FSR June 2023

CHEF-DESIGNER COLLABS

COCKTAILS FROM THE FARM

FIREBIRDS BRINGS THE HEAT

THE RED-HOT CLASSIC CHAIN IS BLAZING A RARE GROWTH PATH

SELF-POUR TAPROOMS

CBD INFUSIONS

AN EXPERT TAKE ON HIRING, ENGAGING, AND RETAINING TODAY’S RESTAURANT TALENT

PLUS

A GUIDE TO THE MODERN WORKFORCE THE PICKLEBALL FRENZY

INSIDE THE RACE TO OPEN EATERTAINMENT HOTSPOTS

EXPECTATIONS DEFY

Sticky Smithfield Ham Potatoes

IMAGINATION EXPLORE YOUR

While bacon, ham, sausage and other delicious pork categories have tried-and-true traditional applications, they can be used in surprising ways. Add an unexpected flavor twist to your dishes, and watch your sales soar. Create menu innovation and deliver unprecedented satisfaction.

Discover the insights, recipes and products to appeal to your existing customers and entice new ones at SmithfieldCulinary.com/S2S.

Smithfield Smoke’NFast Pot Roast Beignets with Black Garlic Glaze and Horseradish

28 Firebirds Brings the Heat

The pandemic didn’t curb innovation at 56-unit Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, which has been blazing a growth path ever since.

36 Navigating the Modern Workforce

A guide to hiring, retaining, and engaging a modern restaurant workforce, with insight from seven industry experts.

42 The Pickleball Frenzy

A look at how emerging eatertainment brands are racing to open hotspots featuring America’s fastest-growing sport.

CHEFS & INGREDIENTS

15

Creating a Culinary Collective

Chef Brad Wise is parlaying his passion for Santa Maria-style grilling into TRUST Restaurant Group.

20 The Chill Factor

Restaurants are crafting CBDinfused drinks and dishes amid a complex regulatory landscape.

LIQUID INTELLIGENCE

23

Tapping in to Self-Pour

Minneapolis eatertainment mecca Can Can Wonderland, First Draft, and Garden District Taproom are going all in on self-serve technology, and reaping the benefits.

FIREBIRDS RAMPED UP CULINARY INNOVATION WITH A “MENUS OF THE FUTURE” FOCUS GROUP.

9 Burning Down

Boundaries

Heirloom Kitchen owner and chef David Viana is switching up the team member structure to remove traditional hierarchies at his new restaurant in New Jersey.

12 Driving in Reverse

The four top drivers of restaurant talent turnover, according to a 2023 consumer trends report.

49 Growing a Legacy Brand

ON THE RISE Inspired by an NFL coaching legend, Shula’s Restaurant Group is launching its first upscale-casual dining experience with plans to expand across the U.S.

51 Crafting FarmDriven

Cocktails

BEHIND THE SCENES Bar Manager Mari Howe is creating a sustainable beverage

program using farm-fresh ingredients at Pacific’o on the Beach in Hawaii.

53 Optimizing Chef-Designer Partnerships

YOUR TAKE Alluring design is paramount to creating a holistic and elevated restaurant experience. Here’s how to make the most of collaborations with designers.

56 Start Me Up

With five stores in Colorado and five more on the way, Joseph Kim is leading Dae Gee Korean BBQ into future growth through franchising.

EDITORIAL

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Kara Phelps kphelps@wtwhmedia.com

PRODUCTION & DESIGN

ART DIRECTOR

Erica Naftolowitz enaftolowitz@wtwhmedia.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Mitch Avery mavery@wtwhmedia.com

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HUDDLE HOUSE’S COMMUNITYFOCUSED APPROACH PAYS OFF

The brand’s latest 2,100-squarefoot store design is creating momentum for the chain.

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MONGOLIAN CONCEPTS CEO BUYS OUT COMPANY

Genghis Grill, BD’s Mongolian Grill, and Flat Top Grill are now under the Craveworthy Brands umbrella.

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PLUCKERS DEFIES ECONOMIC DOWNTURN WITH RECORD HIRING PUSH

Top Chef Alum Revolutionizes the Restaurant Industry

In the first episode of FSR ’s new podcast, The Restaurant Innovator, Chef David Viana chats about burning down the boundary between front-of-house and back-ofhouse workers at his new Iberian restaurant, Lita. FSRmagazine.com/David-Viana

The Texas-based wing chain is hoping to bring on more than 100 managers in 12 months.

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These Trendy Peppers Are No Longer Tough to Work With

Here’s how to introduce new peppers without adding complexity.

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Choosing the Right Restaurant Insurance

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Investing in High-Quality Ingredients

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Growth Starts at Home

EVERYONE KNOWS TRAVELING is simply an excuse to eat out at restaurants for every meal, right? A reporting trip recently took me to Dallas, where I had the chance to try some true Texan grub and sip some local spirits. A growing societal norm is to support local businesses as much as possible to keep food and beverage dollars going back into the community, which escalated even more during the pandemic. A great format to sample various local beers, wines, seltzers, and cocktails—without creating extra waste if you dislike a drink—is at restaurants with self-pour walls, like Can Can Wonderland and First Draft in Minneapolis, and West Palm Beach’s Garden District Taproom, which are reaping the benefits of the self-serve technology (PAGE 23). Consumers also love when a restaurant can highlight how they got their ingredients from local farmers, growers, and fishers— and even better if the restaurant happens to own a farm or grow their own produce, like Maui’s Pacific’o on the Beach (PAGE 51), where a bar manager is using farm-fresh ingredients to craft cocktails.

Another recent trend is restaurants getting creative with infusing CBD into drinks and dishes (PAGE 22) as more cities decrease regulations on the hemp-derived ingredient (which does not cause a high). But perhaps even more popular is the race to open eatertainment hotspots featuring America’s fastest-growing sport, pickleball—like Smash Park, Chicken N Pickle, and emerging brands like Camp Pickle (PAGE 42). While the pandemic did damage to restaurants across the country, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Firebirds Wood Fired Grill ramped up innovation and has been blazing a growth path that caught the eye of Garnett Station Partners, which acquired the lodgelike steak-and-seafood chain in late March this year.

Elsewhere across our June issue, you’ll find seven industry experts weighing in on best practices for hiring, retaining, and engaging a modern restaurant workforce, from Black Bear Diner and Front Burner Society to Tupelo Honey and more (PAGE 36). Chef Brad Wise is showcasing his range at his San Diego-based TRUST Restaurant Group, which encompasses concepts running the gamut from fine dining to a butcher shop to an ice cream window, including Trust Restaurant, Rare Society Steakhouse, Cardellino Italian Chophouse, The Wise Ox, Fort Oak, and Mr.Trustee Creamery (PAGE 15). Meanwhile, Joseph Kim is leading Dae Gee Korean BBQ into future growth through franchising with five stores in Colorado and five more on the way (PAGE 56).

Per usual, there’s no shortage of inspiring stories found across the restaurant industry—so let’s dig in.

On the Cover

Callie Evergreen EDITOR

This month’s cover features Firebirds Wood Fired Grill’s Cozy Campfire cocktail, made with Jack Daniels Rye, Fireball, Angostura cocoa bitters, and torched marshmallow. Known for its flame grilled steaks and seafood, Firebirds launched a hot new seasonal cocktail menu in March at its award-winning FIREBAR, which also offers shareable bar bites like crispy fried green tomatoes and chile chicken tostada bites.

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PLANT-BASED TUNA POKE

Marinated Plant-Based Tuna with charred chili aioli, quinoa, kale, nori, edamame, avocado, and sesame.

Burning Down Boundaries

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

David Viana is pioneering a new way to provide equal footing for frontof-house and back-ofhouse employees.

TOP CHEF ALUM DAVID VIANA is revolutionizing the traditional restaurant team structure at his Iberian restaurant Lita, which is designed to burn down the boundary between front-of-house and back-of-house employees, plus mitigate the ever-common burnout of

restaurant workers.

The Heirloom Kitchen executive chef and co-owner opened Lita on April 26 in Aberdeen Township, New Jersey. All Lita hourly employees (except for bar staff) are called hospitality professionals, and are

Chef David Viana pays homage to his Portuguese heritage with his new restaurant, Lita, which features dishes like a filet mignon topped with peppers and a fried egg.

EMILY SCHINDLER

fully cross-trained and rotate between working on the restaurant floor and in the kitchen each week, plus share tips equally. He projects every employee will make around $70,000 annually.

“It bridged that gap. There have been other attempts to do this,” he says, noting no-tipping models. “I want to make this clear, because I’m not saying this is going to make other models irrelevant … I want there to be an alternative avenue, and I think this is more problem-solving for places like Noma, which is a world-class restaurant which

lic or speaking with people to contribute, and all we’re asking is for everyone to contribute. Contribution is the success,” Viana adds.

His other mission is to bring new life to Portuguese cuisine. Lita is a love letter to Viana's family, who immigrated from Portugal to Newark, New Jersey, in the 1970s. The restaurant is named after Viana's mother, Rosa Lita, who taught him to cook alongside his grandmother, Isaura. Modern twists on traditional Iberian dishes take center stage at the restaurant, where most of the menu

VEGGIE VISION

is closing because it couldn't have free work anymore.”

Viana's goal? To create transparency and equality around pay, which historically has been based on a hierarchy in the restaurant industry and has created disparities between FOH and BOH workers.

“Our industry proved it was unsustainable because we couldn’t get people coming back [after the pandemic],” Viana says. With this unique model and structure, Viana offers an elevated hospitality experience for both customers and team members.

Though, he admits not every chef has the skillset to play both roles. “There are opportunities for chefs that don’t necessarily want to be guest-facing or aren’t comfortable in pub -

will be cooked in an open-fire hearth oven which sits in the middle of the dining room. Guests will start with "Essenciales," a shareable collection of lighter bites and tapas, before delving into a bevy of charred vegetables, fresh seafood, and meat dishes like piri piri chicken, Bitoque, and crispy paellas.

Viana co-owns Lita, Heirloom Kitchen, and Heirloom Kitchen at The St. Laurent with his business and life partner, Neilly Robinson, who acts as managing director. This summer, Viana and his team will open La Otra, an intimate neighborhood cocktail bar located next door to Lita.

To learn more, listen to FSR ’s new podcast, “The Restaurant Innovator,” which featured Viana as its first guest.

More consumers are reducing their meat consumption for health or environmental reasons, even if they don’t identify as a vegetarian or vegan—and restaurant leaders are taking notes. Four times as many foodservice operators plan to add more plantbased meat options to their menus in 2023, according to Datassential, and 60 percent of operators say plant-based meat is a long-term trend. Plantbased foods are now found in 48 percent of restaurants across the U.S., versus 30 percent in 2012.

“I want to make this clear, because I’m not saying this is going to make other models irrelevant … I want there to be an alternative avenue, and I think this is more problem-solving for places like Noma, which is a world-class restaurant which is closing because it couldn't have free work anymore.”

Penne for your thoughts?

From spaghetti and risotto to gnocchi and gelato, Italian food is the most popular cuisine worldwide according to a recent study by Picky Eater, which analyzed Instagram hashtags in 50 of the most-visited cities. Japanese food is the second most beloved type of cuisine; as of 2023, each has been tagged more than 20 million times on the photo-sharing site. Pizza is reported to be the most favored meal mentioned by users, followed by barbecue, brunch, sushi, seafood, and steak—all of which have rightly earned the title of being “Instagrammable.” Yet, the top most common types of restaurants found in the most-visited cities were Chinese, Italian, and Indian restaurants.

DRIVING IN REVERSE

At this point, all restaurant operators know a positive employee experience is paramount to retaining staff, attracting new team members, and running an operation efficiently. But what are the drivers of talent turnover for frontline workers? According to a 2023 restaurant consumer trends report from InMoment, top talent is driven away by the following:

PROGRESSION—LACK OF GROWTH AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

POOR MANAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT

LACK OF INCENTIVES (BEYOND SALARY)

1 2 3 4

POOR CULTURE/WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT

CUTTING-EDGE VEG.

CULINARY INSPIRATION AND STORIES FROM INDUSTRY TRAILBLAZERS

Chefs & Ingredients

Creating a Culinary Collective

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

Chef Brad Wise is parlaying his passion for Santa Mariastyle grilling into TRUST Restaurant Group.

