The Pre-Shift

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

The hospitality industry doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to work-life balance. Monte Silva wants to change that. After a successful run as GM from Wolfgang Puck led to burnout, Silva is determined to figure out how to run profitable restaurants without sacrificing himself. Now, he teaches what he learned to restaurant owners through his coaching business, #Restauranteur. Monte joined us on the podcast to tell us his story and offer listeners tips on how to work “on” their business, not “in” their business.

About Monte Silva
Monte Silva started in the restaurant industry as a dishwasher when he was 15 years old. He spent the next 15 years working as a prep cook, line cook, Busser, server, and bartender. After that, Monte spent over 20 years as a restaurant operator. He had a very successful restaurant career early on. He rose from bar manager, service manager, kitchen manager to GM for Wolfgang Puck in the first four years in management. During his time with Wolfgang Puck he was featured in David Steadman’s book BeverageBiz is Show Biz. However, this fast rise cost him dearly.

After experiencing burnout and a divorce, Monte determined that he would figure out how to run successful restaurants while maintaining work/life balance. And he did! He moved to Nashville and dug in. His restaurants were consistently named in best of categories of several Nashville magazines in reader and writer polls. His successful stewardship of these restaurants got him featured in Nashville Wine Press, The Tasting Panel, Restaurant Business Magazine, Nashville Scene, and many other publications. One of those restaurants was Acme Feed & Seed (the 31st highest grossing restaurant in the country at $18,500,000.) He later became Director of Operations overseeing four restaurants including Acme. And he did it while maintaining work/life balance.

Today, Monte lives with his wife and son in Florida. He is the managing partner of Steelbach in Tampa, a restaurant coach, thought leader, author, and speaker. He works with restaurant owners and executives all over the country to maximize the success of their restaurant empire while still maintaining work/life balance as well as leading his team at Steelbach.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
09:32 Recognizing burnout
15:27 Creating work-life balance as a leader
16:55 The Five Pillars of Success
23:20 Creating balance for your teams
30:32 Monte's Coaching Business

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

This episode of the Restaurant Growth Podcast features David Scott Peters. He's a restaurant coach and speaker who teaches restaurant operators how to cut costs and increase profits with his restaurant prosperity formula.  We break down what a prosperous restaurant does. How to find and train managers that compliment you and go through new ways to tackle a few familiar labor cost scenarios.

About David Scott Peters
David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert who teaches restaurant operators how to cut costs and increase profits with his trademark Restaurant Prosperity Formula™.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:19 Defining restaurant prosperity
05:42 Finding leaders
09:51 Implementing systems
11:33 Restaurant culture shift
16:13 Changing your restaurant culture
19:47 Labor cost controls
25:02 Finding small efficiencies

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

The conventional methods of measuring restaurant labor cost—as a percentage of sales—are no longer enough to ensure success. One way to find success is to start measuring labor productivity—the number of customers your team can serve. We chat with Jim Taylor, founder of BenchmarkSixty, about why restaurants should be tracking labor productivity, the data you need how to do that and the huge impact it can have on your restaurant success.

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is hosted by Dominick, “DJ” Costantino

About Jim Taylor
Before going into business for himself, Jim had a long and successful career with Cactus Club Cafe restaurants. Operating in multiple roles and several markets, Jim took a lead role in both the growth and financial strategies that helped make Cactus restaurants a household name in Canada.

Jim is the creator of Benchmark Sixty - A one-of-a-kind restaurant financial optimization strategy designed for restaurateurs to dramatically increase their profit margins by understanding data, implementing benchmarks, and using metrics to improve productivity. This signature platform has helped hundreds of restaurants start on the right foot, land on their feet, or position for solid growth moving forward. It has also been battle-tested during the challenging Covid-19 restrictions.

Using a proprietary strategy, Jim and his team work with restaurant operators to navigate the new normal of the restaurant industry where everything from wage structure to menu pricing and cost management have changed.       

