FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

With an estimated 30-50% of all restaurants permanently closed, what does that mean for the future of the industry? What does that mean for those of us still in the game? Today we chat with Jon Strader who’s using his grit and tenacity to build his empire when land is cheap and competition is low. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES The difficulties of working for yourself Keep up the momentum You have a lot to learn You make many mistakes Success at Hatchet hall Launching pad to take journeys to the next level Pivoting at Hatchet Hall to a Bodega style service Market boxes Sold beer, wine, and liquor inventory Merch Family style pre-order meals Bodega style is not sustainable for the fine-dining restaurant Initially, customers want to support There is a disconnect in the style of products It’s necessary to completely reconceptualize during Covid Fine dining is dead for the next 6 months Covid is unpredictable Contingency plan after contingency plan Lack of leadership from the government at both local and federal levels Potentially reopening as a casual dining experience Guest seat themselves Parking lot as a summer popup and picnic area Reduced labor Reduced inventory No full service The market doesn’t know what it wants until they see it Adaptability and coming up with concepts on the fly Everyone is in a fragile state right now Everyone will be tougher afterward Opening of Little Coyote Opportunity at lockdown to buy a property on Long Beach for a good price Bought the restaurant and turned it into a New York-style pizza place Jack Leahy as the chef Bootstrapped with family and friend investment A concept they can run themselves if need be Aims to turn a profit this year Making pizza is low-cost Labor needs are few Service fee model Difficult to get things done as everyone is in shellshock after Covid hit Entry-level experiences will do better in a post-Covid world Pizza, tacos, burgers, coffee, sandwiches - recession and covid proof Employing a service fee model Fairer distribution of tips Whole staff can have a liveable wage Lessons during quarantine Family first, restaurant second Not being a slave to the business Lessening obsessive tendencies around the business Avoiding refreshing emails Avoiding staying plugged into social media Avoiding prioritizing the business over family time Redefining what we want our lives to look like How many hours a week do we want to work? What do we want our home life to look like? How much money do we want to make this year and future years? The state of the job market after Covid

On today’s show we chat with Mark Canlis, made famous by transforming his Michelin-starred restaurant into a bagel stand and burger joint saving jobs and his restaurant. When the pandemic hit, the conventional wisdom in the industry was to shut down and hoard cash. Mark did the exact opposite, pivoting his fine dining restaurant into 3 casual concepts, almost overnight. Today we discuss the idea behind such a bold move, how it worked out and what the future looks like for the Canlis family and their restaurant. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES How much to invest where Before then worked for Danny Meyer Been in restaurants for 20 years Incorporated other family members into the business Fine dining is the most considered way of caring about people with food Conventional response from fine dining restaurants when Covid hit How it felt to pivot A trainwreck that has somehow stayed on the track Hardest and most rewarding thing they’ve ever done Hugely grateful for the team and city who have supported Mission at Canlis Began by listing strengths and weaknesses 150 employees who are all in Located on a freeway - drive-through potential What can we be thankful for? What assets do we have? Pivoting into three tiers of dining Restaurant encouraged customers to see that life goes on Losing money immediately after Covid lockdown Canceled 3 months of reservations in March Refunding 1000 reservations Having an amazing team on your side Didn’t lose any staff Incredible energy of the staff to keep things running Letting the creativity and work ethic of the team run free National attention due to ingenuity of their pivot Esquire magazine wrote about them Amazing to be noticed One story in a sea of one thousand stories Now is the time to try Racial inequality in America Inspiring to see people try something so hard Trying imperfectly is better than not doing anything at all Showing up 90% of the battle In the restaurant business, you never know what you are doing Show up and put in everything in this today Review the results tomorrow to improve How Mark got through the pivoting process He was in the military during 9/11 It was comforting to have a mission Feel less helpless During Covid, having the mission of keeping staff felt less helpless Prioritizing the present One day at a time Future is less important than the present You don’t need to have the answers Be present with the community, city, family, staff Hospitality has roots in making space for the other How do we carry this value into the future? How do we help those who are needy? A-ha moments during the pandemic Becoming more vulnerable and less polished

