Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2016 | Page 27

“The ability to take over existing units
that are underperforming and then
turning them around is just a great feeling.”
PERSONAL
First job: Bus boy at Steak and Ale when I was 16.
Formative influences/events: Opening the second location really changed
my outlook on the business. Once I realized that I couldn’t just work more hours
to solve any problems, it changed my philosophy and approach to the business.
Key accomplishments: When our business passed the $50 million annual
revenue mark, that was a big accomplishment. Being able to give some of our
key management equity upside is also something I am very proud of.
Biggest current challenge: Real estate at prices that make sense over the
long term. Currently, real estate prices are skyrocketing and, as we all know, the
economy can change on a dime, so it’s important that our leases reflect possible
downturns in the economy.
Next big goal: We hope to surpass $100 million revenue in 2016—a goal
we set back in 2000. Our entire organization knows about this goal and will be
excited to surpass it.
First turning point in your career: The 2008 recession. We had never
really had any economic headwinds before and access to capital had always been
very easy.
Best business decision: Empowering my key people early on to run the
restaurants. Every time I gave away more control, the better the restaurants operated. It was difficult to let go, but it’s the reason we have been able to grow.
Hardest lesson learned: Buying restaurants at the peak of the market in
2007, right before the 2008 recession. That was tough.
Work week: I am usually traveling 10 days a month visiting restaurants. The
rest of the time I’m touring real estate and meeting with our leadership team to

discuss performance and how we can take advantage of opportunities to operate
better restaurants.
Exercise/workout: I try to run when I can. I also walk the course when I
play golf, but my wife would say that I need to exercise more!
Best advice you ever got: Trust your people.
What’s your passion in business? I love growing the business through acquisitions. The ability to take over existing units that are underperforming and then
turning them around is just a great feeling. Half of our units have been acquired.
We have turned around or improved existing operations of 90 percent of those
units. The 10 percent we didn’t do well with still bother me.
How do you balance life and work? When I’m not traveling, I make sure
I am home every night for dinner with my wife. It’s important we stay connected.
Guilty pleasure: Late night cocktail.
Favorite book: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
Favorite movie: “The Godfather.”
What do most people not know about you? The first raise I ever
received was at McAlister’s Deli, the first week I worked there. I went from minimum wage of $4.25 an hour to $4.75 an hour. I was 21 and thought, “Wow!
This is the greatest job!”
Pet peeve: No attachment on an email that says, “See attachment.”
What did you want to be when you grew up? Restaurant owner.
Last vacation: I trekked for gorillas in Uganda.
Person I’d most like to have lunch with: Colin Powell.

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Treat your employees like they are volunteers.
Management method or style: Fully train and teach your people, then get
out of their way and let them do their job.
Greatest challenge: Finding great people.
How do others describe you? Passionate about my business.
One thing I’m looking to do better: Communicate. It’s something I’m
always working on, whether it’s to the people I work with every day, our guests,
or our vendors.
How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: When they
fail, I let them know it’s not a big deal. As long as the spirit of the idea was positive and everyone tried their best to execute, then we have no problem with trying
things and then recognizing they did not work. This way they are not afraid to
continue being innovative and continue to bring new ideas to the business. All the
best innovations in my business have come from someone other than myself.
How close are you to operations? Not as close as I used to be, but I can
still walk into a restaurant and within 30 seconds get a feel for how the shift is

going—positive or negative.
What are the two most important things you rely on from your
franchisor? 1) Menu innovation. Clearly franchisees cannot do that, so it’s
critical that the franchisor continue to innovate. 2) Cost reduction through buying
power. Again, one of the biggest selling points of a franchise business is the power
to leverage the buying power of an entire chain of restaurants, even though the
franchisee may only be a small part.
What I need from vendors: Timely and reliable service. And when they
can’t deliver that, the honest communication as to how they will fix it.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? Yes. We rely much more on targeted marketing strategies using both
digital and traditional media. Branding is still part of what we do, but we now
supplement that with much more of the targeted marketing approach.
How is social media affecting your business? It’s just added one more
way to engage our guests. We really love it, and I think it’s great to be able to get
immediate feedback from our guests.
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MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S U E I, 2016

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