Team Spotlight: Mike Duplantis

Mike Duplantis, General Manager, Politan Row at Ashford Lane

Hometown: Houma, LA

Favorite Childhood Meal? My grandmother's fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, this carrot salad she made with it and her own, gravy, too.

Tea or Coffee? Coffee

Favorite dishes at Politan Row? Bucatini’s pizza is incredible. I also really like Sheesh. The Shawarma or chicken with rice and roasted vegetables. And then my last one is the shrimp poboy from Delilah’s. It's actually

What's your origin story? How did you get from Houma to Atlanta?

My dad was in the oil business in the mid-eighties and when the oil business went south, he moved all if us five kids to Georgia for a better life when I was about 13.

And how did your career journey get you into Food & Beverage?

I actually went to school for elementary education, but I got involved in, with a group called Houlihan’s  back in the day and I started opening restaurants across the United States with them. I did that for about four years. Just traveling around, opening bars and restaurants and then I met a girl and decided to settle down.

What is it about food and beverage that makes you stay there and not to not go back to education?

It's a constant challenge, and there’s always something new. I like the people part of it. So, as the older I get, I think opening doors for younger generations will give me opportunity to now grow their careers and help them be successful in life.

What are you most proud of so far in your work at Politan Row at Ashford Lane?

I'm pretty excited with the team we’ve created. The growth we have seen already with Ty and Mara and how well we gel together is wonderful. We’ve built an amazing team so far and I’m excited to see where we can go from here.

What are your hobbies? What do you do when you're not working?

My wife and I do concerts all the time. We probably  go six or seven shows per year. I’m also a huge Braves fan, so I usually to 10 or 15 games a year.

What are your long term goals, or dreams for the future?

Well, right now I'm enjoying what I'm doing and I’m going to see how that goes, but I’m in the third quarter of my work years so ideally in the next 10 years hopefully retire and live on a beach. That's, that's the main goal.

Also, I have four daughters - five kids total - and I actually found out, a couple of months ago that I'm expecting my first grandchild in December. So I'm going to be a grandfather soon!