What an amazing operator I speak with today. Chris Tripoli is the founder of Multiple Concepts. He’s a concept developer. He’s an owner operator. He’s a former leader. He’s now a consultant. He’s a podcast host. He speaks on the industry circuit, as do I. we start from the very beginning, and it was all about Having a passion for this business, wanting to just fill yourself with knowledge of every aspect of the restaurant business and learn every piece of it from the kitchen to the front of house, back of house, everything, and apply yourself as a young person, move up in an organization, become a leader, open concepts, be an owner operator.

There are so many key learnings in this episode. You’re not gonna want to miss it. So stay tuned with Chris. You’ve also heard me talk about the Restaurant Profit Maximizer. Now this episode is also about important financial acumen and analytics and improving profits and working on your business, not in it.

The Profit Maximizer is immediately actionable ideas that you can put in place to boost your bottom line. So check that out at restaurantrockstars.com/profitmaximizer. Now, on to the episode with Chris. Stay tuned.

You’re tuned in to the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast. Powerful ideas to rock your restaurant. Here’s your host, Roger Beaudoin.

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Welcome back, everyone. This is the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast. So glad you’re here. And Chris, welcome to the show today. I’m excited to have you. Well, Roger, it’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me. Well, you have an extensive hospitality, concept, development, consulting, podcasting background.

We’re going to talk all things restaurants and hospitality. So thanks. Thanks again for being here. Let’s talk about your story and where it all began for you and your career trajectory, just, you goes on and on and on with so many different things that are related to our industry. So take us from the beginning and then walk us through your career.

Oh, happy to. Yeah, I, I am. I’m a lifer. I started working you know, in restaurants and here I am. I pretty much never left. At least that’s the way I like to tell it. I was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and boy, back then I just, I just loved it. It was, I mean, it’s, it’s a wonderful city now, but years ago when it was smaller, it was a great environment to be raised in.

And I started working in earnest, I would say, at the age of 15, and I was very fortunate in that my first experience with restaurants was a very well run and what we’d consider a high end, you know, restaurant. I was a busboy for a place called Ralph Gaines Colony Steakhouse, and Ralph and his wife, Betty, from Kansas City, Missouri, big, big stockyard steak

kind of concept. They opened in Phoenix because I think they had a winter home in Scottsdale. I think that was the reason. Okay. And back then, late 60s, early 70s, nicer restaurants always had that lounge, if you remember. So this was a steakhouse, high end seafood, but then had the lounge and the lounge had live entertainment.

And Phoenix was on sort of a circuit, which they are probably still on now, with entertainers going in and out of Vegas. So, at a young age, I saw good jazz acts. I saw good, you know, singing acts. I was in, I was just so in I guess enamored with the level of service, high end. Here, here I’m a busboy wearing, you know, a cummerbund and a bow tie and the red jacket, you know, and Oh, you’re painting that picture.

Yeah, this is great. And, and I had a positive influence, which I think is really important. I think at a young age, my, the very first restaurant manager I had, I still remember things that he told me then. And his name, Ray Nardone, Wonderful manager.

He could tell that I was just a young guy interested in working and he seized on that. So it didn’t take long before he just said every day after school, just come on in. You know, the dining room is not going to open until five, but you can sit in the office with Daryl Anthony and learn about the books.

You can check in deliveries. You can visit. So I did, I started studying industry. And it was all because he just saw this interested kid. I got into the kitchen. I learned pantry. I was on the line cooking. We had a small private dining room. I was a banquet waiter. So in just the first couple of years as a teenage kid, I got connected.

And I mean, the hooks got into me and I thought then. That you know, this is really a fun way of earning a living. If I could just manage restaurants for other people someday, maybe I’ll be happy. Well, that happened quicker than I thought. You know, I started managing in my early 20s. I was running a very large tourist attraction outside of Phoenix called Pinnacle Peak Patio.

I went there once. I went to a wedding at Pinnacle Peak Patio. This has got to be 30 years ago, but I know exactly the spot you’re talking about. Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve been there. I know, and it was just an iconic thing, and I’m young. It’s my first crack at management, and I’m really turned on to see that there’s the method to the madness, you know, there’s a system of costing and budgeting and labor scheduling and things just don’t happen, you know, you have to develop systems for that.

So, I’m learning while I’m doing and I’m getting my batteries charged. And then I met a second person who was influential in my life. A gentleman from Houston, Texas, who used to go out to Scottsdale to play tennis and relax, and he loved watching this big Western style steakhouse called Pinnacle Peak Patio.

And that’s where I met a guy named Chandler, who, offered me an opportunity to come to Houston because he was trying to put a group of young, hard working restaurant managers together to create and expand a Texas style barbecue concept. So here I am, you know, in my young 20s. I’m loving the business and I’m really challenged by this because, you know, at that time in Arizona, barbecue meant putting a steak on the grill in the backyard.

The idea of mixing woods and slow smoking was something that I only heard about in school, but never practiced. So I loved the challenge and I moved in the mid seventies to Houston, Texas, thinking I would be there for a few years make some money, learn a few things and then come back home. Instead it became home.

