Entrepreneur was never a role Sharon Watkins pursued. In spite of that, her willingness to pursue new ideas and her education – focused on drama and fine arts – put her front and center most of her career. Currently mastering her best act as founder and owner of Chez Zee, Watkins keeps things fresh with small, constant tweaks.
Since opening in 1989, the Austin dining institution popular for its weekend brunch and desserts remains relevant with a broad group of Austinites. Watkins credits that to the restaurant’s universally comfortable and personal vibe. She believes that in the midst of the stress, technology and traffic, people want to have places to go in the community where they feel welcome and relaxed.
As a consumer, she finds welcoming service and comfort rare. And when she does spot it, she pays attention. After visiting other restaurants, she often returns with ideas and improvements. On a recent visit to New York, she liked the way the staff at an eating establishment answered the phone. She returned with a request that her staff follow suit. Always interested in improvement, Watkins asks herself, her customers and her employees, “How can Chez Zee be better?” Pre-order pies are another example of paying attention to the small things. Placed in Pyrex pie plates, they are made to look as if you made them – or could have made them – at home. The presentation is Chez Zee’s way of making customers feel good and proud to present their contribution at any gathering with family and friends.
In her role, Watkins wears many hats, including hostess, administrative lead and strategist. Juggling all the pieces of a business that employs 80 servers, cooks and hosts, she shops for health insurance and manages the replacement of aging equipment. Her latest challenge is deciding how to best maximize the restaurant’s business. There are many possibilities: adding a new location, offering take-home orders, catering birthday cakes and offering online orders, to name a few. She recognizes all ideas are viable, but is careful to consider which investments to make. This restaurant owner asks what is most relevant to her business and to her community. She seeks to understand what people care about most and leans on her connections with customers and the community to guide her next move.
When she’s not playing hostess in the dining room or coordinating the replacement of the restaurant equipment, Watkins makes time to serve on the boards of KLRU-TV, the Austin Chamber of Commerce and Seton Cove. She lives here, works here and participates here as an active and respected community leader in Austin. No stranger to leading organizations and businesses, early in her career, Watkins founded the Creative Theater Unlimited in Princeton, N.J., with the help of Arthur Lithgow, father of award-winning actor John Lithgow. And for 10 years prior to opening Chez Zee, she operated an Austin-based advertising agency that focused on the food, beverage and hospitality sector.
It was her role as grants program director for the Texas Commission for the Arts that fueled her passion for supporting local artists. She understands the tremendous need for businesses to support the arts community and strives to run a business that does just that. The Gallery at Chez Zee, just across the courtyard from the restaurant, serves as part art gallery, part private party space. The restaurant is also filled with colorful folk art and rotating exhibits reflecting the owner’s creativity and interests. Early on, Chez Zee commissioned original pieces, which are still part of the restaurant today. The next time you dine there, look for “The Pears” from local pastel artist Will Klemm and “Swiss Chard and Tomatoes,” by local photographer Ave Bonar. And don’t forget to request an art map outlining the details of each piece and the artists who created them. Watkins credits her success to her good fortune to know, engage with and learn from a variety of community members. Connecting with people is the fun part; creating opportunities for business and community is her reward.
For more details on dining or booking a function at Chez Zee, visit www.chezzee.com. You can also follow @Chez_Zee_Austin on Twitter or search for ChezZeeAmericanBistro on Facebook.
