CINCINNATI — It’s been a challenging year for the restaurant industry, and for chef and restaurant owner David Falk, it’s been a year of learning. 

What You Need To Know

  • David Falk owns Boca Restaurant Group which includes Sotto, Nada and Boca

  • When the restaurants were forced to close in the spring, Falk and his team came up with Domo - a meal delivery service

  • Falk said he's learned a lot over this year, including staying optimistic, keeping everything in perspective, and finding opportunities in hardship

​David Falk is known for his delicious meals at his upscale restaurants Boca, Nada and Sotto in downtown Cincinnati. But when the pandemic hit and restaurants were forced to shut their doors, it was a time for Falk to reevaluate.

“When the pandemic hit, it was an overall feeling of its time to get to work," Falk said. "We’re going to start running. I said if we’re going to go down, we’re going to go down swinging.”

Falk and his team turned that panic into excitement as they worked to figure out how to stay afloat, which was how DOMO at Home was born.

“I haven’t heard anybody say they’ve lost a ton of weight during COVID, quite the opposite," Falk said. "People are consuming calories, they’re just not consuming them in our home, then we better figure out how to get them to consume them in their home and to feed people in their home.”

DOMO is a new concept Falk created. He and his team do 95 percent of the work and families do the rest. Homemade meals that just need to be warmed up show up at the doorstep each week. Falk said it’s been humbling to help out families in his community and make life just a little easier.

“It’s like the mom who we literally saved her day or her week," he said. "It’s the greatest feeling in the world. This is great, this is an art that’s helping us keep the restaurants open and keep people employed.”

Falk said the new company was the most difficult thing he’s ever done, but he says it’s all been worth it.

“When there’s something that feels like it’s good for the human soul and it’s good for business, you should run after those things," Falk said.

Falk shared he’s learned a thing or two these past 10 months, including staying optimistic and to keep everything in perspective. He also said to always look for the opportunities in hardship.

“In any chaos, in any crisis, there are opportunities," he said. "But you’re going to have to work harder than you’ve had to work in your entire life.”

Falk said there’s been a high demand to keep DOMO around after the pandemic, and at this point he hopes to do just that.