Peter Georges’ Playa Vista restaurant trifecta offers something for everyone
By Kamala Kirk
Running a restaurant is no easy feat, let alone multiple restaurants during a pandemic.
Peter Georges has managed to create three successful and innovative food concepts that he felt were missing. Georges is the managing partner of Hash, Conference Room and Rodini Park, located in a row at The Bluffs at Playa Vista.
Growing up in a Greek family, food played an important role in Georges’ life and culture. However, he didn’t originally set out to work in the food industry. Prior to managing multiple restaurants, Georges had successful careers in tech and real estate.
He decided to try his hand with the food and beverage industry, and teamed with his Silicon Valley friends, Joseph Ghitto and Joe Veni.
“I was an executive at a couple of Silicon Valley start-ups and after making some money, we decided to invest in some businesses, including restaurants,” Georges says.
“It’s a labor of love. The restaurant industry is a tough business, and it takes a lot of hard work to run a good restaurant. What gets me up every day are the relationships that we’ve built and knowing that we’re helping people put food on their tables and pay their bills, and we’re serving a lot of customers that praise us for great food and service.”
Opened in 2017, Hash was inspired by breakfast, encompassing
Old World comfort with a modern twist. Chef Gena Lora’s creative dishes include cinnamon roll pancakes and carrot cake waffles topped with cream cheese drizzle. County Fair French toast is bread pudding dipped in funnel cake batter and deep fried, then covered in tres leches sauce. The Hash on Hash is one of its signature items and includes smashed tater tots, two eggs over easy, choice of protein, cheese roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, red peppers and garlic aioli.
“Our specialty isn’t scrambled eggs and sausage. It’s the unique menu items that you won’t find anywhere else,” Georges says. “Customers like the uniqueness of our meals, along with the generous portion sizes and fair prices.”
Hash is open for breakfast only, but in the spring, it plans to start serving sandwiches for lunch as well. Located next door is Rodini Park, a Greek quick-serve concept that opened in 2019 and is named for Rodini Park in Greece. There is also a second Rodini Park location in North Hollywood.
The menu at Rodini Park includes daily specials like lamb shawarma and braised lamb shank, and customers also have the option to build their own pita sandwich, platter or salad with a protein of their choice. For dessert, they make homemade favorites such as traditional, chocolate, vegan and salted caramel butterscotch baklava, as well as the baklava sticky bun and baklava cheesecake. The cheesecake was among the 10 best cheesecakes in Los Angeles by LA Weekly and is made with graham cracker crust and phyllo dough, while the cream cheese filling is topped with baklava made from phyllo, ground walnuts and almonds, cinnamon and sugar.
“We worked with three chefs for the different concepts to create recipes and put the menu together,” Georges says. “They train the cooks and staff, then they come in periodically every few months to maintain quality control.”
The third food concept is Conference Room, which opened in early 2020 and offers an elevated dining experience in a relaxed lounge setting accompanied by live entertainment. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and menu highlights include cheese and charcuterie platters, an assortment of sides, salads and sandwiches, as well as burgers, pasta, seafood and steak. Beverages include local drafts on tap, specialty cocktails and a selection of international coffee blends.
One of the things that customers especially love about Conference Room is the caliber of musical talent that performs there — many are from the regular lineup at Vibrato Grill Jazz, the premier jazz and dining space in LA conceived by Grammy award-winning icon Herb Alpert.
During COVID-19 and the numerous shutdowns, all three restaurants remained open for pickup and delivery. Performances were temporarily paused at Conference Room and outdoor seating was added to allow for proper social distancing between customers and staff. Georges and his team quickly adapted to keep all the businesses running smoothly.
“We had to do a lot of adjusting and we all worked together to devise a plan for each location so that we could keep things going,” Georges explains. “While it would have been easier to just close during the shutdown, we have a lot of people working for us who need to take care of their families, pay their rent and their bills. Our goals were to keep serving fresh food quickly to our customers and to keep our staff working.”
Community is also important to Georges and his team. When the first shutdown occurred, they didn’t want to throw away the extra food they couldn’t use. So, they donated all of it to a local organization. They always try to help those that are in need and have previously been recognized for their service to the community.
“I love being in Playa Vista, it’s very unique in comparison to other LA neighborhoods,” George says. “It’s a wonderful community where everyone waves and greets each other. We do absolutely everything we can to help others, whether it’s extra food or providing a space when people need it. Giving back to the community in today’s world is a very important part of our business.”
Hash
12181 Bluff Creek Drive, Unit B, Playa Vista
hashrestaurant.com
Rodini Park
12181 Bluff Creek Drive, Unit A, Playa Vista
rodinipark.com
Conference Room
12181 Bluff Creek Drive, Suite A1, Playa Vista
conferenceroomrestaurant.com
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