In this episode of the twelve-part Accelerate series for the Takeout, Delivery, and Catering podcast series, host Sam Stanovich and guest host Kathleen Wood chat with Jamie Leeds, chef and restaurateur of Jamie Leeds Restaurant Group, which includes Hank’s Oyster Bar, The Wharf and Hank’s Cocktail Bar, to explore how team connection can accelerate your business.

Leeds shares how she and her team navigated during the pandemic, staying connected and brainstormed ways to stay alive financially. Recognizing that restaurants were closed and suppliers were suffering, they developed a concept to engage that supply chain.

Leeds talks about keeping loyal clientele and growing their customer base. She says that they are very hospitality based and attributes that to her time as a sous chef for her mentor Danny Meyer. Leeds adds that they are hospitality first, staff is key, and the importance of taking care of her own.

When asked about her hiring strategy, Leeds says she has had no problems with staffing. She was able to keep most of her staff through the winter and her team came back, even relocating them at her other restaurants. Wood asks Leeds about the theme of loyalty, Leeds said it is simple, it is about connection.

To learn more about why technology is important for Jamie Leeds Restaurant Group, how Leeds is making the operator’s jobs easier, and about changing out POS systems, listen to this episode of Accelerate.