Restaurant Punk

Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary claims that one of the things that makes an entrepreneur great is having a passion on the side that helps them unwind from their day job. For some, it’s video games; for others, it’s having a cocktail…and some people even have productive hobbies. Noelle, Peter, and George are talking about what they do in their off-time and answering questions, including:

• What is your hobby that helps you take your mind off the restaurant?
• Do you practice the art of the shift drink?
• Have you ever bought the kitchen a case of beer after a long night?
• What can you do to restore your mental state in the middle of a crazy shift?

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to dining out – from the type of food to the style of service and the music volume. So, how do you know where to take restaurant recommendations from? Do you turn to picky friends or strangers online to sway your opinion? Yianni, Noelle, and Liz are considering what makes a quality review and answering questions, including:

• Do you take restaurant recommendations from your friends who chronically complain?
• How much of a factor are reviews to you when deciding where to eat?
• Have you ever asked to be reseated when dining out?
• What’s more important – the quantity of reviews or the quality?
• Do you give credit where credit is due by leaving good reviews, not just bad ones?
• Would you ever email a business owner directly with your constructive criticism?

When you work in the restaurant industry, emotions can run high, and we all know that people handle those emotions in very different ways. From crying to screaming, cursing to leaving, we’ve seen it all. Nikos, Leah, and Liz are debating the impacts of negative emotions in the workplace, including questions such as:

• What’s more contagious in the workplace – someone crying or someone yelling?
• What emotion is the most negatively impactful in a restaurant?
• Is anger more toxic than sadness?
• Can you work in the hospitality business if you are sensitive?
• Do you find it more off-putting if a man is crying than if a woman cries?

As a manager or business owner, it can be easy for your employees to start to feel like they’re your friends if you’re overly nice, but it’s also pretty simple to become the horrible boss that everyone resents. Jenni from the Block is joining Nikos, Matt, and Liz to talk about how to demand respect without being an a$$hole in the workplace and answering questions, including:

• How can you build a fun, safe work environment without making your employees believe they can walk all over you?
• At what point in a manager-employee relationship do you need to draw a clear line in the sand?
• Is it better to set boundaries up-front or after an employee crosses a line?
• How can you avoid being “too nice” or “the bad guy?”
• Does leading by example garner more respect from your team?

So, you’ve saved up some capital – or maybe gotten a loan from family and friends. You’ve perfected a menu of recipes – or perhaps just that one. You’ve got your business plan in hand – now, how do you secure the venue of your dreams? Yianni, George, and Peter are talking about the dos and don’ts of making restaurant deals and answering questions, including:

•  How can you differentiate a good deal from a bad deal in the restaurant industry?
• Is it better to buy into an existing business or start something from scratch as a first-time entrepreneur?
• What are the top five factors to consider when negotiating a lease for your business?
• Should you pay your rent evenly throughout the year or front-load it into your busy season?
• Can you open a restaurant based on the foundation of one kick-a$$ recipe?

As a bartender, you’re pretty well trained to spot when someone is too drunk to be served any more alcohol. But, the lines can become a bit more blurred at a BYOB. Leah, Yianni, and George are trading drunk stories (about themselves and guests) and answering questions, including:

• How do you “cut off” a guest who gets too drunk at a BYOB?
• When dining at a BYOB, what is the standard amount of wine to bring per person?
• Does your tolerance for alcohol decrease as you get older?
• As a server, have you ever gotten drunk before your shift?
• What are the BYOB laws in your state?

One of the final details to put in place before opening your business is selecting uniforms. Many companies use the standard “all-black” look, while others provide branded shirts or ties to keep the whole team consistent. Some assign a color scheme to allow for some creative expression, while others give employees free rein. Noelle, Liz, and George are calling the fashion police and discussing questions, including:

• Do leggings count as pants?
• Does the clientele determine whether showing cleavage gets you better or worse tips?
• Would you tune into a “Thong Song” episode of Restaurant Punk?
• What’s the best way to remove pet hair from black uniforms?
• Are standardized, but not matching, uniforms becoming more acceptable?

When you own a business, everyone knows your name. So, how do you handle it when people start name-dropping to get reservations or extra favors? Leah, George, and Noelle are swapping stories and discussing questions, including:

• Do you share your “VIP List” with your employees?
• How do you keep your friends and family list from getting out of control?
• What do you do if someone you know treats your team poorly?
• Can restaurant/bar employees get too comfortable with their regulars?

When it comes to their rankings on the importance of atmosphere, food, and service to a restaurant experience, Yianni sits firmly on the opposite side of the fence as Nikos and Leah. Hear the trio debate the topic, including questions such as:

•  Should food always be a restaurant’s biggest focus?
• Do you look at the restaurant’s menu before dining out?
• Does an establishment’s energy impact how the food tastes?
• How do you choose where you’re going to go out to eat?
• Will you return to a restaurant where you didn’t enjoy the food?

Kara Restaurant Group may seem like the wild west, but we can assure you that there are some ground rules. First and foremost: NO DINERS, D*MNIT! There are many reasons for this rule, but mostly it’s because a diner doesn’t have an identity. Yianni, Liz, and Nikos are exploring the in’s and out’s of how diners are run and why you won’t ever see one in the KRG portfolio while exploring questions, including:

• What defines a diner?
• Do you like when you can order breakfast for dinner?
• How do servers at diners learn the mile-long menu?
• Are there specific dishes that you seek out a diner for, or is it all a matter of convenience?