The restaurant business is difficult and getting harder every day. But its not just about survival, its about creating and sustaining a lasting legacy. Doing that means building a powerful brand, but more importantly staying relevant in a changing industry and changing world of fickle consumers. Take a listen to this episode, hear about some surprising statistics and I hope this inspires, motivates and re-energizes your entire team.
Inspiration and Opportunity are always around the next corner. Imagine you’re living in a foreign country and suddenly the lightbulb goes off. “I love this food, everyone loves this food… I could sell this anywhere”!In this episode, I’m speaking with Brian Goldberg of “Mr. Bing” who’d doing just that… delivering an appealing product he discovered in the far east, growing a business and seeing how far it can go.
Listen on as CHEF DAVID BURKE and I discuss formal education versus apprenticeship, opportunity and where to find it, key-learnings and practices in opening new concepts, maintaining consistency, menus and profitability, food critics, marketing and so many other inspiring topics!
Whether you see a significant expansion, need new equipment, want to hire a manager or key-staffer or just some money to get you over a temporary hump, you need to know about Kabbage. Listen as Victoria explains the simple application, lighting-fast approval, flexibility and ease of getting the cash your restaurant or hospitality operation needs.
There are many ways to manage a team. Listen to today’s episode as a restaurant veteran turned HR professional shares her wisdom and nuggets from decades in the heart of our business.
Nothing is too crazy. Today’s episode is all about big ideas and ways we can utilize cash investments to build a stronger restaurant and more powerful brand. Unless your place is Rockin and Rolling, what’s the point?
One of the most powerful brand-builders I know (not to mention staff pleasers) is creating several “Big Events” throughout the year around holidays and big sports events. Give this episode a listen as I take you through many of the key-holidays and big events that will drive new and repeat business and make your place more money several times a year!..
Listen to my guest Mr. Tony Perricelli. He’s a CPA and Tax Expert with many restaurant and hospitality clients. He knows the restaurant business and is a tremendous resource and wealth of information. We discuss last minute tips for 2017, big changes from the Trump Administration for 2018 that can be a real benefit to your business and much more. Also, learn what you need to do throughout the year to put your business in the best tax position before you file.
We’ve all been to those rockin restaurants that have the triple combination of food, service and ambiance. You know, you can feel the magic going on and usually there’s a long wait for a table no matter what day it is. All three of those elements are important to real success and most of the time I say that service is a true competitive advantage, but lets focus on the ambiance. Check out this episode as Thea and I riff on what it means to build a brand. Give a listen, you just might get your next big idea that inspires your success.
We all been to those restaurants that are just firing on all cylinders… the place is alive, fun and staff are shining. Let’s call this staff magic. You’ll know you’ve arrived when your team are having more fun and making more money and your customers are having more fun and spending more money. So give this episode a listen where Thea and I share what that staff magic is all about, how to create team chemistry and most important how to build a culture of hospitality, family and fun.
So today’s episode is all about the different reasons people start restaurants, their varying “zones of excellence” and degree of knowledge that is either advantage or hindrance. Where they might excel and where they’ll run into trouble without the necessary expertise. Stay tuned as Thea (Restaurant Rockstars Co-Founder, V.P. and My Wife) and I offer opinion and fact. As always, food for thought...
In my book, there are three “Foundational Fundamentals” to running a successful, highly profitable restaurant or hospitality enterprise. Much like the foundation of a building, they are each supportive and reliant upon each other for maximum strength. Listen to today’s episode as the numerous ideas Jaime Oikle (runningrestaurants.com) and I discuss will be a new foundation to greater success for your business.
Restaurateurs can be somewhat biased about their operation, thinking “I’ve got this”! To be honest, I was like that too for many years, but came around to fresh thinking. That is, taking a big step back from the place and seeing what the guest sees. This is the first step in building and sustaining a powerful brand! Give this episode a listen, then sit down with your team and discuss fresh ideas. From mild to wild, change is good, You can be sure your customer will notice and spread the word.
This past weekend, my young daughters and I traveled to Jackson Hole, WY where we experienced far differing service and value at many different types of businesses, restaurants and hotels included. Granted this is a high-traffic year-round tourist destination, and certain businesses may mistakenly believe that repeat business is not as essential as it is in any-town USA, but in the age of on-line reviews this is dangerous thinking. In two of our experiences, these blatant “misses” were so obvious that even my kids were surprised. They had words to say both to me and in online review sites for these businesses.
I have known Mr. Fred Forsley for over 20 years and have watched in awe and admiration as he has built a hospitality empire, from restaurants, to brewery operations, partnerships with the biggest names in beer, to inns and real estate projects on a national and international level. You’ll hear his early inspirations and success, major deals gone awry, optimism for future projects and how he maintains direction with his partners and hundreds of employees across numerous operations.
These killer episodes got the most downloads and listens of any all year long. This tells us a lot about what you want more of in 2018! Happy Holidays and I wish you an EPIC year of business in 2018! Remember this is the year to work smarter not harder.
Imagine every restaurant in the world was your competition - even the absolute best 5 star establishments. What will you do today to rise above this competition? Listen to this episode, rally the team and raise your own bar because the ultimate competitive advantage is SERVICE.
Whether you’re a new or seasoned operator, there is never an end to the learning curve. At the very least there are 3 “Key-Fundamentals” every restaurateur or should I say entrepreneur should understand and master. These are the keys to true success in the restaurant business, but one really stands out from the rest.
For nearly two decades, I got used to doing bar inventory the hard way. This is how most of us take inventory. My guest in this episode is Dave Allred from barpatrol.net. He’s invented a cracker-jack “APP”, that’s the absolute easiest way to take both your food & drink inventory. Its a system made simple that will free your time for the thousand other important details of running your place.
Give a listen to this episode. Yikes, unfortunately, Its a true story that we can all learn from, but mostly its about what should never happen in your operation. It won’t if you put a premium on training and service also.