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Sibling non-rivalries: Family food without the family feud

by Erin Souza | November 17, 2008

Family food doesn’t necessarily lead to family feuds

Many veterans of the restaurant industry liken working in the kitchen, serving tables, and spending hours with the same people every day to being part of a family. But for those who own and operate restaurants with their brothers and sisters, their restaurants are tru extensions of their homes and families. Sibling-run restaurants are places where the ties of brother- and sisterhood can sometimes be tested, and the line between professional and personal relationships is blurred to near-invisibility.

When we set out to write a story about these restaurants, we were expecting to hear salacious tales of sibling rivalry and middle-child syndrome. But for the restaurateurs we spoke with, working with a brother or sister (and sometimes both) instead has brought them closer, made them recognize one another’s strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately solidified their bonds. For these teams, the recipe for a successful working relationship is a balance of trust, creative compatibility, and complete honesty....