Month: May 2024

As a business owner, we’re all making strategic bets on the future…trying to create something people will love today while maintaining relevance in the future. There aren’t many of us making bigger bets than Justin Amick. Justin is betting big on the “eatertainment” space, pioneering it in his own market with his eyes set on national domination. Today we discuss what it takes to open a 30,000 square foot concept and the strategies he uses to pack the house. 

For more information on Justin and his concepts, visit https://www.paintedhospitality.com/.

____________________________________________________

Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.

We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:

Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts

Restaurant expert videos & webinars

You are not what you say you are. You are what you do on a daily basis. So if you want to be a great leader, you must act like a great leader. But what does that look like in practical application? Today we find out. We’re sitting down with Jason Brooks, famed multiunit operator, to discuss his path to leadership and the tactics, tools, and strategies he developed over decades to transform his restaurant family into a high performance team. 

You can pick up his book, Every Leader Needs Followers, wherever books are sold.

____________________________________________________

Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.

We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other content:

Yelp for Restaurants Podcasts

Restaurant expert videos & webinars

It was thought that to drink alcohol was to live a life shadowed by death. The Death & Co. team has been offering a warm embrace to those who shine after dusk for over a decade now. Its foundational elements are a love of great people and great drinks. Today, we chat with Alex Day, proprietor of the world-famous Death & Co., a bar that redefined cocktail culture for an entire generation.

Want to Grow Your Business Fast? Check Our Restaurant Marketing Strategies.

In discussing new ideas for the restaurant business, Alex shares insights into how Death & Co. has continually evolved its restaurant theme ideas, keeping the experience fresh and exciting for patrons.

Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Click here to book time on my personal calendar.

Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide.

Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business.

LINKS

https://www.deathandcompany.com/

SHOW NOTES

• Dave Kaplan & Ravi DeRossi started Death & Co in 2006
• Alex was captivated by the youthful, innovative approach to drinks
• They opened 3 branches of Death & Co, NYC, LA & Denver
• Early mistakes
• Not knowing what to do as new entrepreneurs
• Bars ran themselves
• “Failing forward”
• 2 years of growth by luck
• Difficult neighbour for years
• Legal implications
• Biggest lessons
• It is the owners’ job to find and cultivate good people
• Provide strong guidance
• Build a strong culture
• There is no such thing as smooth sailing
• Foundation issues in the industry
• Hospitality workers are not employed or compensated well
• Astronomical rents
• High operating costs
• Poor margins
• At this time of not operating, they are rethinking every aspect of the business
• Realigning focus on what the customer wants
• Avoiding getting hung up on vanity items like perfect cocktail recipe
• Bringing focus back to the consumer
• What will they want post-lockdown?
• Reevaluating how to relate to vendors and improve vendor relationships
• Improving the bars from an environment perspective
• Reviewing relationships with landlords
• How things could be different post-Covid
• Local cultures in each city
• Social norms
• Improving as employers
• Benefits they already offer
• Health insurance to full-time staff
• Wellness credits
• Potential ideas for future
• Offering health insurance to part-time staff
• Creating clearer avenues for staff to grow in the company
• What set Death & Co apart as a brand
• Meticulous focus on ingredients
• Passion about the craft
• Human, genuine, authenticity in their delivery
• Being serious about the craft but also having fun
• Harnessing individuality throughout the business
• Allowing bartenders to be creative
• Each bar is not a copy of the other
• Individual menus
• Different appearance
• Using social media as a marketing engine
• Industry typically focusses on bragging or nice photos of food/drink
• Creating a more community based social media presence

I don’t know today’s guest, Timm Chiusano, personally…but I do. I do because I follow him on TikTok where he crafts daily stories that walk you through his life. Timm’s not a daredevil or a world traveler, he’s just a regular person. A corporate executive with a wife, a child and a penchant for protein bars.

Want to Grow Your Business Fast? Check Our Restaurant Marketing Strategies.

So why do I tune in daily to see what he’s up to? Honestly, I’m not sure and I thought that was worth a conversation. So I’m sitting down with Timm to figure out what makes him interesting enough that I and half a million other people follow him daily.

You can check out all things Timm by visiting www.timm.work.

____________________________________________________________

Full Comp is brought to you by Yelp for Restaurants: In July 2020, a few hundred employees formed Yelp for Restaurants. Our goal is to build tools that help restaurateurs do more with limited time.

We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows:

Restaurant Marketing School

Restaurant expert videos & webinars