Corner Booth Podcast

Episode 62: Chris Schultz

Chris Schultz, CEO of Portland, OR-based Voodoo Doughnut, has four decades of restaurant industry operations and growth experience. Before joining Voodoo Doughnut in 2017, he was Senior Vice President of Operations for MOD Pizza, where he led the concept’s expansion from a single unit to 350-plus locations.

 

In this episode, Chris shares the story of two friends’ desire to fuse hospitality with a bold and edgy product to open the first Voodoo Doughnut in 2003. At their first location, squeezed between two nightclubs in downtown Portland, they joked about “world doughnut domination”. In 2008, they opened a second unit. Today, Voodoo Doughnut boasts 17 locations in six states.

 

Chris shares with the Corner Booth his plans for product innovation, business culture, and growth. “Although there will be 24 units in operation by the end of the year,” says Chris, "I see us creating a series of stores rather than a chain." He explains, “It’s important [for the units] to be similar rather than identical," adding, “We win when we adapt to the neighborhoods we serve." As far as product, says Chris, "we must remain crave-able." 

 

Chris takes a hire-for-attitude approach to staffing. "We hire interesting people with the will because we can teach the skill." He reminds all he works with, however, not to take themselves too seriously. "We make doughnuts after all."

Episode 61: Alex Smith

Alex Smith is CEO of Maryland-based Atlas Restaurant Group, with 30 restaurant properties located in Maryland, Florida and Texas. His restaurant career began in 2007, as a Häagen-Dazs franchisee, when he noticed the need for a lunch concept in the neighborhood. This inspired him to create his first concept, Harbor East Deli in 2009. 

 

After 16 years of concept development and expansion, and armed with a team of 1,800 staff members, Alex feels the brightest days for Atlas Restaurant Group lie ahead. "Being big still means thinking small to me," he says, going on to say, "The closer I stay to the market and the more engaged I remain with the staff, the better I become."

 

In this episode, Alex explains the three pillars of his operating principle for success: product integrity, entertainment, and hospitality. "Balancing these three key items maintains the unique identity of each restaurant concept," he explains.

 

"We remain a people-first company," he adds. "My success depends on my team." 

 

Alex takes pride that his first manager is now the COO and a business partner. “I am very proud that so many staff members have found a home with the Atlas Restaurant Group.”

Episode 60: Meredith Sandland & Carl Orsbourn

In this episode, we welcome back previous Corner Booth guest Meredith Sandland, along with her publishing partner Carl Orsbourn. Sandland, a former executive with Yum Brands/Taco Bell joined forces with United Kitchens executive Orsbourn to educate restaurant operators on how to succeed at digital marketing, operations, and customer service. As co-authors of the best-selling "Delivering the Digital Restaurant", they share best-practices advice from their second book "Path to Digital Maturity."

 

Says Orsbourn, "There are tips and tricks that set the foundation for building a mature guest digital experience," which, Sandland adds, can "increase guest satisfaction and loyalty." Orsbourn and Sandland explain how the path to digital maturity also includes gathering consumer data that can be compiled and analyzed to improve the menu, labor scheduling, and operational efficiency. Join us for an engaging conversation on how to place your concept on the cutting edge of the restaurant industry’s digital transformation.

Episode 59: Pete Fraser

Prior to purchasing Cornish Fish and Chips, a 90-seat counter-service concept in scenic seaside Cornwall, England, Pete Fraser enjoyed a 19-year career as a royal navy officer. “Without any restaurant experience, I jumped at the opportunity,” says Pete, adding, however, the business was challenged by “a very seasonal clientele and poor operations.”

 

In this episode, Pete shares how he grew Cornish Fish and Chips to three successful locations in the United Kingdom with self-education and systems. “It took the opening of our second location for me to realize the benefits of daily systems and operating procedures,” he says.

 

The concept’s cod and chips are served with traditional mashed peas. Popular with tourists and locals and tourists, Cornish Fish and Chips offers a wide variety of beers, employs a successful take-away business, and has recently begun a customer loyalty program. “Engaging the locals through community involvement and in-store promotions has really helped us succeed during the off-season,” he goes on to say.

