626: Will McNeil on Staff First/Customer Second

Born and raised in Burlington, VT Will Mcneil is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. After graduation McNeil cooked at various locations before becoming a FOH manager for Hen of the wood in 2006. By 2011 McNeil was offered a partnership by Chef Eric Warnstedt. Fast forward to the current date and the team has scaled their operation to include Hen of the Wood - Burlington, Doc Ponds Eat & Drink in Stowe, and Prohibition Pig just down the street from their original HOTW in Waterbury, VT. See Episode 625 to hear from Eric Warnstedt. See Episode 613 with Horst Schulze to learn about the 24 Standards of Service. Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra: Empowering each of our managers to make the right decisions and run the business for us. In this episode with Will McNeil we will discuss: Building the perfect team to surround you Staff first; customer right behind it Will's time at CIA Will's mentors at CIA The most important steps of good service The importance of first and last impressions at FOH Transitioning from Sous Chef to FOH manager Horst Schulte's 24 Standards of Service Smile while delivering discipline A minimalist approach to aesthetics Cutting down FOH costs Importance of a post-service meeting Partnerships Learning as much as you can about restaurant tech and how it serves you Respect for your partners Partnerships as a marriage What's behind a name Opening a second restaurant is always the hardest Inward growth Today's sponsor: BentoBox helps restaurants grow their business through a connected suite of tools, offering them an integrated website to connect with their guests and drive revenue online. Restaurant owners and operators are able to easily update menus, promote specials, take catering and event inquiries, sell merchandise, gift cards and more. Revel Systems integrates front of house and back of house operations into a single dashboard. Designed to increase security, stability, ease of use, and speed of service, Revel's streamlined ecosystem provides businesses with the right tools to grow. Learn more at revelsystems.com/unstoppable.   Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Work ethic What is your biggest weakness? To detail-oriented What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Interests outside work/true passion What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Kitchen staffing Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Treat everyone on staff as equals What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Greet gusts within 2 minutes What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain Setting the Table by Danny Meyer GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough? Care What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations? Resy PlateIQ 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? Staff first Customers have right-of-way in the restaurant Empower managers Contact info: Websites: Hen of the Wood Prohibition Pig Doc Ponds Eat and Drink in Stowe 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 Will McNeil 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!