Daily Inspiration: Meet Nick Chase

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Chase.

Hi Nick, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Friendly Nick’s Butcher opened in July 2018. In another life, I had been a chef in New York City. I moved to Fort Collins in 2012 with my wife so she could finish her Masters’s degree at CSU. I had previously worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants and I had hoped to find work here but the quality of cuisine and the pay difference didn’t work for me. I landed a position in a small brewery and worked my way up to head brewer in a few months.

I thought brewing would be like cooking; creating a product people could enjoy, building a recipe, and creating layers of flavor. It wasn’t as creatively satisfying as cooking is for me but that position was invaluable in introducing me to other small business owners in the community, many of whom I still call friends. Fort Collins has such a vibrant small business community and I think that meeting so many business owners took some of the fear and uncertainty out of starting my own business.

The idea for a butcher shop was proposed by a friend over some drinks after my brewing job ended. I didn’t want to go back into restaurant work with the late nights, long hours, and no weekends, and holidays off. A butcher shop seemed like a nice middle ground where I still got to work with food and create something that made people happy. And now the hours aren’t as long, the nights not as late, and I have to power to close and take my holidays and weekend. I also get to provide that kind of environment to my employees, which is why many of them come from the restaurant industry.

We are now an established, reputable, and nearly professional business and celebrating our 5th anniversary in July. I would love to explain how I got here but I don’t remember all of it. I’ve guided this shop through a pandemic and a labor crisis, and we’re navigating crippling inflation. Each day I come to work and try to do my best for my employees and customers. I want my employees to enjoy their lives outside of work and I try to provide a job that will fulfill their needs that is also enjoyable. As fun as work can be anyhow.

I also focus on bringing value to my customers. I want their help to elevate their meals and make the dinner table a comfortable and happy family gathering place. I think by holding on to those values I’ve received a lot of support from my co-workers and the community. It’s that support that brought us through all the hard times and hopefully will help us survive whatever comes next.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I own a well-worn copy of Entrepreneurship for Dummies. That helped me get open and mostly organized. And QuickBooks for dummies, marketing for dummies, and 10 or 15 books on butchering. This is my first business and I have no idea what I’m doing so everything is a learning experience and learning is never comfortable or convenient.

I own several unused boxes of facemasks. I would hand them out to anyone who forgot theirs (“conveniently” or honestly) I was adamant about following the mask mandates and trying to keep my employees as safe as possible so they could continue to make money and continue their lives. I lost customers over that but I also kept my staff healthy and my shop open.

I own a stack of resumes from applicants who never came to their interviews. The cost of labor justifiably increased. I am fortunate enough to have an amazing staff now and have had incredible staff members in the past. I try to give raises ahead of inflation and as many benefits as I can afford so I can retain the talented people I have and attract the best employees.

I own a depressing stack of invoices. I am currently battling between my desire to provide great value to my customers and raising prices to combat the current inflation without scaring my customers away. I don’t have the economies of scale to fight against my rising costs so each day we survive I consider a gift.

I own a borderline troublesome relationship with alcohol. Also depression, anxiety, insomnia, and general aches and pains from a manual labor job. Owning a business is … relentless, that’s the best word I have to describe it. I once read that in business you don’t have to be good at everything, but you can’t be bad at anything. Every day is a struggle to do the best I can for the shop. I also own an amazing relationship with my wife and my two sons. They are the motivation and inspiration that allow me to push myself every day.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My first notable food experience was in France. I spent a few weeks outside of Paris as part of a student exchange program. We were out at the family farm having a picnic and part of the meal was a fresh radish split into quarters and smeared with that fabled, uber-rich, French butter. The spiciness of the radish perfectly complements the creaminess of the butter. I didn’t know it then, but on that day, at that table, with the light breeze and the warm sun, it was one of the most defining moments of my life.

That radish started me on a journey that has led me through one of the best culinary schools in the country, through 7 years of cooking in New York City, through grueling years in world-renowned kitchens, under internationally famous chefs. I have eaten in the best restaurants in the country and still, that radish is more memorable than any dish I’ve made or eaten. There was something magical about the way it all came together.

They grew radishes, so we ate radishes, they raised cattle, so we churned butter. They loved and cared about the land and the animals and it showed in that exquisitely simplistic flavor combination. When I recognized the need for a traditional butcher here in Fort Collins I knew that I could take this philosophy of care and love for the animals and the land and promote it through the butcher shop. Because we eventually slaughter and eat these animals I am committed to sourcing my meats through farmers that use humane and sustainable practices.

I am committed to using all of my care and skills to create beautiful and delicious food for my customers and to not waste or disrespect the life of the animals we consume. Ribeyes or radishes, if we don’t care for and love the land and the animals that we raise or grow we risk losing a valuable part of our culture and traditions. I started Friendly Nick’s Butcher to help bring us back to a way of eating that connects us to where our food comes from.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
I don’t think there’s a person I’ve worked with or friends I’ve had that haven’t contributed to the success of the shop. I gather ideas and inspiration from everywhere. I haven’t had any employee come through here that hasn’t contributed something that made the shop a little better.

I had one employee leave after 3 days because the reality of what we do was too macabre, and even they helped me to examine how we work to make sure our customers see us as approachable and comfortable. Mainly, though, my wife and her endless support and patience. My parents for their seed money (and love, guidance, education, etc), and my sons for my inspiration.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fnbutcher.com
• Instagram: @fnbutcher
• Facebook: @fnbutcher