Jim's business goals are focused primarily on doing what he can to improve the overall state of the restaurant industry. Having grown up in it and witnessing firsthand the challenges it and the people working in its face, he aspires to make it better for the next generation of restaurateurs.

Ultimately Jim aims to "Change the way the entire restaurant industry looks at labor costs in order to protect profit AND employee experience."

00:36 Introduction

05:32 The traditional labor model

08:15 Results vs strategies

10:57 Measuring labor productivity

15:36 The data you need to use

20:41 How measuring labor productivity leads to a better employee experience

24:29 Improving productivity to raise pay

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

Restaurant growth is the sum of getting a lot of things right: company culture, real estate, SOPs, and more. Lauren Fernandez has done it as a franchisee at Chicken Salad Chick, and now at Full Course, where she and her team invest in and help single-unit restaurateurs grow their brands at scale. 

In this episode, we chat about:

• making the right real estate decisions
• systematizing as you scale your brand
• offering the right benefits in a changing labor market

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is presented by 7shifts and hosted by Dominick “D.J.” Costantino.

About Lauren Fernandez
Lauren Fernandez is the CEO and founder of Full Course, a non-traditional restaurant investment and development firm created for operators by operators that is changing the way new businesses grow their brands. The company partners with restaurants in the early stages of development to optimize existing operations, develop strategies for sustainable growth and bring the right investors or franchise partners to the table. Fernandez is a restaurant industry veteran with two decades of experience. She previously served as General Counsel and Head of Franchise Administration for FOCUS Brands and was Co-Founder, President and Operating Partner for multi-unit franchise developer Origin Development Group, acting as a strategic growth partner for brands such as Chicken Salad Chick.

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

ClusterTruck is not your average restaurant. They have no front of house staff, no dining rooms, and a menu with 80+ items, delivered within 10 minutes of being boxed up. How do they do it? With a combination of cutting-edge software, savvy menu engineering, and a commitment to great hospitality. We chat with Charles Wright, ClusterTruck’s VP of Operations, about staffing a delivery-only restaurant, the logistics of huge menus, and more on this episode of the Restaurant Growth Podcast.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:48 Charles Wright's Background in Hospitality

01:43 What is ClusterTruck?

02:45 ClusterTruck's Unique Business Model

05:38 Staffing and Operations at ClusterTruck

10:18 Training and Managing Drivers

13:35 Challenges and Solutions in Scheduling

16:50 Leveraging Data for Marketing and Menu Engineering

18:32 Future Plans and Franchising Opportunities

26:17 Conclusion and Contact Information

About Charles Wright
Charles has spent a majority of their professional career working in the restaurant industry in operations. His time was split between Panera Bread, YUM! Brands, and most recently Chipotle. In 2020, Charles made the leap and began working for startup companies in Indianapolis, and he currently serve as the Vice President Of Operations at ClusterTruck.

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

What helps set your restaurant apart as an employer? Is it wages, benefits, or how you treat your team? At &pizza, it’s all of it, and they’re growing at a rapid pace despite what many are calling a labor shortage. Learn from &pizza’s President, Andy Hooper about how they’ve been able to lead the charge when it comes to employee experience, how to offer creative benefits and why they haven’t had much trouble hiring these past two years.

00:00 Introduction

02:03 The &Pizza Business Model

03:38 The Part-time vs. Full-time employee Experience

07:32 Employee Retention at &Pizza

09:41 How &Pizza Lives Their Core Values

12:42 &Pizza 's creative employee benefits

18:03 How to Get Real, Honest Staff Feedback

20:45 Hiring Success In a Historic Labor Market

22:56 Advice for Growing Restaurateurs

25:19 Conclusion

About Andy Hooper

Andy Hooper is a restaurant industry veteran with over 15 years of people, operations, brand and technology leadership experience. He has led diverse multi-unit teams for both domestic and international brands, responsible for shaping culture, product and culinary innovation, talent development and guest satisfaction and engagement.

