A career in foodservice: Feeling of family

Nation's Restaurant News, May 21, 2001 by Dina Berta

Close-knit relationships often are the ties that bind

For Jessica Campbell, a shift-supervisor at Guru's in Salt Lake City, inviting her bosses to her graduation was as natural as inviting her family.

Kevin Hall and Devon Moreno, founders of the small quick-serve chain, watched her accept her bachelor's degree in elementary education diploma from the University of Utah earlier this month.

The owners, as well as unit managers at Guru's, always took an interest in her schoolwork after she joined the company two years ago, Campbell says.

"I feel like I'm being taken care of here, not just financially," says Campbell, who plans to stay on with Guru's as an assistant manager and open its fourth store. "There's a feeling of trust here. People matter here; things don't."

Tricia Benney in La Habra, Calif., knows she could make more money bartending in a nightclub or bar than she does working as a "mixologist" for the "refreshment centers" in Red Robin restaurants. She gets offers, but she turns them down.

"I know money makes the world go around, and I do okay here," Benney says. "But I want to be happy when I go to work. I'm happy here. It's like a family in our restaurants. We welcome guests in to be part of our family. It's really, really neat."

For many people in foodservice, one of the attractions of the industry is the sense of togetherness and teamwork. Co-workers and supervisors can become as close as family members. It's an attitude that is created, not just by working side-by-side for long hours, but by the way people treat one another, according to those who experience that feeling. And all agree that it starts at the top.

Mark Clark once worked for a restaurant company that was deep in debt. Decisions were made about money and money only, Clark recalls. Some decisions he didn't agree with. When Red Robin came calling, he took an interest, and after he met Mike Snyder, the president and chief executive of the Englewood, Cob.-based company, he accepted his offer.

"It starts with him," says Clark, a general manager for a Red Robin in Escondido, Calif. "The way he treats the people who work for him -- it goes all the way down. As a GM, I'm treated with respect, honor and integrity."

Clark, in turn, says he tries to treat his employees the same way. For example, he tells the story of the time when he told one of the hostesses that her shoes were looking worn and that she should go buy another pair. Later other employees came up to Clark and told her they had decided to chip in and buy the hostess a new pair. In fact, she works to help take care of her mother and could not afford the new pair herself.

"She was really stressed about it, and they were going to pitch in and get her some new shoes," Clark says.

He didn't think the employees should have to do that, so Clark bought the shoes and presented them to the hostess. She burst into tears.

"She's done a great job for us," Clark says. "We're allowed to do cool stuff for people to succeed and feel good about what they do."

Snyder says he didn't set out to create a company with that sense of family. But he grew up in a family business, so that family feeling was always there.

"It seems today that too many people try to come up with some formula for running their life and their business, but if it's not in your heart and you do not have compassion toward people, it probably will not work very well," Snyder says.

Red Robin's value statements do not mandate a family philosophy. Nor is it a part of a mission statement for Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises Inc. Yet the parent company of Church's Chicken, Popeycs Chicken & Biscuits, Cinnabon, Torrefazione Italia and Seattle Coffee Co. is known for a family sentiment in its restaurants.

That caring attitude toward employees begins with chief executive Frank Belatti, says Jeannie Raser, vice president of People Services.

"If it had not been for Frank starting this, I don't know if it would have rolled downhill," Raser says. "Very few groundswells happen in the middle of an organization."

Belatti refers to employees as family. Instead of meetings, family gatherings are held. When an employee has a traumatic experience -- the loss of a spouse, the occurrence of a fire at home -- it is not uncommon for the person to hear from Belatti. And often the company or co-workers will rally around that person, raise money for him or her, or donate to an organization in honor of that person.

"That, to me, is a family type of environment, where people care," Raser says.

Some companies include family atmosphere in their mission statements and company values.

Family is an integral part of Buca Inc., the Minneapolis-based parent of Buca di Beppo Italian restaurants. The concept is based on the heritage of the Italian-American family. Food is served in large portions and served family-style.

Like Belatti, president and chief executive Joseph Micatrotto speaks the language of family, despite the skeptics.

"When I say 'family,' people get this look or say, 'Get away from me with that crap,'" Micatrotto says. "You hire people, and you fire people. But tell me about a family that gets along perfectly? Families fight, yell, scream, love and hate. But at the end of the day, when the door opens and a guest comes in, families unite. They work as a team."