as a GM for Croce’s Fine dining, The Rise and Shine restaurant group, and The Smoking Goat and most recently Barrio Star to name a few.
With passion, dedication and hard work I succeeded in this GM role and really spent the last 25 years “digging in the trenches” of restaurant operations.
In December of 2024 I came across an opportunity to purchase a small restaurant in Hillcrest and dove right in.
I have been working on my french wine bistro concept for as long as I can remember and I could finally put it all together at Frenchy’s Hideout. With a great culinary and front of house team on my side, I opened Frenchy’s Hideout restaurant on March 21st – A dream come true to say the least.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Opening a restaurant is never a smooth road haha. It always takes a lot more money and a lot more time than expected. I certainly ran into struggles. Creating my team was a great hustle and took time, I did not think I would ever be ready in time to open. The remodel also was challenging as we discovered a lot of things that needed to be fixed, changed… We add the fact that my wife and I were moving during the initial steps of the restaurant and just got a new puppy, it all was pretty challenging and full of obstacles.
Challenges and obstacles are to be expected, and yes we did have many especially in California. Permitting, abc license, lease agreement, market research, menu making, remodeling, branding, marketing, getting ready for the initial health permit, fire suppression, appliances and initial customer base are some of many challenges/obstacles that we encountered. Everything has to be planned, timed and carefully thought through. I think the biggest challenge was to make sure we adapted to the community as far as concept, pricing and menu. Knowing what the neighborhood needed, not scaring people away while offering a fine dining setup and authentic french cuisine was extremely tricky. We spent a lot of time analyzing the demand, market and the competition in the area.
After speaking with many patrons visiting us, we were told that Hillcrest needed a high-end French Bistro, and after being opened only 3 months our online reviews on yelp, opentable and google speak for themselves.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known for operating restaurants, my strength are commitment, hard work, passion, dedication and loyalty. Through my career I specialized in wine service and fine dining. My culinary team is absolutely amazing, and Chef Pedro Lugo says his number 1 ingredient is LOVE. He takes pride in his work, and I could not be happier with his hard work and excellent food. We are focusing on providing our guests with a memorable experience, not just a nigh out. We have had guests come in for their first visit and make a reservation on their way out for a future date. We already have repeat customers and are slowly creating our wine club with our wine dinner series. We focus on details and treating every guest like VIPS’s. Our goal is to have every guest leave with the Wow factor and spread the word. Our prix fixe menu with wine pairing is unique and available every night. Although reservations are recommended, walk ins are welcome.
We are also focusing on being elegant and fancy but approachable and non-pretentious. Our daily happy hour (including Friday and Saturday) offers great wine and food deals.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My favorite book is setting the table from Danny Meyer. It really describes best the fine dining world and how to manage a restaurant. I do follow the Restautant industry very closely to help me navigate day to day operations and follow the current trends but my 30 years of experience running restaurants internationally is by far why I am where I am today. I read wine books and travel to wineries constantly which helps me stay up to date but i read back my old sommelier books regularly to keep myself from forgetting what I learned. Although I passed the Sommelier exams, it was a while ago, so I keep myself busy with podcasts on my phone while I am driving to work daily and magazines.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: frenchyshideout
- Facebook: frenchyshideout
- Yelp: frenchy’s s hideout
