Robert St. John

Apparently some of the bars on Bourbon Street are still open. #HurricaneBarry2019

Excellence shows up in every plate we send out. It doesn’t matter if it’s one guest or five hundred king cakes. That’s how you get to the top. It’s also how you stay there. Pay attention to the details. Care about the work. That’s it. #repost #foodquality #customerservice #mindset

The yolk color of an egg tells you almost everything you need to know about its nutritional value. A pale yellow yolk comes from a hen eating corn and soy in confinement with no access to sunlight or natural foraging. A deep orange yolk comes from a hen eating grass, insects, and spending real time outdoors. That color difference represents: - 4x more Vitamin D - 2x the omega-3 fatty acids - More Vitamin E, beta-carotene, and choline - A significantly better fatty acid profile overall Find pasture-raised eggs with a Certified Humane seal. The yolk will confirm immediately whether you found the real thing.

With Jimmy Buffett, “wouldn’t it be cool if…” usually turned into “we’re going to do it.” Mac McAnally shares what it was like touring with Jimmy, from surprise beach shows to Antarctica, and why his way of chasing joy was unlike anything else. Ya Gotta Eat! #jimmybuffett

Service reflects what’s happening. Hospitality sets the tone. Anybody can take an order. Not everybody makes a guest feel cared for. That’s the difference. It’s in the details. #repost #service #hospitality #grandma

The secret to great gumbo? Get the roux right. Low and slow, flour and fat, and enough patience to build the color, flavor, and body that make every bowl worth it. #gumbo #roux #stock

Seven years waiting tables with zero management experience… then decided to open a restaurant. Made plenty of mistakes along the way. But what I learned is that all growth comes from adversity. And it’s always about the Guest being at the top. #repost #restaurant #leadership #team

Our gumbo stands up to any bowl in New Orleans. Thick enough. Rich with seafood. Rice just the way it ought to be. After 39 years, I think we’ve gotten it right. Come see if you agree. #gumbo #seafood #rice

Some places never really leave us. Every now and then, I'll turn off the main road just to drive past an old house, an old neighborhood, or a place that helped shape who I became. It isn't about wanting to go back. It's about remembering the people and moments that got me here. I wrote about those roads, the music that brings them back, and the neighborhood that taught me more than I realized at the time. I hope you'll give it a read. robertstjohn.com/2026/07/29/tak…

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Before the stories, somebody had to take the order. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Robert’s seven years of waiting tables came back like muscle memory. And then came the Shrimp Basket Incident. We’re not saying more than that. You’ll just have to watch. Ya Gotta Eat!

All New South Restaurant Group concepts operate as one family—sharing people, ideas, and resources. One team. Stronger together. #repost #team #teamwork #restaurant

Good gumbo doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with the right ingredients: okra, crab body stock, and a roux worth waiting on. Four gumbo cooks have made our gumbo over the last 39 years. That’s a testament to the people in our kitchen and the consistency they’ve brought to every pot. #gumbo #okra #roux

At our 2026 leadership retreat, the message was clear: Be Obsessed with the Guest. That means no front of house. No back of house. If you work here, you own the guest experience. #repost #leadership #retreat #culture

We’ve been making gumbo at Crescent City Grill for 39 years. It’s my recipe, but it came from a lot of places—my mentor, Nick Apostle, my mother, and several New Orleans chefs who were generous enough to teach me what they knew. In the entire history of the restaurant, only four people have cooked our gumbo. I made it in the early years. Then Beverly McCurdy, who has been with us since day one, took over for about 10 years. James Anderson, not pictured here, cooked it for the next decade or so. And for the past 15 years, Steve Newsome has been standing over that pot. Four people in almost four decades. That’s pretty remarkable. Together, we’ve cooked well over 100,000 gallons of gumbo (40,000 of that by Steve who’s still manning the gumbo pot). That’s a lot of dark roux, crab stock, onions, shrimp, okra, and thousands of hours spent stirring a pot and getting it right. I’m proud of our gumbo. I think it’ll stand beside the best gumbos in New Orleans, and I don’t say that lightly. But more than anything, I’m proud of Beverly and Steve who are still with us. They are gumbo masters. They’ve protected the recipe, respected the process, and carried on a tradition that means a great deal to me. The gumbo may have started with my recipe, but it belongs to all of us now. @CCGHattiesburg

Petra Cafe is the kind of place where everyone has a go-to order. For DJ Kujho, that means keeping it clean. No rice. No pita. Fitness guy rules. Episode 14 of Ya Gotta Eat with DJ Kujho is out now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. Ya Gotta Eat! #hattiesburg

From the dish station to leadership, our success at New South Restaurant Group is built on every single position. Grateful for the team that made this past year one of our best yet. #repost #retreat #leadership #teamwork

We need open source across the board

New South Restaurant Group restaurants use Salad Days lettuce exclusively. It’s greenhouse grown which means it’s protected from outside factors like wildlife, contaminated water, soil related hazards. Food safety & sanitation are built in to both of our everyday operations. No chemical pesticides are used. They grow everything they sell from one facility…no co-packing of outside produce. We love local. Buying locally grown lettuce means less miles on a truck and fresher salad on your plate. Now is a great time to know your farmer! One of ours is Salad Days

39 years later, the gumbo at Crescent City Grill is still made the same way: with patience, a dark roux, and respect for those who paved the way. Flour. Fat. Low and slow. That’s where it all begins. #gumbo #roux #neworleans

Ego checked me fast when we opened the first white tablecloth spot in Hattiesburg. I learned something valuable: it’s never about one person. It takes a team to make it work. #repost #retreat #leadership #business