We’re 86 List, and we’ve been there.
We created 86 List because we understand the ups and downs of finding a job, searching for ideal candidates, making connections, and staying in touch with friends in the frenetic NYC restaurant and hospitality industry. We set out to create a website that would solve these problems, for us, and for everyone in our community.
GREG FANSLAU, FOUNDER
Greg has worked in restaurants since he was 15 years old. He discovered his love of food as a busboy in a neighborhood Italian joint and began cooking meals for his family at home. He attended the Culinary Institute of America and externed at the famed Ryland Inn, where he returned after graduation and mastered all the savory stations.
Soon Greg headed to NYC to cook at Moomba, which received a 2-star New York Times review during his tenure. Hungry to learn all sides of the business, Greg accepted the position of Purchaser at Danny Meyer’s 3-star Tabla restaurant, where he was promoted to Dining Room Manager and also worked as Bar Manager.
Greg next moved to Brooklyn, where he became General Manager of Frankies 457 Spuntino, a popular Carroll Gardens eatery. The owners of Frankies appreciated Greg’s dedication and strong work ethic, and tapped him to become Managing Partner of their latest venture, Prime Meats, which was awarded 2 stars by The New York Times in May 2010.
After years in the restaurant industry, Greg recognized the need for a reliable place for his peers to connect, so he developed the concept for 86 List.
LAURA WERTS, CO-FOUNDER
Today Laura Werts is a Pastry Chef, but she began her career as a Marketing Consultant. She received a BA in Marketing from Boston College and worked as a data analyst and then Director of Market Research before following her passion for pastry to New York City’s French Culinary Institute.
Upon graduation from the FCI, Laura worked as a Pastry Cook at Tabla, where she met Greg. She then worked as a Pastry Cook at Craft, and was promoted to Pastry Sous Chef, a position she held for two years. Currently, Laura is the Pastry Chef at Morandi and Pulino's, while working with Greg to build 86 List.
When she started in the restaurant industry, Laura was surprised to learn that restaurant managers rarely have access to resources that their business counterparts take for granted. With 86 List, Laura hopes to combine her dual areas of expertise in order to offer restaurant and hospitality managers a more functional and less stressful way to find serious job candidates.
THE 86 LIST STORY
In the summer of 2008, Greg first discussed his idea of a website for the NYC restaurant industry with Laura. What began as a casual conversation eventually grew – over great food and drinks - into a concrete concept. In the summer of 2009, Greg and Laura entered their business plan for 86 List into Brooklyn Library’s PowerUP! Competition, which awarded 86 List one of nine prizes at the start of 2010. With a small victory under their belts, Greg and Laura continued to refine their ideas for the website, and began working with Electric Pulp to create and design it.
In October of 2010, 86List.com officially launched the beta site, with NYC restaurant job postings, personal and company profiles, messaging and a community forum. Since then, Greg and Laura have been working hard to make 86 List the online resource for all of their friends and peers in the NYC restaurant and hospitality community.
PRESS
*New York Post - "New Site Aims to be Hub For Restaurant Hiring", October 17, 2011 - A profile of Greg, and what he hopes to accomplish with 86 List
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/jobs/new_site_aims_to_be_hub_for_restaurant
*Heritage Radio Network's "The Morning After" - Ongoing - Laura features a current 86 List job posting in the weekly call-in "86 List's Hot Job of the Week"
http://www.heritageradionetwork.com/programs/73-The-Morning-After-
*Heritage Radio Network's "The Main Course" April 3, 2011 - Greg and Laura discuss their background in NYC restaurants and the benefits 86 List offers their peers in the industry
http://www.heritageradionetwork.com/archives?search=86+list&x=0&y=0
AWARDS
*6th Annual Brooklyn Public Library PowerUP! Competition Merit Award Winners
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=6&id=33025