From the Back of the House: A Q&A with Chef PJ Calapa on ‘One of Those Nights’

For one night in November, Toast took over Marea, an iconic Manhattan restaurant (some might say located at “the best address in the world”) for the ultimate test of Toast technology. For “One of Those Nights,” Toast bought out the restaurant and sent in a slew of actors to throw Marea’s team the most challenging orders they could think of — from inventing new fad diets to the most particular of influencers to one celebrity chef (the one and only Matty Matheson, to really put things to the test) — and filmed it for the world to see.

It should come as no surprise that with the right technology and leadership of Executive Chef PJ Calapa, the Marea team handled each and every curveball with care and ease. Oysters, no shells? No problem. Steak half rare, half well done? Yes, chef. We talked with Chef PJ to learn more about how Toast helped them make it a seamless night and how he empowers his team to offer hospitality at any cost so each and every guest has an incredible experience.

So, how’d it go?

It was great! I loved the premise from the beginning. I was in on it [“One of Those Nights” production let Chef PJ know what would happen. The rest of restaurant staff thought Toast was shooting a demo video.] which was kind of clever, so I had a sense of what was coming and what wasn't. 

I had really good conversations with production and the directors before filming. During service, the shoot seemed like it went according to plan, if not potentially above and beyond, which was so fun to watch. Knowing that we were being a little bit cheeky with our staff, they handled it so well, and it was lovely to see how the team handled all the things that were thrown at them.

Years and years of training all came together that night to the point where everyone almost felt like it was a normal night! Like, yeah, oysters on spoons is not a “normal” order, but, but let's do it. 

A Marea server taking an order during "One of Those Nights" with a Toast Go handheld.

How did Toast help you handle everything?

I've been using Toast for years now, and I think how accommodating the actual software is, how quickly it communicates between the dining room and the kitchen is great. 

I think the [Toast Go® 2] handhelds are wonderful for how quickly information can get from the guests to the kitchen, which is always interesting, especially when they're doing modifications. 

In the past, if a server needed to ask a question about a mod, they would come into the kitchen, the chef would explain to them what we were able to do, and they'd go back to the terminal, type everything in, and then it would get the ticket. In my head I’d think, “Wow, this is like a 5,6,7,8-minute lag,” which, for us in the restaurant world, is a ton.

With the handhelds, everything's in the system. A server can ask, “Chef, can we do this?” and when I say, “Yes, modified,” it’s no problem. Click, and then the ticket’’s printing. All of a sudden you've not only trimmed down your wait time for the guests, but also our turn times, which is, ultimately more money for the restaurant.

What was it like having Matty Matheson in your kitchen?

I’ve always admired Matty as a chef, and now I love seeing him show off what else he can do as an actor in The Bear. And it’s always great to have another chef in the kitchen with us at Marea. We love to cook for fellow chefs and show them a bit of what we do here. 

That said, Matty was also adding to what was an already crazy service that night — going through all the lowboys, checking Mis en Place — it was such a fun addition for the team to meet and have him congratulate them at the end, and he really added to what was already a crazy service. It really was “one of those nights!” 

Matty Matheson in the Marea kitchen

How have you created and trained a team to offer this level of service and hospitality?

I think it's the fact that we’re always operating at a high volume. We also have a lot of regulars, which I think gives everyone a sense of safety. There are always going to be curveballs, but if you see fastballs all day long, you get used to hitting them. Then, when a curveball comes every once in a while, it might throw you off, but you're able to manage it. 

We've always taught the team that service is the most important. The guests always come first. Knowledge of the menu, understanding of the space, understanding the history of the space, knowing that it's an iconic address in New York City. Knowing all those details down pat instills a sense of confidence, so then when it does get a little bit quirky, you're able to handle it with composure instead of getting nervous or letting the guests see you sweat.

I say “yes” to a lot of things. That's another element of my style that I think came into play here. Not all kitchens operate from a place of yes, and now we are very much the house of yes, because I think we are capable of doing a lot of great things. That gives the team a lot of freedom with the guests, and it gives them some confidence to give the best service possible.

Celebrating the Marea team after the shoot

Anything you learned? Anything you took away from the night?

How good the team really is, and how well they can adapt. The fact that they weren't stressed is a wonderful place for us to be in, to know that we can continue to push the envelope and to improve service, improve quality. 

We're so impressed with the team, and our Toast software and tools helped everything fall right in line. I thought to myself “wow, this is exactly how it’s supposed to work.” And if the sh*t ever really hits the fan, we know we can handle it.

When we finally told the team, they were pleased too and proud of what a good job they did without even knowing what was going on. They were cool and collected the whole time and ready for what the next night would bring. And that’s a great place to be, right?

You can see how “One of Those Nights” put Toast tech and Marea to the test on Toast’s YouTube channel.

To learn more about Marea, or book a table at the restaurant, visit their website. 

You can follow Chef PJ on Instagram, and Matty Matheson on Instagram.