CHEF BRAD WISE’S FORAY into the world of foodservice took place when he was just 12 years old while tagging along with a friend to a pizza and cheesecake spot. Jake’s Pizza was located in his hometown of Cape May, a seaside city at the tip of southern New Jersey. The serendipitous tag-along led to a job mopping floors, and right off the bat, Wise liked the comradery the restaurant industry offered. At the time,

CHEF BRAD WISE’S RESTAURANT PORTFOLIO RUNS THE GAMUT FROM FINE DINING TO A BUTCHER SHOP TO AN ICE CREAM WINDOW, INCLUDING TRUST RESTAURANT, RARE SOCIETY STEAKHOUSE, CARDELLINO ITALIAN CHOPHOUSE, THE WISE OX, FORT OAK, AND MR.TRUSTEE CREAMERY.

his peers had a bigger impact on him than the culinary side of things, he admits. Then, at 14, Wise began working at the Washington Inn, also in his hometown, under executive chef Mimi Wood and sous chef Doug Marandino. “I’m very close with both of them today. They nurtured me, teaching me the right ways,” says Wise, who now owns a portfolio of six restaurant concepts running the gamut from fine dining to a butcher shop to an ice cream window.

“Something I think is a lost art is when people start from the bottom, and work prep for three years before even touching something on the line,” he notes. “They taught me how to make stocks, sauces, soups, all these things that people come out of culinary school now and they’re like, ‘Oh, I want to be a chef,’ and they didn’t go through the rigorous training

that some others may have.”

But before founding his hospitality collective—TRUST Restaurant Group— in 2016, Wise found himself living in Southern California and working for a hospitality company called Eat.Drink. Sleep for nine years, where he was running culinary programs at various independent hotels or at parks.

“Then I realized I wanted to get out of the operations and go more into the culinary side of things, and that’s where the birth of Trust started. I had never cooked the food that I cook now,” he says. Wise describes his culinary style as “not fancy by any means, but bold flavors and textures and things like that is what excites me, not necessarily the way the dish looks. Although they’re not ugly, at least I don’t think so, but they’re not foofy.”

In 2016, Wise opened Trust Restaurant with the idea of marrying food, beverage, and service. The concept focuses on shared plates, familiar ingredients emboldened with big flavors, and modern cooking techniques—but the foundation is an open flame. Dating his now wife whose family has roots in California’s Central Coast region, Wise fell in love with wood-fired, Santa Maria-style grilling for everything from meats, sustainably-sourced seafoods, and vegetables, to creative sauces and purees. The barbecue style dates back to the mid19th century and is a regional culinary tradition, where everything is cooked directly over the fire, typically over red oak wood.

Trust’s dinner menu is split into categorizes “Farm,” “Ocean,” and “Ranch,” and ranges from oak-fired potatoes with

FAVORITE SPICE: Lately I’ve been really into North African spices.

POST-SHIFT DRINK OF CHOICE: Modelo

FAVORITE DISH AT RARE SOCIETY: The Caesar Salad

BEST MUSICAL ARTIST TO COOK TO: Andrea Bocelli (aka “The World’s Most Beloved Tenor”)

GO-TO COOKING UTENSIL: Nothing more versatile than a spoon

FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR: Cap’n Crunch

CHEF BRAD WISE RECENTLY OPENED THE FOURTH LOCATION OF RARE SOCIETY IN MILL CREEK, WASHINGTON—THE FIRST EXPANSION OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA.

CHEF BRAD WISE

ONE WAY I LIKE TO GIVE PIZZAS EXTRA PIZZAZ IS BY TOPPING THEM WITH COLORFUL RICOTTA CREAMS.

FOR THIS PIE, I’M USING PESTO , CALABRIAN CHILIS AND GARLIC CONFIT …

…TO LAYER ON EXTRA FLAVOR IN THE COLORS OF THE ITALIAN FLAG.

PIZZAIOLA LEAH SCURTO REVEALS THREE COLORFUL WAYS TO REIMAGINE RICOTTA! The Banner Day Pizza with Tricolor Ricottas at PizzaLeah in Windsor, CA WATCH IT IN REAL TIME: realcaliforniamilk.com/foodservice

tzatziki, pickled turnips, sumac onions, moroccan garlic crunch, and puffed farro from the farm to charred swordfish with satay sauce, noodles, peanut crunch, bean sprouts, pickles, and herbs. Wise’s team also offers whole-grilled branzino with herb relish, campari tomatoes, shaved fennel, and grilled lemon.

“I’m a firm believer in pushing everything to the limit,” Wise says. “You want to push people out of their comfort zone in a sense of, everyone can get the same ingredients I can. You as a consumer can

sion in his preferred cooking method, which sparked Wise’s imagination to what was possible. When many restaurateurs were shutting down operations and hunking down in homes, Wise was dreaming up new concepts—then opening them. In early 2020, Wise launched Cardellino, an Italian chophouse with handmade pastas and pizzas inspired by Wise’s South Jersey, Italian influences.

Next up was Wise Ox, a quick-service retail butcher and sandwich shop with artisan-style meats, which debuted

how to be better and operate better. I do a lot of soul searching in that fashion,” Wise adds.

Rare Society offers cuts of dry-aged ribeyes, wagyu, and other retro steakhouse classics like Oysters Rockefeller, snow crab legs, and Caesar salad (one of Wise’s favorites on the menu). Indulgent touches like seafood towers complement a progressive cocktail program plus a playful dessert selection.

Following a warm reception to the first Rare Society location in San Diego’s uptown area, Wise and his team ventured into North County with a second location in Solana Beach. “I might be the brainchild behind a lot of this stuff, but I can’t do it without [my team],” he says. “I’ve got to give them the tools to succeed, and affirmation is a big one we’re learning this year that makes the difference on why people want to show up and work these long hours.”

go to a farm and grab the same tomatoes, same everything I’m getting, but I would like to create something that they don’t normally do at home.”

Wise continued to push his own boundaries by opening a “big sister” concept to Trust—Fort Oak in Mission Hills, California. A U-shaped bar seats 23 people and circles around what was once an old Ford dealership showroom, while the exhibition kitchen seats 16 at a counter with a view of the culinary action. While Trust focuses on more elevated comfort food plates, Fort Oak is more of a raw bar with seafood and composed entrees, Wise explains. The restaurant has received numerous accolades, like a Michelin Plate Award.

Fort Oak’s sophisticated menu and Mid-Century design signaled a progres -

in September of the same year in North Park and also offers a monthly meat subscription. Then came Mr. Trustee Creamery, a walk-up ice cream window adjacent to Cardellina. Spearheaded by Wise’s executive pastry chef, Jeremy Harville, Mr. Trustee is open every night and offers small-batch, artisanal ice cream with unique flavors like cereal-themed Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lemon Meringue Pie.

Yet, Wise’s journey wasn’t without challenges. A boilermaker bar concept folded after just a year, but inspired what Wise considers perhaps his greatest invention—Rare Society, an homage to vintage Las Vegas steakhouses, which he first opened in November 2019.

“I’ve learned a lot in three years, and this year, I’m really drilling down on

The through-line between all of his concepts (aside from Mr. Trustee) is the wood-fired grill. At Rare Society, signature meat boards showcase a variety of the restaurant’s 30 to 40-day dryaged steaks, as well as a selection of the kitchen’s favorite prime cuts. Wise and his team opened the third Rare Society location in July 2022 in Santa Barbara, and in February, opened a fourth store in Mill Creek, Washington—marking the concept’s first expansion outside of California. As far as future growth goes, Wise wants to open 15 more Rare Society locations throughout the U.S. over the next five years.

When asked what he thinks the key element to creating and growing a successful restaurant group is, Wise says “don’t deviate from your plan. If you have a plan and it’s working, stick with it and see it through. Learn from your mistakes and failures. Just be aware, and write everything down.”

“You have to partner and work with a group of people that share your vision, and give them the freedom to be themselves,” Wise adds. “You’ve got to believe in what you do and treat people with respect at the end of the day, but still hold people accountable.”

MATT FURMAN

AT RARE SOCIETY, THE MENU RANGES FROM DRY-AGED RIBEYES AND WAGYU TO OTHER RETRO STEAKHOUSE CLASSICS, LIKE OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER AND CAESAR SALAD.

The Chill Factor

BY SAM DANLEY

TZUCO, AN UPSCALE Mexican restaurant in Chicago, is mixing CBD (Cannabidiol from hemp plants) with hibiscus syrup, lemon juice, and slices of serrano peppers. At Nick’s Westside in Atlanta, diners can unwind with a specialty beverage featuring CBD, amaro, apple spice, and lemon. These spots are among a rising tide of restaurants offering CBD infusions in the form of non-alcoholic mocktails, allowing guests to join in the ritual of socialized drinking without loads of sugar or the dreaded hangover.

Chicago-based Flora Hemp Spirits works with Tzuco, Nick’s Westside, and dozens of other restaurants to cater to sober-curious and cannabinoid-curious patrons. Hospitality veterans Adam Peabody and Danny Jahnke launched the company in 2019 after noticing an uptick in the number of mocktails being ordered.

“There were a couple alcohol alternatives out there, but none of them were really saturating into the restaurant world, and none of them had functional ingredients,” Peabody says. “We

HEMP-DERIVED

CBD IS LEGAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL UNDER THE 2018 FARM BILL, BUT REGULATIONS STILL VARY STATEBY-STATE, WHICH MAKES FOR A TRICKY ENVIRONMENT FOR RESTAURANT AND BAR OPERATORS TO NAVIGATE.

knew there had to be something better, rather than just mixing together a bunch of juices to make a mocktail.”

For restaurants looking to add CBD drinks to the menu, the company offers Flora Essence, an alcohol-free cannabinoid spirit featuring 25 milligrams of CBD per 2-ounce serving. It also offers Flora Delta 8, which provides users with a mild buzz from THC (the psychoactive part of cannabis). These serve as 1:1 replacements in just about any gin or vodka recipe.

ADOBE STOCK

Hannah Vittengl, beverage director at Devils Head Ski Resort in Wisconsin, pairs the products with fruity recipes, adding the cannabinoid spirits to mojitos and blending them with pomegranate juice or grapefruit juice.

“I find that people are really curious about it,” she says. “Once they see it and we tell them about it, they get pretty excited to try it out. It’s a great option for people that don’t drink, and with the growing fad for mocktails and the decline in drinking, it’s definitely telling us that this is the future.”

Peabody says education is a key component, especially when it comes to CBD offerings. Though the compound doesn’t produce the same psychoactive effects as THC, it can help users feel more relaxed.

“There’s definitely a big education hurdle to let people know they’re not going to get stoned from this, and CBD isn’t going to make them fail a drug test,” he says. “Another piece of that is going into restaurants and letting them know that it’s acceptable for them to serve, and that a lot of places are already doing it.”

The regulatory landscape for restaurants serving CBD is somewhat of a gray area, but for the most part, Peabody says restaurants and bars are able to openly sell CBD infusions. The compound is derived from both hemp and cannabis, and the origin can play a role in its legality.

“Being involved with restaurants and bars is a really big part of what we do, and that’s why we decided to go the hemp route rather than the cannabis route,” he says.

“With cannabis, you might only be able to sell a product at dispensaries, depending on where you are, but for us, a big part of the reason we made Flora was to give people in social settings an alternative to consume,” Peabody adds.

Hemp-derived CBD is legal at the federal level under the 2018 Farm Bill, but regulations still vary state-by-state. Some states may have their own rules that limit the availability or use of CBD products. Others might have specific labeling and testing standards.

Flora uses a water-soluble hemp-

derived CBD isolate. Other options include full-spectrum CBD, which contains all of the other cannabinoids and compounds found in the plant, including trace amounts of THC. There’s also broad-spectrum CBD, which contains all of the plant’s original compounds except for THC.

Different types of CBD work better for different menu items, says Bill Stewart, product design consultant at Portland-based Half Baked Labs. He works with chefs, consumer packaged goods brands, and cannabis companies to develop a wide variety of CBD infusions, from beverages and baked goods to hors d’oeuvres and entrées.

“If you’re doing something sweet, I recommend going with an isolate, because there’s very little flavor,” he says. “Watersoluble CBD isolates are an easy choice for drinks, because you just put a couple pumps into the beverage, stir it up, and you’re done.”

