Scarlet Oak
All the Right Ingredients

By Stephanie Neil

To make it in the restaurant business you need three things: An excellent (and dependable) executive chef; killer décor; and savvy business sense. Jed and Josh Webber, owners of Scarlet Oak restaurant in Hingham, have all that going on-and more.

The restaurant has been in business since 2007 when the brothers took over the site, a 250-year old Colonial house that was formerly Tony Ambrose's BlackFin Chop House. Since then, the upscale tavern has defied the odds of today's tough economy. Overall, the food and liquor industry is down, some say by as much as 30%, yet Scarlet Oak is still bustling with business as couples come for a romantic candlelit dinner, and commuters stop in for a quick bite and a beer.

It could be the culinary quality of executive chef, Brian Sway, whose creative concoctions include Lobster Bake pizza (Jed's favorite) and the Blue Crab Burger. It could be the antique interior design (with a modern flair-including the very popular back bar), or, it could be the convenient Queen Anne's Corner location at the intersection of Rt. 53 and Rt. 228. Most likely, however, it's the brains behind the operation.

Jed and Josh both have business backgrounds, and, despite the fact that this is their second restaurant venture, the first being Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton-which they still own-- they consider themselves more entrepreneurs than restaurateurs. Afterall, Josh worked in the mergers and acquisitions group at Morgan Stanley for five years and Jed was a consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton. Given their backgrounds, they approached Scarlet Oak as a business that includes a good management team, a 401K plan for employees, and, of course, an image.

"A lot of people open restaurants and don't put in the right resources," said Jed in an interview with South Shore Woman. "It's a complicated business, and there are so many reasons why restaurants fail. We made sure we did it right the first time."

Doing it right meant hiring a professional design team. "If you have the décor down, the battle is half won," Jed said. The Webbers are also constantly shifting the menu to reflect the season. "It's critical to do that on the East coast because when the seasons change, tastes change," he said.

The Webbers support local farmers, but this summer they are taking that commitment to the next level. The menu now includes fresh vegetables from the Webber's own farm in Groton. Recently, two acres of the family's 100 acre cattle farm was converted into a garden that grows tomatoes, specialty onions, herbs, and more, all to be served up in their own restaurants.

The ‘farm to fork' initiative that the Webbers have embarked upon not only delivers fresh and tasty tomatoes, but it is also good for the environment (they are not shipping vegetables from California or using pesticides).

It's also indicative of their understanding that business-regardless of what it is-can't sit still. Keep innovating and keep reinventing. The Webbers, for example, recently started Fireside catering as a way to continue to build on food foundation. And, there are likely more new ventures to come.

"We have about 10-to-20 businesses we haven't started," Jed said. "We are getting good at figuring out if it will work or not, and if it will be fun or not."

And therein lies the secret to Scarlet Oak's success. The Webbers are working hard and having fun.

For more information, visit the restaurant's website at: www.scarletoaktavern.com

By Stephanie Neil

Stephanie Neil is a journalist. Her business, technology, and human interest stories have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines including eWeek, Managing Automation, The Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Huggies Baby Network, South Shore Woman, and The Boston Globe.  She lives on the South Shore with her two kids, two cats, and a dog. Contact info: stephanieneil@comcast.net  or 781-378-1652. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieNeil