In the history of the National Football League, Emmitt Smith is regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time. In his remarkable career (13 with the Dallas Cowboys and 2 with the Arizona Cardinals), Smith won three Super Bowls, scored 176 touchdowns, is the league’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586 yards. In 2010, Smith was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
Off the field, Smith brings the same standards of excellence he had as an NFL player to the world of business. A successful entrepreneur with an extensive business portfolio, one of his latest endeavors was the opening of his restaurant in Las Vegas, Emmitt’s Vegas. In less than a year since opening, Emmitt’s Vegas has earned two OpenTable Diners’ Choice Awards, and is becoming a must-visit destination in the heart of Fashion Show Las Vegas. As one of the few Black-owned restaurants in this highly-sought after locale, Smith is making Black history every day in “Sin City.”
In an exclusive interview, HOT97 spoke with Smith about how he got into the restaurant industry, his advice for Black entrepreneurs, and his views on the current state of the NFL.
Since you opened Emmitt’s Vegas last March, how are things in the restaurant business?
Smith: The restaurant is doing well. We’re gaining momentum in terms of the number of seats per day, but we still have a ways to go. But overall, the restaurant is doing well. The food has been great, I’ve been hearing that the service has been great, and we’ve been getting rave reviews. We just need to continue to tap on doors, and continue to have patrons come in and enjoy the food, and enjoy the atmosphere.
Did you always aspire to get into the restaurant business?
Smith: No way (Laughs). That’s the God’s honest truth. What convinced me to do it and to take advantage of the opportunity when I saw the location, and I was very impressed. It’s a Grade A commercial real estate location right there on the strip, right across from the Wynn where there’s 5000 hotel rooms, looking back onto the strip and down at the Palazzo which has 10,000 to 14,000 rooms right there with the Fashion Show Mall. The location made the decision a little easier. Now it’s not as easy to get to because you have to get dropped off at Nordstrom and walk through, but you can find your way to the restaurant.
What’s an important lesson that you learned since the grand opening of Emmitt’s?
Smith: People are your greatest liability as well as your greatest asset. We’re only as good as our personnel and our people who are serving the customers in a way that’s exciting and making them feel warm and welcoming, the quality of food and all those things. We had a rough start, but now that we’re open, it’s about marketing to the local community, as well as every person that’s traveling in and out of Vegas, encouraging them to stop and eat at Emmitt’s.
Tell me the importance of having a Black-owned restaurant in Fashion Row in Las Vegas.
Smith: I’m proud of the fact that I have had the opportunity to do that because as a culture, we need to see business success. I think it has to go beyond being an athlete in the sports world or the entertainment world. There are so many great African American entrepreneurs, but they are not highlighted enough. They highlight sports like you won’t believe. Business people are oftentimes left in the dark. Our people need to see that success. I think one of the biggest tragedies that came out of Rosewood and the bombing of Black Wall Street, because the vision of what African American people can do when they are together was destroyed. That vision of business success or seeing it in our community be successful is what Black Wall Street was all about and what Rosewood was all about. So for me to be able to be where we are right now, I’m hoping to continue to have more success and have a restaurant that’s open for the next 25-30 years.
What advice do you have for Black entrepreneurs?
Smith: First of all, being an entrepreneur is already hard as it is. If you’re able to gain success, develop consistency, and as you start to pick up volumes, find different locations that could benefit from your services. But don’t try to expand too fast. Control growth is what we call it, and make sure that you have the right hands on deck to help. Like I said, people are your greatest asset and liability, depending on how and who they are in terms of helping you. Sometimes it’s not family, and sometimes it can be family members. It’s not everybody, but it is some folks that believe in the vision that you’re going after.
Lastly, what do you love about the NFL today?
Smith: There’s not a lot I love about the game because it’s changed so much. I understand protecting players, but it’s only certain players that are truly protected. The quarterback is protected but everyone else is exposed. There’s always going to be head-to-head collisions in the game of football, but the past interference calls against the defensive backs are killing the game. The unnecessary roughness calls on the quarterback, sometimes even on the accidental stuff, is crushing the game, because it’s giving the offense automatic first downs, which promotes exactly what the league wants anyway, high-scoring games. Vegas wants high scoring games so they can get the overs and unders and everything else. In my opinion, it’s eroding what the game is all about. I still love the game, but I don’t have to appreciate where the game is right now.
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