On Today’s show we chat with David Meltzer, a three-time international best-selling author, a Top 100 Business Coach, the executive producer of Entrepreneur‘s #1 digital business show, and host of the top entrepreneur podcast. The hospitality business, more than anything, is a business. Due to the hectic nature of the industry we tend to forget that and get caught up in the day to day grind. Proper business strategy will matter more than great food in the new normal and David Meltzer is a master strategist. Today he runs us through the fundamentals of business and leadership. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES 4 pillars of truth Putting together a world-class team Humans can create their own environment Restaurants - we are monetizing an experience and environment Transforming an offensive and defensive mindset The paradox of giving David would give a lot but always with expectation of praise, recognition, love, etc Ferocious about receiving. Receiving to be able to give back The importance of mentorship Most crucial of all roles in last 14years David didn’t need mentorship in beginning - multimillionaire in his twenties Now believes the easiest and best way to be successful is using mentors Being specific with mentors e.g sleep, money Being radically humble enough to say “you’re the only one who can help me” How to reset goals with the new normal How to recover in the hospitality industry People buy on emotion for logical reasons Key to understanding reopening 1. Strength of signal. Credibility - relieving reasons that people feel uncomfortable. Lower capacity. Mask rules. 6ft apart etc 2. Market to people who aren’t afraid Some people will go out anyway during this time 3. Clear message of value Quality food/USP People want to fill a void. Miss what they can’t have Address the way people feel. You are selling an experience Aha moments through the pandemic “I don’t know what I don’t know” David wants to be a better husband and father Much more important than being a podcaster, entrepreneur, TV star, etc David would prefer to be at a family dinner than an award show, event, or Superbowl Pivoting Previously worked with in-person workshops, events, and speaking engagements Now conducts workshops online Moved to online speaking gigs Still learning work-life balance Achieving happiness David defined himself by his bank account Now his bank account is an ingredient of the overall thermostat of happiness and joy Higher % of total happiness than he has ever been Minutes and moments of unhappiness

Are you charging what your food is worth or are you charging what customers are willing to pay? What do we need to do to fix our broken system? We cover this and so much more with third-time entrepreneur, first-time restaurateur Joelle Parenteau whose fresh take on the industry will blow your mind. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES Beginnings of Wolf Down Lessons learned in the first year of business Many in the supply chain have dated processes Estimating food volume is very difficult to do Put back up plans in place to have enough stock Allocating staff hours is tough Restaurant business is volatile Coping with rushes in the restaurant Increase efficiency Time to get an order through Time to make the doner sandwich Time to get people through the door Streamlined menu Allocating sources accordingly Labor Having a delivery business Wolf Down was always a delivery business Was 50-50 delivery - dine-in Now predominantly delivery Covid happened 10 months into operation Bakery who makes there bread shut down for many weeks Foundational issues in the industry Pricing in the restaurant business Price wars have caused low prices Will customers revolt? Provide a unique, high-quality product to justify higher prices Wolf Down increased pricing during Covid No one noticed or cared If the product is good, people will pay for it Prove the value is there no matter what your price point is Stand out and differentiate Raising delivery pricing in line with commission costs Third-party delivery apps take 25-30% commission Customers wanted delivery Offering delivery at a premium Consumers are moving to the convenience model We must adjust and adapt to our customers wants Some issues with gratuities Relying on customers to pay your people Most people don’t vary the tip amount Tipping is not motivating service Doesn’t make sense for quick-serve establishments like Wolf Down Creates discomfort for customers How Wolf Down attempted to solve the tipping problem Abolished gratuities Raise pricing to pay staff Staff don’t ask for tips Tip jar for customers who insist on tipping People were angry they couldn’t tip Engrained in the culture Benefits of a cashless system Saves labor costs of staff counting tills Safer - cashless restaurants less likely to be robbed If someone comes in and they only have cash, staff find a way to make it work The realities of restaurants post-covid Pre-ordering Delivery QR Menus Joelle’s aim is to build foundations this year for expansion in later years Message to the industry Raise your prices

