Andreas Schreiner ’00 came back to where it all started. The Chaplin School alumnus is the founding partner of the Pubbelly Restaurant Group. He spoke with hospitality students on September 14 as part of the School’s first alumni talk of the semester.
The restaurant and hotel expert not only offered a look back at his life, but gave students insight into what it takes to build a successful restaurant from the ground up.
“Have a clear goal of what you want and start working at it now,” he told students. “When opening a restaurant, you should know that you will be part of every little thing you can think of. I remember going from formulating budgets to building furniture all on the same day.”
Schreiner spoke about how the Chaplin School prepared him for where he is today.
“Surprisingly, the classes I enjoyed the least are the ones that ended up helping me the most, like accounting,” he said. “The real-world knowledge I got from my professors and fellow students gave me a well-rounded education and helped me become a better person. FIU gave me the skills I needed earlier on in life that would otherwise have taken me much longer to learn.”
Schreiner gave some tidbits into what can be expected from the Pubbelly brand in the future.
“PB Steak in Downtown is coming soon and so is Pubbelly Sushi in the Dominican Republic,” he said. “A licensing agreement has also recently been signed with Norwegian Cruise Line for a Pubbelly-style restaurant.”
To anyone interested in opening a restaurant, Schreiner recommends securing 20 percent more in funds than the initial budget allocates.
“That way, you are prepared for any curveballs thrown,” he said.
