Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore

Find out more about Carrie Luxem here. Key takeaways Furlough or lay off? Do what you can to keep your employees with you Treat employees like family Make sure to check in with your team Even if you don't know what to do, you must communicate that to them There is no such thing as a small concern, every concern matters to the person asking the question Get away from the chaos if you can Metal heal...

Find out more about William Lo here . Key takeaways The purpose of the curbside challenge is to encourage people to follow the COVID-19 guidlines Lo's restaurant has decided to close to flatten the curb Pay the staff early if you can Before closing, give all your food to you employees COVID-19 is growing by over 100,000 weekly worldwide The struggle some of us are going through: stay open and make...

Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Jason Berkowitz is a hospitality veteran dedicated to team development and operational excellence.  Jason credits his Psychology degree from Michigan State University for helping shape his unique approach to hospitality and team management. His career spans more than 40 restaurant openings from fast-food to fine-dining. He's held a number of posts, including VP of Operat...

Key takeaways Join the Facebook group Industry United We need to think of the restaurant industry as an aligned industry going in the same direction Mental health is key to this situation It's important to realize for your mental health that you are not alone in this We need to start spreading GOOD information Reach out to insurance brokers and landlords Stay liquid as long as possible Apply for a...

Find out more about Chris Dimmick here . Key takeaways Opened first concept on Thursday and Dayton shut down restaurants on Sunday Support your Government leaders to shut down - it's the right thing now Make your team the priority Offered employees $10 per hour to volunteer at Dayton Food Bank Turn on all revenue opportunities Get loud on social media Take gift card purchases and give it to your t...

Find out more about Brad Cecchi here . Key takeaways How to adapt How to optimize curbside pickup Developing a website for pickup  - pickupfixe.com Fine-dining world is the worst-case scenario for pickup/curbside-only Add to your menu for pickup and curbside, get creative Shelter-in-place in Sacramento-what is it like? Try to get rent relief in any form from your landlord Look into getting caterin...

Find out more about Akash Kapoor here . Key takeaways A city in full lock-down: San Fransisco The biggest Corona Chronicle operation yet: 46 locations in development/4 opened in the last few weeks Franchised locations and how they are affected Best practices for gift card purchases at this time Loyalty, gift cards, POS right now and always Trimming the fat, making sure the people who can't work no...

  Key takeaways 45-day survival mindset.  Straight to the "save money" mindset.  "Cut the fat." Keep who needs you the most.   Speak with the people you owe the most money to, first, for a deferment; you want to stay as liquid as possible. Talk to the bank about a loan deferment.  Negotiate terms with the landlord.  Adopt delivery  (the ordering app). Meal deal. Don't discount.  Take care of your...

Find out more about Brooks Tanner here . Key takeaways Create fresh canned products to sell. The point is not to profit, but to slow the bleeding and get cash flow to your team.  Let your employees know grocery stores are hiring. Got extra toilet paper and other dry goods in storage? Supply and demand, baby- Sell it.  Get on regular conference calls with other operators in your community. Sell gif...

Find out more about Nathan Ares here . Key takeaways   The latest on Phoenix and Tucson  It's not about competition, it's about supporting the community/team members and getting through this.  Collaborate with other business to put together Grocery bags Create TV dinners. The idea is not to be profitable, but to give an opportunity for cash flow for your employees. Slow the bleeding.  Advice on ho...

Find out more about Juliette Gust here . Key takeaways The similarities between 9/11 and COVID-19 Give staff the opportunity to work out their reduced schedule themselves If an employee is more in need of work, give him/her privilege Become aware now of opportunities for fraud and theft Be sensitive to employee needs in this particularly stressful time Be present, be aware of what's happening with...

Aaron Colby is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Southwestern University of Law.  Today he's practicing law at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP where he represents employers in single-plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, and class action disputes involving allegations of wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wage and hour issues such as overtime, meal and rest breaks, and o...

Find out more about Doug Mullins here . Key takeaways Ouita Michel Restaurants operates 10 restaurants; 5 are currently closed - 150 employees are on leave The real issue is tipped employees They have set up a fund for tipped employees filled by donations from the community Taking this time to deep-clean the closed restaurants as if they are closing for a season; will be like new when reopened Don...

