Restaurant Punk

Once upon a time, there was only one George’s Place Restaurant, not five, and this week’s Guest Host, Ryan Jones, was among the original employees cranking out Greek specialties on the corner of Beach & Perry in Cape May. Throughout his career, Ryan has parlayed his experience into various restaurant & hospitality careers, most recently serving as the Executive Chef for a golf course outside of Philadelphia for eight years. Now working as the same golf course’s Director of Food & Beverage, Ryan joins Peter and George to explore kitchen efficiency in restaurants and answer questions, including:

• What factors impact efficiency in the kitchen?
• Is efficiency more about speed, cost, or both?
• What are the building blocks of an efficient kitchen?
• How much of an impact does menu design have on kitchen efficiency?
• What are the best pre-made burgers for restaurants?

In seasonal towns, keeping your restaurant operating during the slower months can be difficult. This is especially true in Cape May County, New Jersey. So, how does Kara Restaurant Group keep new guests coming through the front door while ensuring that the existing customers remain loyal? George, Nick, and Noelle are talking about why we offer BOGO Free gift certificates and answering questions, including:

• Why does Kara Restaurant Group offer BOGO Free gift certificates?
• How do promotions help your business grow?
• What are the benefits of giving away free money?
• If you bought a gift certificate and got one for free, would you keep it or give it away?

Being an entrepreneur means wearing about 100 different ‘hats’ at any given moment. So, how does the gang at Kara Restaurant Group keep everything straight while operating restaurants, editing podcasts, and producing plating manuals, among other tasks? Nick, George, and Liz are answering questions, including:

• How do you keep track of all your responsibilities as a business owner?
• Do you keep one master list or separate notes for different areas of your life?
• Are there any benefits to keeping analog notes instead of digital records?
• How does task management evolve as your team grows?
• What are the negative impacts of not delegating?

From eating gluten-free and cutting carbs to experimenting with drinking less often – or not at all – the trends around alcohol consumption while dining out are ever-evolving. So, how do bar and restaurant owners stay on top of current hot-ticket items while preventing their offerings from getting too broad and/or going bad? Noelle, George, and Guest Host Patrizia are answering questions, including:

• How do dietary trends impact restaurants’ bottom line?
• How are Sober Curious trends impacting bars and restaurants with liquor licenses? 
• Is it worth it for bars to try to keep up with every drinking trend?
• Should you survey your customers before bringing in new products?
• Do bars see a spike in sales in February following Dry January?

Over the course of history, personal style has become more and more important. Today, tattoos, vibrant hair colors, and piercings are among the most common aesthetic ‘alternations.” Liz, Nick, and Noelle are exploring how these very personal choices can impact your career and answering questions, including: 

• Does it bother you when your server has dyed hair, tattoos, or piercings? 
• Is bias against tattoos a generational issue? 
• Are clients or employers more likely to dictate dress codes?
• How do you address dress code violations with team members as an employer? 
• How can you tell a coworker it’s time to reapply their deodorant? 

In today’s technology-driven era, starting a small business also means developing a website, creating a Google Business listing, and managing an array of social media channels. At times, it can be overwhelming to keep every platform up to date, so Peter is posing the question: which would you choose if you could only have one? Noelle and Nick are cohosting and discussing:

• Should your social media or website be more of a priority as a business owner?
• Do you get a better feel for a restaurant’s vibe from their social media or website?
• Are you more likely to use social media or a search engine to find unique dining destinations? 
• What social media network is the most valuable as a restaurant?
• Do you rely more on social media or websites for up-to-date restaurant information as a consumer? 

For many people, being friends with the bartender is not only a badge of honor but also a way to drink more while paying less. For restaurant managers and owners managing inventory and costs, however, customer interactions, including overpouring, ‘buying’ a round for the bar, and forgetting to enter all the drinks into the POS, can have major financial repercussions. Liz, Noelle, and Guest Host Patrizia are answering questions, including:

• Do bartenders at independent businesses feel more entitled to give away free sh*t?
• Do bad habits spread faster behind the bar than in the kitchen or on the floor?
• What are some of the common ways that customers ask for free stuff?
• Can purposeful waste and negligent stocking be considered stealing?
• How can restaurant managers/owners reduce waste behind the bar?

Work and stress are often synonymous when you work in the restaurant industry, so after a while, it almost feels normal to be a bit on edge whenever you’re on shift. But what happens when the mounting agitation boils over and causes you to leave the business altogether? Yianni, Peter, and Liz are answering questions, including:

• Have you ever left the restaurant industry for an extended period due to stress?
• What is the primary cause of restaurant burnout?
• How do interactions with guests fuel server burnout?
• Has a lack of teamwork ever caused you to lose it on your coworkers?

For a long time, the standard path to success was defined by attending college before accepting a salaried career. In recent years, particularly amid the COVID pandemic, many began questioning the need for a college education. While Nick attended University in Montreal, neither Noelle nor George went to college. Join the trio as they discuss whether paying for higher education is worth it and answer questions, including:

• Has attending college supported your career in any way?
• Is higher education a scam?
• Is field experience more valuable than learning in a classroom?
• What are the benefits of moving out of your hometown after high school?

The potential for debates is endless when it comes to the psychology of ordering. But when deciding whether or not to order dessert, what are the impacts of a written menu vs. verbal specials? George, Noelle, and Nick are answering questions, including: 

• Does having dessert make customers more likely to order coffee after their meal?
• Are you more likely to order dessert when given a written menu or verbal specials?
• How many options should restaurants include on their dessert menu?
• Do you care if desserts are outsourced or made in-house?