It would be hard to imagine Mike Murphy anywhere else. The corner seat he takes at the end of the bar at 10 Acres Bistro suits him. It was built for him. Murphy, 56, the owner of the bistro and the two restaurants that share the block where Gordon and Humboldt streets meet — Pescatores and Oyster — is admittedly most comfortable in his “natural habitat” of busy kitchens, buzzing staff and the clink of glasses at a well-appointed bar. He comes by that comfort honestly.
After all, he’s been in the restaurant game since he worked at Mr. Mikes as a 16-year-old saving for his first car.
Over four decades of slinging food, drawing pints and feeding hundreds of young staff to the industry, Murphy has had a hand in restaurants that run the gamut from Il Terrazzo, Cecconi’s Trattoria and Bon Rouge to Tommy Tuckers, with plenty of stops in between. It’s shown him all sides of what can be a brutal and tough business, taught him a few things about himself and afforded him a window on the world. And as the Victoria-born and raised Murphy prepares to shutter Pescatores and Oyster in January in order to renovate the two spots and bring them under a new name, Pescatores Fish House and Oyster Bar, before next spring, he shared some of what he’s learned from the other side of the bar.
TC: When did you know the restaurant business was going to be your life?
MM: “I was in my early 20s and bought the Tommy Tuckers in Rutherford Mall in Nanaimo, and it was probably six months into it and it dawned on me — I don’t have a boss, it’s just me. The downside is I’m unemployable. After working for yourself for so long you’re master of your own domain and of your own success or failure. I couldn’t imagine working for someone else.”
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TC: Did you ever want to do anything else?
MM: I would probably have liked to have gone through and finished [at UVic] and become a lawyer. Arguing is a long suit for me, and I’m a huge problem- solver ... But other than that, I’m pretty satisfied.”
TC: What’s the best move you’ve made as a restaurateur?
MM: “Coming back to Victoria from Nanaimo, that led to Cecconi’s (a conversion from his Shelbourne Street Tommy Tuckers restaurant) and then Il Terrazzo, and those set the stage for this as much as anything.”
TC: What is the best lesson you’ve learned?
MM: “There have been lots of ups and downs and lots of bad choices along the way, but I probably learned more from watching something implode [the Tommy Tuckers chain crumbled after too much expansion.] When business is going up, it’s because you’re good looking and smart, right? So when business goes down, it can’t be because you’re ugly and stupid. You have to look at the real reasons these things happen — you get lazy, lose focus on the business — that was good training.”
TC: What is the hardest part of being in the restaurant business?
MM: “The toughest part may be realizing your life is never going to be normal. You need a different group of peers. This is not 9-to-5 and you rarely get weekends off. Most people don’t get that. You’re never home for dinner and, if you are, chances are you’re not paying enough attention to your business.”
TC: What makes a restaurant successful in Victoria?
MM: “When it gets right down to it, the ones that are paying attention to the little things make a difference. You can’t cater to any one crowd. You need the people living in [downtown] condos, the kids and the older crowd. You can’t survive on tourists alone. You need the locals. You need your credibility with the locals — if for no other reason than the locals tell the tourists where to go.”
TC: What trends are driving the industry right now?
MM: “Local [sourcing of food] is still big, but not essential. In a lot of respects it has been over-used and become a bit trite. But then again, in reality, I love supporting local and I have my own farm. We are seeing fewer vegetarians. People are eating everything, though they are more concerned about how it’s raised, and if it’s free of antibiotics, pesticides and hormones.
TC: What’s your favourite restaurant in Greater Victoria?
MM: “Bar none, Deep Cove Chalet. Especially now that I live in the country I go there a lot more often. It’s old school, definitely three courses and it’s lovely.”
TC: Which of your restaurants do you like the most?
MM: “Right now, [10 Acres] is my favourite because I have the farm and just did the reno. But once we do the remake of Pescatores that will be my new baby.”
TC: Can you see yourself opening another restaurant?
MM: “It is great fun coming up with new concepts and plans. But I always said when I bought the farm that it would stop me from doing something stupid like buy another restaurant, because sometimes I can’t help myself. I see things and think ‘what a great idea, that would make a great barbecue joint, beach house or Japanese place.’ ”