830: Carrie Luxem - 12 Step Termination Checklist workshop
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Release Date: 09/23/2021
1079: John Currence Chef/Owner City Grocery Restaurant Group
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
John Currence is the Executive Chef and Owner of , HQ'd in Oxford, MS. John opened his first restaurant, City Grocery, at 26 in 1992. John later opened which has scaled to 22 locations today. The company has its sights currently set on 50 locations nationwide. Favorite success quote/mantra: “Everything is everybody’s job all the time.” “Don’t your own press.” “Never forget that it’s your people that give you the ability to make the living that you do. In this episode we will discuss: Partners Labor markets Cooking Leadership Scaling Tech stack...
info_outline
1078: Vishwesh Bhatt Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Snackbar
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Vishwesh Bhatt is the Co-Owner and Executive Chef at Snackbar, located in Oxford, MS. Vishwesh immigrated to the US from India and in college, he studied biology. It wasn't until he worked at a restaurant that he decided to become a chef, then went to culinary school in Miami. He worked in the City Grocery family of restaurants, which includes Snackbar (opened in 2009), until he took over as head chef and become part owner around 2017. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Respect." In this episode we will discuss: Culinary school Partners Respect Equity Opening and closing restaurants Today's...
info_outline
1077: Jeff Good Owner & President Mangia Bene
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Jeff Good is the owner and President of Mangia Bene (and 2 other restaurants) in the Jackson, MS area. Jeff started in the industry as a teen, and also at that time he met his business partner in high school. After college, Jeff went into sales. He left that industry and decided to open a restaurant with his childhood friend, who is a chef. In order to convince investors to invest, he held dinners out of his home. Today, he owns 3 restaurants in the Jackson, MS area. Favorite success quote/mantra: "I ask God to help me do the right thing." In this episode we will discuss: Raising...
info_outline
1076: Charles Morgan, a “Restaurant Guy”
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Charles Morgan considers himself simply a "restaurant guy" from Atlanta. Charles started in the restaurant business in Gulf coast Florida in 1979. Today he owns approximately 12 restaurants all over the Florida panhandle and the surrounding areas. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom." In this episode we will discuss: Expanding Restaurants in the 70s/80s/90s Commercial fishing and restaurants Profit sharing Labor markets Today's sponsor: : Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is...
info_outline
1075: Faras Kargar Owner Delbar Restaurant and Bar
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Fares Kargar is the Owner of and in Atlanta, Georgia. Fares was born in Iran and grew up there until he was 18 when he moved to the US. Once in Atlanta, he went to school for hospitality management and while in school, he began working in restaurants. Once he graduated, he moved on to work in many restaurants, including Waffle House, until he landed at Rumi's Kitchen where he quickly became a GM. Finally, in 2020, he opened his first restaurant, Delbar. Today, there are 4 Delbar locations. Favorite success quote/mantra: "This too shall pass." In this episode we will discuss: ...
info_outline
1074: Doug Turbush Chef & Owner Seed Kitchen and Bar
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Doug Turbush is the Chef & Owner of in Atlanta, GA. Doug started in the business as a 15 year old washing dishes. He went to school for hotel managment and went to the C.I.A. after that. His goal was to open his own restaurant by his early 30s. He lived and cooked in Thailand and lived and cooked in Atlanta until at 39 he opened Seed Kitchen and Bar in Atlanta in 2011. In 2013 he opened Stem Wine Bar next to Seed, and in 2016 he opened another restaurant which then closed in 2024. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Make it nice or make it twice." In this episode we will discuss: ...
info_outline
1073: Jen Hidinger-Kendrick Founder of Giving Kitchen
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Jen Hidinger-Kendrick is the Founder of . Jen and her late husband, Ryan, started a supper club in Atlanta around 2012. The supper club was incredibly successful and finally, four years later, they opened Staplehouse together. Staplehouse was also a great success. However, before the restaurant opened, Ryan was disgnosed with cancer and passed away in 2014. Jen sold her share of the restaurant to her partners and started Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit with this mission: "to provide emergency assitance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources."...
