Meet Nick Williams of THAT Place Projects in Flagstaff

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Williams.

Nick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was hired by Kevin Heinonen, the Founder of THAT Place Projects, as a Bar Back in 2013, with no experience in the Bar Industry, and very little experience in Hospitality in general. I was fortunate to learn the basics of Bartending from both Jeremy Lane, the General Manager, and Corey O’Donnell, the Bar Manager at the time who eventually went on to run the historic Hotel Monte Vista. I found that I took to Bartending quite naturally, having a decently developed palate from my love for cooking, and a strong desire to entertain the public. I quickly began experimenting with classic recipes, which lead to a real interest in concept cocktails. At the same time, I began to cultivate and reinforce a culture of “Genuine Connection” within the Annex Cocktail Lounge. We wanted people to think of the Annex their local neighborhood “Cheers” type bar, with an incredibly warm, welcoming, and familiar atmosphere; all under the influence of raising the bar in the quality of our Cocktail Program. This idea began to catch on, and our business grew by nearly 40% year after year. As our business grew, so did our reputation as the Best Cocktail destination in Northern Arizona, and soon we were being recognized by nationally syndicated magazines such as Restaurant Hospitality for the Best Concept Cocktail of 2018.

As my experience within the industry and the company grew, I became more and more interested and passionate about the industry. I realized that I could build a real life within Hospitality. In 2017, I approached Kevin about the possibility of buying into the company. He graciously accepted. Now, as partners in THAT Place Projects, we are on the trajectory for expansion both within the city of Flagstaff and across the State of Arizona. We have earned ourselves a reputation for warmth, quality, and connection within the community. We have grown and evolved significantly as people, and as a business, and are extremely excited for what the future holds.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Is it ever a smooth road within this industry? I’ve never heard of such things. What we have learned is to never be too proud to change. One of the major constants within our company has been change. We observe, we learn, and we pivot, based on the wants, needs, and tendencies of our customers. We make a very conscious effort to not have to say “no” to our customers. We also keep our eyes on the horizon; adapting to new technologies and changing our business models to achieve maximum efficiency, all in the while never taking our focus off of the connection to our customer. I came to the realization one night as I laid in bed unable to sleep, that Restaurants were not created because of a need for food; Restaurants were created because of a need for Genuine Human Connection. That is the core of our beliefs at THAT Place Projects.

Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
We are a Hospitality company. We curate an atmosphere in which our guests can suspend the reality of their lives for a few hours. We care about and are genuinely passionate about serving people. We also happen to serve incredibly high quality food, wine, and cocktails.

We currently have three different concepts, all in a row, on one of the main blocks in the Southside of Downtown Flagstaff. It all started with the Tinderbox, which was named for its potentially explosive nature. As it turned out, it happened to be aptly named. We became so popular in 2009 when we opened that we had to “Annex” the abandoned building next to us, the idea being a “waiting room” Bar for the restaurant, so we wouldn’t have to send customers away when we were full. As it were, the Annex began to take on a life of its own, with comfortable Lounge seating, warm, friendly Bartenders, and a cocktail list that pushes the limits on creativity, while at the same time offering something for everyone.

Eventually, we set our eyes on the condemned building directly to the South of the Annex with which it shares an outdoor patio area. Said patio is nestled within a Historic Basque Handball Court built nearly 100 years ago by the Sheep Herders who inhabited the area in the early 1900’s. They would sleep in the building, known as “The Tourist Home” during their time in Flagstaff. After much debate, we decided to create a historical reconstruction of the building that held so much history. We kept the name the same, and after a steep learning curve as to what the concept should be, we landed on an “All Day Café”, which would serve Breakfast & Lunch from 6 am-3 pm, along with very high quality pastries and locally roasted coffee. Again our efforts proved fruitful, and the Tourist Home All Day Café soon began to account for nearly 50% of our overall revenue.

What makes me proud as a company is the fact that we have done everything wrong, yet still achieved success. We opened our restaurant on the wrong side of the tracks when no one dared to do so, we grew by the seat of our pants and evolved day to day, as opposed to having well drawn out plans and research. Instead of bringing in highly experienced talent from within the industry, we promoted from within, finding and cultivating our management team through hard work, passion, and a hunger to learn and adapt.

So now, what sets us apart from others is the fact that we have an incredibly tight nucleus of management and a “template” by which our entry-level employees can look to us and see a real future. We have adopted numerous individuals who got into this industry as a temporary fix, who are now building a life out of it. They’ve learned that the “ceiling” is as high as they want it to be as long as they continue to learn, push, and raise the standards each and every day.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think every person, and therefore business experiences some degree of both good and bad luck. For the most part, I think the long arc of luck has trended toward good for our 10yr old business. I could argue that we are incredibly lucky to have assembled the team that we have around us today. But honestly, I credit this team more to Kevin Heinonen and his uncanny ability to find and assemble the right people in the right place at the right time. He is amazing at building powerful teams.

Contact Info:

• Address: 34, 50, 52 S San Francisco Street
  Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
• Website: thatplaceprojects.com
• Phone: 928-226-8400
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: thatplaceprojects, tboxkitchen, annex_cocktail_lounge, tourist_home
• Facebook: thatplaceprojects
• Yelp: Tinderbox Kitchen, Annex Cocktail Lounge, Tourist Home All Day Cafe

Image Credit:
Eric Hays
Tony Felice

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