E65: Cordelia Proves a 3x James Beard-Nominated Restaurant Can Also Be a Container for Community.

The best restaurants are rooted in place.

Last Thursday evening, Craig and I sat at the counter at Cordelia in Cleveland, Ohio, working our way through the “Belly Up,” Cordelia’s version of a tasting menu. A little over halfway through, our server mentioned that one of the owners was in that evening and would come over to say hello.

I balked. Conversations with restaurant owners are some of my least favorite. About 12 years ago, I swore to Craig I would never work with another restaurant for the rest of my life.

But over he came, and, like every other person I met at Cordelia, Andrew Watts was a delight. So yeah, now who’s the asshole? (Definitely me.)

In today’s episode, I walk through what Cordelia taught me about the 3-Core of a values-driven business: core values, core beliefs, and core communities.

[VISUAL: 3-Core circle graphic labeled core values, core beliefs, and core communities]

Here’s what core values look like in action at Cordelia.

Cordelia’s website describes their guiding ethos as community, collaboration, and kindness. They call it Midwest Nice, and the people there certainly live it.

How we experience food is supposed to be one of the most human things we do. Instead, like so much of American culture, it’s become a filtered fiasco of profit motives and influencer-driven vanity.

I constantly find myself disappointed by James Beard-nominated places that either never really work as businesses or devolve into tourist stops. Instead, what we found at Cordelia was an owner with a truly values-driven enterprise. At around 60 employees, Cordelia exists at a size and scale that can quickly kill good intentions. By doggedly committing to their worldview, they’ve built a celebrated restaurant that works while leaning into a people-first way of operating.

Their core beliefs look a lot like Placebinding™.

Every single person we spoke to had enthusiastic, generous recommendations for the best places to eat in Cleveland. They even have a website page and a small takeaway card dedicated to it. Every time we complimented the restaurant, Watts deflected the credit to his team. In turn, his team turns that generosity toward others in the Cleveland food community. It’s Placebinding™ in practice.

Their core community shows up in how they answer their worst reviews.

I spent time reading how Cordelia responds to Google Reviews, which is one of the biggest tells about how any business operates. Acceptance of ownership when things truly went wrong? Check. Clear boundaries and a little bit of humor when the reviewer is a jerk? Check.

Cordelia’s culture puts the team first. In doing so, the team holds the customers with remarkable skill.

Cordelia is clearly not for everyone, and that’s okay. For me, it was a delicious reminder that there is, perhaps, no more human way to build a business than over a shared meal.

Listen to episode 65 now!