Broad-spectrum and full-spectrum

CBD have the added benefit of an “entourage effect,” where multiple compounds interact to produce a greater sense of relaxation. But those extra compounds

also create a stronger flavor and aroma.

“There’s a number of different ways to deal with that. One way is to beat it down with stronger flavors, like chocolate or salt,” Stewart says. “Salt is a nice addition to a dish containing full-spectrum CBD because it turns off the bitter taste buds.”

Another strategy is to enhance those earthy and bitter notes with complimentary flavors. Pepper, citrus, and pungent spices like ginger work well with CBD infusions. In savory dishes, the cannabinoids can be treated as another herbal note, blending right in with rosemary, oregano, and other similar flavor profiles.

CBD can easily be added to olive oil, butter, or other kitchen staples to create any number of functional menu items. Stewart says salad dressings, dips, spreads, icing, dessert toppings and other low-heat recipes offer an easy point of entry for chefs looking to hop on the CBD trend.

“If I had one summary for restaurants, it’s that it’s not as crazy or as scary as you might think,” he says. “It’s a lot easier to incorporate CBD into your menu than most people anticipate.”

DEVILS HEAD SKI RESORT IN WISCONSIN ADDS CANNABINOID SPIRITS TO MOJITOS AND BLENDS THEM WITH POMEGRANATE OR GRAPEFRUIT JUICE.

TRENDS AND CREATIVE APPROACHES TO SPIRITS, WINE, AND BEER.

MENTIONED IN THIS STORY GARDEN DISTRICT TAPROOM • FIRST DRAFT • CAN CAN WONDERLAND

MINNEAPOLISBASED FIRST DRAFT FEATURES 54 TAPS FILLED WITH EVERYTHING FROM LOCAL BEERS, WINES, AND SELTZERS TO COCKTAILS ON

Liquid Intelligence

TAPPING IN TO Self-Pour

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

Bars and restaurants alike are going all in on self-serve technology.

SELF-SERVICE TECHNOLOGY is nothing new; just look at the widespread popularity of vending machines, ATMs, and frozen yogurt brands. But the adoption rate of self-serve is steadily pouring over into the full-ser-

vice restaurant industry, and for good reason. Self-pour beverage walls offer operators labor savings, increased sales and speed of service, inventory control, and also offers customers unique and personalized experiences.

Plus, restaurants can partner with selfserve technology gurus like PourMyBeer and iPourIt to make operations as easy as possible.

There are more than 300 bars, breweries, and eateries using iPourIt technology throughout the U.S., says CEO Chris Braun, and the majority of operators are serving food. iPourIt, based in Lake Forest, California, touts itself as the first self-pour tap wall system to be designed and installed, thus beginning the rise of the self-pour revolution. Though similar in theory to self-serve frozen yogurt since guests can pour as much or as little as they please, iPourIt is more sophisticated and uses RFID technology to limit access to the taps to customers verified to be 21 years or older, plus tracks the ounces poured to create a cumulative bill for each guest throughout the visit.

Operators report an average increase

in alcohol sales by 39 percent after installing a self-pour wall, Braun notes. And since every ounce of beer, wine, cider, or any other beverage is tracked and accounted for, waste is greatly reduced; iPourIt operators report an average keg yield of 97 percent, while the average for traditional service in the food and beverage industry hovers around 76 percent, Braun says. “Operators also have access to powerful tools through the operator dashboard like inventory management that shows exactly how much product is in each keg, line-cleaning reports, profit margin by product, automated discounts, and more,” he adds.

An example of one of iPourIt’s operators is Rosie Hanson, co-owner of the recently-opened Garden District Taproom, which is the first self-pour taproom in West Palm Beach, Florida. One of the first places Hanson discovered

a self-pour wall was at Oak & Stone in Saint Petersburg, Florida, which is a brewpub serving artisan pizzas, craft beers, and cocktails. “It’s something cool to do while you wait for your food to get out, and you don’t need a server bringing you drinks. I think it’ll do really well in certain concepts,” Hanson says.

With 25 taps, one of Hanson’s favorite parts is the picking process, which began with three wine spots, one nitro, and the remainder of taps featuring all beers. “We’re craft beer lovers, so we know a decent amount and said OK, let’s get a variety of styles so we can see what sells,” she says.

“We try to put things we know to be good on tap. We had a few slow-moving beers, but for the most part, we get a lot of compliments on our selection,” Hanson adds. The number one seller at Garden District Taproom is Yacht Party, a light American Lager style beer brewed by Charles Towne Fermentory in Charleston, South Carolina. Another top-seller is Untitled Art’s Florida Seltzer, which uses real fruit juice like prickly pear and guava. Hazy IPAs and anything fruit-forward is also popular in the craft brew scene, Hanson notes, as well as experimental ones with fun flavors like marshmallow and vanilla. Though wines aren’t as popular—which Hanson chalks up to numerous wine bars within blocks of them in downtown West Palm Beach— having options for non-beer drinkers is still a good play.

“Whenever one keg kicks, you put something different on. Sometimes you have a specific one in mind to put on afterwards, sometimes it’s not concrete. But we’ll try to order our inventory to get us through the next couple weeks in case we’re busier than expected,” she says.

At Can Can Wonderland in St. Paul, Minnesota, a self-pour beer wall with 36 taps complements a full-service bar. The eatertainment mecca offers vintage arcade games, indoor

GARDEN DISTRICT TAPROOM

“It’s something cool to do while you wait for your food to get out, and you don’t need a server bringing you drinks.”

JOSH AND ROSIE HANSON (ABOVE) OPENED THE FIRST SELF-POUR TAPROOM IN WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA—CALLED GARDEN DISTRICT TAPROOM—WHICH FEATURES VARIOUS LOCAL BREWS.

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mini golf designed by local artists, and a stage that hosts live music, karaoke and comedy nights, plus drag and burlesque shows. Concession stand-style stalls serve artisan pizza—like The Venetian Boot with marinara, Italian sausage, salami cremini mushroom, onion, mozzarella, and rosemary—as well as sandwiches, Bahn Mi nachos, salads, ice cream treats, and classic snacks

well, we have wristbands and check that,” McDonough says. Customers are capped at 32 ounces, but can come back to the attendant to reissue more ounces to pour if they don’t appear intoxicated. Plus, all IDs are checked at the door when people pay, and wristbands make it clear who is over 21 and who isn’t.

Rob Clapp, co-founder and CFO of Can Can Wonderland, was originally

pour wall and cooler into a shipping container, then commissioned two local artists to paint graffiti murals on three sides to give it a cool aesthetic that fit the vibe of the eatertainment place.

“The opportunities are literally endless to showcase art in the space. The weirder, the more exotic, it doesn’t matter because we’re not held within a box, and that’s the coolest spot to be in,” adds McDonough.

Just eight miles east of Can Can Wonderland in Minneapolis is First Draft + Burnt Chicken, another self-pour, payby-the-ounce establishment featuring 54 taps of beer, wine, cider, cocktails, and kombucha. Established in 2018, First Draft is owned by Andrew Valen, who, similar to Can Can Wonderland, also likes to source drinks locally from Minnesotan brewers and distilleries, and recently set up a full-serve bar. “I think people like self-pour and I think there’s a niche for it, but I also believe that there’s a desire for that more traditional bar offering,” Valen says.

and sides like pretzels and fries.

With the whimsical atmosphere at Can Can Wonderland, seltzers and ciders are popular choices at the self-serve wall, says Sarah McDonough, general manager, whose personal favorite is a locally-brewed sour called Super Squishy by Oliphant Brewing, which comes in blackberry, raspberry, or coconut. “It’s just like the State Fair—people want to try the mini donut one, or we have a cotton candy seltzer we make at Saint Paul Brewing that flies out the door,” she adds.

On the flip side, being a familyfriendly establishment versus a typical bar setting that only allows people over 21 means special safeguards must be put in place for a self-pour wall.

“The biggest thing is to make sure you have that attendant at all times and systems in place so no one is overserved. Because we’re kid-friendly as

inspired to look into implementing a self-serve beer wall when lines were causing a 10- to 15-minute wait for people to get a beer, which started having a negative impact on reviews. “We currently use the PourMyBeer system, and so far they’ve been great for us. It’s all about being able to have those 36 taps to take a lot of pressure off that main bar,” he says.

Educating consumers on how to correctly and efficiently pour drinks is a key area attendants should be trained in. “In the beginning, we definitely had a situation where a lot of people were unfamiliar, and they were pouring foam-heavy beers,” Clapp recalls. “Have good people running it to make sure you get a quality output for your guest. Otherwise, you will get a lot of bad pours and people will think they’re getting ripped off.”

Can Can Wonderland built the self-

“When it comes to service at a selfpour taproom, of course our labor is a little less, but not to the degree people thought, especially when we first opened,” he continues. “We got some serious criticism right away that we were trying to eliminate the service industry, which is far from the truth. Part of the reason we’re adding a bar is to have people that are engaging people at the taps to talk about what they may like, and what might pair well with food.”

Valen seeks to differentiate First Draft by emphasizing it’s not just a beer wall. One of the most popular taps is a Moscow Mule, he notes, and other top sellers include seltzers, ciders, and even non-alcoholic choices. “Let’s give people the ability to visit a hub for local craft beer, but let’s be more than that and not limit ourselves to the beer place, since not everyone likes just that,” Valen says.

“Margins are very difficult and slim in the restaurant industry, so if we can just cut a little bit and save some money in a few different areas, it makes the viability of the restaurant much stronger,” Valen adds.

“Have good people running it to make sure you get a quality output for your guest. Otherwise, you will get a lot of bad pours and people will think they’re getting ripped off.”

BASED IN THE TWIN CITIES, EATERTAINMENT SPOT CAN CAN WONDERLAND IMPLEMENTED A SELF-POUR WALL TO TAKE PRESSURE OFF ITS MAIN FULL-SERVE BAR.

What Do All These Highly Successful Chefs and Restaurateurs Have in Common?

You should know—you’re one of them.

You’re what we at FSR like to call “tablesetters.”

You make things happen in the restaurant industry.

You’re an innovator on your menu and in all aspects of your operation.

You’re watched and emulated by other restaurateurs.

You lead the markets you operate in.

These are the characteristics that make a tablesetter. And FSR is the trusted source of information for these most influential chefs and restaurateurs in the industry. Request your free subscription today by visiting FSRmagazine.com/subscribe

BRINGS THE Firebirds HEAT

BY DANNY KLEIN

FIREBIRDS WOOD FIRED GRILL CEO Steve Kislow wouldn’t exactly refer to the pandemic as a “good thing” for restaurants. Most full-service brands shed 90-plus percent of their business within literal hours. But the afterglow proved a lot different than the aftershock. “The disruption and the change in consumer behavior that happened as a result allowed us to shine,” Kislow says, speaking from the 23-yearold chain’s new Charlotte, North Carolina, headquarters. ¶ The Firebirds leaping from COVID’s crater is healthier, stronger, and with loftier average-unit volumes than ever. The reality is, Kislow says, it’s simply a different brand than it was in 2019. Just look around HQ. x

The pandemic did little to curb innovation at the classic chain. In fact, it did the opposite.

FILET AND SHRIMP, AND AN EXAMPLE OF HOW FIREBIRDS CONTINUES TO ELEVATE ITS APPROACH.

Up front, Firebirds has a lobby designed to serve two virtual brands— Fireburger and Noodles & Greens—to customers in the surrounding market. There’s a shiny, fully equipped test kitchen—complete with the brand’s signature FIREBAR—to fulfill orders, from virtual to catering, as well as test and refine what’s fast become an evolved culinary approach (more on this later).

It's a space capable of accentuating what the pandemic uncovered. “We’ve got an incredibly bright and creative team,” Kislow says. “And during that time, I think this team did things that maybe would never have thought of doing before, whether it was virtual restaurants, family meals, holidays feasts—there’s just so many new ideas that came up that, pre2020, we probably would have looked at somebody like they were crazy.”

This torrent has become a familiar COVID theme for restaurants. Innovation cycles sped up as dine-in’s exit forced operators to meet guests in fresh

channels. However, where Firebirds continues to separate, Kislow says, is in its ability to continue setting new inflections. Where a lot of brands fizzled on initiatives as COVID entered the rearview, Firebirds keeps raising the bar. “Over these last three years, the aggressive nature of which we attack the business has allowed us to gain market share while others eroded it,” Kislow says.