What a wonderful environment for me to be in. We did, Luther’s BBQ was the concept, and I learned so much about training, development I got involved in owning, I mean operating the openings. So I learned a lot by doing the startups. And so we opened seven barbecue restaurants in a very short period of time, and the only reason I left that group was that along the way, I developed my first idea of my own.

And after hearing a bunch of no’s, I came across a couple of guys that liked it and said yes. And so I was able to start my own restaurant company, and I did a western themed swinging door saloon concept in the 80s in Houston. And we did two in Houston and one in Austin. Sold that in the late 80s, and then I opened up another concept.

So I was able to see the business as a worker, then a manager, then a supervisor. Now I’m an owner operator. And learning, again, from others, and learning as we go, had some very good years, had some very poor years. But that then morphed into my next experience was working with a large entertainment group, helping them concept restaurants.

And I did that for a couple of years. We did airport contracts. We became a Chili’s franchisee for the state of Hawaii. And we created a very interesting seafood concept called Truelux first of which was in Houston. Now, I think there, there’s like a dozen units in Florida, Washington, D. C.,

Chicago, and Texas. But I started consulting to do this type of development work for others in the mid 90s. And my first company was called A La Carte, A La Carte Food Service Consulting Group, started that in, I think, 94, and the idea was to help small, growing restaurant operators by providing the same services that if they already were large and established, they would have in their home office.

But as you well know, you know, this is a pretty tough industry and margins are tight. Finding the right locations is tight, raising money, retaining staff. So if you only have two or three stores you don’t have the home office that’s doing financial planning and HR work, but you still need that.

Obviously once you get to having, you know, 15, 20, 25 stores, you’ve got that kind of support. So I found the niche and thought I can consult and provide that with a small group of people. And we did that. We did that for about 25 years. And I sold a la carte to a great lady who had worked for me and with me for about nine years and she’s continuing to operate it.

And that kind of brings us up to the current time. I, I’m now having just a ton of fun. I don’t, own and operate my own business. I’m in what I would consider probably as retired as I’m going to be. I live with my wife in the Hill Country and I am working with my brother who started his leadership coaching hospitality group called the Restaurant Clinic.

And the Restaurant Clinic is a ton of fun. Small group of people working with growing independent restaurant companies. I’m on a few projects with him, and I’m doing that along with my work with RestaurantOwner. com and their podcast called Corner Booth. So, there you have it. Wow, that is an incredible story.

So many nuggets came out of there. I heard mentors, because certain people saw something special in you, took you under their wing, and taught you All aspects of the business, which is amazing. And you had the passion and the fire for the business and you just soaked it up. And you tell me more, tell me more.

I got that crystal clear, which then led to obviously the management positions and then the concept development. Wow. It’s like. I’m so happy that you’re here, because I want every operator, every general manager that listens to this podcast to just get that, because the people are the foundation of our business, obviously, and people like you are what we look for, because this is a labor challenge, and It’s unfortunate that due to the crisis that so many operators are struggling from, they’re just hiring people.

Anybody I can get. But if they could find 20 of someone like you as a young person, think of how much more powerful that would be. Think of the guest experiences. Think about how you could expand and scale your business. You are, I love this word, intrapreneur. You are an intrapreneur. And in a small business or in larger businesses, just sort of helping that owner or the ownership group just lead the business forward.

I love that. That was fantastic. Let’s talk about concept development, because that is like a magic formula. That’s a fickle, flaky thing, because you can create something really, really interesting and dynamic right out of the gate, but it also has to stay relevant over time, keep up with changing consumer preferences and aging populations, and You could, you and I could tell each other stories of restaurants that have been around for decades that go out of business because they didn’t stay relevant.

What’s the key to that? Yeah, that’s very, very true. Well, there’s a couple of keys, I think that start, and the initial concept development, I think, it requires the discipline to be able to start with passion, but put that passion and interest into a process. Some people trip. You know, in doing that, and they, they feel like they hurry through their idea to delivery, or they feel like I see it myself, and that’s all that’s important, and passion’s going to get me there and without being able to funnel that concept development idea into a well presented plan, and that plan isn’t well presented.

Just for financial presentations to raise money, although that’s what most people think. When you take your concept and you develop it into a plan, obviously it is for financial presentations, but it’s also for that real estate broker to be able to introduce you. to the right neighborhoods, the right markets, to get to that right customer profile, and convince that landlord that you’re the right place for that building.

Because if you’re that newbie, even though you’re passionate about your idea, we’ve seen this a ton of time, you’re going to find a location that’s going to interest you. But trust me, if it’s good for you, it’s going to be good for everybody else too. And so that landlord’s got to say, hey, I really like Roger’s idea for this cool submarine sandwich pizza concept.

And I’m going to put him in that space rather than the national brand. I mean, I could go with the national brand. It’s safe. Maybe it’s not sexy, but hey, it’s safe. They pay rent. But this plan’s convinced me, this guy knows the customer profile that’s in my center. He’s going to work. I think his numbers make sense.

So the plan is to get the site and get the money. And then going back to your early point about how to keep it relevant, I think that business plan’s third purpose helps there because it helps that brand new restaurant operator stay focused. It helps them go to a place to say, this is how I said I was going to present my idea.

