630: Drew Nieporent on Tearing Down Walls

In 1977 Drew Niepornt graduated from Cornell University with a degree from the School of Hotel Management and set out on a career in hospitality that has only been matched by few. Nieporent's first restaurant, the groundbreaking Montrachet (1985), earned three stars from The New York Times and kept that rating for 21 years. Over the following 33 years, he would go on to form the Myriad Restaurant Group and has opened and operated over 39 restaurants around the world, including Seattle, Louisville, Providence, Boca Raton, London, San Francisco, Moscow, Citi Field, home of the New York Mets in Flushing, New York. Show Notes Success Quote Mantra "Serve it hot or serve it cold." In this episode with Drew Nieporent we will discuss: The importance of precision Attention to detail The restaurant scene in NYC in the 60's Why choose hospitality over cooking Fake it 'til you make it Serving food on a cruise ship Respecting your staff Profit sharing Controlling anger as the manager Thew importance of working together FOH and BOH Doubting yourself Maintaining culture when a head chef leaves Confidence Celebrity investors The importance of hands-on ownership The difference between chefs and restauranteurs Caution The fear of losing money Strike while the iron is hot Today's sponsor: Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country — they were even named best online payroll by PCMag. And as a listener, you'll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/unstoppable.  CAKE provides an easy-to-use integrated software and hardware solution to build better dining experiences for restaurant operators and their guests. With mobile marketing and waitlist management to point of sale payment processing, the CAKErestaurant management system helps you grow your business.  Learn more at trycake.com/unstoppable EthicsSuite.com -provide a safe, secure, simple and anonymous communication channel between you and your employees to help you protect your hard-earned reputation and assets. Demonstrate to your team that you are committed to providing a workplace that operates with the highest ethical standards. Staying informed about important issues will help you resolve them internally before they spiral into larger, costly, or public problems.     Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Consistency What is your biggest weakness? Don't trust people What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Business economics What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Someone as clever as myself Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Keep your hands to yourself What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Nothing scripted What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates 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? Share the wealth What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations? Vero Water 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? Kindness and fairness Serve the best food and attract the best talent Don't believe your own hype Contact info: Tribeca Grill 375 Greenwich St. New York, NY 10012 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 Drew Nieporent 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!