 

As a multi-unit operator, Pete has adjusted his role and responsibilities from working “in” to working “on” the business. He directs and supports unit managers so they may carry out their duties more effectively. "This allows me the opportunity to work more on the business while providing organized services and consistent operations at the unit level."

Episode 58: Cassie Pinckney

Cassie Pinckney follows two core principles in the restaurant business: Don’t take yourself too seriously and never be afraid to try something. “I fell in love with hospitality when I was in my teens working at the neighborhood Dairy Queen,” says Cassie, who feels “when there is relentless innovation by people committed to having fun with food, you will never stop improving.”  

 

Cassie’s commitment to quality landed her as marketing chief for celebrated Texas-based Velvet Taco, a premier-quality fast-casual concept that offers a globally inspired taco menu. To her credit, the concept has grown from eight to 36 locations in four years. 

 

In this episode, join us to learn how to maintain brand identity and build value while rapidly expanding in both urban and suburban marketplaces. "Although there are core menu items and other key concept features," says Cassie, "we try hard to represent the local community in the design and decor of every location."

 

"Food isn’t the only area of continued innovation anymore," says Cassie, adding "we must deliver a complete experience in order to create value and develop guest loyalty." To that end, Velvet Taco emphasizes convenient online ordering, proper packaging and creative catering programs.

 

Cassie reminds us that marketing is so much more than the ability to promote the brand and attract new guests. It is the practice of managing your brand while connecting to the community and building guest loyalty. Learn from this expert about marketing best practices you can put to work in your concept.

Episode 57: Randy Hines

In this episode, we share the story of an accountant who followed his love for food into the restaurant business. In 2007, our guest Randy Hines set his eyes on the 53-year-old Kolache Shoppe. He became a regular customer and eventually expressed his interest in owning the bakery to then-owner Erwin Ahrens.

 

Randy’s patience was rewarded. In 2014, Erwin retired and handed the keys to Randy in the sale. The CPA auditor was now an independent operator.

 

A quick study, Randy learned how to honor the history of the bakery, while making it even more inviting for modern patrons. Kolache Shoppe is a limited seating, counter-service bakery in Houston that now offers the convenience of a drive-thru and tremendous takeaway and delivery business. 

 

He has expanded the menu from the original sausage- and fruit-filled standbys to a wider variety of offerings, including praline and barbecue brisket kolaches. The sausage selections now include boudin, a French blend of cooked pork, rice, onions, peppers and seasonings stuffed. For Mardi Gras, Kolache Shoppe offers a King Cake version.

Randy is growing the Kolache Shoppe via franchising. In this episode, he explains why he chose this route to expand, with the caveat that his franchisees must be a good fit for the culture and vision of the concept.

 

Says Randy, "My franchisees must have a soul for the Kolache business because we aren't simply offering a pastry but a vehicle for enjoyment and memories." He adds, “My recipe for growth begins with people. Expansion isn’t a race; it's about working with the right partners."

Episode 56: Frank Brusco

After experiencing poor service at his favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant, Patricia’s of Holmdel, Frank wanted a word with the owner. Fast forward, a potential guest complaint led to Frank buying the restaurant. What he lacked in restaurant experience, Frank made up with his client-service acumen as a printer. 

 

And it worked. "I look at everything from the customer point of view, which properly places emphasis on the need to take care of people," says Frank, adding, "I select friendly people and train every staff member to refer to all guests as if they were family."

 

His commitment to personal service worked so well that it led to seven successive years of revenue increase. In the wake of his success, he expanded the restaurant. Moreover, the success of Patricia’s of Holmdel spurred Frank to develop a breakfast-lunch concept in a space across the street. The concept, Over Easy, has been operating for less than four years and has expanded into two additional New Jersey locations. 

 

Wait, there’s more. Frank’s latest development is a 6,000 sq. ft. full-service Italian steakhouse and bar. Named Gabriella’s, it has become one of the hottest new restaurants in New Jersey and recently added a private dining room to serve events and meetings.