This is how it’s going to look. This is what I said the size was going to be, how I was going to manage the menu, how I was going to market to my customers. So if halfway through the process, I’ve got these other ideas popping like popcorn, I need to funnel it down and say, did it fit into my plan? And, and, and the people who open successfully are the ones that were able to do that.

Take their passion, put it through a process and come up with a good plan. That’s excellent. You mentioned the word systems. A little while back. And I’m a huge believer of systems and not every restaurant has systems. And it’s kind of, it’s, it’s hard to see a restaurant owner operator that’s tied to that business 24 seven, you know, and just missing life pass by because the margins are slim in this business.

You mentioned that right now, the inflation, the highest labor costs ever, all these challenges that restaurant owners are facing, and the biggest. The next piece is finding great people, like I mentioned earlier, that’ll help you run the business. Systems means working on your business, not in your business.

And that’s so hard to do when you’re in the middle of the trenches, you’re putting out the daily fires, and the unexpected happens all the time, and you’re just trying to put out good food, please your guests, and make a little money. But that’s so hard to do without those systems. Let’s break that down a little.

Let’s get really deep with that. What do you consider those key systems to be? Well, and this goes back to that mentoring. It goes back to the first time I heard this was from my very first manager. And when Ray Dardone told me as a teenage kid, he said, if you want a future in this business, of course, you’re enamored with the people.

And it is a people business. Starts with people. So you have to trust your people, but you put your faith in the systems. I heard that as a teenager, and I thought, and I still teach that today, what a great business premise. So how to put that in action is in, to, to take a look at what it is you want done, and then systems are basically the answer to this question.

How can I maintain consistency? How can the guest experience on a Tuesday lunch be the same if he comes back and brings other people on a Thursday dinner? Oh, I better have a system for the setting of the lighting. I better have a system for the mood of the music. I better have steps of service so that we’re going to be touching all the steps, not just on Tuesday, but on Thursday.

In the back of the house, I better have a preparation list so that no matter who’s on pantry, we’re making our special pimento cheese crostini in the same manner. You know, we better have a way of of sourcing our product so that we’re not going to have. Portion and quality inconsistent, you know, we better have a good training and boy, bingo, there’s, there’s the whole other category of training so that people understand the importance of what they’re doing and we better have ongoing development where we’re reminding the people of those key things every shift, pre-shift through the shift so that this way, no matter.

Who the manager is on the floor, who’s the customer in booth number four. I, as the owner, can rest assured that I’ve got the same guest experience day after day. That’s why we need systems and and good restaurants have them and inconsistency is the killer. That’s absolutely true. Yeah, absolutely true.

Foundational elements. Obviously the training you mentioned is vitally important. Front of house, back of house, pre shifts are absolutely essential. It’s also about the numbers and the finances and monitoring food costs and taking a regular inventory and calculating your prime costs and knowing labor and all those things.

And then there’s marketing. And marketing is something that, in my experience, I’ve seen operators throw lots of money at things that aren’t trackable, that you, you don’t know if it’s working. It’s an experiment. You know you get caught in some weak position. Somebody, the phone rings all the day long in a restaurant, and you answer the phone, it’s some guy on the radio trying to sell you a radio commercial.

Oh, you know, you think about, oh, everyone down there, drive time’s going to hear about your restaurant. I’ll try that, you know? And it’s like, Really? Unless everybody walks through the door and says, Hey, you know, Chris, I heard you on the radio. That’s what brought me in. It’s like, which never happens. It’s like, so these are the systems, right?

And that is vitally important. Let’s talk about staffing. Let’s, let’s dive a little deeper into staffing because a lot of operators out there are trying to hire when I believe they should be recruiting to get the best people, to get people like yourself. You know, it’s like A mindset shift. Change your way of thinking.

Think differently. Look for something different. Go left when your competition is going right. And that was the key to my success. These are the biggest challenges today. So staffing and labor and, and then there’s accountability. Once you hire someone, you can’t just You know, turn them loose and expect the best.

It’s like you got to set the bar and have accountability. What did you do in your concepts to make all these things, you know, run like a Swiss watch?

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Well, and I don’t know if I did it right all the time. I got better as I went. And I think everyone needs to know that, you know, there’s, there’s no silver bullet, there’s no one way of doing things, and we are constantly learning from each other.

But you hit it on the point when I started realizing that I don’t. Hire for need. What I need to do is recruit. So that means you’re selecting people, and you’re doing that all the time. Too many times people feel like, thank God I don’t have to worry about hiring people, I have enough. No, no, no, no, no. I learned long ago you are always selecting.

You’re always wanting to meet. You’re always wanting to upgrade. Don’t wait until all of a sudden there’s a need and then you hire the first warm body that walks in so you can think, great, I don’t have to think about hiring anymore. Hiring isn’t meant to be a drudgery. Selecting is meant to be a way of recruiting and engaging.

So what I learned was give people a reason to work there, especially today. People aren’t looking really for a job. They’re looking for a place to be. They’re looking for a place they fit. They’re looking for a place that values their time, their effort, where they’re engaged, where they leave satisfied.