It's a multi-faceted point, and one that ties as much to Firebirds’ DNA as its transformation. Kislow, a former GM at Morton’s The Steakhouse who joined Firebirds in 2003, is an operator to his core who watched the brand grow up over the years. On a Monday night in February, dining at the original Stonecrest location in Charlotte, the lobby is stuffed with patrons. Kislow points out how the dine-in experience, which returned in force, hasn’t lost any of its luster. Less visible than virtual brands and other pivots, Firebirds spent much of the past three years learning how to

blend technology and innovation with hospitality, and not swing the pendulum too far on the former’s side. The restaurant is operating more efficiently, but the customer isn’t exactly let in on the secret.

“How to make that dance and make operations better,” Kislow says. “Yet still, the guest doesn’t necessarily walk out feeling like they were just served by a robot.”

Let’s rewind. In the early innings of the pandemic, Firebirds, like countless others, stood up make-shift drive-thrus in parking lots so people could pull up in their cars and have employees bring food out and drop it wherever asked. Stephen Loftis, Firebirds’ chief brand officer, got in line and personally worked shifts. The brand started selling cut steaks and seasoned beef for customers to take home and grill themselves. That’s still a business for Firebirds, namely as summer approaches, and curbside has held in as well, Loftis says. But it was always a task of guarding synergy and trying to maintain what the brand stood for.

“One of the challenges coming out of COVID is we have this tremendous experience people come to Firebirds for,” Loftis says. “How do you continue to parlay that externally?”

Firebirds took some operational steps and adjusted, and then connected with Flybuy. The platform creates a dashboard where Firebirds can see incoming orders in one place—previously, staff had to keep track of different tablets for delivery and takeout. Now, they’d receive location updates and audio/visual alerts when the guest or delivery driver approached the restaurant, and automatic prompts for the guest or courier as soon as they arrive.

Out of the gate, Firebirds saw wait times as low as 30 seconds and increased repeat visits. It also cut down carbon emissions by 11,857g each month by keeping cars from idling in the parking lot. Additionally, Firebirds reduced throwaways and food spoilage since the kitchen could prepare and throttle orders to pickup times versus trying to make food in advance. Flybuy helps keep lobbies clear, and Firebirds trains delivery service providers—it’s fully integrated with DoorDash and Uber Eats—to use the system as well.

“They get a text message and then they can track their order,” says Christine Lorusso, Firebirds’ senior director of digital marketing. “It’s really streamlined the process.”

Overall, there’s a queue, not unlike you’d see at a Panera bread, where Firebirds assigns an employee to helm takeaway and facilitate the business so it doesn’t sag dine-in and muddy either experience. There’s dedicated space in stores for Firebirds to “draw the line in the sand,” Kislow says.

“When you understand how to make the technology dance, you can make sure

that from 7 to 8 on a Saturday night, it’s turned down a little bit,” he says. “Then it’s turned back up on the shoulders where you have more capacity.”

One of reasons Firebirds’ hasn’t let off the gas owes to a fortuitous bit of planning. To-go comprised a “very small” portion of the chain’s business in 2019. But Kislow says leadership was ready to bet on it. So it partnered with DSPs, Olo, and set infrastructure in motion. Firebirds was deliberate with each step. Then, March 2020 arrived, and the chain’s goals were washed over by a tsunami. The idea was to get somewhere between 15–20 percent of sales and mirror category leaders, or chains focused on lifting the dollars more so than just percentages. “Obviously,” Kislow says, “we had no idea we were going to get to 100 percent really fast.”

And even as dine-in returned, it’s stuck, right in that 15–20 percent of net sales Firebirds originally outlined. Kislow credits getting ahead of the beehive. When the pandemic clamped the sector, many of the solutions powering off-premises didn’t have the bandwidth to take all the calls coming in. Not right away, at least. Every brand, regardless of cuisine or service model, needed a digital footprint and access to channels to get food to customers.

“We talk about timing, our timing in 2019 was such that we set this all up,” Kislow says. “And when the rocket ship took off, we were there. Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good.”

That’s when evolution erupted. Firebirds started adding menu categories, like small plates and weekend brunch, when competitors had to shrink offerings as they scrambled. As much as any-

FIREBIRDS SUMMERTIME SPRITZ

thing, Kislow says, it’s where Firebirds began to grab market share through 2020 and 2021. It ramped up as others tried to regroup.

An illuminating stat is Firebirds’ frequency. The brand was a roughly six-times-a-year brand for customers pre-virus. Today, it’s 10-plus times a calendar, Kislow says. Firebirds gave diners more reasons to engage. Family meals. Feasts. To-go. “None of those things are taking away from the core dining experience,” he reiterates. “They’re still coming just as many times for that, but now, they’re coming for different reasons as well.”

For instance, a guest who tapped Firebirds for takeout when they had no other option during COVID came back to the dining room once they could. But they also now had an experience in their back pocket they might not have realized existed before. Semantics aside, Firebirds introduced itself though more means than ever. And those threads aren’t slipping away.

All along, Firebirds never lost sight of its dine-in equity. The brand looked at a pay-atthe-table device in 2019 but decided against it because “the devices looked like big, oversized calculators,” Kislow says.

“And even that, to me, it just didn’t feel like a polished experience,” he says. “… We’ve resisted in a lot of ways because I think the moment a computer comes to the table, it’s guest facing. I prefer those things to stay happening in the background, whether it’s Flybuy or OpenTable [the platform Firebirds uses for reservations].”

All of this isn’t to suggest Firebirds hasn’t paid heed to where the tech puck is headed. It’s collecting data and finding ways to leverage it, like others. But it’s always cognizant of guest experience. “It’s creepy for me to know you have a Basset hound, but it’s cool that I know you like Manhattans,” Kislow says, speaking to a writer who does, indeed, have a Basset hound. “So is there a way to get the right data to utilize, and then how do you teach the employees how to use it correctly?”

Firebirds’ Inner Circle program promises customers a chance to become “a Firebirds’ insider.” It informs of events, promotions, new menu items (like an upcoming summer menu, etc.), and exclusive offers. What it doesn’t do, Lorusso explains, is discount. “We’re up to 1.3 million people who are highly engaged, and we don’t offer them anything other than information,” she says. Still, each time Firebirds sends an email to this base, it sees a spike in sales

and traffic. “It’s the most loyal and engaged guest we have,” Lorusso says. Firebirds wields data like a key to a VIP vault. It doesn’t need to pulse deals through the funnel because its loyal customers favor experience over value-seeking. That latter cohort isn’t Firebirds’ core user to begin with.

“It’s never been about discounting or rewarding to us, it’s been about recognition,” Loftis says. Firebirds segments its audience, on the marketing side and within restaurants. Ultimately, that means having a guest profile where the brand understands preferences and can deliver. “We know he’s a Manhattan lover,” Loftis says. “His wife’s a vegetarian. His birthday is next week. We cater that experience to you and your family. That’s the goal for us.”

Firebirds is also in the process of redoing its website and revamping online ordering. It will allow the brand to save order history and streamline steps; reduce clicks to checkout and, similar to Inner Circle, provide a customized approach that feels intuitive.

Many of Firebirds’ efforts are being driven by guest feedback. Lorusso and Jordan Jennings, the brand’s marketing coordinator, mine Sprout Social as a listening tool and monitor engagement across all platforms. “I try to respond to every one,” Jennings says of reviews. Even if it’s negative (or insensible), she’ll offer a response with a way to get in touch.

HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN WITH GRAIN SALAD

FIREBIRDS

GROWTH LIGHTS UP

In late March, Firebirds announced a sale to Garnett Station Partners, a 2013-founded firm that manages roughly $2 billion in assets. Other F&B investments include Authentic Restaurant Brands (Primanti Bros., Mambo Seafood, and P.J. Whelihan's), Kona Ice, and the world's largest Burger King franchisee, Carrols Restaurant Group. It marked the second time in four years Firebirds came under new ownership. J.H. Whitney Capital Partners revealed in early 2019 it acquired a majority interest in Firebirds.

What’s intriguing as well is how spread out Firebirds is. You don’t often see chains dot the map like darts. More commonly, concentric circles feed themselves until brand awareness drives outof-market expansion. Firebirds’ home base of North Carolina has eight locations and Pennsylvania and Virginia six apiece. Tennessee and Ohio each have five. Otherwise, every market has four or fewer restaurants. Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, and Delaware each have one.

Kislow says every state has a reason Firebirds opened there, from a founder

seeking A-plus real estate—it prefers centers with Targets—and designing builds that aren’t just visible; they’re memorable, too. A recent opening featured a new sign package that showcased “Wood Fired Grill” over the top of an expanded patio roof line. “We felt that was important because, what is Firebirds if you don’t know,” Kislow says, “and you’re in a DMA like DallasFort Worth that has so many other great polished casual brands. We wanted to really highlight the wood-fired grill so people know what it is that differentiates us specifically.”

At the time, the brand had 48 restaurants. J.H. Whitney bought the company from Angelo, Gordon & Co., who owned Firebirds since 2011 when it had 18 stores in eight states.

This most recent chapter arrives as Firebirds boasts 56 locations in 20 states. One of the goals of the strategic capital, naturally, will be to lift that number.

Kislow says, at sub-60 stores, there’s visible whitespace for Firebirds to tackle. It plans to focus on Northern Virginia, the Carolinas, Texas, and Florida, where he sees 10–12 “opportunities across the state at this point that we haven’t leveraged yet.”

living nearby to other points. But the important note is, “we’ve been successful” in every one of them, Kislow says. “So now,” he continues, “frankly, it’s much easier for us because we can go and backfill all those markets.” For example, there are only four restaurants in the Charlotte trade. Firebirds isn’t guessing with site selection the way some peers might. It doesn’t need to seed markets to test demand as much as build more units to fulfill what’s already there. That, Kislow says, is an ideal spot to catapult the brand from.

As Firebirds grows, though, it’s working to better share and tell its story. It’s

An upcoming Plano, Texas, location will feature that same package, but also what Corporate Chef Steve Sturm dubs “the beacon.” There are two bookends out front. Instead of doing a fire feature inside, Firebirds flipped so people driving by would see a restaurant called Firebirds and then notice two tubes of fire that spin throughout and sit 8 feet high.

The restaurants themselves morphed alongside an industry movement. There are two sizes Firebirds builds presently, both smaller than original layouts. The brand’s first 20 or so averaged in the ballpark of 7,000–7,200 square feet. The larger store today is closer to 6,300

SIGNATURE COCKTAILS RAISE THE FIREBIRDS’ EXPERIENCE UP ANOTHER NOTCH.

FIREBIRDS

and the smaller between 5,300–5,500. The difference is a private dining room, which holds about 24 people in the bigger model. Even that has changed, however. There are now full-glass walls that can be opened to the dining room and the store seats people a la carte if needed. The 8- to 10-foot opening makes guests feel like they’re part of the dining room. Or, the doors can close, shades pulled down, and customers can host an AV style meeting. It’s really about choice and agility in development, Kislow says, especially when you consider delays, costs, and the bevy of external pressures facing restaurant growth. You have to get it right and be able to adjust. Another shift to emerge out of COVID is outdoor dining, which Loftis says remains a powerful draw. It was so robust at one point, Firebirds considered upgrading them to allweather and enclosing them with accordion features. “But what we found out through the change in consumer behavior over the last couple of years is they want an actual patio,” Kislow adds. So instead, Firebirds implemented hard lids and outfitted stores to fit the market.

FIRING UP THE MENU

Back when Chef Sturm joined Firebirds in its infancy, the polished casual space was hardly saturated. “It was maybe us and two other concepts,” he says. For two decades, that was enough. In more recent years, however, competitors have raced to catch up. You see this in quick service with fast casual just as you do in full, where a rising tide pushes every brand toward a center of quality.

“We wanted to take a real good look at where we were headed and make sure our concept stayed relevant and was providing the kind of food and service, and, of course, bar, that our guest wants not only now, but into the future,” Sturm says.

