S2 E8: Cole Kerby & Mel Lashbrook, Suda: Culture, Consistency, Community | Owning The Coast

What makes a restaurant the spot you'd happily go to twice a week in Santa Cruz? We start with a quick market update. After a flat December and January, phones are ringing again, offers and listing agreements are moving, and one insurance carrier now gives homeowners a free water leak detector in exchange for full water damage coverage. Then we sit down with Suda co-owner Cole Kerby and general manager Mel Lashbrook at the place we call "the Cheers of the Point." Cole shares how a career as a Silicon Valley executive assistant, and then in real estate, prepared him for hospitality, even though he'd never worked a restaurant shift before becoming a partner. Mel brings her biochemistry background to the bar, building balanced seasonal cocktails through real research and development. Together they've built systems and a culture that cut turnover to almost nothing. Regulars notice it as familiar faces and steady service. We also get into the realities of running a restaurant in a high-cost market: razor-thin margins, staggered scheduling, vendor costs and the shock of liquor liability insurance. You'll hear how they got through the pandemic and the fires on the patio, why setting boundaries with guests protects the staff, and how Suda, Motive and Ulterior each give you a different kind of night out. Chapters 0:00 Welcome to Owning The Coast 0:30 A shout-out to producer Brian Upton 2:00 What we're seeing in the real estate market 3:00 A free water leak detector from your insurance carrier 3:30 Meet Cole Kerby and Mel Lashbrook of Suda 4:00 From Silicon Valley assistant to restaurant owner 5:00 How Mel ended up in Santa Cruz 6:00 Building systems for consistency 7:30 Finding and keeping great staff 9:30 Near-zero turnover and a strong culture 11:00 Suda, Motive and Ulterior 13:00 Becoming a partner and learning from Mike 14:30 Why restaurant work beats a nine-to-five 15:00 New seasonal menus every six months 16:30 How Mel develops new cocktails 18:00 From the biochem lab to the bar 19:00 Team favorites and new menu items 20:00 The spot you can go to twice a week 21:30 Santa Cruz's growing local food scene 22:00 Running a restaurant through the pandemic 23:30 The patio, the fires and the red sky 24:30 Keeping prices accessible 25:30 Razor-thin margins and liquor liability insurance 27:00 The blueprint Cole brought with him 29:30 Becoming the best casual dining in Santa Cruz 30:00 Mel on the leadership transition 31:30 Cole's first shifts polishing glassware 33:00 Reading the flow of a busy night 34:00 Lingering longer and putting the phones down 35:00 Giving employees agency and equity 36:30 Setting boundaries with difficult guests 37:30 The motorcycle and shopping cart stories 40:30 How small Santa Cruz really is 41:30 Where to find Suda and Girl Dinner Thursdays 42:30 Thank you and contact info Visit Suda 📍 3910 Portola Dr, Santa Cruz (Pleasure Point, near 41st Ave) 🕗 Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Monday. 📞 (831) 600-7068 🌐 eatsuda.com 📸 Instagram: @sudasc Hosted by Brandi Jones (Keller Williams Thrive), Ryan Buckholdt (CrossCountry Mortgage) and Jerry Seagraves (Seagraves Insurance). What's your go-to order at Suda? Tell us in the comments. If you love Santa Cruz restaurants and the people behind them, subscribe and share this with a friend you'd meet at Suda. Listen to the full episode: https://play.headliner.app/episode/35... #SantaCruz #OwningTheCoast #Suda #PleasurePoint #SantaCruzEats #SantaCruzRestaurants #SantaCruzCocktails #SantaCruzRealEstate Brandi Jones | REALTOR® | KW Thrive Santa Cruz 🏡 Real estate strategy + aligned decisions for your next chapter. Reach out anytime if real estate is part of your next chapter. 📞 (831) 588-5145 🌐 brandijonesrealtor.com 📍 Santa Cruz • Monterey Bay • Santa Clara County DRE# 01385191