So we have to change our stinking thinking from I’m hiring you to more of an interview process where, hey, you belong here. I summarize it in a In an example, I just told somebody the other day, because I live close to some small towns, and so I was driving through one the other day, and there was the national little pizza franchise, no names, but on the sign, the marquee sign, you know what their special was, now hiring.

Okay, then comes the national branded fast food burger guy. What was his special of the day? Accepting applications. Okay, then there’s this teeny little independent donut shop. This little place called Sweeties. Sweeties is selling pastries and coffee. What, what did their marquee say? Work with me here.

It’s fun. Stephanie. Boom. I almost wanted to stop and go in and meet Stephanie. I was thinking of. I was thinking of picking up some weekend hours. That’s awesome. Wow. That was crystal clear example. Yeah. And so how do you do that today, guys? Well, take a look at social media. Take a look at how your staff is promoting why they like working there.

I love seeing restaurants that promote the workers. They’re having fun behind the bar. Look at the food we’re serving. Look at us mixing the drinks. It’s fun. fun. Not only is that to be posted because you want customers to eat there, but that’s how you get the right people to come and work there. They, they are interviewing you today as much as you’re interviewing them.

So they’re looking for a place where they think this is worth my time. I’m going to fit in. And if we don’t have that image, we got to go to work on that first. Then we can worry about, you know, the rest. I’m hearing company culture here. And, and what that culture is to the people that work for you, as well as how they represent your brand to the guest is such an important and such a powerful thing.

And it’s something that Can and can’t be created. I think it’s sort of something that evolves naturally with the personalities of the people there and how they are led and how they are inspired and the opportunities that they are presented and how hospitality is trained and pre shifts and recognition rewards and incentives and all these things that make a place more than just a paycheck.

You know, and that’s when a customer walks through the door, I like to call them guests, and just says, wow, this place is just running on 10 cylinders, not four. Yeah. You can tell those restaurants that have it dialed versus the ones that are just like, some people call it controlled chaos. It’s like, you know, you know what I’m saying.

So culture is really powerful. I think you’re all over it. I think you’re right. That’s exactly what listeners need to hear. I do. It starts with your leadership. So as owner operators, what’s the tone that we’re setting? As the person that we put into management or people that we put into leads, it isn’t just what they’re doing, how they’re doing it.

Are they motivating? Are they supporting? Are they helping? Are they congratulating staff? Are they assisting? Are they ongoing with the development and the positive reminders? Or do they not do any of that and only take them aside when they make a mistake? Now, I’m not saying we don’t correct mistakes, of course we do, but those mistakes get fewer and, and, and also the corrections get easier when we set a tone of support and a tone of of customer first you know, a tone of team.

So I always like to walk in and check out the leadership. And if you ask your managers a question, and you can get an answer where you know they are sharing success, And shouldering, you know, responsibility for when something is wrong. Something as simple as, Craig, I looked at the numbers. Last night was wonderful.

Per person, check average was high. We hit our numbers. If the response is, well, you know, we got a good team. Everybody rallied. So and so did over and above. See, that’s a positive leader. Sharing success. Now if we have that same phone call and we say we got to go to work here, you know ticket times were late the, the wait list wasn’t making sense, we were slow on table turns, we had a rough shift, Craig, and if Craig shoulders the blame saying, I got it, I got it.

It’s going to be much better tomorrow. We had a few problems. I got it. I’ll take care of it. If instead, if we hear something like pointing fingers, you know, well, you know so and so in the kitchen, you know, is messing up. Well, you know, our best person, you know, wasn’t behind the bar. Well, you know, as you know, I only have airheads, you know, for hostesses.

Okay. See, then we have a problem with culture because leaders. Share the success and they shoulder, you know, the they own it. They want to be held accountable for when something goes wrong because they’re going to lead the fixing. You just described a true leader versus the boss, you know, and I think the shift really happened as we emerged through the pandemic and it devastated the industry and it wiped out so many restaurants.

Those that were still standing and maybe still struggling to get farther down the road than they were, where they had this boss mentality before the pandemic, and they’ve maintained that boss mentality. And you can’t bark orders and sit in the back office and have expectations, because that’s just setting your people up for failure.

You know, I think a true leader is obviously leading by example and inspiring others. But you mentioned it earlier, recognizing talent, seeing something special in someone, and then sharing that information and knowledge and expertise, and giving them responsibility, and even giving them opportunities to make mistakes and fail.

And instead of criticizing, it’s a critique. And then you reward them for that. Positive performance. And that’s how you build your organization. And you were the prime example of that. You were like the poster kid for what every restaurateur wishes every employee, you know, brought to the table. And I, I think that came through crystal clear in the beginning.

And I think that’s what everyone needs to remember in new recruits or new hires and everyone that walks through the door, don’t set them up for failure, give them a roadmap, get, you know, shadow your veteran people that you consider to be A players, have mentors in your business. You can’t do it all as an owner.

You know, you really need to, and I hate the word delegate. I’m all about empowerment. And that’s what we’re talking about here. So I think you and I are totally on the same page with that. Yeah, no, you’re, yeah, no, you’re right. And it is, there’s, there seems to be three steps that I see successful independent operators do when it comes to staff.

