A Conversation with Sara Rashid, the mind behind Phil’s Pizza, Restaurant Dominic & More

We speak to prolific restaurateur Sara Rashid about the ins and outs of her career in the food industry and how she keeps up with it all. 

Instead of asking what Sara Rashid can do, we think it might be wiser to question what she can’t do. At the head of Phil’s Pizza, Restaurant Dominic, Dominic Catering Company, Murray’s Smoothies, and, most recently, Dominic Art Club, Sara is out to make her mark on the local dining industry. She, along with husband Phillip Dominic, have become somewhat of a power duo, often creating new experiences and concepts for both brands and diners to indulge in. While Phillip takes the helm in the kitchen, Sara is holding down the front-end fort as her empire’s Brand Director. 

In her role, she is in the driver’s seat when it comes to branding direction, menu development, reaching her target market, campaign curations, collaborations, and marketing—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The 32-year-old is constantly on the lookout for new inspiration and concepts to introduce to the Kuala Lumpur landscape. Those with access to her private Instagram account are treated to an inside look at her seemingly never-ending grind, which begs the question: just how does she do it all? Below, we dive into a conversation with Sara that takes us inside her tireless and inquisitive mind.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE F&B SCENE?

I started my career at a kindergarten as I pursued my study in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). After a few months, I realised that it really wasn’t for me. While figuring it out, I casually worked at a café near my house and that’s how I got my start in the F&B industry. It was sort of by accident and I really did start from the bottom. 

On my first day of work, I washed the toilet and mopped the floor. That was when my former boss taught me to “take pride with everything you do, even if it is washing the toilet.” I still carry that sentiment with me until today. After a few months of working, my former boss asked me if I wanted to learn how to pull an espresso shot and it was all upwards from there. 

WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT KEEPS YOU GOING IN THIS INDUSTRY?

One thing about working in F&B: you have to love it. If you don’t, you won’t survive. When I started working in my first café, I just knew that I loved working in the service industry. I quickly learned that great service could make people’s days. For us, it might be small gestures, but for our customers, you are literally making their day better. With that, what keeps me going is definitely the impact that we have by running these brands. That is why I always believe in eye-opening brand direction because I want people to learn something in return and for us to not be just “another brand”.

How do you make sure you keep your creative spirit up?

I rely a lot on my creative team. I give them room to experiment and explore whatever they can imagine and it is my role to keep those ideas aligned with our businesses. Of course, it is not always rainbows and butterflies, but that is the point in business. You have to know how to balance it all. Besides that, I do a lot of research and am not scared of trying. The world is your classroom and the sky’s our limit, isn’t it?

What is something that excites you about the job?

I absolutely love it when I can provide opportunities and people use them wisely. I love connecting talents and creatives, I love learning from them, I love pushing them to do something they never imagined they could do but eventually are able to. Lastly, I love when people get scared to execute ambitious projects or ideas. We get scared together and do it anyway haha! 

How have you built your team (both in-house and freelancers)? What do you take into consideration when looking for someone to join your team?

I scouted and hand-picked the head of each of my departments and closely followed their growth. My biggest concern when I hire new team members is whether we can get along in both the work ethic department and also general vibes. I don’t really mind if they have little experience as long as they have a top tier work ethic. Skills can always be polished but not work ethic. A few major things that I will look at closely are responsiveness, flexibility, organisation, whether they take pride in their work, willingness to improve, whether they can walk the talk, and if they can treat their work as serious business. 

What is the Dominic Art Club? Explain it like an elevator pitch!

Dominic Art Club is basically an art residency program for local artists. I want to normalise visiting art galleries and bring art to a wider audience. We always think of visiting art galleries as something that can be done if you are well-cultured, which might make it intimidating for people who aren’t familiar with art but want to get into it. Hence, this program, where we skip the limitations and push this lifestyle into our everyday normality. I also realised we have a lot of up-and-coming new artists that are super talented right here. So, I just want to work closely with them and learn something!

What made you want to meld food and art to create such an immersive affair?

I consider food as a form of art and I treat my restaurants and brands as platforms for me to show and educate. It is just a simple concept where people can dine and enjoy art at the same time!

How did you land on Gabriel Cheah as your debut partner?

What I love the most about Gabriel is flexible. He understands art and he understands business too. I think that is the most important. And he also does sculptures! 

What’s a detail that you liked about this collaboration with Gabriel?

Dominic Art Club is one of the pioneer initiatives of its kind here in KL. How do you intend to continue its growth and maintain its presence?

We will change the art seasonally and I guess it’s time for me to start mingling with fellow art curators and collectors! On a serious note, we will keep scouting, curating, and offering Restaurant Dominic as a space for new artists to kick start their exhibition journeys.

What was a part of this planning process that people don’t give enough credit to?

In mine and Phillip’s positions, we are the owners but we are also the operators. It is difficult enough to operate, run, and sustain the business. Yet, we also have to make sure we are profitable and stay relevant. Imagine this, we have to convince our team that certain ways are gonna work, but the truth is, we are also not sure whether it is gonna work.

How does a restaurant like Dominic, rooted in traditional Parisian bistro fare, continue to stay afloat amongst modern dining trends and diner behavior patterns?

We have to be very proactive, especially in our management. We have our weekly meetings to check sales, discuss what to improve on, relay any feedback, decide which menu items to remove, what promotions we should start, and more. 

No decision is small. We have to take everything into consideration. We also give feedback to each other on the management team and how we can improve together in order for us to strive in this industry. And the best part of it all is that the three of us each have different strengths. With that, we can focus on what we are good at.

Amidst the constant flow of ideas and unforgiving nature of the dining industry, what keeps you wanting to do more?

I love trying things. That is the only way to know, right? I love to see my ideas become reality. I love when people can experience different things.

You are at the head of so many dining concepts that cover a range of cuisines and food types but we want to know what you would stay true to. What is your comfort meal that you’d always love to come home to after events or a long day at work?

I could eat Thai food everyday! Phillip and I always look forward to it whenever we go back to my hometown, Rantau Panjang, in Kelantan. I enjoy a hot bowl of kwai chap with pickled chili or spicy yum woon sen! But I have to say Phillip’s number one food is chicken rice. He even told me that he thinks about chicken rice almost everyday!

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