Stephen Chavez’s Post

What I learned from one of the first employees at Chick-fil-A Restaurants: If you don't provide great service, no one will care about your remarkable experience. But if you stop at great service, no one will be able to tell the difference between you and everyone else who provides your service. Without getting your client service right, no one will care how you make them feel. But if you don't make them feel something, your service will be completely forgettable and you'll be forced to compete on speed or price. #ChickfilA #clientexperience #remarkableexperiwnce #clientservice

David Kim, Co-CEO of GEN Korean BBQ, was featured in a recently published CNN article that delves into the rise of a new breed of "eatertainment" restaurants. 🍽 “People are wanting to experience something different,” said David. GEN Korean BBQ restaurants are the perfect option for guests seeking a uniquely entertaining and memorable dining experience. We offer a delicious, cook-it-yourself meal that the whole family can enjoy! Learn more about the #eatertainment phenomenon and read the full article at the link below. ⬇ #GENK #KBBQ #food #restaurants #restaurantstocks #CNN #stocks #investing

Thanks to Wray Executive Search Bob Gershberg Kevin Stockslager and Partners for publishing my June newsletter contribution to the Executive Connection just published: RESTAURANTS: HOW DID WE GET INTO THIS CURRENT PRICING PROBLEM? In it, I highlight the background and the data how we got to this position via the difficult history we have sailed through. Some brands are in a price war. Of greater concern is how do we get out of it for certain brands. A great May 2024 Nation's Restaurant News study by Joanna Fantozzi pulls together the most meaningful explanation and data on price and value (2 separate but related variables). Lisa W. Miller, CSP offers her view from real research data. Also, I discuss the run up of bankruptcies. They are all complex. There is no #Restaurant Apocalypse. Just weak brands. I also interviewed Mr Mac Brand, a friend and expert in all things people and organizational culture. His new book, "Tending Your Garden, Building and Sustaining Business Relationships, is highly recommended.

Reflecting on a Journey of Growth and Culinary Discovery with Wendy’s #8 30 years ago, Wendy’s #8 burger was a comforting staple in my fast-paced professional life in NYC. Recently, while in Santiago, Chile, I encountered Wendy’s once again, and the nostalgia was overwhelming. I decided to revisit the #8 burger that had been a familiar comfort in my earlier years. However, this experience was different. While the burger retained its familiar appeal, I realized how much my palate has evolved. What once satisfied me completely now stood as a benchmark of how far I’ve come, not just in my career but in my appreciation and understanding of global flavors and sophisticated dining. This moment was a poignant reminder of growth and change. It showed me how our tastes, much like our careers, develop and refine over time. Our experiences shape us, expanding our horizons and altering our perceptions, not just of the world but of ourselves. As professionals, we strive for continuous improvement, seeking challenges that push our boundaries. The same principle applies to our culinary journeys—what once satisfied us is now a stepping stone to more complex and enriching experiences. This encounter with Wendy’s #8 in Santiago was a beautiful metaphor for my personal and professional evolution—a testament to embracing change, savoring the journey, and always being open to new experiences. #ProfessionalGrowth #CulinaryJourney #GlobalPerspectives #Nostalgia #PersonalDevelopment

Eleven Madison Park (EMP) in New York City had already been among the world’s top 50 restaurants for successive years, and moving up on that elite list, when Peter Wells, food critic for The New York Times, walked out of its dining room after a fifteen-course lunch to write a review so scathing that he earned himself the name Peter ‘The Punisher’ Wells in the media. In today’s increasingly gatekeeper-less world, the idea of paying exclusive attention to one person’s opinion smells of fossils. I’ve for long wondered why the best restaurateurs and chefs are okay with flourishing and perishing by the food critic’s pen. They go to painstaking lengths to come good on that one unannounced Judgement Day and earn the right to those elusive stars. I said up top that this idea of giving so much heft to one person’s views is bonkers. I’m willing to change my mind on this. What persuades me is this: any brilliant creation is fractal. In its smallest component shines the excellence of its entirety. Each part captures the character of the whole. Steve Jobs was known to check the back of drawers because his father had taught him that anything beautiful had to be so through and through, even where no one’s eyes went. Especially where no one’s eyes went. It is the same thought that applies to the highest rung of customer service. The smallest detail represents the whole. A single diner’s experience carries the voice of the community. We can moan over the harshness and ridiculousness of letting one stranger determine the fate of our grandest projects. EMP made wholesale changes to its service after that biting review. Or we can use it as the perfect excuse to make the back of our drawer shine just like the front. In four years, EMP went on to be become #1 at the World's 50 Best in 2017. #customerservice #hospitality #curiosityovercertainty

A typical week: A GM quit. We had to let someone go for inappropriate behavior. One of the stores just got hit with late invoices that we somehow missed. Another store that I visited had the same existing issues operationally that I saw two or three weeks ago. R&M for one store is so high that you can’t make it up. We don’t post things like this on LinkedIn or other social channels. We are not immune to issues and opportunities. But I can tell you one thing and that is that we have a winner’s mindset. We celebrate our wins out loud! We shine a light on all issues and we go straight at them until they are resolved. We laugh at our mistakes and make sure we do not repeat them. We keep a sense of humor in what we do and we focus on what we can control. If you want to be part of a winning and growing restaurant team, then check out our career page. We are Thompson Restaurants.

You're doing it wrong...Marketing and profitability have taken a backseat to innovation and excellence for far too long in our industry. Great restaurants, with great food and great service close every single day. And yet, we do see that may restaurateurs seem to have cracked the code...they're scaling revenue, profits, and locations year over year. In this keynote that I presented at the National Restaurant Association Conference last month, I break down the tactics, tools, and strategies that the best restaurateurs in the world have used to get to the top and stay there. Shout out to my family at Yelp for Restaurants for the opportunity to share this information with the industry. Click the link in the comments to watch the whole thing... #restaurantmarketing #restaurantoperations #restaurantmanagement #restaurantprofitability

In this latest vLoyalty Lab interview, Peter Vogel and I chat trade notes about restaurant loyalty, discuss my experiences managing marketing for top brands like TGI Fridays and Yum! Brands/Pizza Hut. Don't miss the conversation if you are curious about the path from a corporate attorney in Russia to founding a boutique loyalty consultancy in Texas. 📈 #Marketing #BrandManagement #CustomerLoyalty

19% of restaurant firms are Asian-owned, 14% are Hispanic-owned, and 9% are Black- or African-American-owned. In every state for which data is available, the restaurant industry has a higher rate of minority business ownership than the overall private sector. Hawaii (64%), Texas (59%), California (58%), Georgia (55%), Maryland (54%) and the District of Columbia (54%) have the highest proportion of restaurants that are owned by minorities.

Great new RIPCO series featuring Andrew Moger and today's most influential restaurant brands. Check out the first episode below!