Scott Godino Jr. recently celebrated the five-year anniversary of his Las Vegas restaurant Born and Raised, and he opened a Henderson location in August. He has begun searching for a Summerlin location for the next expansion, and his personal life has been just as exciting, with news that he and his wife are expecting their second child.
What is the best business advice you’ve received?
I don’t know so much that my father specifically told me these things, but I definitely learned them from him.
1. Pay attention to the details. There is a lot of money made and lost in the small things that many business owners overlook.
2. Love the business you are in, and surround yourself with people who share your passion.
How did you come up with the idea for Born and Raised?
I always wanted to be in the hospitality business, and I saw that the owners in the industry weren’t giving locals the experience they deserved. I felt like many of them were just cookie-cutter operations where the overall experience of the customer was an afterthought. So I began traveling the country to compile references from major markets and formulate my idea for what this was going to look like.
My stepmother, Cindi, used her eye for interior design to bring my vision to life. She has carried that even further with the development of our private rooms at both locations.
As for the name, that came about when one of my best friends, Jack, was going to get a tattoo with the saying Born and Raised. He backed out, but I knew right then, it was a great name for a locals establishment.
What prompted the expansion into Henderson?
Expansion has always been the plan. We will have a couple more locations in the Las Vegas Valley in the near future and will begin looking at expansion into new markets soon after. Everyone is proud of where they came from.
What can valley residents do to foster more buy-in here and encourage a sense of ownership in the community?
I think Las Vegas has a stronger sense of community than some give us credit for. I believe it’s important that businesses give back to the communities that support them.
If you could change one thing about Southern Nevada, what would it be?
People’s misconceptions of what it is like to live in Las Vegas.
What has been your most exciting professional project?
Opening our first location was both exhilarating and frightening. I just didn’t know what to expect.
What are you reading?
I am back and forth between two books: “Setting the Table,” by Danny Meyer, and “Creating Magic,” by Lee Cockerell.
What do you do after work?
I get home quickly to my beautiful, now-pregnant wife and almost 2-year-old, and enjoy my evening unwinding with my family.
Describe your management style.
I like to empower my employees. I believe that if you give people responsibility without authority, you just set them up for failure. I also prefer to use teachable moments to do just that: teach. I have found that if you embrace your employees and teach them the right way to do things, they will. That is why I strive to have a family atmosphere at Born and Raised.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
We will definitely have at least two more stores in Las Vegas, and the plan is to have 50 locations nationally and internationally by 2025.
What is your dream job, outside of your current field?
I always wanted to be a professional golfer. But you booze, you lose.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I love living in Las Vegas, but if I were to move, it would be either to the beach or to Barcelona. Those are both places where you can live a laid-back lifestyle.
Whom do you admire?
My dad. Not only is he a great father and grandfather, he is my business partner, mentor and role model. He has taught me everything I know about business, and it is with his guidance that I have been able to build Born and Raised.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I feel like I work better under pressure, but I could probably relieve some stress if I didn’t procrastinate.