The Restaurant Guru Podcast

Brett Payne, Co-founder and my partner in FoodCst explains how we met and through that meeting how we created the first IOS App that instantly compares vendor pricing for Chefs, restaurant owners, managers, Hotels and caterers. For more information or to schedule a free, 10 minute demonstration, visit us at Foodcst.com or send me a note here on The Restaurant Guru site. Looking forward to helping operators grow their profits by shrinking their costs!   Brett Payne, Creator; FoodCst

Many people believe (wrongly) that they can say whatever they want in the workplace because their free speech is protected by the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution. In today’s podcast I talk about free speech in the workplace and why you  can’t say whatever you want while working!

Without a doubt the most inspiring and educational interview I’ve done; Nick Sarillo of Nick’s Pizza and Pub shares the story of his success, how he almost shut his doors but was saved by a community that realized the intrinsic value his business had in the community. Incredibly heart warming story that gives hope to anyone struggling with their business. Nick goes on to explain how, after hiring consultant Rudy Miick, he, along with his core team members, was able to define the Purpose for his business and then create a set of carefully defined Values that embodied the core values he had in his heart. Nick claims, and I concur, that this business model IS the model for the 21st Century. The old way of doing things, i.e. command and control just doesn’t cut it in a world where information is at everyone’s fingertip and today’s generation will call BS on any manager not walking the walk. Nick’s profile and insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Economist, Inc Magazine, Fast Company, Newsweek, Investor’s Business Daily, American Express Open Forum and more. He also appeared on NBC Nightly News when they featured Nick’s very own “It’s a Wonderful Life” story. If you are in Chicagoland, a visit to Nick’s is a must! You can buy Nick’s incredible book, A Slice of the Pie: How to Build a BIG Little Business on Amazon here; https://www.amazon.com/Slice-Pie-Build-Little-Business-ebook/dp/B0072NZZZS?ie=UTF8&btkr=1&redirect=true&ref_=dp-kindle-redirect Nick’s website is: http://www.nickspizzapub.com/ Thanks Nick!

I just got back from the National Restaurant Association’s huge trade show, “The NRA” in Chicago. Man! I am fired up with great ideas. I got to see and hear Jon Taffer of Bar Rescue speak along side Chef Robert Irvine of the hit show, Restaurant Impossible. But the highlight of my trip was meeting and hanging out with some incredibly talented people in my field. Had dinner at an amazing restaurant called Au Cheval http://auchevalchicago.com/ with three amazing hospitality professionals; Eric Cacciatore who has the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast; http://restaurantunstoppable.com/ Roger Beaudoin who runs the amazing website Restaurant Rockstars http://www.restaurantrockstars.com/ James Eling who has an unbelievable restaurant marketing podcast called Secret Sauce https://marketing4restaurants.com/secret-sauce/ I had the great pleasure to do an interview on Eric’s show which you can hear at; http://restaurantunstoppable.com/tag/chef-james-clary/ I learned more from listening to these guys for four hours than the whole show put together. Eric spoke to me about a restaurant owner named Nick Sarillo of Nick’s Pizza http://www.nickspizzapub.com/ who, with some help from a restaurant consultant named Rudy Miick http://www.miick.com/?page_id=871 completely changed the culture at Nick’s restaurant allowing him to thrive in the difficult times following the crash of 2008. I speak a bit about what these guys did to change the fortunes of Nick’s restaurant and what steps you can take at your business to do the same. I hope to have Nick on this show soon. Enjoy!

Listening is a critical life skill for anyone entering the work force, especially if you want to work in a restaurant!

Learn to receive instruction If you are unable to receive instruction you are of little value to your company. Those who are unwilling or unable to listen to what someone else is trying to teach them will not succeed in life. None of us are born knowing everything and even if you say, have waited tables in fine dining for years and you have just secured a new job at a new restaurant, your past experience may not be applicable to or in conjunction with what your new employer is trying to do at their restaurant. Many people struggle with this most important point because they confuse instruction with discipline. Most of us have been programmed to recoil from discipline. No one wants to think they have misbehaved or done something wrong. Therefore, many people will get defensive when an owner or manager gives them instruction or direction. Remember, you cannot learn the myriad of details that are necessary to properly serve customers in a full service restaurant without instruction! If you manager tells you, “You served the gentleman at table 3 his food from the left side with your right hand. In other words, you backhanded him. Make sure in the future, you serve from the left with the left hand”, tell him, “Thank you!” or “Yes sir!”. That is all that is necessary. Your Manager is not mad at you. You are not being reprimanded, you are being trained! This is how you learn; by listening to those around you who have been doing your job much longer than you and have your best interests at heart! So if you can learn to open your ears, your hearts and your minds to instruction, you’ve won half the battle!

Season One, Episode 9 James Clary, The Restaurant Guru, tells you why you might want to consider a job waiting tables in a restaurant; Servers can make really good money! Most restaurants hire many part time workers, allowing someone with a full time job to make supplemental income. Restaurants can offer flexible schedules for people with other jobs and responsibilities. He then goes on to explain how a person goes about landing a good job waiting tables in a restaurant: Decide the type of restaurant you want to work in. Map out those restaurants in your area that fit your desired profile. Be persistent and dedicated to looking for an opening at these restaurants. Dine at the restaurant giving management more reason to give you an interview. Prepare yourself for the interview. What decision makers at a restaurant are looking for in a server. How can a person who has never waited tables overcome this lack of experience? Follow up; be persistent!   For a slightly different, video version of this broadcast, visit my YouTube channel and subscribe!      

When I owned 3 restaurants, I was constantly looking for ways to increase sales without spending a fortune on advertising. I soon came to realize that the secret to increasing sales AND my server’s tips was right in front of me. It was my SALES STAFF. I realized that many of my servers were simply taking orders and NOT selling! When I applied the principles I learned in a sales seminar to my staff, my net sales increased 25% in ONE MONTH! So, I wanted more. I searched the internet for a book on training restaurant professionals how to sell. Guess what? There was no book! So I wrote one. Server Sales Training was the result. In about two hours of reading I share the secrets I learned through the course of ten years of training my servers and bartenders to sell. I’m offering the E-book at a special introductory price of only $4.99! This price will be going up soon as I have had several requests to place the book on other sites. For now, it is ONLY on Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Server-Sales-Training-restaurants-Restaurants-ebook/dp/B005MEX646 What’s even better? If you buy the book, apply the principles and don’t see your tips and/or sales increase by at least 15% in a month, I will REFUND YOUR MONEY! I’m so confident that my program will work for you that I am offering a 100% money back guarantee! So what the heck are you waiting for? Don’t you want to make MORE $$$? I know you will love the book. I am also offering to assist you in implementing my plan at your restaurant with a free 30 minute telephone consult after your purchase. Email me at james@therestaurantguru.net to schedule your free consult after you have purchased the book. I look forward to helping you grow your sales through the roof!

As a thank you for your support, I am offering my listeners a FREE copy of my detailed plan for losing weight and getting healthy. I wrote Live Long and Prosper at a very low point in my life. By following this simple, easy to follow program, I was able to lose 60 pounds! The program includes recipes and exercise programs that can be done without special equipment in your own home! If you would like to receive a copy of my healthy lifestyle program, Live Long and Prosper, email me at james@therestaurantguru.net and enter “Healthy”  in the subject line. Thanks for listening. Let’s get healthy! James