Restaurant marketing 101 dictates that if you want guests coming back, you’ve got to hire the best.
Don’t be satisfied with the “alright” employees or the “good enough.” That is the biggest lesson from Erik Niel, interviewed by Eric Cacciatore for episode #194 of the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast.
Erik is the proprietor of Easy Bistro & Bar in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and right out of the gates — within three and a half minutes — he drops a handful of vital reminders about the business. The value of persistence. The fire in YOUR belly, as the owner.
And making sure you meet people who believe in what you’re trying to accomplish.
He feels his #1 job is to hire the very best people — because they represent his brand on the frontlines. “The people game is the hardest part about running a restaurant,” Erik says. “Working in restaurants and getting to know people is the biggest thing. [Start with] friends you can count on. As you get going, you have to find reasons for people to come to work for you.
“Passion. In a nutshell, it’s passion about moving that mountain.”
Erik says you are in the entertainment business, restaurateurs. So, how do you define perfection? How do you find the balance between what people want and what can you give them?
Push the play button on the featured image at the top of this post.
For full notes on this episode, feel free to shoot over to the Restaurant Unstoppable website.
Hearing Erik open his soul on his background, how he got his start, and why he loves the hospitality business makes for a great episode.
He grew up in the bayou of Louisiana, loving all of the work involved in eating — you hunt, you prepare, then you enjoy what you cooked. And, hopefully, you take pride in what you’ve put out there.