Rather than have an internal team direct that effort, Firebirds broadened the base. It created a “Menus of the Future” group made up of eight to 10 people, at any given time, across varied demographics. This “board” of sorts acts as a steering committee. Sturm says

Firebirds picked foodies who are out in restaurants—Firebirds and otherwise— active on social media, and willing to see things and pass ideas along. Firebirds created internal boxes so the brand can look at everything. There’s a development list and, once the chain gets to a point where it has enough data, it can present new concepts to that group monthly. Basically, “this is what you told us, and this is our response.”

Firebirds makes the food and presents a specific taste panel sheet where it can judge everything from texture to visual to purchasing intent. All points get a score and tweak, if called for, and Sturm eventually presents the final product to senior management.

Just how big a change this is from past practices can’t be understated, Sturm says. Firebirds is using this group for F&B decisions as well as design choices. “I haven’t been this excited about where we’re headed with food since the beginning,” he says. “Not that we haven’t continually developed, but we used to look at things in year chunks. What are we doing this year? And then that’s how we scheduled. Now we’re looking three to five years.”

The overarching goal aligns with everything discussed thus far: get fire and char in front of customers and be uniquely Firebirds at every turn. “We’re the largest wood-fired grill concept in the country,” Sturm says. “And we want to own that space.” Again, it flows from drinks (a recent Cozy Campfire cocktail featured Jack Daniels Rye, Fireball, Angostura cocoa bitters, and a torched marshmallow) to materials inside and outside the unit—trimmed, charred wood as an accent, for one.

Sturm says Firebirds is trying to get a bit younger with its appeal without alienating legacy consumers. It’s doing so by increasing “different dayparts they may gravitate to that you don’t currently have a huge guest count at that time,” he says.

Specifically, Firebirds worked up more robust small plates to complement its FIREBAR and lounge area. Brunch, released in March 2022, is another example, with items like Shrimp & Grits and Skrewed Up Coffee (Skrewball Pea-

nut Butter Whiskey, cinnamon elixir, coffee, and milk). Kislow says the trick for brunch is to keep getting the guest to the top of the funnel given they’re not necessarily Firebirds’ frequent user. The brand is readying to launch a mimosa carafe program to tap into the category’s social nature.

Broadly, though, Firebirds’ culinary approach is about connecting core traits, just as it is with development and marketing. “The FIREBAR for us has always been a little bit of a business within its own business,” Loftis says. “And so, we want to introduce folks to the concept via [brunch] and so we’ve stepped back and really evaluated that whole platform, not only from a beverage perspective.”

Catering is a work in progress as well. Pre-pandemic, Loftis says, it was a serviceable arm of Firebirds’ business, but one that had ample runway. Behind the curtain, as demand came back, the brand worked on an enhanced lineup that’s now on the doorstep of expanding. It’s geared toward groups of 10, 20, 30 more than giant events, like a wedding.

The same elevation awaits Firebirds’ virtual offerings. Fireburger launched in September 2020 and scaled quickly. It positioned on third-party apps as a higher-quality offering that placed a corner of Firebirds’ menu out in front of users searching for burgers over specific brands. Through the process, however, the chain came across “another interesting space,” Loftis says. And this is where Firebirds created Noodles & Greens, which required about seven or eight SKUs, to disrupt a pasta and entrée salad category that, unlike burgers, wasn’t bursting at the seams.

“It has been wildly successful,” Loftis says. Kislow adds that’s been the case despite the brand not throwing a ton of money behind it. Like brunch, it’s opened Firebirds to incremental visits. It skews more lunch and late night than dinner. Regardless of the occasion, however, success credits to Firebirds’ being what it’s always been, Kislow says, only for a new era. “We’re going to deliver an experience that surpasses expectations,” he says.

An Expert’s Guide to Navigating Modern Workforce

the

BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

THE

TIDE ON LABOR BEST PRACTICES FOR RESTAURATEURS

has turned drastically over the past five years, from increased compensation and boosted benefits to flexible scheduling and gamified training. A labor shortage sparked by the pandemic led many workers away from foodservice jobs, resulting in restaurant owners finding clever ways to recruit, retain, and engage team members out of necessity. Restaurant leaders quickly realized just how important human capital is to their operations and the cost of underinvesting in their people and company culture—which has ultimately benefited both employees and employers alike as the entire foodservice industry evolves into the future.

“When you first get into the restaurant industry and open your first restaurant, you think that your asset is your restaurant, right? That the space, the building, the kitchen, you think that's the business,” says Brad Parker, CEO of Chicago-based Parker Hospitality, which encompasses The Hampton Social, Bassment, and Nisos, a modern Mediterranean restaurant.

“And as you grow, you really start learning … the spaces are the easy part; it's the people that become the hard part,” he continues. “When you want to focus on human capital, it's kind of a scary, risky thing for an entrepreneur or business owner, because it doesn't see the return that physical

A manual for hiring, engaging, and retaining a modern restaurant workforce, with insight from seven industry experts.

"PAY AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN," SAYS MIKE HERCHUCK, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AT FLORIDA-BASED AMERICAN SOCIAL.

"IT SHOULD NEVER BE A COMPETITION TO SEE HOW LITTLE YOU CAN PAY."

capital does. Meaning, if I put $100,000 into my restaurant, I can physically see it looks nicer; it's refreshed. New customers come and say, ‘Ooh, it's pretty.’ You see that immediately. With human capital, you have to invest this money, and that takes a long time to pay off.”

If restaurateurs commit to investing in their people and culture, employees in turn will also commit to the company at a higher rate, and retention rates will increase, he notes. But that commitment can’t only be talk about core values and being a family, or employees will quickly call your bluff.

“Pay as much as you possibly can. It should never be a competition to see how little you can pay,” says Mike Herchuck, director of operations at American Social. The Florida-based brand recently trained in a manager who excelled in the role right off the bat, so Herchuck pulled them aside within their first 60 days on the job to tell them he felt they were underpaid, and the restaurant was giving them a pay bump. “It is okay to do a salary correction when it is warranted. Sticking to some predetermined timeline for raises will only cause an unnec-

essary and regrettable turnover,” Herchuck adds. “You’re either going to spend money on hiring ads or pay your people more; I’d rather give the money to the team than to a hiring website 100 times.”

At North Carolina-based Tupelo Honey Hospitality, 50 percent of general managers and 75 percent of its managers have been with the brand for more than six years, says COO Caroline Skinner, thanks to a slew of factors. Simplifying communication by cutting down on emails, directives, and noise helps restaurant leaders focus on the food and guest experience, while important information is distilled into one monthly message in a concise format.

“The pandemic taught us to constantly ask the question, is it necessary?” Skinner says. “Regularly evaluate the layers of complexity in your communication, process, or training, and eliminate unnecessary complexities.”

In the fall of 2020, Tupelo formed Project Aspire, a diversity and inclusion program designed to uplift BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and female mem-

bers of the management team. Aspire provides individual coaching and leadership development to high-potential managers across the company. These employees get to participate in panel discussions, and they receive 30-plus hours of additional management training per year.

“Prioritize and accommodate diversity; more than just looking for diverse candidates, we must find ways to help advance and accommodate underrepresented groups through our training and development practices," Skinner adds. "We are the industry of opportunity, and we must continue to make growth and advancement opportunities available to all people from all backgrounds.”

Having an engaged, knowledgeable staff doesn’t just lead to good team morale, but also translates to more sales. Highly-skilled employees who know the ins and outs of the business are less likely to make mistakes, which in turn improves the guest experience and efficiency of the restaurant. For example,

AT NORTH CAROLINABASED TUPELO HONEY, TEAM MEMBERS ARE TAUGHT THE "WHY" ALONG WITH THE "HOW" DURING THE TRAINING PROCESS— LIKE WHY THE 21-UNIT BRAND PRIORITIZES LOCALLY-SOURCED PRODUCE, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND SCRATCHMADE FOOD.

TUPELO HONEY (3)

Tupelo Honey’s revenue lifted 27 percent in 2022, and guest count jumped 17 per cent. Systemwide average unit volumes are now over $4 million, and the company is on track to exceed $100 million across its 21 stores in 2024.

Plus, since launching new initiatives over the past 12 months, Tupelo Honey projects a 15 percent improvement in employee retention this upcoming year, Skinner notes. For hourly workers, minimum wage starts at $15 for non-tipped employees, plus there's a tenure award program that crosses every level of employment, including part-time team members.

Tupelo Honey recently opened its 21st location in Indianapolis, and Skinner says the company heavily emphasizes explain ing the “why” along with the “how” to team members during the training process.

“Our ‘why’ includes why we use a partic ular product or follow a particular process. These ‘whys’ correlate back to our values,” she says, like why the restaurant prioritizes sus tainable and locally-sourced products, the importance of scratch-made food, and cre ating joy through hospitality. “We are inten tional about incorporating ‘whys’ through out our training to deepen connection and engagement with our values.”

At Parker’s restaurants, employees not only get great pay and benefits, but also opportunities for advancement. One of Parker’s first bartenders is now director of beverages, while multiple employees who started as dishwashers are now managers— which is one reason why the company was able to grow from zero to $100 million in just eight years, he says.

“If you can give [employees] the culture where they enjoy going to work every day and you can show them the growth, they’ll stick around,” says Parker. “It’s about rein vesting in the people, and then you can rein vest in your assets and grow. And you’ve got to find the balance between the two.”

Sometimes, finding that balance means cutting into profit margins for the better ment of employees and culture, he notes, like adding more staff and managers so peo ple can take their vacation days and have a better work-life balance, which helps mit igate burnout. Parker tried out a four-day work week over COVID, but the timing

didn’t pan out with staffing shortages. Now, he’s looking at scheduling in a similar way to nurses who work long shifts for three days,

“If you do the math, that’s a lot of days off a year, right? You’re only working onethird of the year, and I think that’s a big incentive for people to come and work for a company,” Parker says. “I have those days where I can just enjoy my life. Travel, too. If you get back-to-back days, it’s easier to take your vacation days.”

“I do think we’re going to come up with

é BRAD PARKER

é MIKE HERCHUCK

é FRANCESCO BALLI

é JEFF CARCARA

é TAMMY JOHNS

HAMPTON SOCIAL

AMERICAN SOCIAL / TUPELO HONEY GROVE BAY / KELLY WILLIAMS / BLACK BEAR DINER

develop deep expertise on any topic we believe is relevant.”

Additionally, by eliminating paper and using games for employee coaching, Carcara has noticed less points of friction that have existed for decades, as well as a favorable impact in employee engagement and knowledge levels. “The science is hard to argue,” he adds.

Sixty Vines is a casual dining concept which pairs kegged wines with charcuterie boards and other shared plates, while other FB Society brands include The

work-life balance (i.e. managers get one four-day work week per month). “When we treat people the way they want to be treated and make decisions through that lens, we create a compelling place to work," Carcara adds. “That, coupled with the potential to make great wages and tips, creates a meaningful employee value proposition.”

“I don’t think there’s any more powerful workplace trend than to make sure every player on the team has the opportunity to compete,” adds Caucci.

ing candidates can sometimes be your biggest advantage,” says Skinner.

Tupelo Honey hosted its first annual National Hiring Day in 2022, where all locations across the company closed to focus on staffing. Fresh, scratch-made biscuits were offered to any candidates who came out for an interview, and the restaurant utilized social media platforms to get the word out about the event and sign-on bonuses.

“When it comes to hiring, try new strategies, but pivot quickly when those

Ranch, Velvet Taco, Ida Claire, Haywire, and Son of a Butcher Slider Bar. Though Carcara notes Sixty Vines is “by no means perfect” and still has “plenty of work to do,” a focus over the past two years on implementing paid time off for all full-time employees, complimentary mental health support for all team members (including part-time workers), providing clear career pathways, and more have helped the restaurant collective stay fully staffed since mid-2021 at the majority of FB Society concepts.

Plus, management turnover was less than 10 percent last year, Carcara says, driven by a culture that celebrates a

“Nobody likes an unfair game. Not every worker is starting at the same level in our workforce; some folks have been advantaged to start a few levels ahead,” Caucci continues. “It’s our responsibility as leaders in the restaurant space to afford everyone in our workforce, on our team, the opportunity to be successful.”

SIMPLIFYING THE HIRING PROCESS

With so many open positions for retail and hospitality jobs, employers need to prioritize an efficient hiring process to ensure applicants are moved through the system quickly. “Speed in contact-

strategies don’t work,” Skinner adds. “Sometimes, being the first person to tap into a particular candidate population has the biggest return. In the fast-moving world of hiring, you never know what works until you try it.”

