644: Charles Clark and Grant Cooper on True Restaurant Etiquette

Clark Cooper Concepts, lead by Chef Charles Clark and Grant Cooper, is the group behind Ibiza, Brasserie 19, Coppa Osteria, Punk's Simple Southern Food, and The Dunlavy, was brought to life in 2001, when they decided to share their passion for food and the dining experience. The driven duo constantly strives to be at the forefront of the Houston restaurant industry with concepts that are chic, sophisticated, and provide customers with an experience of undeniable excellence and spirit. Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra: Grant: "Everything is derived from passion." Charles: "Do what you want to do the best you can do it in your own style." In this episode with Charles Clark and Grant Cooper we will discuss: Passion and what it means to YOU Atypical ways to interview potential employees Motivation Recognizing value Partnerships Mentors The overtime loss of restaurant etiquette Never say "no" Growing up in Europe and what other cultures can teach us Treat everyone like a VIP Get everything in writing 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.   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? Grant: dedication commitment passion attitude Charles: 100% ready What is your biggest weakness? Grant: Too compasionate with staff Charles: not taking the time to train as well as we should What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Personality and willingness to work What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Staffing Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Grant: Knowledge of what you're selling, confidence Charles: Knowing the customer's needs and fundamentals What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Grant: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight Charles: White Heat by Marco Pierre White 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? Take care of the customer, too politically correct What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations? Toast POS 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? Good bottle of wine Be in your restaurants Leave behind a trail of good people who have worked for you Contact info: Clark Cooper Concepts website 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 Charles Clark and Grant Cooper 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!