🎙️ From Age 14 to Managing Partner: Kim Halloran's Three Decades in Hospitality Leadership

Kim Halloran, Managing Partner at The Capital Grille in Kansas City, Missouri, shares her remarkable 30-year journey through restaurant leadership, from starting in the industry at age 14 to leading one of Darden's premier upscale dining establishments. With stops at Chipotle during their pre-IPO growth phase and J. Gilbert's steakhouse, Kim has built a career focused on mentorship, culture building, and creating extraordinary dining experiences through world-class service.

✨ Key Insights You'll Learn:

• Starting restaurant career at 14 and building three decades of hospitality leadership experience

• COVID-19 revamped the industry bringing people into hospitality by choice not necessity

• How Chipotle's throughput mentality and employee cultivation shapes upscale dining operations

• Managing partner role supervising Kansas City Capital Grille location under Darden corporate structure

• Creating culture where employees thrive through fairness respect and opportunity

• Dry-aged steaks aged in-house butchered every morning and hand-carved for plates

• Pastry chef arriving before anyone baking fresh pastries daily for service

• Turning struggling hourly employee into successful lawyer through weekly one-on-one mentorship

• CASA work as court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children

• Orchestrating surprise proposal do-over when original attempt went wrong creating lifetime family connection

🌟 Kim's Key Mentors:

• Mary (Retired Darden Leader): Taught powerful lesson about looking up leadership tree beyond immediate boss to understand direction and heart alignment of entire organization

• Bart (Previous Boss): Shared memorable "tail story" teaching importance of accepting feedback and recognizing what everyone else sees even when you cannot see it yourself

• Chipotle Leadership Culture: During pre-IPO days taught passionate focus on employees as people through English classes family meals and relationship cultivation

• Original Opening Partner: Director who opened Kansas City Capital Grille provided decades of wisdom about navigating restaurant gray areas and building lasting culture

• Wine Locker Holders and Guests: Created special relationships teaching importance of community connection and celebrating life's biggest moments with people

• 30 Years Industry Experience: Decades in full service and quick service restaurants across multiple brands taught comprehensive understanding of hospitality operations

👉 Don't miss this powerful conversation about restaurant industry transformation post-COVID, mentorship that changes lives, child advocacy work, and creating culture where people thrive.

🔗 Connect with Kim Halloran:

LinkedIn: Kim Halloran, Managing Partner at The Capital Grille Website: thecapitalgrille.com Location: Kansas City, Missouri

📄 Transcript Available: How Post-COVID Hospitality Changed Everything: Kim Halloran's Industry Insights

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📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

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