At California-based Black Bear Diner, job seekers have the option to apply for open positions online or by text or chat using TalentReef, a platform the nearly 150-location chain recently began using. “We have worked hard to make applying to Black Bear Diner as simple and seamless as possible for applicants,” says Tammy Johns, chief people officer.

“We are constantly updating the open positions on our own website, as well as on job listing sites like LinkedIn and Indeed, to attract a broader pool of applicants and meet them where they are job searching," she continues. "We strive to make the application process as simple

“I do think we’re going to come up with a system that will hopefully revolutionize some of the restaurant industry, but it’s a work in progress. We’re always trying.”

AMERICAN SOCIAL

AMERICAN SOCIAL EMPOWERS APPLICANTS DURING THE HIRING PROCESS.

as possible to limit applicant drop-off.”

Meanwhile, American Social took a step back to evaluate team members’ first impressions of the restaurant and made it a priority to simplify the application and hiring process, Herchuck notes.

“We cleaned that up and made it simple by removing things that were timeconsuming without any real relevant purpose; for example, pre-testing for roles that do not require previous experience,” Herchuck says. “Some of these [steps] were intimidating and would turn away applicants who do not have a lot of experience in this process.”

American Social also looked at how quickly the team was able to review applications and set up interviews with potential employees. “The days of saying we only do interviews on Tuesday and Thursday from 2-4 p.m. are outdated, and I’m sure those places continue to struggle with staffing,” Herchuck says.

“We have found that being flexible and letting the team member tell us when they would like to come in, of course with parameters, goes a long way for showing care for their time,” he continues. “Empowering them to be a part of the process from the beginning sets the tone for their overall work experience.”

Additionally, American Social leaders are trained to conduct interviews by splitting their time between asking tactical questions and getting to know the candidates, but also spending time letting prospective employees get to know them and the company.

“We encourage them to ask us questions and tell them that this interview goes both ways, selling AmSo to them as much as it goes the other way,” Herchuck says. “This catches some people off guard, which is OK, and tends to be more of a conversation than a formal interview.”

INCREASING ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION

Blasting Rihanna’s “I Want You to Stay” on repeat throughout your restaurant isn’t enough to stop employees from leaving anymore. The modern workforce is looking for flexibility, work-life balance, boosted pay and benefits, a pos-

itive company culture, interesting training, and career development opportunities. And while a long list like this can be daunting for operators, taking steps to improve each area of the business will pay off in the long run.

To increase team member engagement and enhance talent development, Black Bear Diner recently rolled out a learning management system called “Bears in the Know,” which team members can use to find helpful training resources including everything from harassment and discrimination training to culinary training, COVID-protocol training, and more.

The system also offers diversity and inclusion training, which features resources and information on different topics each month. For example, during the month of June, Black Bear Diner included resources on the LGBTQ+ community and Pride month, and shared information on Black History Month in February.

“Through this system, we strive to create an inclusive environment where all team members can truly be themselves, engage with others, and feel supported by the Black Bear Diner family,” says Johns.

Despite facing widespread industry challenges with staffing in 2021, Black Bear Diner was able to hire approximately 100 team members in 2022, in addition to increasing competitive pay and benefits, like a Safe Harbor 401(k) plan, health insurance, on-demand virtual healthcare with HealthiestYou, and even pet insurance. The diner chain ended last year with 10 percent less manager turnover than in 2021, and is now experiencing a better turnover rate “than most others in the family dining segment,” Johns notes.

“We encourage our managers to conduct ‘stay’ interviews with their team members by continually checking in individually with them,” she says. “We want them to have open and honest conversations about how they can strengthen their team members’ engagement and create more positive experiences, both of which typically result in increased retention and promotions from within.”

Black Bear Diner is proud to consistently be at or above the 50th percentile for pay within the industry, Johns highlights, which has also helped the brand increase team member retention.

“Each year we do a review of wages within the industry, taking note of industry averages, how things are shifting, and what other companies are doing,” she continues. “We use this information to evaluate our own company’s wages and update our pay to keep up and above industry standards.”

At nine-unit Grove Bay Hospitality, rolling out retention bonuses and extending health insurance benefits to part-time workers has helped mitigate turnover. The Miami-based restaurant group behind the Michelin-starred Stubborn Seed has a vast network of celebrity chefs like Marcus Samuelsson, Top Chef champion Jeremy Ford, Richard Blais, and Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis, to name a few.

“Being a homegrown hospitality group, we understand the importance of being connected to our community, and that concept of community is reinforced throughout all of our restaurants,” says Francesco Balli, Grove Bay’s CEO and co-founder.

Grove Bay recently brought on a director of training and development, plus a corporate training manager, to have a full team dedicated to increasing employee learning and engagement. The hospitality group is also evaluating a potential internal social network to extend team member recognition in a public manner, in addition to recently awarding the first round of scholarships to students at Florida International University from the Grove Bay Foundation, which was created to provide funding to students who want a future in the hospitality industry.

Ultimately, 1Huddle’s Caucci believes the future of the restaurant workforce “isn’t robots delivering food to my table; the future of work is a place where people that come to work are not just coming with the right skills and information, but they’re bringing their best selves to work with them each day,” he adds.

Pickleball FRENZY: THE RACE TO OPEN EATERTAINMENT HOTSPOTS

America’s fastest-growing sport extends dwell time and expands operations across every daypart in a restaurant.

FIVE MINUTES.

That’s how long it took for the spring pickleball league to sell out at Smash Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Since opening in 2018, the eatertainment hotspot—with scratch-made food, a full bar, and six pickleball courts—has built a loyal following, including the more than 200 people and 18 leagues that signed up immediately.

Once dismissed as a morning pastime for seniors at local rec centers, pickleball has emerged as one of the fastest trending sports across generations. The average age of folks signing up for the Smash Park league is 35, and some 4.8 million people play the sport in the U.S., marking a 15 percent year-over-year increase that followed a 21 percent growth rate the prior year, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2022 report on pickleball. And Gen Z is fully on board: The fastest-growing cohort are players under the age of 24.

“Our Friday night leaguers are different from our daytime afternoon leaguers, but the courts are always full and guests can book them two weeks out,” says Dannelle Dahlhauser, Smash Park director of marketing.

BY CONNIE GENTRY

Smash Park responded to the spring demand by opening additional leagues, and it is quickly emerging as one of the brands to watch in the eatertainment race to be first to market. The brand’s second store—a franchised Smash Park—opened last year in Pella, Iowa. New locations, all company-owned and -operated, are opening in suburbs of Omaha, Nebraska, and Minneapolis later this year and in 2024. Most recently, the company decided to expand beyond its Midwest base and open in Jacksonville, Florida, slated for October 2024.

“All will be similar to our Des Moines store, with both indoor and outdoor courts, but new locations will include additional amenities—duckpin bowling, a private karaoke suite, and ax throwing,” Dahlhauser says.

It’s not only the popularity of pickleball that has restaurant operators seizing the opportunity with new eatertainment brands, it’s also the impact that the sport has on restaurant operations, effectively expanding service across every daypart, with stores opening at 7 or 8 a.m.

and running until late night, sometimes beyond midnight.

That’s a game-changer for Robert Thompson, whose legacy in eatertainment dining includes pre-COVID standout Punch Bowl Social. His vision for Camp Pickle, the new concept he’s debuting in 2024 with plans to include 10 to 15 pickleball courts in each location, is that it will be running full throttle seven days a week.

“We’ll be busy at eight in the morning, something we were never able to do in prior eatertainment concepts,” he says. “I don’t create any concepts that don’t lean heavily into Saturday and Sunday brunch; it’s just free money when you do it the right way.”

But weekday breakfasts? That’s a new spin for eatertainment that fits perfectly with pickleball enthusiasts, who Thompson anticipates serving coffee, smoothies, and limited breakfast selection throughout the week.

He’s also eager to capitalize on the multi-generational appeal of pickleball, noting that Camp Pickle will be “more

family-oriented” than his previous eatertainment concepts, but it will absolutely replicate foundational elements from past successes.

“When I started Punch Bowl Social in 2010, I wanted to create a model that expanded dwell time. If you don’t have a craveable food and beverage product it becomes more difficult to expand the dwell time, but if can put together all of the moving parts in concert—the food, the beverage, the gaming, and the way you lay it out so guests move about the space naturally, comfortably—you get incremental spend from guests in the expanded dwell time,” says Thompson, whose corporate eatertainment enterprise, Angevin & Co., is the parent company of Camp Pickle and its sister concept, Jaguar Bolera.

In March, Angevin & Co. named Chef Manuel (Manny) Barella to serve as culinary director for both brands. Barella, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, brings a passion for Hispanic cuisine and was a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2022.

THE SPORT’S MULTI-GENERATIONAL APPEAL HAS EATERTAINMENT CONCEPTS LIKE SMASH PARK, CHICKEN N PICKLE, AND EMERGING CONCEPTS LIKE CAMP PICKLE VYING FOR A PIECE OF THE PICKLEBALL PIE, PLUS INNOVATING AROUND CHEF-DRIVEN MENUS.

The menu at both concepts will feature smoked proteins. Camp Pickle will bring together elements of Mexican and camp cooking; Jaguar Bolera will combine Mexican and Southern influences. Thompson will begin rolling out the two concepts later this year, with Jaguar Bolera opening in Raleigh, North Carolina, in December, followed by the first Camp Pickle in Denver in the summer of 2024. “A second Camp Pickle will open toward the end of 2024, and then we’ll have a regular cadence of opening four to five a year,” he says. Deals are underway in Atlanta; Indianapolis; New Orleans; Huntsville, Alabama; Nashville, Tennessee; and Dallas and Austin, Texas.

If pickleball eatertainment seems like a novel concept, think again: It’s the natural evolution of a consumer surge. Every state and all Canadian provinces have pickleball venues, and the U.S. Pickleball Association, with a membership exceeding 70,000, reports there were more than 44,000 courts across some 10,700 North American locations at the start of this year.

UNPLUGGED, FULLY ENGAGED

If they play once, they will come again attests Kelli Alldredge, a former competitive tennis player and one of three managing partners at Chicken N Pickle. She started as a customer when owner David Johnson opened the first Chicken N Pickle in 2016 in North Kansas City, Missouri. She, Johnson, and Brad Clark, the third managing partner, had zero restaurant experience preChicken N Pickle, but like their guests, they thrive on the social camaraderie of pickleball.

“You play once and fall in love with it, and you meet people from all walks of life. There could be four people on the court from four different decades having a competitive game,” she says.

The smaller court is “easier on the body” than tennis, and the compact size contributes to the sense of community—talking and bantering happens naturally during matches, which typically last 15 minutes so a group can easily rotate through four matches in a one-hour reservation.

“YOU PLAY ONCE AND FALL IN LOVE WITH IT, AND YOU MEET PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. THERE COULD BE FOUR PEOPLE ON THE COURT FROM FOUR DIFFERENT DECADES HAVING A COMPETITIVE GAME.”

Chicken N Pickle

OWNER: Dave Johnson

OPENED: 2016

LOCATIONS (IN ORDER OF OPENINGS): Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City; Overland Park, Kansas; Grand Prairie, Texas; Grapevine, Texas

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Glendale, Arizona; St. Charles, Missouri; Webster, Texas

COMMITTED: Henderson, Nevada; Fishers, Indiana; Allen, Texas

MENU: Wood-fired rotisserie chicken and scratch-made food, full bar service

FORMAT: Order at counter, server brings food to table

FOOTPRINT: 60,000–80,000 sq. ft.

EMPLOYEES: 1,200 store-level; 54 home office

FRANCHISE OPTION: No

Smash Park

OWNERS: Monty and Kerri Lockyear

OPENED: 2018

LOCATIONS: Two in Iowa

PLANNED EXPANSION: Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska

MENU: Scratch-made food, full bar and beverage.

FORMAT: Fast-casual, order and pick-up at the counter.

FOOTPRINT: 27,000 sq. ft. inside; 17,000 sq. ft. outside

FRANCHISE OPTION: Yes

Camp Pickle

OWNER: Robert Thompson, Angevin & Co.

