For a chef with decades of experience and four of Sedona’s most prominent restaurant under his management, Mercer Mohr knows that the key to success is not being complacent. “I pride myself on trying to stay on top of things because I am 64 years old. It’s kind of easy to fall by the wayside,” says Mercer. He and his wife eat out both in Sedona and Scottsdale as often as they can to stay in touch with the restaurant industry. “My style is just trying to stay ahead of the curve,” says Mercer. “When I write menus, I try to take into account the last 30 restaurants we ate at. What are they doing? What’s new? What’s different? Which way is it going? It’s my interpretation, but I think that’s the best way.” Mercer is the chef behind Sedona’s Creekside American Bistro, Rene at Tlaquepaque, Rascal and Mesa Grill Sedona. He tells us that when people eat in one of his restaurants, they’re eating food he likes. Mercer has tasted and enjoyed all of the wine on his menus. “I do have the chef’s ego. There’s no question about it,” he says.
Mercer graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. He trained in French cooking and worked at five-star hotels like the Four Seasons San Francisco. After years of working for Hyatt and in San Francisco, he purchased Creekside in Sedona. He then sold Wild Thyme Restaurant Group and started Mercer’s Kitchen in 2015. He traded a big city lifestyle for a relatively small town. At one time, he was running 12 restaurants all over the West Coast. “I feel like I have much more control,” he says. “I can change the menus on a dime, or I can get back to a guest immediately.” Mercer’s personal cell phone number is printed on menus that say if the guest’s dog doesn’t get VIP treatment, to text or call the number. He estimates he gets one text per day about this. “I think people love that,” he says. “It’s more fun for me because it’s instant gratification.”
Mercer has thrived in a notoriously tough industry for decades. What does he consider his keys to success? “Keep to small restaurants. Minimize risk,” he says. “The other thing is take care of your employees. I think we’re the only restaurant that does profit sharing for our managers. That’s been a huge difference in the turnover.” Mercer says he enjoys the recognition that comes with being a high-profile chef. “It is fun to walk around the restaurant and be recognized or at least have the guests appreciate it that you’re walking around checking on them,” he says. Visit mercerskitchen.com to learn more about him. – By Teresa K. Traverse