 

Frank, a former printer, believes that the best marketing is done within the four walls of his restaurants. And as long as his team continues to put the guest first, he will believe he can build a successful neighborhood restaurant group for a long time to come.

Episode 55: Mike Sebazco

Meet Mike Sebazco, president of Famous Toastery. His recent appointment to the helm of this 28-unit breakfast-lunch concept crowns a long and successful industry career, including roles at Don Pablo’s, Mimi’s Cafe, and Moohyah’s burgers.

 

In this episode, Mike discusses the challenges of leading a busy made-from-scratch-menu concept with locations throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Famous Toastery is a full-service concept, with take-out and delivery. Unit seating capacity varies from 70 to over 200.

 

"Staying hospitality focused while expanding the concept is priority number one," says Mike, adding, “we look at growth differently than most restaurant groups. We duplicate rather than simply expand.” 

 

The business’s franchising model requires rigorous franchisee selection and more than 800 hours of management training. At Famous Toastery, every staff member is involved in guest service and shares in the tips. Says Mike, this service model fosters a fun team atmosphere that results in a better guest experience.

 

As an industry veteran and now chief of Famous Toastery, Mike is ever-seeking incremental improvement. This includes enhancing field support for the units, perfecting the business’s supplier relationships, and pausing expansion just long enough to further refine systems and procedures.

Episode 54: Chris Baggott

Like many others, Cluster Truck’s Founder Chris Baggott was quick to recognize the growth opportunities in delivery-based restaurant concepts. Unlike many others, however, he was able to apply his experience and success as a successful software developer and entrepreneur to overcome its challenges.

Cluster Truck is a multi-unit, delivery-only, casual restaurant concept that offers a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu delivered within specified limited areas by carefully selected and trained professional drivers. "We call it delivery with dignity," says Chris, explaining, "because if delivery doesn’t work for the customer and the drivers, it doesn’t work at all." 

Much of the business’s success hinges on the company’s strategic location of food preparation facilities and limited delivery range, allowing drivers to make faster and more deliveries per hour. Given Chris’s background, it should be no surprise that Cluster Truck’s critical success factor (in addition to crave-worthy menu items) is the software he developed. 

His Empower^SM platform program seamlessly coordinates the process from the point of order to the point of delivery. Yet, it isn’t exactly a "secret sauce". Chris also makes Empower available to other restaurant operators, as part of his business model.

Restaurant industry observers like to call modern food delivery the "Amazonization" of the restaurant business. With five units in operation and several more on the way, Chris says, "Amazon customers are typically happy, but our delivery customers are very happy because at Cluster Truck our objective is to exceed their expectations."

Episode 53: Erika Polmar

Erika Polmar is the executive director of the Independent Restaurant Coalition.

“Remember when we were told the pandemic was expected to last 8 to 12 weeks?” she asks. "Well, it lasted much longer,” she says, adding, "and many independent operators are still recovering from the negative impact it had on their restaurant businesses.”

The Independent Restaurant Coalition soon formed in the midst of the pandemic. Since founded in 2020, its membership has swelled from a few hundred restaurant owners and operators to more than 150,000 today

In this episode of Corner Booth, Erika explains how she went from a volunteer to the association’s charter Executive Director. She covers the myriad issues the Coalition is addressing to help beleaguered restaurateurs.

“Most members are still financially stressed because only a third of all applicants received available government funding,” says Erika. “In addition to working through recent supply interruption, increased operating costs, and a tight labor market, many coalition members seem to need direction and assistance.”

In this episode, you’ll learn how the association is working to educate its members on the industry’s changing compensation and benefits requirements, as well as working with insurance companies to offer more and better programs for the small restaurant operator. Erika feels the virtual panel discussions offered to IRC members helps them share their knowledge with their industry peers.

As you would expect, a great deal of the association’s efforts are educating legislators and policymakers. “We have immigration policies and farm bills facing the legislature to work on,” says Erika. “We must continue to educate policymakers about the tight margins and other operating challenges facing today’s independent restaurant operator.”