SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Several hundred franchisor and franchisee executives at the annual RLC event heard wide-ranging viewpoints from authors and experts who spoke to the conference theme, “The Inside Track to Success,” at the Westin Kierland Golf Resort & Spa. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Sam Donaldson, former Washington correspondent for ABC News, spoke about leadership and political issues, including immigration. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“They are here because they send money back home,” he said. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
However, “we must somehow enforce our laws, there’s no question about it,” Donaldson said. “We cannot stop them from coming, and those who contribute to our society are a benefit, not a drag.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
He said he was waiting to see if Congress would be bipartisan and produce a “hands-across-the-aisle” solution to immigration reform. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Inspiration for a future leadership role can come from surprising places, conference attendees learned from Jeff Henderson, executive chef at Café Bellagio in Las Vegas and author of “Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras.” Henderson recounted his early life as a drug dealer and eventual conviction and imprisonment. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
In prison, he said, “I began to open my mind to information and knowledge that was foreign to me. Prior to going to prison, I had never read a book in my life or talked about current events.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
In the prison kitchen, he developed an interest in a culinary career. He also found an advantage. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“Inmates who work in the prison kitchen eat better than any others there,” Henderson said, “so I was in a good place.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Henderson said he started his post-prison career with Marriott and “never looked back.” In 2000, he set his sights on Las Vegas. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“Instead of giving me the traditional 90 days probation,” he told potential employers, “give me 30 days. Let me prove to you that I’m capable, and I’m worthy of this job.” He got a job at Caesars Palace. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“When I went into that kitchen, everyone looked like me,” Henderson said. “I was able to walk in their shoes. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“The workforce today is majority Latinos who work in the back-of-the-house,” he continued. “Those Latino people are in their 40s and 50s. They came to America for the American dream. Their children don’t want to work in the kitchens.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Finding kitchen employees in the future remains a big issue, added Henderson, who challenged restaurateurs to give unexpected potential workers a chance. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Guy Kawasaki, former marketing “evangelist” for Apple Computer and now managing director of the venture-capital firm Garage Technology Ventures, launched his presentation by citing a study from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration that found if a restaurant provided free candy on the bill tray, tips for waiters increased about 15 percent—from 15 percent to 17.5 percent of the total bill. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“Sam Donaldson probably didn’t do any research for you,” Kawasaki quipped. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Kawasaki said a company’s mission statement must have meaning and be easy to relate to employees and others. For the ultimate meaningless statement, he suggested companies plug in words at the “Mission Statement Generator” at the comic-strip related website, Dilbert.com. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Kawasaki and Jon Luther, chairman and chief executive of Dunkin’ Brands, had an informal open discussion. Luther said maintaining human contact with the customer must be balanced with technology, “which people think has a tendency to remove some of that human contact, content and emotion.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Luther said wireless Internet connections are being offered in some Dunkin’ Donuts stores. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“Our customers don’t dwell in our stores a lot,” Luther said. “That’s maybe 70 percent of our customer base. The question is: What do we do with the other 30 [percent who do linger]?” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Dunkin’ now is testing Wi-Fi in 50 stores in the Chicago market, Luther said. “We’re finding it’s working out very, very well.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Dunkin’ Donuts, which formerly targeted mostly commuters, now is developing stores with a warmer environment that “enables you to stay and feel relaxed,” Luther said. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Kawasaki suggested that any foodservice chain wanting to appeal to computer users install electrical plugs every five feet so customers can power their equipment. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“Innovation breakthrough has to come from a great team,” Luther said. “People don’t think of Dunkin’ Donuts as ‘culinary,’ but we have a chef in our R&D center, Christopher Boos, who was the captain of the American Pastry Team at the World Pastry Cup. So first you bring in people who are talented and creative and then you have to get the hell out of the way. That’s the key to innovation. Let them take the risks. If you start trying to challenge innovation by committee, you are dead.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Future trends are likely to be in healthful cuisine, Luther predicted. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“Someone’s going to figure out this better-for-you product that tastes good, is economical, and create a brand out of it,” he said. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
More than 50 percent of Dunkin’ Donuts’ customers are women, he added, “who are far more conscious about diet and nutrition, research shows.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
They are also concerned about the diets of their children, he said. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“That’s one of the reasons that we just engaged [celebrity food show hostess] Rachael Ray to work with us on presenting that to our consumers,” he said. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Dunkin’ also created a six-member nutrition advisory board. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
“Before you can become a leader, you have to learn how to follow,” Luther said. “Too many people get in front of themselves.” —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.
Paul Reuter, president and editorial director of the CSP Information Group, which merged earlier this year with the Leadership Network Corp., which sponsored the RLC, said the company would “continue to innovate and continue to change” the conference. —Operators at the Restaurant Leadership Conference here this month addressed issues ranging from effective methods for culinary innovation to the marketing merits of Wi-Fi services to the changing ambitions of immigrants who currently make up the industry’s back-of-the-house backbone.