1. How was the Tribeca’s management team assembled?
It was assembled by finding a certain fit for our different needs. So, our main goal is to create a team that works together and to create a team that has different passions for different things, so it can all come together to create a great thing. With our chef, we look for creativity and ability to multitask, be able to handle the volume. For our Sous Chef, we look for someone who will understand the importance of cleanliness, employee relations with each other, and building a kitchen team, and the ability to be able to prep.
We have the bar manager who has a true passion for alcohol and the different liquors, bourbon, and craft beer. And we have a general manager who is really the base of the team in pulling everyone together, and they’re different from the house managers to ensure the success of the service experience.
2. What was done right, and what was done wrong in assembling the team?
There are always challenges in creating a management team. Being an established brand that’s been around for a long time, it’s hard for me to answer initially as the restaurant was started what we did wrong, but in the past one thing I do know that we made a mistake on is going away from our roots. So we’re established as a burger and beer, kind of a gourmet burger and high-end beer establishment. And we trended away from that a few years ago to try some different things and it was a mistake. We are very good at being local, creating great craft burgers and having our own brewery and creating craft beer, so we really got back to our roots and started a catering company which has been a great success.
3. Who is responsible for hiring and firing the management team?
I am. It’s my responsibility to really work with the general manager at the location to make sure that he’s leading and guiding his team in the right direction.
4. What are the steps of the hiring process?
I would say the first step of hiring is knowing what you’re looking for. You can’t just hire someone off of experience or off of qualifications. Those are important as well, but you also have to make sure you have a good fit for your team and what you’re looking for. Personality’s clash in the management team, it doesn’t matter how strong of qualifications an individual has, they’re never going to be able to bond and create a team, so the team aspect is huge in building both an hourly team and a management team.
5. Is a head chef required to be NC State plate and ServSafe certified?
Yes.
6. What about beverage managers and general managers?
Yes. Everyone’s required to be ServSafe certified, and the chefs actually went through culinary school as well to learn all the techniques of food preparation and creativity. They also do some competitions in different shows and different festivals to really challenge themselves.
7. What advice would you give to a first-time restaurant owner who is about to assemble a team?
My advice would be first put yourself in each position at another restaurant and really learn if it’s your passion. The restaurant business is hard, it’s challenging, it’s tiring, it’s stressful. It’s probably one of the hardest career choices out there. Obviously, there’s other manual labor, but as far as the hour’s work, you really just have to have a passion for it. It’s not something you just want to do for fun and jump in, but it can be very rewarding both mentally and financially. But again the most important thing is to really understand the positions that you’re looking for. You can’t coach, develop, create, and hire a team unless you know what you’re coaching. In order to do so, you really have to understand the role that you’re trying to hire for and everything that you’re looking for. You need to understand your personality and your characteristics to make sure you build a team that can work with you.
