When I asked Kevin Crowley, general manager at Pork Belly Farmhouse, a well-known Nolensville restaurant, what he wishes customers knew, he said, “How much we love what we do. I also wish they knew how hard it is to get it right.”
I had a chance to speak with Kevin, Megan Alexander, executive chef, Phil Vaughn, server and assistant manager and Jay Crowley, head bartender, about their restaurant. I spoke with each of them separately. I was struck by their responses to the question I asked Kevin, because they all feel the same way. Their jobs may be significantly different, but they are all dedicated to providing the best quality of food, drink and service possible. And, they are well aware that to give customers the best dining experience possible, they have to collaborate.
Megan graduated with honors from Nashville’s Art Institute, where she majored in culinary arts. While her specialty is pastry, she is adept at all aspects of the craft. “We believe in offering a balance of protein,” Megan said. “We have chicken, beef, pork and seafood items to choose from.” They also focus on fresh vegetables in season to help them choose side items.
Have you ever wondered how a dish winds up on a restaurant’s menu? At Pork Belly Farmhouse it begins with their vision to offer a casual dining experience with a Southern flair. But the menu changes based on what Megan and her kitchen staff have learned.
“I also rely on our servers to tell me what customers ask for. When I hear it enough times, I know it’s a dish worth trying,” she said.
Kevin concurred. “We try to be responsive to our guests’ requests, even their kids have a say.”
Serving customers well is what motivates Phil Vaughn. He’s had 18 years of experience as a server, including a stint in Washington D.C. where he served luminaries such as Joe Biden, Michelle Obama and Laura Bush.
“I get the most satisfaction out of having an excellent shift,” he said. "That means our entire team worked well to ensure we made diners comfortable, and satisfied with their dining experience.”
I asked Phil to describe the most difficult part of his job.
“Controlling my customer’s experience is a challenge because I don’t cook the food or make the drinks, yet I am the face of that experience. I am always mindful of that responsibility. On very busy nights, it’s a bit more of a challenge, but I find most of our customers are very patient.”
Jay Crowley is, at nearly 30, a very experienced bartender, who’s been in the restaurant business since he was sixteen. He and his uncle, Kevin Crowley, have invented a variety of cocktails using their imagination to create popular drinks like pineapple jalapeno margaritas, a lavender lemondrop and his well-known PB&Jay drink. For many of the drinks they concoct something called shrubs, a secret mixture of sipping vinegar and sugar. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to see the satisfaction on a client’s face when they taste one of my drinks,” Jay said. He too appreciates customers’ patience when the house is full.
I asked Kevin what customers are most likely to complain about.
He said, “The biggest complaint we get is when we’re really busy, it can take longer to get the food to a customer’s table. What they may not realize is that we prepare our food using the al la minute method. That means everything is cooked to order. When your food arrives it’s just been prepared, rather than having been cooked in advance and simply warmed up.”
We chatted about the restaurant business in general. Kevin told me he enjoys building relationships with their clients.
“Some people eat here three or four times a week. During the height of the pandemic these customers kept us going. There were plenty of takeout orders to allow us to retain staff.”
It wouldn’t be right to end this story without mentioning desserts. All Pork Belly Farmhouse, all desserts are made from scratch. Banana pudding cheesecake is a favorite of many diners. “I took that item off the menu for a long while,” Megan told me, “but our regular customers had a fit. It’s back now and it looks like it will be there for a long time.”
The Pork Belly Farmhouse opens every day at 4 p.m. except Mondays when they are closed. They offer specials on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.