On Reflection: A Rolodex for Restaurateurs

Tate Rogers, who owned Nectar Lounge in Fremont for nearly a decade before selling a year and a half ago, has created a new vendor management tool called Tates List a sort of little black book to help with some of the major pain points in the restaurant industry.

Rogers has backing from James Weimann and Deming Maclise, the guys behind Bastille Cafe & Bar and Von Trapps (and Stoneburner and Poquitos). Tates List was an idea of mine that I had about four years ago when I was running Nectar, Rogers says. After I sold Nectar, I started thinking about what I was going to do next and this idea came back to me.

Thats when he met with Weimann and Maclise.

James has always been a mentor to me because he owned Ballroom, two doors down [from Nectar], so I got to know him really well, adds Rogers. When I pitched the idea to him, I was really just looking for some kind of feedback, confirmation from them, and they both really liked the idea.

The guys put their heads together and came up with the core of what Tates List should be: a clearinghouse for industry contacts. The number one thing that were addressing out of the gates is … vendor management. Anyone from a small neighborhood bar all the way up to … the Tom Douglases of the world, they still have to deal with the everyday decision of whos going to clean the taps and fix the toilet.

Theres also plenty of space on the website for industry nights, deals and Washington-made products like bourbon, vodka and beer.

Tates List is free for bars, restaurants and even vendors. The way Tates List makes money is by charging vendors a small monthly subscription fee in exchange for a featured, blinged-out listing.

What were really trying to do, Rogers explains, is eliminate the number of hours put into researching by showing you who other people in the industry actually use.