OPENING: 2024

CONFIRMED LOCATIONS: Denver and Huntsville, Alabama

IN THE WORKS: Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Dallas; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; Indianapolis

MENU: Elevated, chef-driven menu featuring Mexican + camp cuisine with focus on smoked proteins

FORMAT: Fast casual + DIY bar service

EMPLOYEES: ~250 per location

FOOTPRINT: 55,000 to 75,000 sq. ft.

FRANCHISE OPTION: Hybrid joint-venture partnerships with investor owners but fully operated by Camp Pickle

“People compare Chicken N Pickle to Topgolf, and we admire that company, but what is so different about our concept is we have zero technology. Literally it’s a wiffle ball and a paddle, and people put down their cell phones and technology,” Alldredge says. “Pickleball is all about connecting with other people; you have to engage with another person.”

Ironically, given that in-person interaction is fundamental to the experience, Chicken N Pickle expanded aggressively throughout 2020 and 2021—the antithesis of most restaurants during the pandemic years, but a strategy that has positioned the brand to be a leader in the fast-moving niche space. Seven restaurants are open, three under construction, and another four sites are committed. The company has 1,200 employees across its restaurant locations, 54 corporate employees, and recently opened a second corporate office in Dallas.

“We can kinda tell if someone has never played before—they show up in jeans and cute shoes or boots,” Alldredge quips. “You can play in any outfit, but after that first time, they’re back in tennis shoes and athletic clothes.”

Every location has both indoor and outdoor courts, and the number varies between eight and 12 courts per store. True to name, the scratch menu revolves around chicken (specifically rotisserie chicken) and, like other pickleball eateries, there’s full bar service. The brand’s director of culinary, Alex Staab, oversees the menu company-wide, and the business model is counter-side ordering with food delivered to the table and tabs following guests throughout their stay, from pickleball courts to rooftop to yard games. It’s all about mak-

ing the experience easy and enjoyable from the 7 a.m. opening to 11 p.m. close.

EATERTAINMENT REIMAGINED, FULLY MONETIZED

“I love combining the art of concept creation with data science; that’s true with every concept I create, but you have to find a way to monetize art,” says Thompson, as he builds Camp Pickle around an invigorated strategy that is reimagining operations to produce more profitable operations at a faster clip.

The bar scene at Camp Pickle incorporates a self-pour wall, appealing to the DIY, tech-driven nature characteristic of millennials as it enhances the service experience while effectively addressing wage inflation and lowering labor costs.

After being age/identity–verified, guests receive an RFID chip and then simply tap their payment card to pour their own drinks, charged by the ounce. Camp Pickle will have 40 craft beers on draft, 16 mid- and higher-end wines, and 10 craft cocktails—all on tap at the pour wall.

“That [beverage innovation] and moving to the foodservice counter as opposed to a full-service restaurant environment is going to allow us to cut an estimated 500 to 600 basis points out of our labor cost,” Thompson says. In terms of employees, it reduces the headcount needed from 350 for a comparably sized full-service operation to “just north of 250.”

Citing the ongoing challenges around staffing, he adds: “We’ve insulated ourselves from these bumpy waters around municipalities trying to increase minimum wage and from being negatively impacted by losing tip credit.”

He’s also devised an innovative plan for rolling out the CapEx-intensive brand nation -

wide, bringing in investment partners while maintaining full operational control at each location. Describing it as a joint-venture, hybrid franchise model, Thompson says, “We intend to be both best-in-class and the most-scaled brand in a short period of time.”

“Some of our conversations are happening with real estate developers who understand how to financially engineer a deal that requires a lot of land and capital, some are with high-net-worth individuals who [want] to own a piece of a local Camp Pickle,” he explains.

From a development perspective, the concept requires 55,000 to 75,000 square feet for the operations alone, sans parking, and can be built out vertically across multiple floors. It’s a fourto-five-acre deal if self-parking is part of the equation, and roughly two acres if parking is not included, which is the case in Alabama where the City of Huntsville will have a multi-deck parking structure that Camp Pickle guests can use.

Dark anchor slots in well-positioned shopping malls present another development opportunity, which Thompson has been exploring for a decade or more. He was unable to disclose specifics but said his parent company is looking at former Sears sites and is in discussion with a national mall operator about a

potential joint-venture partnership that would repurpose former retail anchors—JC Penney, Macy’s, or Lord & Taylor stores—with the eatertainment brands.

“We’re relatively agnostic in terms of geography, more focused on the trade area, the economy in the local area, what the millennial base is, and, of course, disposable income. We’re not as focused on urban locations as we were with Punch Bowl Social. These are more quasi-suburban, very similar to Topgolf, and because we need so much acreage, we’re not up near residential,” he says.

The goal is to position Camp Pickle along major travel arteries that bring together multiple trade areas, while Jaguar Bolera will be the more urban, “intown” eatertainment concept.

“Jaguar Bolera can be a little more drinky, it may have pickleball courts but it doesn’t have to; you won’t ever see a Camp Pickle without pickleball courts,” he says.

The design aesthetic at Camp Pickle needed to appeal to everyone from Gen Zs to Boomers, so Thompson settled on a 1940s summer camping/national park theme that he expects will be a warm, nostalgic experience for older generations and a “kitschy, novel” moment for younger generations.

The elephant in the eatertainment room has long been Dave & Buster’s, which has rebounded from pandemicera struggles to more than 150 locations across 41 states, and, in June 2022, acquired the Main Event eatertainment brand. Main Event, with some 50 locations around the country, is the more family-focused concept that positions alongside pickleball-themed venues.

Smash Park’s Dahlhauser noted that a Dave & Buster’s is being built across the street from their Des Moines location. How much competition Dave & Buster’s or Main Event presents for pickleball eateries remains to be seen. When asked if they would be introducing pickleball courts into any of their existing or new locations, the Dave & Buster’s parent company chose not to comment.

“I LOVE COMBINING THE ART OF CONCEPT CREATION WITH DATA SCIENCE; THAT’S TRUE WITH EVERY CONCEPT I CREATE, BUT YOU HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO MONETIZE ART.”

THE AESTHETIC AT CAMP PICKLE (ABOVE) IS A 1940S SUMMER CAMP/NATIONAL PARK THEME, DESIGNED TO APPEAL TO EVERYONE FROM GEN ZS AND MILLENNIALS TO BOOMERS.

Safety in every sense. From investment to usage

On the Rise BY MALINA

SEENARINE

Growing a Legacy Brand

Inspired by an NFL coaching legend, Shula’s Restaurant Group is launching its first upscalecasual dining experience in the Hall of Fame Village, with plans to expand across the U.S.

WALKING INTO THE recently-opened Don Shula’s American Kitchen in Canton, Ohio, guests are met with memorabilia of the Miami Dolphins coaching legend—like an NFL Hall of Fame jacket given to Shula for an undefeated season, and a jersey signed by all 51 players of the 1972 Miami Dolphins team. Shula, who is best known for leading his team to the only perfect season in NFL history, took home 347 victories over the course of his career, which is in line with his motto: “Strive for perfection, but settle for excellence.” He took that philosophy with him during his foray into the restaurant industry in 1989.

ESTABLISHED: 1989

FOUNDER: Don Shula

HQ: South Florida

CUISINE: Steak and American Classics

UNIT COUNT: 16

Established 34 years ago with the launch of Shula’s Steak House, Shula’s Restaurant Group has now created six restaurant brands across 16 locations in the U.S., which span fine dining, upscale casual, and fast-casual: 347 Grille, Shula’s Bar & Grill, Arizona-based Prime, and Shula Burger, which has nontraditional units in airports and stadiums.

This year, the group expanded its portfolio by welcoming the new dining concept inspired by the NFL coach,

who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Don Shula’s American Kitchen is the first upscalecasual dining experience to open in the Hall of Fame Village, a 100-acre sports and entertainment resort destination in Canton developed around the Hall of Fame Museum.

Shula Restaurant Group CEO Cody Plott sees Don Shula’s American Kitchen as a “natural fit” for the restaurant group. “We’ve always had upscale casual as the target, and this is just a larger spectrum from that,” he says. “I think what it does instead of a specialty restaurant—which sometimes can be a special-event type restaurant—is that this is much more regulated to people who can make it there two or three times a week.”

The 9,400 square-foot restaurant focuses on giving guests a personalized experience. For a more casual outing, the bar features 28 seats where patrons can sit and watch sports on multiple TV screens. The space also has different dining spaces away from the bar, including an upstairs enclosed area and two private dining areas.

With a large selection of menu items compared to a typical steak house, Plott sees Don Shula’s American Kitchen appealing to a wider variety of customers who are looking for an upscalecasual experience. Along with serving main dishes like its 48-hour short rib, the restaurant also offers white cheddar and corn enchiladas and an Asian grilled shrimp salad. A dessert menu features treats like the Peanut Butter

DON SHULA’S AMERICAN KITCHEN SERVES DISHES LIKE ITS 48-HOUR SHORT RIB, PLUS WHITE CHEDDAR AND CORN ENCHILADAS.

Cremeaux and the Banana Bread Waffle, while specialty drinks on its cocktail menu include Latenight Game—a coconut-washed Tito’s vodka with blueberry coffee and noix de coco—and their Sparkling Trophy, which consists of botanist gin, lime, lemon, creme de violette, blackberries, and basil. Along with the cocktail menu, they have an extensive wine list with bottles ranging from $34 to north of $200.

“Whether you’re having the Bolognese or the short rib or a sandwich, you have the ability to experience all of those things in a dining experience that we think from a service standpoint, will be highly enjoyed. Plus, dining should be part of the entertainment,” says Plott, who replaced Bill Freeman as CEO of Shula Restaurant Group in February this year.

The contract to build Don Shula’s American Kitchen was originally signed three years ago, but the project just came together in the past year. The Hall of

Fame Village team played a key role in the launch of Shula’s Restaurant Kitchen, aiding in construction and design elements.

“We gave a lot of input to the menu [and] the pricing. We also gave input to making the place unique and different, creating a sense of place from a design point of view for Coach Shula and to represent his brand,” says Michael Crawford, Hall of Fame Village CEO. “And obviously, being around the Hall of Fame, we wanted it to really stand out as something unique and different.”

Besides providing insight and input, Crawford says the Village trusted the Shula Group to create a place that would honor Hall of Famer Shula. The restaurant opened to the public on March 21, and has already received a positive community response and media praise.

“I think the feedback has been, I use three letters—wow,” says Crawford. “It’s just been reviewed in the local newspaper; I would echo their words that everything is great, the food experience and the service is fantastic.”

The Village sees many high-profile guests visit such as NFL team owners, and with the addition of Don Shula’s American Kitchen, those guests will have closer proximity to an elevated din-

ing experience, Crawford adds. As the brand expands its food options in the Village, the company also wants to cater to guests who come for a waterpark day, events, or just to visit the Hall of Fame.

Though the restaurant group plans to open more units in the future, the success of the Canton location remains the top priority. “I think [from] Shula’s standpoint, this is just another opportunity for us to expand the brand, and we do want to take [it] across the country,” says Plott. He expects an uptick in business during the summer months will yield great success for the restaurant, especially as the Village expands its food program.

“We thought through the types of food experiences that would make the most sense. With Don Shula being more about higher-end casual dining experiences, we wanted to balance that between a brew pub, a pizza place, and an ice cream place—something that was really there for everyone to enjoy,” says Crawford.

Before joining the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company as CEO in 2018, Crawford first learned the ropes of creating unique food experiences for customers while working for The Walt Disney Company. There, he considered the different types of customers across Disney’s parks in California, Florida, and Shanghai, China, and helped develop what would best fit their dining needs.

Crawford hopes the Don Shula’s American Kitchen will act as a signal to Pro Football Hall of Famers that the Village wants to continue to grow their relationship with them, and make the athletes feel like they’re a part of the destination. And while the Village wants to be a place that honors Hall of Fame legends, it also seeks to become a place where visitors can feel entertained and bring their family and friends, and leave feeling like their own legacy is growing.

“Our hope is that the legacy of the Hall of Fame and the men that are enshrined there just continues to permeate through the Village, and gives an extension of everything that they’ve done at a high level through their careers,” he adds.

DON SHULA’S IS DESIGNED TO BE A HIGHEREND CASUAL DINING EXPERIENCE, STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN A BREW PUB AND A PIZZA/ICE CREAM PLACE.

