Scaling for Success: Comcast Business Celebrates Small Business Week with Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Small businesses need tech, mentorship and community to scale for success, say local business leaders

Written by By Aaron Welch

Old dog. New tricks.

That was the story Sam’s Grill owner Peter Quartaroli shared at a May 8 panel and networking event co-hosted by Comcast Business and the SF Chamber of Commerce at Yes SF Headquarters, a coworking and event space for sustainable innovators in Downtown San Francisco, in recognition of National Small Business Week.

Sam’s Grill was indisputably the old dog in the room. The beloved Downtown institution has been in operation for 158 years, making it the third-oldest restaurant in San Francisco and the fifth oldest in the country.

“I think we’re here to speak to that old-school level,” Quartaroli, a film and television actor and producer who splits his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles, told an audience of small business leaders and champions gathered for the event, entitled “Scaling for Success: How to Take Your Small Business to the Next Level.”

“Technology is relatively new to us,” he remarked.

Quartaroli began working at Sam’s in the 1990s and purchased the restaurant in 2014. He reported that Sam’s came from “a spot of utter chaos.”

“We’ve managed to go for over 100 years relying on chaos,” he acknowledged. “But now we have a point-of-sale system. We have televisions and a sports bar that provide a source of entertainment. We have phones we actually answer sometimes.”

Quartaroli reported that robust business internet, phone and TV, powered by Comcast Business, became indispensable during the period of rapid growth that began when Quartaroli took the reins. In 2014, the restaurant opened a patio in the adjacent alley. And last fall, Sam’s Tavern opened next door as a sports bar counterpart to the original seafood grill known as a power lunch destination for San Franciscans.

“It was nice to simplify,” Quartaroli said. “That’s one of the things that Comcast did. It provided the simpler path — because we’re old dogs in the game, and sometimes it’s hard to teach us new tricks.”

Comcast Business’ Benny Teran affirmed the importance of technology for small businesses to succeed in San Francisco.

“San Francisco is one of the most competitive markets in the food industry,” said Teran, who oversees small and medium-sized business sales for Comcast in California. “The restaurants that I’ve seen stick around are the ones that actually leverage technology and try to automate things to help them grow and be sustainable.”

Teran also spoke to trends he sees in small business technology needs. “When I go out to restaurants, the first thing my kids want is the Wi-Fi password,” he said. “The strategy in SF is to be accepting of new technology so that you can make your customers happy and more welcome.”

Teran emphasized the importance of scalability in choosing a connectivity vendor.

“I’ve been in this segment for 10 years, and some companies start with one to 10 employees and grow into thousands of employees,” he said. “The good thing is Comcast business has grown to a point where we can give you a solution as you grow. We can be there with you along on your journey to help you get to where you want to get.”

He pointed to Comcast’s global secure networking solutions, which combine connectivity, cybersecurity and networking to help make digital interactions around the world fast, easy and secure, as an example.

“We’re doing our best to make sure we’re here to provide what you need to help you grow,” he said.

Joining Teran and Quartaroli for the panel conversation was Sharon Miller, CEO of Renaissance Entrepreneur Center, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that supports diverse entrepreneurs in the Bay Area through professional training, expert consulting, access to capital and a vibrant support network.

Renaissance partners with corporate sponsors like Comcast to offer skill-building workshops on technology, marketing, finance and other in-demand business skillsets, as well as networking events like the small business week event. The majority of Renaissances programs are free; the remainder available at very low costs.

“If it’s a cost that you can’t handle, we will work with you,” Miller said. “We’re not going to make that a barrier to entry for anyone.”

In her comments, Miller stressed the importance of peer advice for small business success.

“There’s so many different products out there that it’s really important to get some sound advice regarding which products are going to be the best for you,” Miller said.

Quartaroli concurred. “We have to listen to our partners that we are dealing not only for growth, but also for our everyday affairs, and continue to listen,” he said. “That’s something that has served us well and it’s something that serves the community well. We may be different than the place down the street, but I love that place down the street. That’s part of the fabric of what makes Downtown and how we all serve a community.”

“There’s nothing wrong in asking for help,” Teran agreed.