Recently I had the honor of moderating a panel discussion on issues facing restaurant operators in California. The panelists were Joseph Pitruzelli owner of Wurstküche, Francis Drelling General Counsel at Specialty Restaurants Corporation, Naz Moin former director of Human Resources at PizzaRev, and Madelyn Alfano owner of Maria’s Italian Kitchen.
You can listen to the discussion on my podcast available on Spotify (link here) or iTunes (link here).
Even though the discussion is focused on the hospitality industry, the lessons are applicable to companies, owners, and human resource managers operating in nearly every type of company and industry. This Friday’s Five covers the top five points I took away from the discussion:
- There is no one background that is best in determining success. As you will hear, the panelists all are successful in their respective companies, but all have different backgrounds, and backgrounds that you would not necessarily think would make them successful in their respective positions. Pursue what interests you, and you will be successful.
- Single restaurant owners face the same issues as multi-unit operators.
- Hire for personality – everything else can be taught.
- Back of the house workers do affect the company culture.
- Employees should not be surprised when they are let go. Constant coaching, counseling, and documentation is critical in managing employees. Also, remember to give positive feedback to employees who you see doing exceptional work.
I would like to thank the panelists again for joining me for the excellent discussion. I hope you learn as much as I did from the conversation.