Her standards and self-belief are what drove Nicolle to open a breakfast menu in the first place.
"It was a passion I had, because I wanted to make breakfast accessible. Before COVID there weren't a lot of breakfast places. So I wanted to take those five-star techniques and translate them into breakfast, and give people a variety and do things well."
This care and technique comes through in even the simplest menu items.
"Our 12-hour roasted tomato: we could have just slapped it on the grill and there you go. But we decided we were going to 12-hour roast them, so they dehydrate and they become sweeter, and we put garlic and Italian herbs on them. When you get what you get from us, understand that we've curated all of it."
With the kitchen out in the open, the team - and customers - gets to see the result first-hand.
"We really enjoy cooking for people. We enjoy that look on people's faces, because the kitchen is out here, as you know. I thrive on it. Because people will tell you if they've had a bad meal. They'll tell you."
Behind the care in the kitchen is a clear-eyed approach to the numbers, and a firm rule about discounting.
"You need to be able to cost your menu correctly. At the end of the day, if you've costed it and is 38 bucks, you either make it different or you put it on the menu at 38 bucks. You don't discount. I don't believe in discounts. I believe in adding value. Never discount. Discounts brings in the wrong type of customers."
"Price everything for what it's worth. Because if you underprice something, I can guarantee you the law of attraction will make that dish the one that's going to be done the most. It will happen."
To combat the lure of discounts, Nicolle always designs the menu with the margins in mind.
"What you want to do is menu design. You want to make sure that your best margins are highlighted. If your food costs are 20% on that one, and that's your best seller, fantastic. If your food costs are 30% and that's your best seller, change it. Make it better. Make it different. Make sure you cost everything. A lot of people don't understand that."
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