Find out more about Eric Cacciatore  here . Key takeaways Extend the runway, stop the money-loss Amend and revise your insurance plan Get in touch with your broker Have your broker work for you to get the best outcome Develop a new plan for the future Document EVERY loss during this time

  Find out more about Aaron Colby  here . Key takeaways Employee attorneys and what we need now What are restaurant lawyers dealing with now? The differences between laid-off, unpaid leave (furloughed), unemployment What is the WARN act? Restaurants want to retain their staff but these are hard decisions to make You can run into problems based on who you decide to furlough vs. lay off Reduced comp...

  Find more about Paul Callahan here . Key takeaways Plan for worst-case scenario Coronavirus creating opportunity in the industry? Will it disrupt Paul's future opening of his farm How are farmers affected? How are farmers markets and pop ups affected?

Chronicle # 5: Curbside Pick-Up Best Practices/Talk to Your State Officials- Anna Tauzin- Texas Restaurant Association- Austin, TX Find more from Anna Tauzin Here Key takeaways If your business isn't already set up for delivery that ship may have sailed. Instead, focus on curbside pickup Curbside picks up best practices:  Be sure to have enough paper products Plan for efficiency in your location M...

Maria Campbell Founder of Cooks who Care in Philadelphia, PA has put together a master document filled with resources to help you get through these hard times. It's call: Food industry Coronavirus Collaboration Resources. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ylmm7zTFJkqGfcZHDMOYvOxSgspSjDxF9UEJJMHHU9o/edit

Chronicle #3: Paul Tuennerman- New Orleans, LA Find out more about Paul Tunnerman here . Key takeaways We will get out of this better The Waren act and how it applies Business interruption insurance Survive to serve another day New Orleans has allowed only delivery and curbside pickup Everyone wants you to survive so reach out to banks and landlords to find out how they can help What opportunities...

Chronicle #2: Kathryn Lott- Southern Smoke Foundation- Houston, TX Find out more about Kathryn Lott here . Key takeaways You have to look to the future But you have to wait before you see the actual damage Fear is the biggest problem here Do not kick anyone out of a building-family or business-while this is happening Resources mentioned in this Chronicle: Find out more about 501(c)(3) foundations...

This is the first of many Coronavirus Chronicles. I've been wanting to dedicate an entire episode to this for a bit now, but everything is moving too fast. It's far better to create and publish content in real-time as everything unfolds.  In my research and understanding of this pandemic, the single most important takeaway I've garnered is that we need to get aligned. Not just the industry, but gl...

Jae Kim got his start in the food and beverage industry as the owner of a coffee shop --  while in college! Unfortunately, that business failed, but it left him with a burning desire to try again. In 2010 Chi'Lantro was founded. Chi'Lantro started as a food truck serving a fusion of Korean and Mexican cuisine. Today, there are eight restaurants, two food trucks, and two trailers under the Chi'Lant...

Mario Del Pero grew up in his family's meat processing business. He would go on to study International Relations at the University of Southern California and was on the path to becoming a career lawyer. Instead, he took a job at a Mexican grill where he started as a barback's back. Eventually, he became the Director of Operations at that Mexican grill. In 2005, Mario, along with his wife, Ellen Ch...

As a student at the University of Texas, Kyle Gorden developed a romance... with quesadillas. In 2006, At the age of 23, Kyle decided to pursue his dream to open his own restaurant-- not just any restaurant-- a quesadilla restaurant. He did what I would advise anyone to do; he sought out a mentor and employment with a high-performing restaurant team. For Kyle, the high-performing team was Raising...

Iliana and Ernesto married in Mexico City and shortly after moved to Oaxaca, where Iliana had deep family roots and where she wanted to open a restaurant specializing in Oaxacan cuisine.  The restaurant flourished until 2006, when the community experienced a period of political unrest, causing Iliana and Ernesto to sell their restaurant and move to the United States. Not long after their arrival t...