On today's show, we chat with James Beard award winning chef Chris Shepherd founder of the non-profit, Southern Smoke. Most of us in the hospitality industry wouldn’t consider ourselves needy or in need of assistance. We’re internally motivated, not afraid of hard work and resourceful as hell. But when the pandemic hit it decimated our industry and our livelihoods. Out of the blue Southern Smoke came to the rescue. To date they have distributed millions of dollars to hospitality workers in need.  Today, it’s founder shares it’s origins, their mission and what they’re doing to ensure we’re all taken care of. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES Beginnings of charity work Started doing dinners to raise money for culinary scholarships Lost a colleague to MS. Business partner also had MS Started planning a dinner for MS which transformed into a festival Raised $181k for the MS Society year 1 Year 2 raised $284k Beginnings of Southern Smoke Hurricane Harvey devastated local businesses No designated support for hospitality businesses Emulated The Giving Kitchen from Atlanta The vetting process at Southern Smoke That first year there were 250 applications 139 families awarded $500k Southern Smoke continues to donate to MS, remainder to hospitality workers Southern Smoke during Covid Originally has 2.5 employees Now has over 40 employees Hire unemployed hospitality workers and trained them to be caseworkers Over 25k applications Granted over 1000 over $2million Willy Nelson concert donated funds Reopening of restaurants Running at 50% capacity does not mean that 50% of potential covers will come to the restaurant Many people still not comfortable enough for dine-in Pivoting the restaurant business The aim is to break-even, not to make profit Having a solid team is vital Unity and solidarity Punch fear in the face How to achieve work-life balance Delegate to mangers to do the long shifts Building on a great legacy Won many accolades Started incredible restaurants Started non-profit Next steps Aim is to create a group of restaurants that enable Chris’ team to fulfill their dreams Putting restaurant people where they want to be Southern Smoke as inspiration for future non-profits to build safety nets for every industry To the industry Keep your head down We’ll get through this together Use your voice for good

The biggest advantage to coming up in the restaurant industry is that it forces you to be innovative. It rare that you have the money you need so you learn to do without or you learn to do it yourself. On today's show, we chat with chef , TV host, fitness guru and family man Michael Chernow who tears down the veil on our industry, showing the best and worst it has to offer. Chernow leads us on a no-frills tour of the lessons he's learned at the highest levels of our industry.  Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES NYC is the epicenter of culture and community Community congregates at restaurants and bars 50% capacity is not likely to work in NYC due to low revenue Renegotiating with landlords Tax loophole for landlords if they lose business Landlords don’t want to lose all of their customers Ball is in the operator’s court to renegotiate Could make a big difference to margins Medium article suggests that 19% margins in a restaurant is possible Micahel thinks this is unlikely because of the structure of the restaurant business Poor working conditions in the hospitality industry Many can’t afford health care No 401k No savings Raising prices as unlikely Michael believes people won’t pay more for food Overheads of the restaurant business Labor imbalances Food costs are not coming down Making many brands is not necessarily the way forward Could be more successful opening 1 restaurant every 3-5 years instead of a new concept every 3-5 years Focusing on one restaurant and making it amazing Hard-work can only get you so far In fitness, putting in the work creates 90% of the results In business, many other factors determine success Making good decisions in business Sold equity from Meatball Shop after 5 years Bought a house outside NYC Sold equity from Seamore’s after 3 years Sold in November 2019 Lucky that this was just before the pandemic crash Selling equity Equity is only worth something when you sell it Take as much equity as you can whenever you can Lessons from mentors Don’t become a fixture of your business Don’t get too attached to your business Running a sustainable seafood restaurant Passionate about seafood US is working hard on reforming fisheries Oceans are in bad shape globally Grew up fishing as a teenager 90% of fish eaten in America is imported Abundant and sustainable American fish that few people know about e.g dogfish, bluefish Created Seamore’s selling these little known varieties of fish ethically sourced in from American lakes Creating cultures and environments Environment the staff loves working in Attracting great guests Being in the memory-making business Cornell University study

