Restaurateur Bill Chait

He Wants to Go Where Everybody Knows His Name

Bill Chait is a principal and managing partner of restaurants across Los Angeles, including Bestia and the upcoming Vibiana and Redbird downtown, and Sotto and Picca on the Westside. Before participating in a discussion of what downtown’s rise means for the rest of L.A., he talked Israeli food and fast food, and golf balls and elephants, in the Zócalo green room.

Q:

What’s your favorite cliché?


A:

[Laughs.] Let’s see. My latest one is probably, “You don’t want to be the person who misses the opportunity to miss the opportunity.”


Q:

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten in the past week?


A:

Actually it’s a little unfair because I just got back from Israel, so I ate at some fantastic, what I’d call “street food,” restaurants in Israel that were really great.


Q:

If you didn’t live in L.A., where would you be?


A:

Probably the Bay Area.


Q:

What comforts you?


A:

I like being in areas where I know people and they know me.


Q:

What was your first entrepreneurial endeavor?


A:

I actually sold golf balls, believe it or not. [New or used?] Used, those we found. We were sort of junkies at a golf course all the time.


Q:

What’s your biggest pet peeve?


A:

There’s a few lately. The latest one is sort of inconsiderate drivers, but that’s probably cliché itself.


Q:

When did you last eat fast food?


A:

Conventional fast food, like McDonald’s and places like that, it’s probably been 20 years.


Q:

Who or what would your mascot be?


A:

I’m fond of the Jumbos because my daughter went to Tufts. I’m fond of elephants.


Q:

How did you get into trouble as a kid?


A:

I had a variety of methods, but certainly finding golf balls on golf courses while people were playing was one of them.


Q:

What do you wake up to?


A:

Other than hot coffee?