Having Words With: Fred ThimmHaving Words With: Fred Thimm

Industry veteran Fred Thimm held such top-level positions as chief operating officer at The Palm and president of Stoney River Legendary Steaks before being named vice president and COO of corporate cafe operations at Hard Rock International in January 2013.

Hard Rock, an Orlando, Fla.-based brand with foodservice, hotel, retail and casino locations around the world, has a global reach and an immediately recognizable brand, which helped to make the job so appealing, he said.

During his tenure at Hard Rock, Thimm already has undertaken a number of initiatives intended to improve  operations, from menu development to employee retention. Hard Rock has about 140 cafes worldwide.

The goal is simple, Thimm said: “For us, it’s about relevance for the next 40 years. We’ve been around for 40-something years, and being around for the next 40 is top of mind right now.”

What changes have you made as COO?

We implemented a pretty ambitious schedule of initiatives in order to really move the needle at Hard Rock. I think it’s something like 17 initiatives.

Hard Rock always had great food. We have an initiative we call “soup to nuts,” a complete recipe-by-recipe overview of our entire menu. Every menu item is undergoing a review. From there, we’re deciding if we’re going to replace some items, keep them or get rid of them altogether. The menu will roll out in the beginning of [the first quarter of 2014]. We’re in the middle of the process.

It’s the first holistic strategic overhaul that’s been done in a long time. We think it will be very powerful.

Can you share some of the proposed menu revisions?

I think we have a good reputation for an excellent burger. Our featured burger is a 10-ounce certified Angus beef patty. With everything that’s happened in the better-burger segment, we don’t think we’re getting credit for the quality that we have. So we’re looking at that section of the menu: the flavor profiles, the plateware, the buns, the fries — everything.

I learned this in the steak business: If you invest in high quality in the center of the plate, you really can’t do better than a 10-ounce certified Angus beef patty. The goal with the changes is to put us back on top and give us some credit for the quality of what we’ve been doing [with our burgers].

Are there any new cafes scheduled to be opened this year?

We will be opening in Nice, France, and Glasgow, Scotland, in the fall of this year, which is pretty exciting. These are company owned. That will bring our European company-owned store count to about 20.

We’re opening in Anchorage, Alaska, during the first quarter of 2014. We also have another project in central Europe that we’re very excited about. In the long range, we’re also looking at China, as are a lot of people, obviously.

What about training programs?

We’re revamping all of our training programs. If you go back 10 or 20 years with some of the things Hard Rock has been doing in terms of employee retention and training, we’ve always been cutting edge. Now, all of our learning and development programs are being reinvented so that they can be delivered electronically to [an employee’s] iPad and iPhone or what have you.

What’s your favorite Hard Rock Cafe location?

I think that’s an, “If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” kind of thing. I’m [visiting] cafe 42 right now out of 61 company-owned cafes. I ought to reserve judgment until I’ve seen them all. But I have seen some pretty amazing cafes. The cafe in Honolulu is not too shabby. We recently opened a cafe in Brussels in a historic building that goes back 100 years or more. It’s a real jewel.

What have you learned during your time at Hard Rock?

I’ve learned how to travel across several time zones, and the difference between euros and pounds, and how to get in and out of airports all over the world. I definitely learned how to manage in a multinational environment.