And the first one is they’re embracing those changes, not running away from. They know COVID changed things. They know the customer demand is different. They realize that the labor market is tighter. They realize selection isn’t hiring and it’s. competitive. So you can’t just. Manage the way we used to. It’s a different world and don’t stand off from those changes.

Embrace them. And then the second thing they’re doing, and you mentioned this, is engage people in the process. Staff want to feel like they belong. So don’t just train, tell, and walk away. They got to feel like they’re a part of the process. Engage them. A lot of times the best answers to how we can improve the guest experience.

Come from the staff. So engage people in the process. They will be easier to do things if they know they had sort of a say so in those things. And then the third one is the one you just mentioned, empowerment. Micromanaging doesn’t work anymore. Negative expectations was really never any good. It certainly doesn’t work now.

So you have to be able to empower people to go do the doing. Provide support if they need it, give them critiques, evaluations. They will listen if they know that, you know, they’re learning and they’re part of the team and they’re getting better. And if you really do that, embrace, engage, and empower, then you got an up, you know you’ve got a little upside over the guy down the street who’s still struggling with staff.

You said it very, very well. The people that are in the trenches in every position in your restaurant see things every single day that could improve the business, could do something more efficiently, or eliminate waste, or increase sales or profits. And I recognized that a long time ago. And that was a regular program in my restaurant where we would have these brainstorming sessions.

And I said, listen, if you come up with some idea that I can track that saves us money, increases our sales, is a. Brilliant marketing, whatever it is, or even just an efficient processor, preventative maintenance, whatever it is. If it has an impact to the bottom line, if I can track it, I’m going to give you a percentage of that savings or increase for as long as you work for me.

And as long as it continues to add. to the bottom line, and boy, if that wasn’t a morale builder, you know? So I guess it’s like, you don’t ask, you don’t get. Other, if you don’t give people a voice in your business, chances are they’re not going to say anything. They’re just going to put their head down and do their thing, because that’s their job.

But we’re talking about involvement, and I think that wraps into the culture too, because people feel valued. And I think you mentioned that as well, you know, because everyone works for a paycheck, but people really work for a place where they feel welcome, they belong, and that their voice matters. Well, you’re a hundred percent correct.

Yeah. And if you’re not doing it that way, I don’t know how you’re going to find success because the formula for success in restaurants starts with people. You know, I mean, as you know, from being there, restaurant operators might operate differently. There are concepts from, you know. Drive thru, to counter service, to fine dining.

Some have bars, some have private dining rooms. Everyone can be a little different. People can pay 10 for an experience or 200 for experience. I get it. We’re all over the board. But what I found over the years is you can boil this down to a formula. And the formula starts with people. So if I’m working with someone or I’m meeting with someone, that’s the first thing I’m trying to analyze is what’s our people program here.

How do we select? How do we train? How do we continue the the engagement, the development, the cross training, the promoting from within, it’s all about people. Then we get to product because how many times have we found someone who’s got a tremendous menu? They can’t keep people, they don’t have good numbers.

And after a few years, they go out of business. So it’s people plus product. Then you get into the procedures, like we talked about earlier. Systems, because if you can’t be consistent, you won’t be able to make your numbers. Then you finally get to the final P, and that’s profitability. So, when that phone call comes in and they go, listen, I’d love to talk to you because I want to be more profitable, my mind is backing up.

People, not let’s talk product. Rotation of menu, proper pricing, item cost, etc. How about your process and procedures? Do you have systems that people are following? Because if you don’t have those three, we don’t have profitability. Or at least not for long. You mentioned product, and the importance of product is knowing your menus inside and out.

And knowing your concept inside and out, and having an engaging personality, and presenting these things that I call hooks to your guests, and letting them know, because I believe that every restaurant, USA or anywhere, literally has first time visitors walking through the door every day that you’ve never seen before, that for whatever reason, they heard about it, they were driving by, and it was lunchtime, whatever it is, they’re there.

And now you’ve got one opportunity to leave a positive impression, to hopefully turn that person into a regular. And it really comes down to your people again, because, you know, ice breaking at the table. Oh, is this your first time here? Oh, thanks for coming in. Did you know? And then you present what you know about the restaurant that you Believe the guests will enjoy and appreciate And that’s suggestive selling versus the order taker that’s got the pad and the pen, what’ll you have, here’s the menu, you know, and so many restaurants are still doing that, and they don’t realize the, the thousands of dollars that they’re leaving on the table, depending on the size of the restaurant, whether that’s weekly, monthly, whatever.

It’s like training plays a part in that, but it’s all about that unique personality of people. And, and one really important thing that we did was we didn’t just train the servers and the bartenders on salesmanship, we trained the bussers and the hosts. And the people that answered the phone and greeted people at the door were the first and last impression.

And they had so many opportunities to make suggestions to guests while they were waiting for a table, you know, going to the bar, this is, we have the specialty cocktail list, my favorite is this, and they would make, everyone would make a suggestion. And even the bussers, you mentioned you started out as the bus boy in the red jacket and all that sort of thing.

My busters was so well trained that they could recommend a glass of wine for a lady that would compliment what she was having. And they could go to the point of sales system and put an order in for something while the server for that table was in the kitchen. So it was like this choreographed service where everyone was putting their best foot forward and being brand ambassadors for the business.

