700: Mario Del Pero on 3 Ways to Scale Culture

Mario Del Pero grew up in his family's meat processing business. He would go on to study International Relations at the University of Southern California and was on the path to becoming a career lawyer. Instead, he took a job at a Mexican grill where he started as a barback's back. Eventually, he became the Director of Operations at that Mexican grill. In 2005, Mario, along with his wife, Ellen Chen, opened Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market in Southern California. 15 years later they've grown their business to 17 locations. This is my second interview with Mario Del Pero. CLICK HERE to get caught up with Episode 414! Check out Episode 613 with Horst Schulze where we discuss his "24 standards of service" as discussed in today's episode! Check out Episode 632 with Nick Marsh as mentioned in today's episode! Check out The Lean Startup by Eric Ries as mentioned in today's episode. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!) Favorite success quote or mantra: "If it was easy everyone would be doing it." "Good is the enemy of great." In today's episode with Mario Del Pero we will discuss: Restaurant success is a team sport Many people are good, few people are great Looking back to look forward What we can learn from greatness (even professional athletes) Your competitors are essential to your own success The "unstoppable" mindset Surround yourself with people who compliment you "Evolve of die" You must mingle with you fellow restaurant owners The 3 ways to scale culture Recruiting and assimilating the right team Living the rituals Coaching Mario Del Pero's new book "The Coaching Cure" Retain the magic while scaling Staying IN your business The difference between city and suburban dining when scaling Franchise or no franchise? Reasons against franchising for Mendocino Conscious capitalism 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. 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. P&G ProfessionalTM offers innovative total foodservice solutions featuring trusted brands such as Dawn® Professional, Cascade® Professional, Spic and Span® and Comet®. We are unique in that our total solutions are founded in customer and patron understanding, superior products that help save time and cut overall costs, and a five-star service group that is compensated based on customer satisfaction, not commissions. Visit www.pgpro.com for the latest information about P&G Professional's solutions and services.   Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Inspiring others What is your biggest weakness? Not paying attention to the downside What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Asking about their coaching styles What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Not watering down your "whys" Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Selling happy. Don't do standard food. Living a higher purpose of creating transformative relationships. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Can I make some talking room What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  Fundamentals: 9 Ways to Be Brilliant at the New Basics Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough? Stay hungry, don't reinvent themselves, get beyond mediocrity Name one service you've hired. Michael Antochi - third party vendor/purchaser Architects What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenced operations? Facepay - in the future Virtual Drive-Thru - in the future Flyby 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? Be a student of life Seek out mentorship Start with you "whys" Contact info: [email protected] 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 Mario Del Pero 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!