“Mom, I googled you. Do you know you own four restaurants?”
That question, posed by her eight-year-old son Sean, made Niki Puto reflect on her journey.
Niki proudly shares ownership of three of the most beloved BBQ smokehouse restaurants in St. Louis: Dalie’s in Valley Park, Pappy’s in Midtown and St. Peters, and Bogart's in Soulard. John Matthews and Brian Scoggins are the other two owners of these award-winning restaurants.
Niki’s journey to success hasn’t been without its challenges, especially in an industry where men have historically held the reins. “There have been many times in my life where I have experienced the old boys' club. It's still present in the food and beverage industry,” she said. “But I'm working on an old girls' club. I am proud to say that we have many women in management positions in our restaurants.”
As part of her efforts to build a supportive network, Niki has forged a close bond with other women in the industry, such as Loryn Feliciano, who owns Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves. “Loryn and I have been good friends for years, and she is great at going out and meeting people, and this is where I hope the old girls' club will come into play,” Niki said.
Niki is passionate about empowering the next generation of women. “It’s important for me to mentor other women,” Niki said. “Girls still don’t have an easy way in this world. We want to encourage strong, self-confident, independent women.” That includes her 12-year-old daughter, Gabi, who is already gaining hands-on experience helping out in the restaurants. Niki said, “It’s important for me to give her as many tools as possible.”
Niki’s passion for the restaurant industry began at a young age, and her career has evolved in unexpected ways. Her love for the restaurant industry started at 16 when she worked as a hostess at Rich and Charlie’s in Crestwood. After college in California and a stint in the hotel industry, Niki returned to Rich and Charlie’s as a bartender while earning a degree in human resource management at UMSL. There, she struck up friendships with John Matthew and Mike Emerson, founders of Pappy’s Smokehouse in 2008. When it became clear that a career in the corporate world was not the right path for her, Niki decided to follow her dream of opening a bed-and-breakfast. Strategically, she started working at the Ritz-Carlton to learn from “the best of the best.” Niki was working her way up through management roles at the hotel when John and Mike offered her the job of managing catering at Pappy’s Smokehouse.
Her decision to leave the stability of the Ritz-Carlton didn’t come without pushback from her family. “My dad was so mad at me. He didn't talk to me for about two months,” Niki said. “He was like, ‘You have this amazing job at the Ritz-Carlton. You were making great money. You had all these chances. You could have gone anywhere in the world.’ That generation just did not take risks.”
With four restaurants to her name, Niki’s motto is, “Nothing's gonna happen unless we make it happen.” She said, “We (restaurant teams) have become unstoppable. The sky's the limit. I'm excited about the next ten years. We're looking forward to the future.” Growth-oriented and going forward at full throttle, Niki has her sights set on big goals for the restaurants and even bigger goals for her personal life, including finding the perfect location to open the bed-and-breakfast she’s always dreamed of.
Perhaps in a few years, if you type Niki Puto’s name into Google, you’ll learn she owns multiple restaurants and a bed-and-breakfast and is revered for pioneering the restaurant industry’s ‘old girls' club.’
I'm working on an old girls' club.
Girls don’t have an easy way in this world. We encourage strong, self-confident, independent women.