Bill
Nevruz is Partner for Shaw’s Crab House and Tokio Pub. With his
gregarious and charismatic personality, it is no wonder Bill ended up in
the restaurant industry. The industry was too much fun not to be
apart of, he claims – which only exemplifies the kind of attitude he puts into
his work and team. His knack for being both a natural and
creative manager has been a perfect mix as Partner of Shaw’s Crab
House and Tokio Pub at Lettuce Entertain You.
Raised
in New Jersey,
Bill began his career in the restaurant industry on the East Coast.
He first worked as a General Manager at Bullwrinkle’s Bar, a
popular and bustling restaurant in Raleigh,
North Carolina. His passion
to grow and expand on his own came quickly, and in 1993, Bill opened
Buckley’s Restaraunt & Bar in a nearby suburb
of Raleigh.
Later he operated Lucky 32, a restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina
that was famous for their upscale down-home cuisine.
After a long management run on the East Coast,
Bill began to look for opportunities in a larger city known for its
restaurant scene. A position in Chicago
at Shaw’s Crab House as a number three manager presented itself in
2000 and he accepted. Because of his passion and drive to learn quickly he
moved up to the number two manager position before his training was
completed. Quickly, general manager positions at other Lettuce
restaurants were offered. First, Bill became GM at Mity Nice
Grill, followed by GM at Shaw’s Crab House in Schaumburg and finally, in 2005,
he became the GM for Shaw’s Chicago. As
a general manager he concentrated on generating sales, developing new programs
and evolving concepts. Pushing Shaw’s growth led Bill to be recognized as
a company leader, and in 2010, Bill was promoted to Shaw’s Divisional
Supervisor. In this position he was able to contribute to
the company by developing young management
teams and exploring and developing new
concept ideas. In 2011, this entrepreneurial spirit eventually led
him to the creation of Lettuce’s hip Asian concept Tokio Pub. Shortly
after Tokio Pub’s opening, Bill became Partner of both his original concept and
Shaw’s.
He
credits his growth to the late Sara Rowe, Steve Lahaie and Yves
Roubaud. “Sara helped me reach my true leadership potential, she would
often say ‘Are you scared, or are you challenged?’” Steve and Yves mentored him
by helping him recognize “what I do best,” and allowed him to get creative with
his work, encouraging him with his latest project, Tokio Pub.
Though often busy
with Tokio Pub and leading Shaw’s, Bill treasures his time with his
wife, Paula and their children, AJ and Molly. He looks
forward to his future at Lettuce, and creating
and developing new concepts while continuing the long success of
Shaw's Crab House. Bill lives by a theme his father taught him, “Aces in
their places.” He leads by this example, putting his team in a position
were they will always find the most success.