Andy currently serves as President for &pizza, having previously served as Chief People Officer and Chief Operating Officer, since joining the brand in 2018. Prior to &pizza, Andy served as the Chief Innovation Officer and Chief People Officer for Cafe Rio Mexican Grill. In his early career, Andy held a variety of leadership roles in human resources for Burger King Corporation, both domestically and internationally. Andy earned a degree in marketing and human resources from the University of Miami Business School. He and his family live on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

The Restaurant Growth Podcast by 7shifts brings together restaurant leaders from all corners of our industry: full-service, quick-service, tech, and everyone who helps push hospitality forward. In short, 15- to 20-minute episodes, you’ll come away with practical tips, new insight, and tactics to help your restaurant grow.

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

How do you beat the restaurant industry labor shortage? By focusing on the people already working for you. In this employment landscape, team member retention is more important than ever before. 

We chat with Dan Simpson, CEO of Taziki's, which with nearly 100 locations and 3000 employees, manage to retain staff at a rate higher than the industry average. How? By developing a keen understanding of who works for them and what they can do to provide them with a career that is reflective of that. 

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:12 Meet Dan Simpson: CEO of Ziki's Restaurant

01:10 Ziki's Restaurant: A Mediterranean Diet Celebration

03:52 Employee Retention Strategies

05:09 Understanding Employee Needs

11:23 Recruitment and Hiring Practices

14:21 The Future of Work in Hospitality

18:41 Exploring Micro Shifting

25:34 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

This episode was originally published as part of the Restaurant Growth Podcast. It has been rebranded as part of The Pre-Shift Podcast as of January 2023. The information presented may no longer be up-to-date and may differ from the viewpoints and insights currently shared on The Pre-Shift Podcast.

Restaurant Marketing doesn’t begin and end—it’s ever moving. We sit down with Chip Klose, founder of Restaurant Strategy to chat though the restaurant marketing flywheel of attract, retain, evangelize, with strategies for how to win at each. The best part? The marketing flywheel applies both to customers and your own team. 

00:00 Introduction and Early Challenges
00:56 Strategic vs Tactical Approaches
03:00 Preparing for the Interview
03:48 Marketing Strategies for Restaurants
13:19 The Triangle Principle
16:07 Evangelism in Marketing
23:23 Building Relationships with Customers
23:50 Identifying and Engaging Evangelists
25:45 Retention Strategies: Email Marketing
27:27 Retention Strategies: Automation and Analog Methods
29:56 Mindset Shift: Inviting Customers Back
33:35 Attracting New Customers
37:36 Leveraging Social Media for Awareness
40:52 Applying Marketing Strategies to Hiring
46:48 Conclusion and Contact Information

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About Us
7shifts is the restaurant HR platform helping operators hire, train, schedule, pay, and retain their team in one place. With an easy-to-use platform and built-for-restaurant workflows, 7shifts replaces disconnected systems for 55,000 restaurants.

What would it be like to get paid every day? Now, it’s possible. Learn about the financial revolution that is real-time pay and earned wage access, and how Nico Simko and the team at Clair are making financial wellness attainable for hourly workers. We also chat about how 7shifts and Clair work together to provide restaurant owners with this compelling benefit to offer their teams.

The Restaurant Growth Podcast is hosted by Dominick "DJ" Costantino, 7shifts content writer

About Nico Simko

Nico Simko is the CEO and Co-Founder of Clair, a New York-based  fintech company that is breaking the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle by  offering fee-free on-demand pay to America's workers.

Prior  to co-founding Clair, Simko led the M&A due diligence process for  J.P. Morgan’s payments division. There, he gained insight and expertise  into the lesser-known financial pain points that many Americans face —  including high-interest payday loans — which eventually led to the  conception of Clair.

Since  its founding in 2019, Clair has become accessible to millions of hourly  workers across America. The company closed a $15M Series A earlier this  year that it plans to use to continue fine-tuning its on-demand pay  product, as well as expand its suite of financial tools for America’s  workforce.

Originally from Switzerland and Argentina, Nico holds a B.A in Economics from Harvard University.