SHULA’S RESTAURANT GROUP

BY MALINA SEENARINE

Crafting Farm-Driven Cocktails

Bar Manager Mari Howe creates a sustainable beverage program using farm-fresh ingredients at Pacific’o on the Beach.

WHEN MARI HOWE was first invited to work on the beverage program at Pacific’o on the Beach, there were only three cocktails on the menu. After coowner Qiana and Michele Di Bari joined as co-owners and managing partners, Pacific’o was primed for a reimagining of its drink menu. The goal was to develop new cocktails and beverages using ingredients from O’o farm, the restaurant’s 8.5 acres of land that produces fruits

and vegetables, which are also used in the dishes. Howe saw this as the perfect opportunity for herself, since the restaurant she previously worked at was on a farm-driven plantation.

Located on the island of Maui in Hawaii, Pacific’o has been around since 1993. It provides guests with a close-up beach view of Lahaina and offers sophisticated cuisine such as Blackened Fresh Catch and Wagyu Beef Short Ribs. O’o farm is located 25 miles away from the restaurant. Sitting 3,500 feet above sea level on the misting slopes of Haleakalā volcano, O’o farm supplies more than 50 crops to the restaurant including vegetables, fruit, herbs, coffee beans, tea, honey, eggs, and olive oil. After two years of being part of the Pacific’o team, Howe

is implementing ingredients from the farm into Pacific’o’s cocktails in innovative ways.

What was your approach when creating the new bar menu for Pacific’o on the Beach?

The approach was essentially letting the farms come to us and creating a cocktail that changed daily and sometimes weekly, depending on what was seasonal and available. Sometimes we would just find ways to utilize things—I started doing these farm cocktails and maybe for a week, we would run it, and the staff would get a chance to taste it and sell it to their guests. Then we get feedback and the farm cocktails that were very popular and that the guests really enjoyed

A MOCHA MARTINA (LEFT) IS ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW BAR MANAGER MARI HOWE (RIGHT) IS ELEVATING THE BEVERAGE PROGRAM AT MAUI’S PACIFIC’O ON THE BEACH BY USING INGREDIENTS FROM THE RESTAURANT’S O’O FARM, SUCH AS FRESH COFFEE BEANS.

Behind the Scenes

cocktail. We did a punch [with] fresh pineapple and cinnamon, [and] it had ginger tea is kind of like the base. And then we did two different rums to make it into a nice cocktail. After basically making one syrup, we’ll use the scraps for a different cocktail.

What is the history of O’o farm, and what was your first reaction when you learned about the farm?

were the ones that ended up going on the menu. From a three-cocktail menu, we slowly built by adding the farm cocktails and keeping the ones that were the big hits. That was essentially how I built that cocktail menu in the beginning, just kind of little by little adding to it and keeping the ones that people really liked.

What are examples of using ingredients from O’o farm in the cocktail menu?

One drink that became a part of the menu is our Butterfly Effect. We were getting a lot of lemongrass from our farm. And I was like, oh—that’s one thing that’s always in season and very abundant. We would get so much sometimes that we didn’t even know what to do with it, so we took the lemongrass and made lemongrass syrup. We did fresh ginger and lemongrass and then we use the tops of the lemongrass for garnish. We also had some local butterfly pea blossoms that one of our farmers brought [that] we steep into a tea and use as the float. It was definitely popular when we ran it as [an LTO, and] we ended up putting it on the menu permanently.

How does Pacific’o prevent food waste in its restaurant?

What’s really cool is the kitchen uses

the lemongrass for the curry, and when we take the nice lemongrass for the garnish, we clean them up and trim them so they look beautiful on the drink, and the uglier ones are just used in the food because it’s getting boiled into a curry anyway. We’ll kind of return the scraps, if you will. And then the base of the lemongrass we blend and turn it into this lemongrass syrup that goes in the cocktail. We’re kind of utilizing it a few different ways.

We’ve even taken it so far as after blending it into the syrup, we would strain that pulp and steep it into a tea and then use that for another drink. The same drink also has fresh ginger. But once you’re done with the pulp, you can actually squeeze out more juice and then take that pump and steep it into a tea with hot water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Now you’ve got three uses for that ginger, and you can make another

When I spoke to the owner about the farm the first time I went there, I felt like a kid in a candy shop, there were just so many beautiful fruits and vegetables and flowers. And you know, I remember asking him like, what restaurants do you sell to? And he’s like, ‘Oh, just our own restaurant.’ And I was like, really? This 8-acre farm just for Pacific’o? I guess back then they were only really using it for the food, but no one was utilizing it for the cocktail program. He said they were having a hard time finding quality organic produce on the island, so they decided to start growing their own. But that farm just blossomed; I think it was when they bought it, there were a few coffee and citrus trees at the time. Now they’ve got rows and rows of lettuce. They’ve got coffee plants where we get our organic coffee that we roast and use in not only our coffee drinks but in our summer teas. They have edible flowers that are gorgeous for garnishes, and they even have olive trees, which you wouldn’t even think would grow in Maui, but you know, they make olive oil and there are bees on the farm where they cultivate their own honey.

It’s really interesting, how this little 8-acre plot has just grown tremendously since they started it. They even have an orchard of apples and little farm nectarines. Living on Maui, you don’t even realize some of these things grow here but since the elevation is a bit higher, they’re able to have a nice variety.

SPENCER STARNES

PACIFIC’O ON THE BEACH MINIMIZES WASTE BY REUSING LEFTOVERS FROM A DISH IN A NEW COCKTAIL OR TEA.

Optimizing Chef-Designer Partnerships

Alluring design is paramount to creating a holistic and elevated restaurant experience. Here’s how restaurant operators can make the most of their relationships with designers.

WHEN IT COMES TO restaurant

design, chef–designer collaborations are of immense value to create an elevated dining experience that is reflective of the chef’s tastes, values, and personal ambitions. Offering a holistic experience where menu, service, and environment complement each other seamlessly to deliver a special experience and create excitement and loyalty towards the venue is of utmost importance.

Above all, chef-designer partnerships are an opportunity and a privilege. Design is a creative response to a list of conditions, desires, and aspirations, and as designers, our role is to conceptualize and develop a design that can offer seamless solutions to technical and operational challenges. It should also allow the restaurant to function well while showcasing a unique design personality. It is especially inspiring to work with a chef who has a clear point of view and creates a space that delivers a unique experience, crafted together by leveraging each other’s strengths and expertise.

Collaboration is key

Although many restaurant designers have a strong grasp of operational

processes and flow in food service, it is not uncommon to overlook some of the unique nuisances that are associated with each restaurant. Whether that involves the day-to-day movement of cooks and servers, issues are easily avoided when the chef is involved early on in the design process. A chef will likely have a better grasp of how the restaurant chooses to receive deliveries, how staff enters or exits the kitchen during peak hours, and even storage. Overall, the chef can weigh in on the technical and operational procedures that are specific to that restaurant. Additionally, as frictionless and touchless dining experiences continue to gain momentum, opportunities for extra seating areas or expanded kitchen areas are present. Collaboration with the chef can help

spark new ideas on the most efficient use of the available space.

Our team recently collaborated with Jason Neroni, Executive Chef of The Desmond supper club at the new Kimpton Alma in San Diego, California. The result is a dining destination inspired by Neroni’s style and philosophy showcasing local produce and local culture alike. The space feels open and effortless but is articulated as a sequence of more intimate areas punctuated by the juxtaposition of modern and historical elements.

Observe to understand

During this, and most chef-designer collaborations, we always start by observing and experiencing the physical space first to form a personal point of view. Conversation with the chef comes immediately

THE DESMOND SUPPER CLUB IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, WAS INSPIRED BY CHEF JASON NERONI’S PHILOSOPHY OF SHOWCASING LOCAL ART AND CULTURE.

after. We need to understand the food, the style, the vision, and the technical requirements. We then work to capture the chef’s aspirations and vision and present surprising and innovative ideas that we can develop and refine based on a collaborative exchange.

At The Desmond, Neroni’s personal taste is as honest as his food, and it was very important to him that the final restaurant design did not align with stereotypical choices and details. He trusted our team’s ability to capture the essence of his personal style in the overall look and feel of the space. Throughout the design process, I was impressed with Neroni’s ability to think “big and small” at the same time. He is a well-read curious person, and certainly a “big” thinker when it comes to conceptualizing a new restaurant, but never loses sight of the practical operational aspects that make a restaurant a success. He is able to think as the creative chef, operator, server, bartender, and kitchen staff at the same

time. It is this attention to detail that creates a seamless experience and makes the guest feel special.

Form and function

At the end of the day, restaurants are businesses. We invest as much focus in finding creative solutions to operational concerns as much as we invest in creative tasks. The seamless blend of “form and function” translates into an efficient space that functions well, is aesthetically compelling, and meets the financial objectives of the enterprise. That seamless blend and the ability to deliver an experience that supports the menu gracefully and captures the right atmosphere.

People today are looking more and more for honesty in the quality of the food, and this is being reflected in the design as well. Fortunately, we seem to have moved past the tendency to overdesign and “try too hard to impress.” Design that prevails over the food is

never a good idea. A successful restaurant design has the ability to keep surprising the recurring customer and make the guest feel special and welcome over and over.

Beatrice Girelli is the co-founder and design director of Indidesign. She received her Master’s Degree in Architecture at the University of Rome, La Sapienza, with a specialization in Historic Preservation/ Restoration, she is NCIDQ certified and has retained her professional Architectural license and board certifications in Italy and in the UK. In 2003 Beatrice started Indidesign, in Los Angeles, CA which grew quickly into a recognizable name in the field of interior architecture with an emphasis on luxury and lifestyle hospitality projects and product design.

BEATRICE GIRELLI

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START ME UP

YOUR STORIES OF OPENING A NEW RESTAURANT, OVERCOMING OBSTACLES, AND BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS.

Dae Gee Korean BBQ

When Denver native Joseph Kim acquired what would become Dae Gee Korean BBQ, he had zero experience in the restaurant industry. Now, the Korean barbecue brand has five stores in Colorado and will open five more locations across the U.S. by the end of 2023. Though Kim had a learning curve when it came to the foodservice industry, he opened small businesses with his parents growing up, which helped him gain an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age. Kim noticed that first-generation immigrants like himself typically focus on mom-and-pop style restaurants, but with Dae Gee BBQ, Kim saw the opportunity to grow the concept into something bigger through franchising and branding. Dae Gee Korean BBQ serves all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue with traditional Korean recipes from Kim’s executive chef and mother-in-law, Nam Hee Kim.

SIMPLICITY MADE DIFFERENT

There are a lot of different chefs who can make good styles of barbecue. Our model is very simple—we’re focusing on higher-quality food with fewer menu items. When you come into one of our establishments, it’s very welcoming. It doesn’t look like a mom-and-pop, it looks like a franchise, so it throws a lot of consumers off. They feel comfortable in our atmosphere, but sometimes question the authenticity of our food. My big goal when I started was maintaining authenticity, but being very trendy about how we present ourselves.

ENTERING A NEW MARKET

When I was younger, there were probably two Korean barbecue restau -

rants in the Denver metro area. In Colorado in general, there might have been 10. There wasn’t a huge presence; also, there wasn’t a huge density of the Korean population. But I didn’t want to focus on the 40,000 Koreans in this market. There were about 4 million Coloradans at the time, so I asked, “How do I reach that market?”

FRANCHISING MADE EASY

The franchisees do not have to have any cooking experience. All of the foods are marinated, and all the sides are prepped with our co-packers and shipped directly. I think that component is very appealing, because Korean food is hard to replicate and to be consistent. The look of our brand exempli-

fies the franchise model, as well as the food—it’s consistent. So it’s easier to take on versus someone trying to learn how to make kimchi and ferment.

BEYOND THE BORDER

Mexico is a huge market, [and] I think it’s an underserved market. (Kim hopes to finalize the brand’s first location in Mexico by November.) I think Korean barbecue or just Korean culture in general has exploded in the last 10 years, from K-pop to K-drama. But I think food is just right around the corner, and everyone’s getting interested in that aspect. I think we’re just positioning ourselves in a lot of newer markets because I think a lot of the consumers across the world are familiar with it.

DAE GEE KOREAN BBQ (3)

JIM DARLING

- Side dishes that make the meal -