The Case for Change: Chef Matthew Jennings, founder of Full Heart Hospitality

We're all shut down. The hamster wheel has stopped. And some of us, myself included, are wondering if we have the energy and, more importantly, the desire, to hop back on.  Today we discuss the case for change with a man that did just that. Matthew Jennings walked away from his award winning restaurants and all of the perks that come with being a celebrity chef to follow his bliss.  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 Change to the flow of service What happens to Front-of-House service? When doing delivery, does presentation matter? Restaurants won’t be restaurants anymore Reservation systems could be a benefit More information is taken from the guest Additional information is an opportunity for more engagement and connection with customers Pivoting Cornell Business suggests ⅓ bodega style, ⅓ takeout, ⅓ dine-in Chefs Matthew interviewed pivoted in different ways 1 pivoted to groceraunt model 1 pivoted to meal kits and family meals 1 pivoted to mercantile - soap, non-perishable products Starting in consulting Started as a side hustle whilst running own restaurant Worked with Dunkin Donuts Started Full Heart Hospitality Teamed up with Jason Rose Areas of consulting Creative Design concepts Design products Creating menus Marketing Operational Strategy Implementation Why Matthew left the restaurant biz at the top of his game Growing wasn’t fulfilling Running a restaurant took a toll on health and family life Doctor gave him a wake-up call Recovering from being overworked Moving Creating a new community Working from home Belief that life can be about abundance, joy, and progress can all happen at the same time Changes that can be made in the industry What do guests want Comfort food Number of people in a restaurant How to treat our teams What systems to keep The hard part is not having answers regarding the future of the virus Information changes every day How do you make decisions when things are constantly changing? 30/60/90 strategy for planning 30-day strategy aiming for small wins Reflect and measure the results at the end of the 30days Create a roadmap for 60 days then 90 days Cut down overwhelm by breaking it down We must remain flexible as things change Not completely reinventing the business model just in case things change quickly again Post-pandemic predictions How are guests going to feel in a restaurant? Restaurateurs responsibility to keep guests and staff safe