Of the two co-founders many thought inseparable, he was the guy you could count on to explain things most candidly.
He took care of the keys of the Coastal Luxury car for years, the operations expert who solved many of the meltdowns.
Now Rob Weakley is moving on from the Pebble Beach Food & Wine parent he pioneered.
One chef who once worked closely with Weakley and Bernahl for a decade told me he wasn’t surprised one of the two founders was out.
He was surprised that it was Weakley.
Here's what Weakley had to say on the day it went public (also check out Bernahl's thoughts here):
On how he's feeling right now:
I'm definitely standing up a lot straighter. It's been a crazy seven years, launching two luxury food and wine events, four restaurants/nightclubs/catering openings.
On why he's leaving:
It was just good time. There are other projects I'd been looking at. Last year opening up Vegas and L.A. at same time—with L.A. Food & Wine getting bigger—it's been a long year. I had an opportunity to take a little time off—not a lot, but to look at other projects, and the Banks wanted more involvement.
On the role new partners Charles and Ali Banks of Terrior played in the change:
Charles and Ali are amazing people. They've got the means to bring CLM to the next level. I think it's a great thing for both parties.
On the suddenness:
I didn't have any plans on exiting per se, but things work out.
There was a wish for more involvement. Have some conversations, one thing leads to next, kind of sitting around a table at Bernardus—just as we were when Dan Snyder starts throwing numbers out [to purchase a big stake in the company around 2009].
Dave and I have worked long and hard for seven years. For me it's about being able to look at different opportunities, and knowing there was an interest from Charles and Ali to continue to build CLM.
Put together, it was a good thing.
On the give and take:
Listen, am I gonna miss CLM and our 200-plus team members and PBFW and LAFW—but I will stand a little straighter with a little less stress. These were my babies. The first company I started. After 13 years of Hyatt, being able to create something from nothing, and building it, has been a great, and wild, ride.
On the projects he's looking at:
I can't talk about them yet. I gotta get through this step. It's a bunch of things.
One of the great things of running CLM for so many years is you see so many facets: The events business, retail tabletop stuff, nightclubs.
I know where I want to focus my energy.
And I want to get back into Monterey and be a part of the community. Last month I spent four days in Monterey. It was time to get back there.
I have 5-year-old twins and a 3-year-old daughter. It’s getting back to basics. And not hearing, “Hey, did you move?”
On his wife Michaela’s reaction:
She thought I was a couple of months late for April Fools. She's great and supportive and was there the whole way. [She also was a keep bookkeeping and event management team member in the rise of CLM.]
On the grind:
I love the industry and the 20-hour days. I can't imagine life without stress and playing in that game. There's a lot of opportunities out there.
On the shift in involvement for Charles and Ali Banks/Terroir:
They’ve been part of this for a year and half. Dan Snyder [of Dick Clark Productions, Red Zone Entertainment and the Washington Redskins] was always a silent partner. He enjoyed the events but he was not involved in day-to-day operation. Charles is a busy guy—he owns seven or 10 wineries—and he is going to be able to introduce more fresh relationships.
We have an amazing group of friends and Rolodex, and Charles has his own. There’s a growth structure and the right amount of capital.
On what he'll miss most:
I'm gonna miss the people. I went to work every single day and loved the people I worked with. Not a day they didn't wake up in the morning and say, "I don't want to go to work," whether it was a 10- or 12- or 20-hour day in Vegas or L.A. or Monterey. I truly love who I worked with—and had the privilege of working with some of the most talented people in the industry.
On what no one knows about friend and partner Bernahl:
After opening two restaurants [Rose.Rabbit.Lie. and Faith & Flower] in a year [it was more like three months] the two of us couldn't fit in the car together.