And that made a huge difference too. And that leads to more of that company culture and team spirit, I think, and just, it all goes back to that. Yeah. It does. It all goes back to that. You’re right. It all starts with, you know what the owner operator is expecting that experience to be. And is that properly conveyed?

And does the leadership team present that? Just the other day, I had somebody tell me that he’s having trouble with the floor staff. I bring him in. He says, I tell them, you know, I train them. They just don’t care because I hear days later they’re not doing it. Finally I had to grab them like, I just want to shake and say, Why is it that you think when we go to New York, and we’re in the entertainment capital, and we’re watching a Broadway play, these are award winning actors and actresses?

Why do they have a director? Why don’t they just have someone that says, well, by now if they can’t deliver a line, who needs them? Fired. Are you kidding me? You’re the director. These people are your actors, your actresses. So just because you gave them a script, don’t walk away. You’re failing them. You need to do the pre shift.

You need to do the motivation. You need to keep them interested. You need to give them reminders so that they’re on their game. Because if that server comes up to the table, And can’t describe a menu dish, can’t describe the special, doesn’t want to suggest the special. The first person that I want to smack is whoever’s managing the floor, not them.

Oh my god, you just wrote my book, because I’ve always been a huge believer that this business called hospitality is really show business, it’s entertainment, and you’re absolutely right. As a leader, you are the director, the producer of the show, and you’ve got actors and actresses on stage to bring the show to life, and we use props to help sell what we have for sale.

And we give the guests experiences, not just food and drink. And then the whole idea is you want them to enjoy the show so much that they come back again and again to see it over and over again. And then you leave, you get positive reviews online and it really is Hollywood. You know, I’ve always believed that.

It is. And it is entertainment. Just like you said, you’re right on the money because people today when they leave your restaurant, Long after they forget exactly what they ordered, or long after they forget exactly what they spent, they’ll remember how they were handled. They remember how they felt. So, we have to create that guest experience.

They have to feel that they’re They’ve been entertained. And that comes from a balance of the people and the product. It comes from a balance of those procedures because they’re absorbing everything, everything from light level to music level, to friendliness and cleanliness and management attention on the floor.

They’re absorbing it and they’re going to leave feeling like. This was worth my time. Or they’re going to leave just thinking, eh, it was okay, and then bingo, they’re on to some other place. You know, value comes to mind, because it’s harder and harder to offer guests value for dollars spent when inflation and prices and restaurants have to raise their menu prices.

And at some point, there’s a ceiling where I won’t pay 35 for a cheeseburger with fries, you know what I mean? And it’s like, that is a bad thing. It’s a balance too, but it also goes back to menu costing and understanding what the profitability of every item is, and using that data, and making critical decisions to make sure that everything that you’re selling is as profitable as it can be, and then table turns, and everything, it’s all those things wrapped up together, and delivering an amazing experience that still has value, I think is one of our greatest challenges.

It really is. Yeah, you’re right. I think on that we’ve learned, thankfully, that value has been properly redefined in the mind of the guest. You know, a decade or two ago, all restaurant operators were confusing the word value with cheap. And it was because most of the time that’s what was marketed to our customer.

You know, they were thinking a value meal means I go to the drive through window and I’m only going to spend two or three dollars. So value is cheap. If I’m going to open up the menu, there better be a little box that has whatever the daily special is, and it better be cheaper than the rest of the menu.

Well, the good news is we’ve grown from that now, and our definitions are cheap is cheap. I mean, if you want to sell something cheap, that’s fine. It’s cheap. Value is different. Value is the guest giving their worth. to this experience. Was this worth my time? So everything now comes into play. The ambiance, the portioning, the quality, obviously, the style of service.

Because if I am going to be spending 30 or something for a sandwich that I used to spend 20, I have to feel like this is special. And it isn’t just the food, but it’s everything around it now. And so that’s a challenge, you know, to the operators. And I really applaud those who are meeting that challenge, who are maybe limiting their menu so that they can manage costs better.

Because if they’re carrying things that don’t sell very well, then all they’re doing is increasing inventory more. You know, chance of inconsistency, more chance of of waste, which of course kills food cost. So I applaud people who are taking a look at their menu more often, adjusting it more seasonally, keeping it smaller.

I also applaud people who are menuing for the guest. You’ve got to know your guest. If you’re not looking at the item sales reports every day, if you’re putting things on the menu based on what you think a cool trend is, or what you or what you like. We need to rethink that because we’re not menuing for ourselves.

You know, I mean, unless you’re going to clone yourself and come in 200 times a day, but we have to know our customer target and don’t add things to your concept unless you’re really sure the consumer that you’re targeting. And is that consumer one that you have? So these are all things that I see people addressing today that, you know, maybe if we didn’t go through the tough times that we did, and if we didn’t have margins tightening more than they had, maybe we wouldn’t be paying as much attention.

I think I totally agree with that statement. Yeah. And so many things that what we talked about today really still come down to that word hospitality that drives this business. And it really is kind of a lost art today because in your, you know, in your experience as a young person, you, you mentioned a lot of images that I experienced as a young person just going out to dinner with my family, you know, when I was a young kid.

