The Story Before Serenbe

Not many people find their career path at 18, but as soon as Steve Nygren saw how the restaurant business worked he knew he was in the right place.

Between his freshman and sophomore years of college (where he thought he'd study architecture), Steve worked in a resort community in Colorado as a bus boy. Though he went back to school (now in hospitality), Steve spent more and more time working at Top of the Rockies, the Stouffer's restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. They didn't usually take people into management unless they had a degree, but there was an opening for Assistant Manager, so Steve learned more about running a kitchen. This led him to being an Assistant Sales Manager in St. Louis, then setting up for the groundbreaking in Atlanta, and finally to HQ in Cleveland as the National Director of Marketing for 13 hotels at the age of 24.

After 2 years in Cleveland, he wanted off the "corporate treadmill," and asked to be moved to Atlanta to get that hotel going in January 1972. The Stouffer's Hotel of Atlanta opened that October with restaurant 590 West. One night, Steve and a group of coworkers were in Savannah and joked that they should quit their jobs and open their own restaurant. It was only an idea, but it stuck in Steve's mind and he thought "why not?" He did some research, found a location that came with all the equipment he'd need (and a cheaper lease), and talked his friends into following through with their plan.

In 1972, Atlanta had private clubs, exclusive fancy restaurants, and "fern bars" like T.G.I.Fridays. Steve came in with fresh linens and flowers, reasonable prices and no reservations, and offered a fresh look to the Atlanta dining scene.

Questions Answered:
How does a hospitality guy end up placemaking in the woods?
Why was Steve Nygren the right person to create a place like Serenbe?
How did Steve go from bus boy to maitre 'd in one summer?
What brought Steve to Atlanta?
What was different about the Stouffer's Hotel in Atlanta?
What was Steve's Big Splash marketing campaign for the Atlanta hotel?
What is a "Fern Bar"?
How did the Pleasant Peasant change the restaurant scene?
What led to Pleasant Peasant first expanding?
How many Pleasant Peasant restaurants were there?