On today's show we chat with celebrity chef and environmental advocate Nyesha Arrington who's efforts to achieve sustainability in her personal and professional life have garnered her national attention. Nyesha's unconditional respect for quality of life and the people in it has led her to break every rule in the book. Her unconventional path within hospitality has taken her from Top Chef to a brick and mortar in Santa Monica and all the way to private dinners in Belize. She sets the rules and follows her truth, every single day. Today we discuss what motivates, inspires and excites the chef about the future.  Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES Sustainability in business Sustainability in life The pandemic has been a great time to reflect Managing a popup and event culinary business during Covid has been difficult Entry into the hospitality industry Starting projects during the lockdown was nurturing to the soul Started a garden with a neighbor Work-life balance is perfect when you are not working Building great habits for a sustainable life balance There will always be a bit of an imbalance because hospitality folks are wired a bit differently Hospitality folks are analytical, quick-thinking, passionate There is a fear we could go back to how things were if we reopen too quickly We haven’t figured things out yet Problems in the industry Raising prices Commodities have only gone up, labor has gone up Quick fix would be to raise prices but is the world ready for the prices to rise The burden outweighs the reward What it takes to diversify your business Catering takes more labor Adding more spaces is more investment Nyesha is hesitant to start her own venture Loves hospitality Focuses on private parties and content creation Wanted a business on her terms Work-life balance is a priority Things Nyesha would do differently in her own restaurant Different ways to move around monetary allocation Some of the best restaurants have had to pivot Noma makes burgers Nyesha and Josh have both had to be dishwashers during difficult shifts We do what we have to to keep things running Conceptualizing a fresh start Lots of commercial real estate available in the next 6 months Learning from great mentors Nyesha has many mentors for different aspects of her life We should entrust the future of the industry to the talented young people who deserve an opportunity to shine Going on a journey of self-discovery Reviewing her life in the industry as a young biracial woman Looked back on fine dining career in Michelin star restaurants Ethos in cooking rooted in nurturing Learning what she wants her food to look like Potential safety measures for reopening Everyone is in the same boat - grasping for information

Storytelling is central to the restaurant experience and, what guests love most whether they realize it or not, is the story we're telling within the four walls of our restaurants. But how does that story translate outside of those 4 walls and what stories should we be telling post-pandemic. We cover all of that and much more on today's show with Jeff Smith and Jill Sandin of JS2 in Los Angeles, one of the premier hospitality public relations firms repping everyone from Starbucks to famed restaurant Juniper and Ivy.  Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES The secrets to success in the restaurant business Understanding who we are in the market place Having a deeply interesting story to tell Not being all things to all people We must understand the connection between food, service, excitement and experience Solid business practices and managing the P&L Food is deeply personal Food memories drive our relationship with restaurants Client USP is the basis of great PR They do a branding exercise to understand the core essence of the restaurant Finding the tiny stories and a-ha moments that make the restaurant unique PR is very competitive The media is demanding and jaded LA is saturated with great food stories and food personalities Standing out in the crowd Find the one story that gets heads nodding or touches the heart Follow the love/passion and you will find the story Covid19 aftermath is like 9/11 JS2 PR started 3 weeks before 9/11 We are all in it together The world is in mourning We must communicate in a delicate way Communicating during a crisis Skillful storytelling is key We must be respectful and authentic Stay away from icky salesman Difference between information and promotion 4 phase approach to PR during Covid19 Examples of PR during this time Saikai Ramen Bar - used remaining inventory to make ramen for local police and fire stations Dog Bakery - delivered dog food for free to local community Pasta Sisters - found other jobs for staff to keep them on payroll so they can still receive health benefits Practical advice for reopening What is your objective in this moment? We must be sensitive to the mood of the customer Fear makes people react in ways we can’t predict Trim hours and menu if needed Invest in excellent service Prioritizing storytelling The more personal the better How to get more media coverage Hospitality industry is in the news cycle a lot because of being the hardest hit during the pandemic Focus on stories of courage, compassion, and/or creativity Predictions for consumer behavior after the pandemic People are longing for connection They want to come back to restaurants and bars Consumers will be looking for places that make the very best food in the very best way High expectations

