648: Scott Roberts on Persistence and Hard Work

The Salt Lick has a story that dates back to the 1830s when Scott Robert's ancestors came to TX with Steven F Austin and moved to Driftwood, TX in the 1870s. Over the next 100 years, BBQ techniques were developed by Roberts family that would eventually be used in the original Salt Licks, which was established in 1967, by Scott Roberts' parents, Thurman and Hisako Roberts. In 1985 the Business was passed from parents to son. In the proceeding 30 years, Scott has scaled the original footprint and has opened an additional 3 locations. Today The Salt Lick is continuously recognized as one of the best BBQ locations in America. Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra: "If you want to be successful in this business you need to devote your life to it, you've got to put your soul in it, you've got to be friendly, and you've got to serve the best quality product you can." In this episode with Scott Roberts we will discuss: Operating a 100-year-old restaurant Modernizing an old business Cash-only operation Inheriting a business from parents Consistency Quality control Systems, processes, and procedures Passing on a legacy to new generations The meaning of Texas BBQ to a community Today's sponsor: BentoBox empowers restaurants to own their presence, profits and relationships. The hospitality platform disrupts third-party services that come between the restaurant and the guest. BentoBox puts the restaurant first and offers tools that drive high-margin revenue directly through the restaurant's website. BentoBox is trusted and loved by over 5,000 restaurants worldwide including Union Square Hospitality Group, Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Lilia 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 Restaurant365 is a cloud-based, all-in-one, restaurant-specific accounting and back-office platform that seamlessly integrates with POS systems, payroll providers, food and beverage vendors. It generates accurate real-time reporting and analysis in user-friendly dashboards, facilitating immediate, data-driven decision making. Restaurant365 eliminates manual, error-prone processes and is designed to help restaurant businesses grow with functionality that helps optimize labor costs, reduce food costs and increase revenue.   Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Caring about people; customers and employees What is your biggest weakness? An unpaved parking lot What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Desire What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Finding people with desire Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Pick up trash when you see it; translates into quality everywhere else What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Smile and be respectful What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard 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? Indeed.com 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? Family legacy passed on to my daughter The look of the space The feel, the experience Contact info: Salt Lick website contact page 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 Scott Roberts 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!