Dining at Main St. Provisions means you’ll likely meet Kim Owens. The Louisiana-born Owens is at the “modern American comfort food” restaurant nightly, greeting diners, handling plates and generally getting people hyped about the great dishes coming out of chef Patrick Munster’s kitchen.
Owens has been active in local hospitality since opening the Paradise Road location of national chain Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in 2000, later becoming the company’s VP of operations. Even now, 23 years on, she’s excited to talk about the moment she and her husband moved to the city and were “blown away” by Vegas’ energy and vibe. She shares that enthusiasm with everyone who visits Provisions, and even amid a busy afternoon, she manages to share a bit of that energy with the Weekly, too.
What attracted you to working in restaurants? Growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, food and beverage is an enormous part of everything we do. Both grandmothers on both sides of the family are great cooks. My mother’s a great cook. My father was a great cook. [I’ve been] around food my entire life knowing that it was the thing that brought everyone together. No one would argue when we were sharing a meal.
So, I fell in love with the industry. Started as a hostess at a Bennigan’s when I was in college. My general manager was just an unbelievable leader, and he empowered his employees every day. At 18 years old I didn’t know that was what I would do forever, but it was shortly after that I realized this was the business for me.
Is that where you began to pick up the lessons that make this place feel so comfortable? Y’know, yeah. A lot of trial and error throughout my career. I got my first assistant manager position at 21, and I realized that you could provide not just a service, but true hospitality to your guests. You could get to know them and get them to want to come back, not just for the great food or the great cocktails or the great wine program, but to come back to see you and to see your people. And I love being a leader.
Tell me what’s going through your mind on a busy night. I’ve been here several times and you always seem to know the right moment to stop by the table. What do you look for? I’m looking for a moment where I can create an experience or a vibe or just a quick little memory for guests, so that they remember us. Whether they’re able to come back again or whether they don’t, it doesn’t matter. Dining is an experience, and it should be. If I want to eat a meal, I’ll cook it at home, but if I go out to dinner I want an experience, and I think most of our guests do. I tell my team all the time that I’m like a shark and never stop moving. Never stop moving, whether it’s to pour water at a guest’s table, pour more wine, bring them another cocktail, serve their food or clear their plates. There’s always little moments and little opportunities that you can get to know your guests.
The Arts District is a great neighborhood. This is the heart of the city, basically. It’s fun to create that vibe for guests and to have them have them realize that this is more than just a restaurant; it’s an experience. I’ve said it for years: I don’t work, I throw a party every night.
You’ve had great chefs here at Provisions—first Justin Kingsley Hall, now Patrick Munster. Do you give them any notes on the food? Just a few points. [Provisions is] comfort food-driven—things that we just don’t cook at home because they’re just not easy, make a mess and never come out quite right. Things that a chef can do a lot better than most home cooks can. Seasonal is a big, big hallmark of it. Sustainable, when we can. I really wish we could be “farm-to-table,” but no farming happens in Las Vegas. Quality-driven—the absolute highest quality that you can get for what we can charge.
It’s funny. When we were rolling into spring, I told Chef Patrick, “I love English peas. I want something with English peas.” That’s all I said. And now we have this beautiful risotto. It’s an English pea puree risotto with Battle Born mushrooms, roasted asparagus peas and finished with Aleppo breadcrumbs. I gave him one ingredient.
If you have one good thing, other good things often find it. On that note, do you have any plans to open more restaurants in the Arts District? Sure! The goal has always been three restaurants in this neighborhood, or close to it. I used to have to get on airplanes to get to work every week. If I could just walk out the front door and down the street to a couple of different restaurants, I’d be really happy about that.
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