Kefalos started as a waiter at Bacaro L.A. (Alex Kefalos)

According to Alex Kefalos, USC alumnus and general manager of Bacaro L.A. and Nature’s Brew, any successful restaurant must provide more than just good food. He contends that the experience of gathering with others in a hospitable environment makes eating out memorable. 

“People go out to restaurants and bars and even coffee shops to have fun, to enjoy themselves, to take pleasure in things,” Kefalos said.

As general manager, Kefalos’s responsibilities include hiring and training staff, ordering inventory and maintaining the facilities. His primary role, and the one that he enjoys the most, is keeping customers happy and coming back. 

“As pleasurable as it is to go out to eat and have a great meal and a glass of wine, it’s actually even more pleasurable to provide that for others,” Kefalos said. “And to do it for as many as 250 people a night is exhilarating. It’s the most fun and exciting thing I’ve ever done.”

Despite the passion with which Kefalos describes his job, he never intended to work in the restaurant industry. 

Kefalos graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a degree in Cinematic Arts Critical Studies in 2011. He worked at major production companies including Sony and Breakwater Motion Pictures, and even co-produced a short film called “Dinner with Fred.”  

Despite his professional success, Kefalos began to lose his enthusiasm for the film industry. He could not imagine devoting 80 hours per week to a job that did not fulfill him emotionally. Recognizing this fact, Kefalos courageously decided to change trajectories and entered a field he had long admired: hospitality. 

“When I was in school studying film, I was having a blast. I loved it,” Kefalos said. “And then to leave, and to have to form a career out of it, it wasn’t necessarily a drag, but I realized that I couldn’t match the passion and ambition of all the people I was working with.”

Kefalos submitted applications to several restaurants throughout Los Angeles before landing a waiter position at Bacaro L.A., a Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar located just a few blocks away from USC. Working at Bacaro was especially meaningful to him because of his fond memories there as a student. In hindsight, Kefalos realized that he ended up at exactly the right place at the right time. 

While Kefalos now oversees operations at Bacaro and Nature’s Brew, the sister coffee shop and bakery next door, he still completes tasks such as cleaning and maintenance. He said that staffers at both establishments embrace a collaborative and unpretentious work environment. 

“At both restaurants there’s a really unique team atmosphere where things like cleaning and maintenance are a part of everyone’s job description including mine,” Kefalos stated. “No one’s afraid to get their hands dirty in either place.”

For students interested in pursuing a career in hospitality, Kefalos stressed the importance of starting from the ground up. To successfully manage and eventually own a restaurant, Kefalos said that people must be willing to work every position in the house. This ability to adapt and juggle different responsibilities sets a positive example for others. 

“When you are going out to eat or starting your research, look at it from a student’s perspective and really learn and absorb as much as you can,” Kefalos said. “Watch how people move, watch how they interact with others. Watch how hard they work. The main thing that’s really cool and unique about the restaurant business is that no one ever pauses.” 

While Kefalos was initially hesitant to leave the film industry, the satisfaction he experienced as a server at Bacaro L.A. assured him that he made the right decision. 

“My advice to students is to not be afraid of those big changes and be willing to make a bet on yourself and give up something that seems stable and might lead to success, but is not what you really want,” Kefalos said. 

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