As part of We Met at the Moot, we wanted to begin by sharing a story that feels deeply rooted in this place.
Many of you know Adam Vander Sande as our CEO, but long before that role, Adam was part of the Moot House team — working shifts, building friendships, and finding his footing in a restaurant that would shape both his career and his life.
His story is one of the many connections that began here, and it felt like the perfect way to kick off this celebration.
Here’s how Adam and Erica’s story began…
Long before it was renovated. Long before two little girls asked where it all began. Erica and Adam’s story started the way many good ones do – quietly, over shared shifts at The Moot House.
Erica was 19 and in college when she was hired as a hostess and busser. Adam was already a familiar face, working wherever he was needed – bussing tables, cooking, serving, bartending, and helping close the restaurant each night. Back then, the Moot House salad bar was legendary… and breaking it down at the end of the night was no small task.
“There were these huge tubs of ice we had to carry to the back,” Erica laughs. “They were heavy, awkward, and honestly kind of miserable.”
And yet, Adam always seemed to appear right when help was needed.
“At first it felt like teamwork,” Erica says. “Then it turned into conversations. And eventually, I realized I really liked him.”
Adam remembers that time clearly.
“I just loved the energy of the place,” he says. “The pace, the teamwork, the way everyone relied on each other. It reminded me of playing sports growing up. I was hooked.”
Adam had started at the Moot as a busser, quickly gravitating toward the kitchen and the camaraderie that came with it. The people mattered just as much as the work.
“We called ourselves the ‘Moot Crew,’” he says. “Everyone cared about each other. Many of my closest friends and mentors still come from those early years.”
There was only one problem.
Despite the easy rhythm and end-of-shift conversations, weeks went by – and Adam never asked Erica out.
“I was frustrated,” Erica admits. “I thought he was really cute, and I couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t making a move.”
So she improvised.
With the help of her roommate, Erica shared a slightly exaggerated story about a terrible recent date and how no one seemed to know how to plan a fun one anymore.
“That was apparently the cue,” she laughs.
“I just smiled and said, ‘Well… I can take you on a fun date,’” Adam remembers. “And asked her out.”
What Adam didn’t learn until the day before their wedding, three and a half years later, was that the whole thing had been a setup.
“I had absolutely no idea,” he laughs. “I fell for it completely – and I’m very grateful I did.”
From there, it was history.
As their relationship grew, so did Adam’s path within Hot Corner Concepts. Over the next 17 years, he moved from the floor into management, across brands and locations, eventually stepping into leadership roles as General Manager, Director, and now Partner and Chief Operating Officer.
“The leadership here cared,” Adam says. “They coached. They built an environment people wanted to grow in. I realized early on that this was where I wanted to build my career.”
For Adam, Hot Corner Concepts became more than a workplace.
“It’s been my second family,” he says. “I grew up here in so many ways, and that gratitude will always stay with me.”
Today, Erica and Adam have two daughters, ages 6 and 10. And every time they visit The Moot House – even with its updates and changes – the girls always ask the same question.
“They sit in the booths and say, ‘Okay… where exactly were you standing when you met Dad?’” Erica says. “Every single time.”
The stories never get old.
For their family, The Moot House has always been more than a restaurant. It’s where their story began – and where countless other stories continue to unfold.
“It’s truly our family’s honor to carry this legacy forward,” Erica shares. “The Moot House holds a place in so many people’s memories. To help steward a place that has mattered to so many lives, for so many years, is an incredible honor we feel every day.”
Adam’s story is one of those rare ones that connects the past to the present. It’s a reminder that The Moot House isn’t just where people gather — it’s where real life happens. And it’s why we’re inviting you to share your own story, too.
Do you have a story that began at The Moot House? We’d love to hear it.
