Editor’s note: Don Fox is chief executive of Firehouse of America LLC, the Jacksonville, Fla.-based parent company of the 475-unit Firehouse Subs chain. Fox received a Golden Chain Award from Nation’s Restaurant News in 2011 and was voted that year’s Operator of the Year by his industry peers.
With 2012 gathering momentum, there is reason for great optimism and joy in the restaurant industry.
2011 was a year when our industry rebounded from the losses suffered during the recession. We are blessed as an industry to enjoy a resiliency that is the envy of most other businesses in America. Did the rising tide lift all boats? Certainly not. But when does it ever? Not during my 37 years in the restaurant business. The “haves” are successful because they have it. The “have nots” fail because of flaws in their business model or practices.
In our industry there is always room for a successful brand, and that is something that breeds an eternal sense of optimism. Even during the worst of times, you can look around the competitive landscape and find restaurant brands that are succeeding. And this should lead every “have not” brand to embrace a spirit of change and optimism that can turn the tide in their favor.
A culture of optimism starts at the very top of a brand. If executive leadership cannot establish a can-do attitude and inspire everyone in their organization to embrace optimism and a culture of change, then the end result is predictable: mediocrity at best, failure at worst. Even if a brand’s sense of optimism springs forth from somewhere deeper on the organizational chart and goes viral, it must eventually infect the leadership of the brand. So if you are a leader, injecting optimism — a can-do, positive, contagious attitude — is arguably the most important role you play.
The very fabric of a successful restaurant is built around an air of optimism. We all know that a restaurant’s chance for success is greatly reduced if the staff has a dour attitude, and any good leader above the unit level understands the fundamental role the general manager plays in setting the tone and establishing the environment necessary for providing a consistent, positive experience for the customer.
Some leaders at the higher levels of restaurant organizations underestimate their influence on what happens along the front line. Your chances for directly influencing the optimism, courtesy and friendliness of a host or hostess may be limited. But the environment you create for your unit-level leaders — and all of the multiunit leadership above them — has a direct influence on the performance of the lowest level of your organizational chart.
Leaders of brands are faced with a particularly difficult proposition when it comes to establishing pervasive optimism. In business there are always harsh realities to be dealt with, and blind optimism can be characterized as looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, or being guilty of blissful ignorance. These are not characterizations that benefit the leader or the organization. But as a leader, you must be mindful of how you project your point of view on every front, before every subordinate. An optimist places the emphasis on making the best of the circumstances they are faced with. I label this as pragmatic optimism. If this is the culture of the organization, your team can go about their business with little fear of reprisal, confident that if they strive to make the best out of any situation — no matter how adverse — their perseverance, determination and optimism will be rewarded. Creating such an atmosphere in an organization starts at the very top.
As we move into 2012, we cannot do so without thinking about the political, economic and social climate of the United States of America. If leaders in government embraced this same basic philosophy of pragmatic optimism and embedded it in the way we go about our business as a nation, we would be in a much better place today.
As I look out on the year to come, I cannot help but think back to December 2007. I recall the weakened economy in some very specific geographic areas, brought about by the bursting housing bubble. Fortunately, the weakness was not widespread. But then came January 2008 and the escalation of negative political rhetoric during the early stages of the presidential primaries. Not a single primary candidate of either political persuasion felt inclined to inject a spirit of optimism. Shouts of doom and gloom and the casting of blame cascaded from the mouths of those who aspired to take the helm of the greatest leadership post in the world. Not a single candidate embraced the fact that, though not yet elected to office, they were in a position of influence over the morale and spirit of the country. Every negative comment, laced with hyperbole and stated with ferocity, contributed to an erosion of consumer confidence. And in just a matter of a few weeks, the numbers plummeted, and consumer spending followed suit. More than anyone or anything else, I firmly believe that the primary cause of the recession was the negative atmosphere created by the self-serving politicians of the day.
The economic health of our country rests largely on a sense of confidence and optimism. Not one of the would-be leaders of the day had the wisdom to realize just how important it was to exhibit during the campaign the exact same leadership traits that would be of value should you ascend to the ultimate position of leadership. In 2012, my sincere hope is that at least one candidate will grasp this and reflect it in their campaign. If the campaign follows the script of 2008, then I fear a similar result in terms of consumer confidence.
I guess that is my pragmatic side speaking. But know this: Within the Firehouse Subs brand, we have positioned ourselves, from the top down and the bottom up, to make 2012 our best year ever. Having made 2011 the best year ever in our history, we know we have the spirit and the team to do even better in 2012.
