THE MAIN ATTRACTION While prompt and friendly service is important at Raymond’s, the food is a major draw, too. Pictured here, clockwise from left:
Huevos Rancheros, pancakes with real New England maple syrup and the Breakfast Burrito. (Right) Wendt with her daughter Eleanor “Ellie” Kukes.
frightened customers calm, get them
to pay their bills and kindly leave the
restaurant.
“It’s a daily improv,” she says.
“You never ever know what’s going
to happen because your work is
people. You never know what they’re
going to do.”
Witty and well-seasoned in the
restaurant industry, Wendt could
probably regale listeners with stories
of rowdy customers and kitchen
antics for days. But the secret to
making it in the hospitality industry,
she says, isn’t really all that secret.
“All you have to do is be decent,”
she says. “People are coming in to
spend their money that they worked
really hard to earn, and they’re
choosing to spend it in your
business.”
Everybody loves
Raymond’s
Wendt made the move from
Balthazar to Raymond’s about a year
ago. Raymond’s is an incredibly pop-
ular dining destination in Montclair
(as well as in Ridgewood, its other
location), serving jazzed up takes
on classic American dishes. Wendt
has lived in West Orange since 2007
and was a frequent customer at the
Raymond’s location in Montclair
HOLIDAY HOSTING TIPS
Wendt has four kids and celebrates both Christmas and Hanukah, so she knows a thing
or two about family-friendly holiday parties.
“We have a lot of family and friends come around between Christmas and New Year’s.
I love to cook. I’m known to make a huge meal. My house will never not have food in it,”
she says.
Her go-to party dish? An entire smoked turkey or glazed ham. “If I can take pineapple
and cherries and put them in something, I will,” she jokes.
A big, hearty meal is a staple for Wendt, but she recommends making sure things are
prepped ahead of time. When a host is stressed out and stuck in the kitchen, no one has a
good time. “At parties, you’re inviting people from all aspects of your life, so prepare the food
well ahead of time, so you can play host,” she says. “Introduce people to each other and be
a participant in your party. People go to parties to talk to you, so make sure you’re having a
good time, as well.”
Her second tip: Skip the stress and bring your party to Raymond’s, where Wendt says they
always go all out for the holidays when it comes to food specials and decorations.
before joining owners Raymond
Badach and Joanne Ricci as their
operations manager. “Ray and I got
to talking one day, and I was looking
for a new adventure,” she recalls.
Operations Manager is a vague job
title, which is apt, because Wendt’s
job description is vague. Her main
goal: to keep the restaurant running
smoothly. That means that if a wait
staff shift can’t be filled, she’s a mem-
ber of the wait staff for the day. If
the water heater isn’t working, she’s
a mechanic. If the kitchen runs out of
a certain ingredient, she’s a personal
shopper. It’s a hectic job, but one
Wendt is well-suited for.
Currently, she is working with her
team to create a more tailored experi-
ence for the individual Raymond’s
locations, so customers get what they
expect from their dining experiences.
“Montclair has a bit of an edge. It
has that New York sensibility, being
so close to the city,” she says. On the
other hand, “In Ridgewood, there’s
that family feeling. It’s very comfort-
ing.”
One year in, Wendt is beginning to
hit her stride at Raymond’s, but says
it was already a well-oiled machine
when she joined. “Raymond’s was
already tight,” she says. “I’m just
riding on the coattails.” ■
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2018
27