FULL COMP: The Voice of the Restaurant Industry Revolution

It was thought that to drink alcohol was to live a life shadowed by death. The Death & Co. team has been offering a warm embrace to those who shine after dusk for over a decade now. Its foundational elements are a love of great people and great drinks. Today, we chat with Alex Day, proprietor of the world-famous Death & Co., a bar that redefined cocktail culture for an entire generation.  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. LINKS https://www.deathandcompany.com/ SHOW NOTES Dave Kaplan & Ravi DeRossi started Death & Co in 2006 Alex was captivated by the youthful, innovative approach to drinks They opened 3 branches of Death & Co, NYC, LA & Denver Early mistakes Not knowing what to do as new entrepreneurs Bars ran themselves “Failing forward” 2 years of growth by luck Difficult neighbour for years Legal implications Biggest lessons It is the owners’ job to find and cultivate good people Provide strong guidance Build a strong culture There is no such thing as smooth sailing Foundation issues in the industry Hospitality workers are not employed or compensated well Astronomical rents High operating costs Poor margins At this time of not operating, they are rethinking every aspect of the business Realigning focus on what the customer wants Avoiding getting hung up on vanity items like perfect cocktail recipe Bringing focus back to the consumer What will they want post-lockdown? Reevaluating how to relate to vendors and improve vendor relationships Improving the bars from an environment perspective Reviewing relationships with landlords How things could be different post-Covid Local cultures in each city Social norms Improving as employers Benefits they already offer Health insurance to full-time staff Wellness credits Potential ideas for future Offering health insurance to part-time staff Creating clearer avenues for staff to grow in the company What set Death & Co apart as a brand Meticulous focus on ingredients Passion about the craft Human, genuine, authenticity in their delivery Being serious about the craft but also having fun Harnessing individuality throughout the business Allowing bartenders to be creative Each bar is not a copy of the other Individual menus Different appearance Using social media as a marketing engine Industry typically focusses on bragging or nice photos of food/drink Creating a more community based social media presence

In 2006, two chefs and a foodie set out to change the way people eat for the better. Their guiding light was the 10 year plan created by founder Erik Oberholtzer. That plan took the restaurant chain from one location to 30 and carried Tender Greens through the crash of 2008, illuminating opportunities in a difficult time. Today, Erik shares how his plan helped the company weather the recession and offers a path forward for restaurants in a post coronavirus world. Level up! Click below to check out The Pineapple Post, our new weekly newsletter. www.pineapplepost.news Wanna chat? Click below to book time on my personal calendar. https://calendly.com/joshuakopel/15-minute-chat-with-josh Yelp x Cornell University x Oyster Sunday x Jon Taffer and more combined forces to create a holistic guide to help restaurants thrive now and post-pandemic. Click below to download your free copy today! www.joshkopel.com/resources 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 Opened their second restaurant in the midst of the recession. The recession created opportunities in the real estate market that they capitalized on. They innovated in product offering by bringing in whole animals at a lower cost and shopping the daily specials at farmer’s markets. Doubled down on vision and intentions This became a recruiting tool for out of work chefs Roadblocks and tension points are opportunities This was all based on TYP, a Ten-Year Plan Taking the long view 30 restaurants over 10 years across California Anyone who participates gets to take part in the wealth creation at the end of 10 years. Danny Meyer invested The magic of long-term thinking is that the plan never changes no matter what happens. When you’re going from LA to New York, the route might change but the destination does not. Foundational Changes that need to happen in the industry The restaurant market is overbuilt High development costs Disruption via third party delivery The pause button has been hit and we all need to think about how things need to change Innovation through a subscription model Opportunities exist within the delivery space The hidden gift in the pandemic is that we get the opportunity to reevaluate our lives and make new choices Time is now abundant. What are we going to do with that time? Deeper connections New priorities Evaluate what we miss most about community Tactical Advice to get open and stay open Conversion to a community kitchen Conversion into a bodega How can I be of service to my immediate community? Start with team Then Those in Need Biggest mistake made I didn’t pay attention to 3rd party delivery Been a disruptive element in consumer behavior What is the worst part of quarantine? Missing my community Best part of quarantine Time and simplicity Words of encouragement We’re resilient industry People have to eat and restaurants are central to the community We’re going to come back stronger than ever

Hospitality is in the blood for Darin Rubell, his father and grandfather were both restaurateurs, and his cousin Steve Rubell was the man behind  Studio 54.  A native of New York City, Rubell has created a restaurant empire spanning 8 concepts including restaurants, bars and a catering company. His companies have gone on to thrive even through the crash of 2008. In today's episode Darin shares how 9/11 inspired his path to entrepreneurship and his plan to overcome the obstacles created by the pandemic. Yelp x Cornell University x Oyster Sunday x Jon Taffer and more combined forces to create a holistic guide to help restaurants thrive now and post-pandemic. Click here to download your free copy today! I created this podcast to help us all through these tough times. I've also created a service committed to help you get open and stay open. Click here to check it out and sign up for a 60-day free trial.