Before I got my first restaurant job as a teenager, I was a young kid, 8, 9, 10 years old, and I remember the red jackets and the, and the white linen tablecloths and the maitre d that would greet you at the table, seat you, you. Pull the chair out for the lady. And it was like the gas stations that used to put air in your tires and check your oil and wash your windows while they’re filling up.

That’s hospitality. And that doesn’t happen anymore, but it still can. And I think that’s something that every employee, every, every staff person. Team member in a restaurant needs to understand that and how you touch guests in a personal way and make them remember you and build these relationships with guests that bring them back again and again where they ask for you by name.

I mean, these are all pop, this is marketing that costs you nothing but time in training and that’s the kind of marketing that delivers ROI, I’ve always believed. Well, and I think you’re right about that. I think you’re 100 percent right about that. I mean marketing is a plan and marketing does need to be well directed.

And you’re right, the best marketing is happening within the four walls of your establishment. You’ve got them captive. And so the experience that you’re giving them is helping them decide if they’re coming back if they’re going to maybe spend more. Are they going to bring someone with them? Are they maybe going to use you for another day part?

Now we just mentioned three things that raise revenue. And you don’t have to go chase you know, the new radio spot or the expensive billboard. You don’t have to go chase the gamble of trying to get that new guest, when if we take full advantage of the one that’s already there, they’re already liking us.

So I call that taking the satisfied guest and developing the loyal guest. Taking someone who likes you and make them love you. And so many times now what we’re hearing is, well, I just don’t have that style of service anymore. You know, labor’s too expensive. I don’t have a full bar. I don’t even have full service at my tables.

People are ordering at the counter. I’m, I’m hitting the buzzer and they come up and they get their tray. So obviously I don’t need service. No, no, no. Everyone needs service. It’s all part of the, you know, the, the guest experience. So, so that’s one of my favorite taglines is let’s not mistake convenience.

For service is the customer demanding convenience. Absolutely. I mean, we want things today. We want online ordering. We want car side pickup. We want delivery. I mean, we want things instantaneously. And if you can’t deliver something quick, we may just. Move on, but just because you’re moving something quick doesn’t mean that it also can’t be hospitable.

I love these counter concepts that have some type of capturing going on. I call it five star service in five seconds. How can I walk through the line but still capture a moment, still make eye contact, compliment my order, suggestive sell a dessert, do something that captures me rather than just move my tray and hit the POS button.

You know, do something more than the mechanics that’s, that’s our challenge. You know, as you and I see the industry moving, you know, further to smaller locations, limited menus, fewer staff, more counter service, more use of kiosks. Our challenge is going to be delivering some personal grab. in a little limited period of time.

And the winners will do it, though. That’s the balance you’re talking about. And I’m really glad you brought up that point, because there is so much restaurant tech out there right now, and it’s, it’s overwhelming. And an operator needs to make a decision. What is the necessary tech that’s going to increase convenience to the guest?

It’s going to make my processes and my systems simpler So I can deliver better experiences. I don’t want to replace people. And there’s a lot of robots out there, you know, to just help at this labor crisis. And there’s a lot of tech out there that is, that is attempting to replace hospitality with convenience.

And that’s sort of a slippery slope, I think. And you go to the NRA show and you see 80 percent of the floor is new technology. And it’s like, where do I begin? And, and I think this industry has been slow to adapt to tech. You know, it’s kind of still old school. Yes, there are very savvy, progressive operators that have embraced technology.

They’re using it to its best effect. And I think that you got to find that balance and you got to invest in something after vetting it and getting reviews and making sure that this is going to work for my operation. It just doesn’t sound good because there’s, there’s a cost to it. But if you look at it correctly and make the right choices, it should be an investment in your improvement of your business versus a monthly cost that, gee, it’s not what I thought it was and now I need to cancel that.

You know, is there any tech that really stands out to you from what you’ve seen that really doesn’t lose the hospitality but really improves the business? Well yeah, yeah, there is some and I always start with technology. I always tell clients, let’s start from the back of the house and move forward.

Let’s find things that might be able to help us more efficiently handle our product. You know, more effectively cook on the line. So there’s a lot of improved technology now that’s going into line equipment. And it does save, save steps the way we can either bake or broil or hold or steam. So to me, that’s proper use of technology.

To immediately jump to say, I’m going to put a couple of kiosks out there on the counter and save a counter person may not be the best, you know, we might evolve to that, but that might not be the best. First step to say I’m going to have a server robot and now I don’t need a server. Okay. I would say let’s, let’s look at that a little bit further because some of these robots that I see, and although they’re cool, they’re, they’re in addition to the server.

I mean, I was just in a dining room the other day and they were promoting the server that was able to kind of help the greeter, but we still had a greeter. We had the robot that was holding the tray of the food, but the server still took the food and put it on the table. So, I mean, let’s not think that we’re going to be able to jump into mechanics.

And immediately save our people. One doesn’t necessarily mean the other. So I would go back to the point that you made, and that is, let’s really carefully vet what helps improve our process. What’s worth the money that’s going to improve my efficiency, improve my consistency, thereby I might be saving some back of the house labor, but it isn’t going to be changing overnight.

