As a lifelong restaurant apprentice and now 12-year industry “student,” including the last 5 years with Cooper’s Hawk, Brandon is motivated daily to take initiative through his genuine love for learning. Brandon chooses NOT to switch his love “on and off” each day, but instead incorporates the lessons from each day at work into everything he stands for outside of work. Brandon shares how he takes the initiative to simply replace any unmet expectation in any given day with genuine gratitude for what he actually does have, allowing him to face all challenges with unlimited positivity. I met up with Brandon at the CH Kentwood, Michigan NRO so he could share a bit of his story and thoughts around taking initiative in life.

Season 3 of Off the Cuff with John Inserra dives deep into the power of taking initiative in life, personally and professionally. Throughout this new season, John shares his personal thoughts on how important the principle of taking initiative is to the continued growth of Cooper’s Hawk. Cooper’s Hawk was built upon the shoulders of Tim McEnery’s self-starting energy which should be, by itself, a daily reminder to focus on going the extra mile, beyond your normal capacity or routine, in order to meet the growing demands of taking care of each other and our guests as we continue to create community in existing and new markets. To emphasize this point, throughout Season 3, John will be hosting conversations with Team Members from across the organization sharing their stories of how impactful taking initiative has been on their careers, both on a personal level and a professional basis. This fall, let’s all take the initiative to tune in and listen to this new season of Off the Cuff and continue to grow together by consistently staying alert with the willingness to get things started and completed on our own, proactively solving problems that others might not see.

As we bring Season 2 of Off the Cuff to its end, I had the distinct pleasure to sit down in conversation with Tim. Even with his intense schedule, Tim was fully present, locked in, and fully engaged, sharing a few thoughts about his life-to-date philosophy, including the evolution of our special culture, the power of hospitality, and how deeply meaningful his persistence has been along the way in building our iconic brand. To no surprise, Tim modeled exactly who he has grown into as a committed, influential leader during our conversation. This episode is honestly one of my greatest pleasures to share with the CH nation! 

Like many of us, Brian fell in love with the restaurant business while earning college spending money. He brought 13 years of service and hospitality experience as an opening team member to our new CH location in New Lenox. Over the past 6 months, he has found a home with Cooper’s Hawk, taking on the very first LRT role in addition to his server responsibilities. I really enjoyed this conversation centered around how the CH culture in New Lenox has reinforced Brian’s commitment to positive behaviors, including finding the silver lining(s) that allows him to achieve all the rewards a day might have to offer.  

Jordan’s natural smile, energetic approach to life and enthusiasm for Cooper’s Hawk is contagious and I had a blast chatting with her recently in New Lenox. She has over a decade of restaurant experience, including the last 4 years with CH, opening both the Oak Lawn and New Lenox locations as a bartender. Most recently, she supported the opening in Virginia Beach as the Bar NROT.  Enjoy!

A 7-year CH veteran, Chris started as a server in South Barrington before moving into a leadership role quickly thereafter. Chris opened our restaurants in Ashburn, Oak Park and New Lenox and is currently a Senior Restaurant Manager back in South Barrington, building strong TM and Guest relationships along the way. I am excited to share a small part of Chris’ story, including his inspiring outlook through statements like, “(At CH) it does not matter where you start, it is about the work that you put in and where you want to go at the end of the day!”  

I had a chance to catch up with Shawn at this home restaurant in Town & Country earlier this year to talk hospitality and culture. Shawn started in the kitchen at 13 years of age and has spent the last 3 years of his career with CH, currently a Senior Kitchen Manager at CHTC. As he masters the technical skills required to be successful in our kitchens, Shawn has also fully embraced his leadership role, walking his talk every day, ensuring his personal thumb print is on our culture through his own messaging and actions.

Matty joined Cooper’s Hawk 5 years ago as an opening team member in the bar for our Waterford Lakes location and has grown into his current role as the private event manager. I recently caught up with Matty at his home restaurant for this conversation and I'm thrilled to share his story of how his decision to join Cooper’s Hawk was truly life changing for him, refueling his passion for the restaurant business and finding incredible satisfaction in extending his hand in hospitality.  

As a 2½-year Team Member of the CH Town & Country family, Caitlin is focused on mastering the ultimate Tasting Room experience. Staying true to her energetic self, she has passed the level 2 sommelier test to support her technical growth.  More importantly, she stays in the moment - focusing on keeping an open mind to her surroundings, fully appreciating the gift of guest feedback, and never allowing herself to be content with settling for anything less than her very best.  I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to engage with Caitlin and I am excited to share a bit of her story!

A 9-year veteran with Cooper’s Hawk, Matthew sat down with me to share how he continues to grow every day as a manager, leader and friend, facing every opportunity with grit and positivity. He is a consummate learner in hospitality and feeds off of connecting with others, no matter their walk in life. I especially enjoyed how Matthew explains how he tries to stay in the moment, tuned in with his eyes up to every opportunity to extend his hand in hospitality.