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Heard at the Fast Cas Exec Summit: Editors share favorite session quotes

Another Fast Casual Executive Summit is in the books, and as always, it produced a plethora of insight.

October 13, 2016 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Another Fast Casual Executive Summit is in the books, and as always, it produced a plethora of insight. Below is a smattering of some of our favorite quotes of the week.

Employee relations/training

"If I paid what my competitors pay it would earn me $1.3 million, but I'm not going to pull the lever down." —  John Pepper, CEO, Boloco

"We all are going to have to raise our wages ... but it's not easy. ... But the reason we started doing that now is so we get used to this and running a business on a different cost culture so that we'll have figured it out and we'll be operating well when the law kicks in and we have to do so." —  David Jones, CEO of Blazing Onion

"We hire on personality, drive and sense of urgency, not experience." — Andrew Gruel, CEO, Slapfish

"The most important person in my business is the restaurant GM." — Srinivas Kumar, CEO, CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries

"I don't believe there is a low-level employee. Everyone has a meaningful, critical role." — Louis Basile, CEO, Wildflower Bread

"The dream is free; the hustle costs extra." — Frank Klein, CEO, Asian Box

"I spent years watching training videos that are boring. If your videos are longer than five minutes, something is wrong." — Jason Valentine, VP of Operations,  Cousins Subs

Tech

"We certainly didn't want to be in the tech business. I don't like talking about tech, but we are in it." — Eric Ersher, CEO, Zoup

"Build your restaurant like a machine ready to leverage technology you want to deliver to your consumer audience. It's easier for new restaurants than existing brands." — Elizabeth Friend, Euromonitor International 

"Data is only as good as it is actionable." — Laura Rea Dickey, CIO, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants

Customer issues

"There are 1 million restaurants in the U.S. There are 322 million people. That's one restaurant for every 322 people. ... It's extremely competitive and that's why 25 percent of restaurants fail the first year. " — Gerry O'Brion, author of The Restaurant Formula

"80 percent of diners are likely to try a new restaurant offering a deal; nine in 10 search for dining deals." — Rob Kenney, RetailMeNot

"Sometimes you need to invite complaints. Otherwise, guests just leave… for good." —  Conor Kerlin, Mexicali Fresh

"Fascinating brands can charge up to 400 percent more." — Sally Hogshead, brand expert and keynote speaker

"Even if people don't love your product, they have to love your brand."  — Michael Lastoria CEO, &Pizza

"Instagram is our No. 1 social  platform." — Laura Rea Dickey, CIO, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants
 

Delivery

"People are lazy. We have one store where people on the sixth floor order (delivery) from the store on the first floor." — Mike Speck, Halal Guys

"Right now the third-party delivery (companies) see restaurants as a commodity. At some point, the equation will flip." — David Wolfgram, CEO and president, Yalla Mediterranean

"They (third-party delivery platforms) have ruined us (joking). If your food doesn't travel well, don't do it." — Devon Nel, Mexicali Fresh

Operations

"My biggest challenge is being tied to the business. I'm on the register every day." — Jon Scoggin, CEO, Mojo's East Coast Eats

 "For fast casual, it has to be fast. Slow-casual doesn't work so well." —  Steve Heeley, CEO, Veggie Grill

"In terms of competition being close to our space, we think that is good." — Andrew Thengvall, SVP of Strategic Growth and chief legal officer, Freddy's Frozen Custard

"We've probably made 30 mistakes along the way, trying to be everything to everybody." —   Scott Deviney, CEO, Chicken Salad Chick

"Learn the business for six months, run the play and then let's talk about what we can change for the better." —  Jim Mizes, CEO, Blaze Pizza (on talking to franchisees)

"The job of condiments and sauces is to keep the consumer coming back." — Suzy Badaracco,  president, Culinary Tides

Food safety

"A 5,000-site chain moves like a battleship. When it comes to food safety we have to move like a jet ski." — Paul Damico, CEO, Focus Brands 

"When food safety impacts one brand, it impacts the entire restaurant industry." — Maryanne Rose, CEO and Founder | SpenDifference

"I would hire a supply chain executive before I would hire a social media executive." —  Paul Damico, CEO, Focus Brands

"Supply chain needs to be a priority in the formation of your executive team. A single store operator can kill someone."— Paul Damico, CEO, Focus Brands
 

Brand differentiation

Sally Hogshead on brand differentiation for Jagermeister: 

"It's the most popular brand that nobody likes. ... It promises a toxic experience. … People will say 'I hate it.' Then the other person says, 'Me, too. Let's drink some!'"

About Cherryh Cansler

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Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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