Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Mo Morrison.
Hi Johnny Mo, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Rockville, Maryland in the suburbs of Washington DC.. My father was in construction and that really wasn’t my thing. My godfather was a chef and owned his own Deli/restaurant. In high school I started working there in the summertime and realized that I really enjoyed it. In my junior and senior year, I went to a vocational school that my high school offered for restaurant management. After high school I attended Johnson and Wales University at their Va Beach campus. After graduating college, I moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where I worked starting as a line Cook and progressed up to sous chef at a restaurant called Mediterra in Palmer Square in Princeton. In 2000 I moved back to the Maryland suburbs and took a couple years off from cooking and sharpened my music equipment sales and landscaping skills. After realizing that my heart was truly stuck on being in the restaurant and service industry I packed up and moved to the Eastern Shore of Virginia and bought my first restaurant in 2002. Mallards was established and my dreams of owning my own restaurant were coming true. In 2004 we opened Mallards sidewalk Cafe, which should be our second restaurant. In 2005 we opened Mallards at the Wharf, which is now our premier waterfront location. I was learning and growing through the trials and tribulations of the restaurant business until the 2008 recession hit. We decided to close the original Mallards and focus on the Cafe and waterfront location. The next 10 years just kinda flew by. When the pandemic hit, we had to circle the wagons tighten up and start over just like everyone else. My 2021 we had hit the reset button, focused our energy in our skills and business exploded. We’ve had an incredibly blessed and successful five-year run, and Mallards is content with our current two locations and our catering busines. Mallards looks forward to the future, continuing to grow and learn and serve those who seek high quality food in a casual waterfront atmosphere.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Obviously, owning your own business comes with more than its fair share of struggles. As I mentioned, the 2008 recession nearly broke us. Of course, owning your own business comes with more than it’s fair share of struggles. As a young business owner with very shallow pockets, it took determination, creativity, and hard work to stay open through those couple of years. The pandemic was an experience that I do not wish upon my worst enemy. We lost all of our staff. Only my father and myself ran the entire restaurant. We tightened up and survived on strictly carry out until we were allowed to open at 50% capacity in July 2020. My father would answer the phone and take the orders and I would cook the food and do the dishes. That was an extremely unscripted and precarious time in our lives. But with hard work, family, and the immense support from our small community we were able to make it through. Owning a restaurant comes with challenges every day, from food deliveries to staff arriving on time, even to the customers walking through the door. I wouldn’t choose any other career, every job has its challenges and through my life experiences, training, family and incredible employees we’ve been able to power through whatever the good Lord has thrown our way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
When I was in high school I picked up the Guitar. It was another artistic form of expression. I played briefly for a year or two and then set it aside for several years. When I was about 20, I started playing more seriously. Eventually I joined bands and even created my own band. I started playing shows at local bars and clubs to earn a little extra cash. I stuck with Guitar and cooking and eventually gave myself the name. “Johnny Mo the Musical Chef” after moving to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Now, I play around 100 shows a year either solo or with my band Irie Tree. I play at Mallards several times a year and often come out to the table with a guitar to sing happy birthday, happy anniversary or happy bar mitzvah or whatever. It’s a niche that I’m proud of and known for all around the Eastern Shore and beyond. I have been blessed to open up for several national acts such as Molly Hatchett, 38 Special, Jefferson Starship and more. Music and cooking are both of my passions and of course my beautiful wife and my two sons (22 and 20) are the reasons for my inspiration and drive in my life. I’ve always said cooking pays the bills, music gives me the thrills… My successful restaurant career has given me so many opportunities and I cherish my skills and time in the kitchen very much.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Patience, timing and perseverance are the keys to any success in life. Have the courage to wait for the right time and then use all of the resources available to you to assist with fulfilling your dreams. Nothing good happens overnight. For the lucky ones in this world, life is a long road trip with hills and valleys. With God, family and drive anything is possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: Mallardsllc@verizon.net
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/mallardsatthewharf
