Tyson Ho
Serious Eats
New York, United States
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Past articles by Tyson:
And, Action! The True-Life Tale of a Reluctant Food Network Star
From the earliest days of my career, I've been lucky enough to get great press—websites and magazines have been especially kind, and the Arrogant Swine has had its fair share of bustling evenings thanks to their praise. But none of that press prepared me for how it would feel to get a phone call from the Food Network. Michael Symon is shooting a brand-new television series called Burgers, Brew &… → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: What Happens When a Restaurant Dies
On a cold Monday morning I was sitting at the counter of a diner. It was buzzing; omelets, French toast, and eggs Benedict flew by. And as I sipped on my coffee, my eyes were darting all over, putting price tags on every fixture, every chair, every packet of ketchup. I knew a secret through the grapevine that employees and customers didn't. Seven hours from now, this restaurant was going to die.… → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Why Would Anyone Want to Open a Restaurant?
You've read about my long hours and my frustrations, the almost paralyzing anxiety of starting a food business in New York. Here's why it's all worth it. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: My 18-Hour Work Day
Now that I'm working on opening a restaurant, I can have great days and awful days. They are often 18 hours long. Here's what a day in my life looks like right now. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Decorating With Flamethrowers
I don't have an eye for design and I don't have much money to beautify my restaurant space. But decor goes a long way towards turning a restaurant into a neighborhood hang out. And once I learned I could build a bar by setting wood on fire, I gained a whole new interest in interior design. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Standing Before the Community Board
Meeting with the Community Board is basically like doing martial arts. Win, lose, or draw, it's gonna hurt. You don't really engage so much as struggle for survival. And somewhere in the middle of all this, all you want to do is curl into a ball and whimper for your mommy. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Mustering the Troops
I'm often asked why I gave up the freewheeling life of catering to settle down with the headaches of opening a permanent restaurant. One of my answers is staffing. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: So I Failed My Construction Inspection
At 11:30, two inspectors from the Department of Buildings showed up to inspect my restaurant space. Like many New York City restaurants, I didn't pass. Here's why. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Tomorrow's My Grand Opening
Two weeks ago my liquor license arrived and I set a grand opening date. Now judgment day is almost here, and I've been having the worst panic attack of my life. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: The Toll of Owning Your Business
There's one question people keep asking me: what's it like to be your own boss? The answer: terrifying, humiliating, and lots of McDonalds. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Tales From Opening Day
I've always imagined some magical demarcation point between building a restaurant and opening one for business. But right now, two weeks after my grand opening, I don't see it. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: I Survived the First Week
The first week of operating your own restaurant is just like the first week of having your first child: you don't sleep very much, you're fairly confident you're the worst parent in the world, and the crying never ever stops. Here's a review of my first week in business. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Changing the Menu and Considering Feedback
Six weeks after opening, my menu's gone through some changes. But incorporating feedback isn't always easy. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Why Would Anyone Want to Open a Restaurant?
You've read about my long hours and my frustrations, the almost paralyzing anxiety of starting a food business in New York. Here's why it's all worth it. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Stumbling Into the Beer Business
Opening a bar has its own set of problems, such as the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. While I've worked in the kitchens of some of New York's most expensive restaurants, I've never changed a keg of beer, much less set up an entire massive bar program complete with 20 rotating craft beer taps, 25 whiskeys, and an entire encyclopedic division of labor known as cocktails. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: What Happens When a Restaurant Dies
On a cold Monday morning I was sitting at the counter of a diner. It was buzzing; omelets, French toast, and eggs Benedict flew by. And as I sipped on my coffee, my eyes were darting all over, putting price tags on every fixture, every chair, every packet of ketchup. I knew a secret through the grapevine that employees and customers didn't. Seven hours from now, this restaurant was going to die.… → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: The Importance of Mentors
The restaurant industry, for all its ills, does offer the opportunity for mentorship. And that mentorship is vital to know-nothing upstarts like me. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: Why No One Opens on Time
Why does it seem like no restaurant ever opens on time? We really do seem like the flakiest business in the world. Even Danny Meyer, the single most on-point guy in the industry, faced massive delays when he was opening the now iconic Eleven Madison Park. The running joke is that everyone tells you they'll be open in three months, which they'll keep on saying for the next two years. → Read More
How I Built a Barbecue Restaurant in Brooklyn: The Sounds of Being the Boss
I've talked about the toll that being a boss takes on you. But I've never told anyone about the leitmotifs—the particular notes and sounds associated with bossdom. → Read More
And, Action! The True-Life Tale of a Reluctant Food Network Star
From the earliest days of my career, I've been lucky enough to get great press—websites and magazines have been especially kind, and the Arrogant Swine has had its fair share of bustling evenings thanks to their praise. But none of that press prepared me for how it would feel to get a phone call from the Food Network. Michael Symon is shooting a brand-new television series called Burgers, Brew &… → Read More