The Struggle to Reopen: Tara Lazar, founder F10 Creative

Dine in is done yet again. Parts of California are facing another stay at home order. What do you do if you own a restaurant? What do you do if you own 2 or 3 or more. Tara Lazar owns 6 spanning all sectors of hospitality. While most of us are struggling to pivot one location, Tara is masterminding how to ensure all 6 survive the year. Today we get real about the struggles she’s working to overcome and the highs and lows along this path.

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SHOW NOTES

• Owns 6 locations
• Building was about taking opportunities when they came
• Having multiple locations is more entertaining and stimulating
• The restaurant revenue offsets the cost of management labor from the catering company
• What has it been like as a woman in the industry
• Fight a lot harder to be taken seriously
• The network of restaurateurs is a gentlemen’s club
• Woman leaders tend to be of an older generation
• Initial reaction to Covid
• This could be devastating on the catering side
• Failed with communication during Covid
• Stayed really quiet which stressed out staff
• Started having zoom calls and updates every two weeks
• Being realistic with your team
• How many will be able to come back in the fall?
• Being honest about not knowing the answers
• Failure depends on so many things out of our control
• Landlord
• Government restrictions
• Consumer behavior
• Restaurants in charge of public safety
• Food sourced responsibly
• Following safety regulation
• An outbreak in your restaurant could be devastating
• Using contact tracing forms
• Greatest fear
• How do we keep staff safe
• Using PPP loan
• Distributed to staff who needed it
• Paid staff to stay home
• Was hoping that the team would repay this by working when the restaurant was able to reopen
• Unfortunately many wanted to collect unemployment instead
• Pivoting during Covid
• Does not want to do fast-casual or ordering online
• Less interaction with clients
• Branded to-go packaging to be more experiential
• To-go model at Cheeky’s
• Redefining hospitality
• How do you anticipate your guests when you don’t know who they are?
• Following comment cards and customer surveys
• Success in 2020
• Already been successful
• Realigned with what is important
• Automating BOH operations
• Makes work more efficient
• Would like guests and staff together again
• Short term goals
• Keeping staff on the payroll
• Long term goals
• Partner with companies
• Acquire businesses
• Growing wide vs growing deep
• Buying out competition
• Expand into a different market
• Innovations caused by Covid
• Cocktails to go
• Cocktail food truck
• Farmer’s market boxes
• New to-go packaging
• Online to-go platforms
• Word to the industry
• Show your appreciation to your customers for supporting you