Phillip Farrior, Director of Operations at Wharf Casual Seafood
Photo by Amanda E. H. Pritchard
Phillip Farrior is 39 years old and has been married to his wife, Jennifer, for 16 years. They have a 6-year-old daughter, a 4-year-old son and three dogs. He enjoys hunting and woodworking. Farrior has been with the Wharf for three years, starting as the general manager of their flagship location in Wetumpka. He was promoted to director in December 2023. He currently oversees six locations, which includes six general managers, six assistant managers and roughly 150 team members. He and his phenomenal team help manage approximately $7 million in revenue each year.
How did you get your start in the food industry?
Outback Steakhouse was my first venture in the restaurant business, where I got bitten by the bug. I started there as a grill cook and was made kitchen manager by age 23 and managing partner (general manager) by age 26.
What has been your favorite part of your job?
I thoroughly enjoy sending out good-looking food and providing a clean restaurant. A lot of that, I think, comes from my upbringing in the industry, primarily in the back of the house, tied with lessons from my mentor, Brent Brown. Another one of my favorite things about my job is being able to develop people. Promoting from within has always been a good tactic in business but even more so when you are developing a brand from the beginning. People are our greatest asset, our best investment and our forefront to providing great service for our guests. Being able to be a part of that process–watching a team member develop into a shift leader or a shift leader into a manager–and providing someone with tangible knowledge and skills they can use, not only for our restaurants but in life as well, is rewarding in itself.
How have you enjoyed serving the community of Moody?
We have gotten to support the local football team on a couple of occasions, so that was fun! The Moody clientele has been awesome to serve, and we look forward to doing it for many years to come.
What is the best meal at Wharf Casual Seafood?
Red beans and rice with shrimp and Conecuh sausage or the Wharf shrimp tacos. Very tough choice between the two.
As the brand continues to grow, what can guests look forward to in the future?
Aside from just the expansion where we will have more locations in closer proximity to our guests, we are looking at elevating and expanding our bars in our new locations. We also do limited-time offers, which in the past, have included Lobster Rolls and Lobster Grilled Cheeses, Ahi Tuna dip, pompano, snapper and many more. At the end of the day, they can always look forward to a unique guest experience that ties full service in with fast food to create a timely, hot, authentically-prepared plate backed by our mission to provide the highest level of guest quality service with a commitment to continuous improvement.