And part of that is the cost. Because you mentioned, you know, the recent NRA show and how much, how many items were on the floor, how technology is important, and I think where we’ve made strides in technology is where it also helps lower cost like it has with POS now, and accounting softwares, and inventory management systems.

These are areas labor payroll, these are areas that used to be cumbersome. Used to be expensive. Now they’re easier and less expensive. Yay technology. Now, then you start looking at some of the 50, 000, you know, equipment and the very expensive robots. I’m thinking, okay, the independent operator’s not there yet.

You know, this industry has gotten smart, at least from the successful tech purveyor, you might say, because point of sale systems. There are hundreds of them and, and consolidation has happened, but now the most powerful players have sort of found additional profit centers in credit card processing. So they have, you know, they lure you in with great service and with tech that’s user friendly and all that kind of stuff.

And then now we got this credit card processing thing that you must take advantage of. in order to use this POS system. And it’s controversial because some of these rates are higher than you would find if you shopped around credit card processing. That’s the nature of any business. It’s like brand extensions, increased profitability, please shareholders, make a profit, all that kind of stuff.

And as you expand and grow and gain market share and power and all that, then you have to keep doing it and keep doing it. And the end user suddenly gets caught in the middle sometimes, where I started to like this, and now, oh, now there’s this new thing that I have to pay for, and this new thing I have to pay for, and again, with shrinking margins, it’s like, it’s kind of a bitter pill to swallow, and I’ve seen a bunch of that happening lately, and I know that, you know, operators aren’t fans of that type of business, even though that’s the nature of the free enterprise system, and that’s business in America, if not the world, right?

Well, yes, yes. And, and the, you know, I guess the only positive that I see in that, and I, I go back to how other things may have happened in our industry and others, and then they kind of have to come back around. The pendulum has to swing back around as more competition goes into that market area, like, for example, you mentioned the credit card processing, as we get more options, that puts pressure on things to be able to deliver better service or be more cost you know cost competitive, because there’s no real reason for us to have to do A really good POS because I also like the inventory program, but now I’ve got to do credit cards and I hate the credit card processing.

So the only way to work out of that is to find ways to just pick what it is that works for us. But you know, that brings up a good point too. And that’s the payment of that. As we move more and more towards more credit card, all debiting and very little cash, and even in the lesser expensive restaurants, 90% of our revenue is being processed.

It isn’t being paid in cash. And so there’s that concern, how on earth am I going to be able to, you know, cover that 2.7 or 3.2%? And there’s that ongoing debate. I don’t want to tick off the customer by having extra charges. But then again, I can’t just eat 3%, you know, when I’m, when I’ve only got 10 or 12 to begin with anyway.

And so that’s, that’s a tough one. We spent a lot of time on that, but you know, I have very good luck working with operators and finding that 3. 2 percent in the menu. You know, it’s you don’t necessarily have to list it as a separate charge. If you study your menu and your item sales, you can find ways without sending the customer out the door of of absorbing that 3.

2 percent so this way and yes it is fair at least because that’s the question everyone’s going to be thinking of yeah but that means the cash customer is paying more oh baloney a hundred percent of the people can pay for what i know maybe 88 to 90 percent of the people are doing it’s okay we’re going to bury it into our non alcoholic beverages our desserts and sides And going up a quarter here or a quarter there doesn’t necessarily chase people out the door, but it will add up to that, you know, two and a half to 3.

2 percent that you’re looking for. I love what you said because it’s all about working on your business again, about being analytical and knowing and finding things that can help move the needle in a positive direction. And if you don’t have that expertise, find it. You know, it’s like, unfortunately, a lot of people are intimidated by the numbers, and they’re not comfortable with it, and they think, oh, I’m terrible at math, but it’s really not very complicated.

It’s not trigonometry or advanced calculus here. We’re just talking about basic math and a little analysis to figure out it. Is my menu profitable and can I cut things that aren’t profitable, that are taking sales away from what I could be selling that’s more profitable and paring things down. And like you said, inventory control, whether you have the inventory management software or you do it old school, understanding what the numbers mean and how to get there and what your sweet spot should be, and having a reasonable prime cost so that you can not only stay in business, but make a decent profit, whether you got one location or 10 or more.

So. Thanks for sharing. That’s been great. Chris, I’ve so enjoyed this conversation. Yes, thank you so much. It’s a really, really good talk and shop with you. You know, this is a business of passion and pride, and it runs deep. And I know the people listening, our audience, are feeling that pride and passion.

And I think you’ve inspired them to dig a little deeper, move a little farther down the road, inspire their people, be leaders and not managers and Deliver amazing hospitality to each and every guest and treat everyone like they’re the most important person in the place. And that came through pretty clear with you.

It’s been a pleasure meeting you. Thank you so much for being on the show. Oh, it’s absolutely my pleasure. Thanks again for having me. Thanks so much, audience, for tuning in. Thank you to our sponsors this week. That was the Restaurant Rockstars podcast, and we cannot wait to see you in the next episode. So stay tuned, stay well, and we’ll see you in the next one.

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