By Bob Gershberg, CEO/Managing Partner, Wray Executive Search
Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy and approach that emphasizes the well-being and growth of followers or team members, rather than the leader’s personal interests or authority. It is a people-centric leadership style that prioritizes the needs and development of those being led, and seeks to empower and serve them to achieve their fullest potential. The concept of servant leadership was popularized by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970 essay “The Servant as Leader”, and has since been embraced by various leaders and organizations as a positive and effective approach to leadership. Servant leadership is based on the idea that a leader must be a servant first and put their own interests second. A servant leader commits to serving their clients, employees, and the company rather than striving for power or control.
At the core of servant leadership is the idea that leaders are not just responsible for accomplishing tasks or achieving goals, but also for supporting the growth, development, and well-being of their followers. Servant leaders prioritize the needs of their team members, actively listen to them, show empathy, and provide support and resources to help them succeed. They focus on building positive relationships, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment, and creating opportunities for learning and development.
by John A. Gordon, Principal and Founder, Pacific Management Consulting Group
Moving now into the seasonally higher sales Quarter 1 period, all things considered, the restaurant industry has recovered well. Consider that three years ago we were at a dead stop; only a few drive-thru concepts had any traffic; we were in the process of laying off the vast majority of our workforce; and some brands were almost out of money. Now, the industry is mostly solid, with some spot softness in pizza and some recovering brands. However, a legacy of problems from the Pandemic follows us today and leaves us with imperatives for action.
Clear Imperatives Looking Ahead: I’ve termed this as the need to “look under every rock” first, versus going to price first. This is not a foreign concept to some. Some examples follow:
Price/cost/consumer/food at home relationship: We experienced [worldwide] restaurant margin dollar and percentage erosion from Q4 2021 on due to double food and labor rate inflation. This rate of cost increase is forecasted to moderate in 2H 2023. But our advantage versus grocery store inflation, solid since 2021, is quickly eroding. This means that we have to get more out of the P&L and CAPEX efficiencies quickly other than price.
"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."
-- Conrad Hilton
Executive Chat with Carlos Bernal, CEO at Areas USA
By Rebecca Patt, Partner at Wray Executive Search
Carlos Bernal is CEO at Areas, a global leader in travel food and beverage and retail services, serving thirty-five million customers annually at 136 outlets in airports and travel plazas in the US. Carlos has extensive experience as a senior leader in the food service industry, having previously served as President of Sportservice at Delaware North and CEO of Wagamama. We chat about the latest developments at Areas.
Areas recently won a contract to operate eleven new restaurants in both the East and West Concourses at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. What was it like to get the contract?
It was very gratifying because the selection process took three-and-a-half years and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears from our team to win the bid. We are looking forward to starting operations around the middle of May, and we’ll be there for the next 10 years or so.
Read the latest on restaurant industry job growth from the National Restaurant Association
Restaurants added 50,000 jobs in March
March represented the 27th consecutive month of restaurant payroll gains, bringing the industry within 75,000 jobs of its pre-pandemic peak.
The restaurant industry continued to expand payrolls at a healthy pace in March. Eating and drinking places* added a net 50,300 jobs in March on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Check out the Nation's Restaurant News article on recruiting and retaining top General Manager talent
The GM has become the most important role in a restaurant company. So how can brands recruit and retain the best talent for the position?
It’s a subject that comes up more and more with restaurant leaders in public comments on their companies’ performance: Success runs through one specific role employed across their system.
“The manager role in our restaurants is the most important role we have — especially the general manager or the managing partner,” said Rick Cardenas, CEO and president of Darden, in a call to report earnings for the quarter ending Feb. 26. “Being fully staffed … gives them more time to spend with their team and train their team, develop them and make them stronger and spend that time forecasting their business and spending time with guests.”
