Fighting the Good Fight: Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless

It's been really interesting to see chefs who are normally concerned with running a restaurant suddenly lobbying Congress, all in an effort to show how restaurants tie the whole nation together, economically and culturally. Today we discuss the fight for the survival of our industry and our planet with one of the chefs leading the charge. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES How Rick started in sustainability Rick has always been a “greater good” person Working together for the future of community Willing to sacrifice for the greater good To be sustainable, a restaurant needs a difference economic model organic/ethical produce is more expensive Most restaurants break-even or lose money Rick’s restaurant loses money Ways Rick is redefining his restaurant Commitment to local producers Revising pay structure 20% service charge on all checks Use service charge to pay FOH & BOH staff Hired back staff at a slightly lower hourly rate Split additional gratuity between FOH staff Is the industry ready to reopen? Have we had enough time to reflect? Issues need to be addressed before reopening Open-book management All staff know the business financials Having a strong culture Being open with staff about anxieties and fears Frontera has long-term staff Multigenerations Retirement age staff 50% split men and women Independent Restaurants’ Coalition has a weekly summit Speakers to advice on different issues Advocating for the Restaurant’s Act 25% of unemployment comes from the restaurant industry Less than 8% of PPP loans went to restaurants Restaurants’ Act would ensure a cash grant for independent restaurants to survive More loans are not helpful 30 senators & 160 House of Reps cosigned the bill Rick’s success is fuelled by desire to introduce Americans to Mexican food and culture Lived in Mexico for a long time Rich, complex cuisine Most Americans think of tacos, burritos, nachos, and margaritas as Mexican food Nachos considered American food in Mexico City Spreading the word TV work 12 seasons of long-time TV show “Mexico One Plate at a Time” Books Restaurants Advice to young people graduating from culinary school This will be tough You have shown you are not afraid of hard work The whole world will be redefined Create your own model Interactions with guests are important to BOH too Frontera went to a takeout/delivery model Rick was sad as there was no interaction with guests Pivoting during the pandemic Transformed Topolobampo into a private dining library space