514: Not Letting the Business Ruin the Honesty with John Tesar

Chef John Tesar, who received classical French training in Paris, originally started his culinary career in his home state of New York.  He would eventually trade the Big Apple for Sin City to work with Chef Rick Moonen at RM Seafood in Las Vegas.  By 2007, Tesar embarked on another major move to then up-and-coming culinary hotspot Dallas to take the helm at the ritzy Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek; there he would earn two five-star reviews. Spoon Bar & Kitchen came next followed by Knife in 2014. Over the past 20+ years Chef Tesar has won countless best of awards, has received 4 semifinalist nods for Best Chef Southwest by the James Beard foundations, has made multiple TV appearances and has authored his own cook book. Show notes… Favorite Success Quote or Mantra. "Stay humble, think everything through, work your ass off, and appreciate others."  In this episode with John Tesar, we discuss:  How the people you associate with will define who you become as a restaurateur.  Always being aware of who is around you and who they know.  How we should become familiar with the standards before breaking lose and getting creative.  How the classic way of climbing the latter to success is no longer the only way. Regardless of the way you break in you need to get people behind you buying into your vision.  Being well aware of how difficult this industry is before committing to it.  Starting with low rent and lawyers in your corner.  Accepting that success doesn't come with its fair share of failures.  How creditability is one of the most important things you can have when trying to open a restaurant.   Bringing on partners that can do everything you can't do and rewarding them with equity.  The threat of things getting too "business driven" at the expense of losing your honesty.  Episode Sponsors Soundtrackyourbrand.comSoundtrack Business lets you play 250 music channels guaranteed to fit any type of business. An easy-to-use dashboard lets you find great music, control all your locations and schedule your sound. RU500.net Go to RU500.net to act on a special offer for all Restaurant Unstoppable listeners. Nick Fosberg. is guaranteeing $500 in new sales for every $100 you spend on advertising. For Every $100 You Invest In Advertising, Nick Will Guarantee You A Minimum Of $500 Back In NEW Sales, Or Your Money Back Guaranteed!       Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Tenacity. What is your biggest weakness? Caring what others thought of him. Maintaining his caring nature.   What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Passion and the potential for loyalty.  What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Staffing Realtors charging too much for overpriced properties.  Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Mutual respect and no drama.  What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Create a family atmosphere.  What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  Knife: Texas Steakhouse Meals at Home.  What's one piece of technology you've adopted in your restaurant and how has it influence operations? His dry aging technique.  If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be? Work hard. Respect others. Listen to others opinions  Contact Info  @ChefJohnTesar facebook/chefjohntesar www.chefjohntesar.com   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 John Tesar for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!   Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!