Village Business Profile: Lumière

Here’s a quick look at one of the business owners that make our village centers special.  If you have a favorite business you’d like to see profiled, please contact me or Daphne Collins.

Lumière: restaurant at 1293 Washington Street, West Newton Michael Leviton, who lives in Lexington, established Lumière in 1999. He has 25 employees.

What motivated you to get into business?
I sort of fell into the restaurant business, but once I started cooking seriously, I was hooked.

What is the biggest kick you get out of doing business in Newton?
How appreciative our customers are.

Who inspires you?
My wife and kids.

Who is your business hero?
Danny Meyer, Union Square Hospitality Group

What is your biggest business challenge?
Trying to maintain the standards we have set at Lumière and to live up to people’s expectations of us.

What do you know for sure?
That Murphy [of the infamous Law] was an optimist.

What do you do when your well is empty/you need to recharge your batteries?
A vacation without the children might be nice.

What one piece of advice would you offer a new/prospective Newton business owner?
Try to understand what it means to be in the customer service industry.

What do you want your customers to know about you?
That we want to make everyone who walks through our door very, very happy.

What are your favorite stops in Newton?
My parents’ house, Blue Ribbon BBQ, DePasquale’s Sausage shop & the W. Newton Cinema.