info_outline
1072: Damian Otero and Miguel Hernandez, CEO and COO at Rreal Tacos
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Damian Otero is the CEO of Rreal Tacos and Miguel Hernandez is the company's COO. Damian and Rreal Tacos were previously on the show for episode 945 back in 2022. At that time, Rreal Tacos was opening their third location. Today there are 8 locations with more on the way. They are based in Atlanta, GA. Favorite success quote/mantra: "Create an opportunity biug enough for everybody to get a piece of the action." In this episode we will discuss: Negotiating leases Real estate and restaurants Growth/expansion Sharing equity with employees Marketing Today's sponsor: : Are you a chef, owner,...
info_outline
1071: Shuai & Corrie Wang Co-Owners of Super Happy Fun Time Group
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Corrie and Shuai Wang are the co-owners of Super Happy Fun Time Group which operates and in Charleston, SC. Shuai is a Chinese immigrant who grew up in NYC. There he met Corrie while working in restaurants. Corrie is from upstate NY and is also an author. They moved to Charleston together in 2014 and soon after started a foodtruck and popups to test their culinary concepts. Jackrabbirt Filly opened in 2019 with King BBQ opening in November of 2023. Favorite success quote/mantra: Shuai: "You have yet to experience your best days." Corrie: "Like attracts like." In this episode we...
info_outline
1070: Bret Oliverio Owner of Sup Dogs
Restaurant Unstoppable with Eric Cacciatore
Bret Oliverio is the Owner of Sup Dogs, based in Greenville, NC. Bret began his post-school career as a radio broadcaster. His brother started Sup Dogs back in 2008 but tragically passed away a few years later. That's when, in 2012, Bret took over the restaurant and continues to own it today. Now, there are two Sup Dogs locations, plus a distillery and a cocktail bar. Favorite success quote/mantra: "If you let up, you lose." In this episode we will discuss: Marketing Leaving another industry for restaurants Get an accountant Profit-first Menu engineering Verticle integration...
info_outline 
With excitement allow me to introduce to you today's guest, the founder and CEO of Restaurant HR Group, Inc. Carrie Luxem. You can find Carrie Luxem at her website www.carrieluxem.com or read her book Restaurant Operator's HR Playbook here. Carrie Luxem is the founder and CEO of Restaurant HR Group, Inc. and Carrie Luxem LLC and she is laser-focused on her mission to create more restaurant and leadership success stories. She is the author of Restaurant Operator’s HR Playbook and will be publishing her second book (a soft skills playbook) in early 2022. With a restaurant industry focused HR career that has spanned over 20 years, Carrie is frequently sought out for her modern, yet simple and effective advice. She has been named as one of the top 50 women innovators in the restaurant industry and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc Magazine, Restaurant News, Pizza Today and Independent Restaurateur. She has a weekly column with 1851 Franchising, actively posts articles and videos on social media, and has appeared on several radio shows and dozens of restaurant industry and business-focused podcasts.
753: Workshop – Carrie Luxem on HR Systems and Recruiting
321: Carrie Luxem on Your Team Won’t Care About You Until You Care About Them
Show notes…
Calls to ACTION!!!
- Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me! Connect with my past guest and a community of superfans.
- Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
- Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
- Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)
Favorite success quote or mantra:
- “Let’s do what’s right, not what’s easy.”
12 Tips to Properly Terminate Employees
- Know the rules for your state
- Provide an employee handbook
- Take the onboarding to heart
- Track and document employee performance
- Coach your team
- Creating improvement plans
- Initiate corrective action
- Gather documentation and input
- Keep it private
- Be professional and to the point
- Share legally required information
- Learn from each termination
Today's sponsor:
BentoBox empowers restaurants to own their presence, profits and relationships. The hospitality platform disrupts third-party services that come between the restaurant and the guest. BentoBox puts the restaurant first and offers tools that drive high-margin revenue directly through the restaurant’s website. BentoBox is trusted and loved by over 5,000 restaurants worldwide including Union Square Hospitality Group, Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Lilia and more.
Meez One platform to organize, cost, scale, and share your recipes. With a built in database of thousands of ingredient yields and unit conversions for laser accurate costs. Train your teams with step by step video and image slideshows that live right alongside the recipe. Build ops guides and SOPs, create and upload content in seconds. Never let anyone make the wrong outdated recipe again, all the while keeping your IP safe and secure.
Contact info:
Find Carrie's book Restaurant Operator's HR Playbook here
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.
Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.
And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.
Huge thanks to Carrie Luxem for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!