Faulkner Warlick has been a significant part of the Food and Drink scene in Augusta for nearly three decades. Since December of 2013 his Surrey Center staple bistro Finch and Fifth has been a local favorite spot for its Americana vibe and diverse menu. After 13 years of ownership, Warlick has finally decided to sell the restaurant to focus on his liquor store, The White Horse, and maintaining a better work life balance.
Having had prior experience in restaurant ownership while operating a sandwich shop off of Broad Street in downtown Augusta, Warlick says that part of the reason he decided to open Finch and Fifth was out of convenience with his liquor store also being located in Surrey Center.
“The business that I have currently, it was located not 100 yards from where I am. It was very close to me, risk adverse. So I felt like I could be very close to this business that is my primary business. And do it and I thought I had a pretty good idea about what I was trying to create.”
The restaurant was built in a space which used to be occupied by Aroma Coffee and Café, and the name Finch and Fifth came from a combination of influences on Warlick’s life. Warlick said,
“When it comes to branding, you just kind of want something that makes sense and is smart, and you put them in the blender. We had a whole bunch of names, but those two really resonated. My father is an attorney. I had it because (Atticus) Finch is an attorney. They’re both people I looked up to very highly. And I was like, okay, that makes sense. And it was the fifth business license I had at the time, and I was like boom that works!”
Brett Gorrell worked under Warlick at Finch and Fifth for six years in the General Manager position. He says that his favorite part of working at the restaurant was the Family oriented atmosphere. Gorrell spoke about the opening of Finch and Fifth saying,
“For me, it was like something out of a restaurant film, you know, where you see like someone’s aunt, someone’s grandma, like everyone was involved, and everyone was communicating and doing everything we could to make sure that we were ready for the grand opening.”
Gorrell believes that his experience at Finch and Fifth has been crucial in transitioning to work for US Foods.
“I think the biggest thing I took away, and I say this still today, it’s not how you present things always, but it’s how it’s received. And so I think all of us could be better communicators, and in the way that we are being received, exactly how we want to be received when we present conversation or items or anything to another person.”
Running a restaurant alone is a tremendous task, but operating it as a side business to a liquor store as Warlick has done is even more difficult. Warlick believes that he could never have done it without good, hard working people to help him navigate the challenges that restaurant ownership provides.
“You have to pay people to do a job and then stay out of their way. You have to trust them to do a good job. You have to monitor them, but at the same time, you have to trust them to do it and then stay out of their way.”
Carter Warlick, Faulkner’s son helped contribute to the family atmosphere as he helped the restaurant prepare charcuterie while working there growing up. Regarding the pros and cons of growing up in a family that owned a restaurant, he says that it was challenging for his dad to handle the workload.
“I mean the benefit, obviously, I mean for me is I get free food, I always loved that. But it was challenging because I feel like that business was a lot more stressful than White Horse for my dad.”
Despite all of his success, Warlick emphasized the toll that restaurant ownership took on him over the years. Government regulations during and after COVID especially complicated Finch and Fifth’s ability to operate normally limiting the number of people who could dine in the restaurant and complicating staffing. Warlick says that he can’t recommend restaurant ownership to many people.
“I don’t recommend it to many people at this point. I really don’t. I mean, these days, owning a restaurant is so difficult, the atmosphere of a restaurant has gotten so dramatically different with the customer base and in the entitlement of the people that come in. It is a challenging atmosphere. I really don’t think I could recommend it to many people.”
Warlick says that having been in the restaurant business for so long and working since he was 16 years old, the top priority in his life now that the restaurant has been sold is maintaining a better work life balance.
“If I could do anything better for myself right now, I’d be taking care of myself, slowing down, just having more peace, more balance, If I could do anything, spending more time with my family. That’s all I want is a little more balance of time.”