We've had months to discuss what we miss about the restaurant industry, what about what we don't miss? What parts of us and this industry should we leave behind? On today's show, we chat with Chef Joe Sasto, a renaissance man charting a new path in the industry through pop-ups, pasta classes & underground events. Together we'll ask the tough questions and try and find the path forward.  Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES Working at Quince Working at Lazy Bear Work culture translates to your guest experience You can taste bad energy and stress You can still execute Michelin star quality with a happier work environment Greatest mentor was Jason Berthold Worked at The French Laundry Inspired his team by leading by example Extreme passion for his work Commanded level of respect without asking for it Joe thinks back to him when inspiring his own team Being a chef doesn’t automatically demand respect Respect is earned via good leadership Journey to working in Michelin star restaurants Won Aspen Food & Win 2013 Worked in an environment that was pushing for higher covers He didn’t find this fulfilling Took 8 weeks backpacking around Europe with his brother Discovered his goals Decided to refine his technique in Michelin star restaurants Working unconventionally Started creating pop-ups across the country Does online and in-person food experiences and classes Pop-ups and events are not easy Less stability Pushes creativity Pushes the boundaries of dining Goals for the future Settle down and open restaurants Has a few concepts in mind Biggest hurdle: finding the right market Finding the right market Neighborhood determines success Concerns as a business owner when considering a city There has been a mass exodus from large cities Joe is considering Portland - likes the culture, people, and opportunity The hospitality industry has razor-thin margins so the location must be chosen wisely The importance of sharing your story Sharing Joe’s story was influential and inspiring to others This was even more important during the pandemic The more he shared, the more he could connect with others through food We can feel better about what we are going through by sharing experiences Work-life balance - a major issue in the industry Realizes the importance of mental health We have an opportunity to rebuild with work-life balance in mind Rebuilding with employees in mind Creating structures that favor employees Giving them a voice Our employees make everything happen Changes he would make for his own restaurants Culture of putting employees first Being adaptable and quick to pivot Fast-casual dining with traditional dine-in models for stability and longevity

What I miss most about Louisiana is the sense of community I felt there. What I miss is exactly what compelled Chef Nina Compton to move there. Since arriving she's opened multiple restaurants and has achieved every imaginable accolade including a James Beard award, the title of Best New Chef from Food & Wine  and was listed as one of America's Best Restaurants by Eater. Nothing could stop that momentum...except for a global pandemic. Today we discuss the long road ahead and the need to come together as a community if we're going to make it out of this alive. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES Is reopening possible? Restaurants will be different Dining etiquette will be different Cons of pivoting to delivery Low check average Not ordering beverages Not ordering appetizers Goal is to break even for the next year Making profit is probably not realistic for a while Keep doors open until things bounce back Wondering whether to change careers Who would be hiring now? Some days there is hope that everything will be okay Some days considering getting a 9-5 job As an owner, you are emotionally invested in the restaurant Restaurant as a reflection of self Supply chain is counting on us Staff Farmers Wine producers Fisherman Grocers Communicating the realities of the restaurant ecosystem Not a lucrative business Low return on high workload People take for granted that plates, food, labor etc costs money The danger of raising prices Not wanting to turn away customers “Meals are about moments, memories, and those who surround you at your table.” What does this look like post-pandemic? People want restaurants to come back Food is very comforting and people need comfort The lead up to closing Trying to keep guests and staff safe Hand sanitizer Single-use menus Spacing tables Reopening strategy Keys to success