766: Lee Frank on Be Yourself. Do You.

Get your 30-day Trial to RestaurantUnstoppableNetwork.com Originally growing up in LA, Chef Lee Frank moved to San Francisco to start cooking in 1997 at the famous Lark Creek Inn, where he worked his way to the sous chef position at the age of 25. Not long after, he moved East to NH and would spend the next decade-plus working for well regarded New England restaurants including: Bonta Restaurant, Brazo, MC Perkins Cove, Arrows Restaurant, and Anneke Jans, before using his 20 years of experience to execute his own vision Otis Restaurant at the Inn by the Bandstand in Exeter, NH. Only 4 months into business, he  was invited to cook at the beard  house, and in the first year of business Otis was recognized by NH as the Best New Restaurant in NH. Check out episode 755 with David Vargas as mentioned in today's episode! Check out episode 748 with Evan Hennessey as mentioned in today's episode! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Get your 30-day Trial to RestaurantUnstoppableNetwork.com 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: "Be true to yourself. Do you." In today's episode with Lee Frank we will discuss: Don't chase money if that means sacrificing who you are An early desire to be in a kitchen Realizing school isn't for you Taking a step back in order to go forward You have to be willing to grind it out in this industry Never choose a job based on the money Gaining knowledge when you're young is more valuable than money Culinary school? Line cooks and chefs. What's the difference? Failures Who started farm-to-table? Giving credit where credit is due Living above the restaurant where you work at' The importance of FOH Attention to detail Maintain standards Constant gentle pressure Checklists Thank your staff Business-minded People don't invest in things, they invest in PEOPLE An individual makes it good, a team makes it great The numbers Building a great team The creation of Chefs After Dark Events in your restaurant aimed at restaurant people Share passion The power of transparency Communication The stress bell curve Quality of service stays consistent regardless of volume Showing up EVERY DAY is easier when you're being YOU Attracting like-minded people Be willing to put in the work Don't ask anyone to do anything you wouldn't do yourself Today's sponsor: 7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free. RestaurantOwner.com is an online community of independent restaurant owners and managers who want training and tools to build a better restaurant and a more profitable, successful business. Resources include hundreds of downloadable templates, training videos and online courses on topics such as recipe costing, prime cost, improving the guest experience and building a positive culture. RestaurantOwner.com also conducts regular live webinars on a variety of timely and relevant topics. Whether you're thinking about opening a restaurant, in the planning stages, or already have multiple locations, RestaurantOwner.com has resources that can help you make better decisions, streamline operations and elevate the thinking and level of engagement of your team. Toast - A POS built for restaurants by restaurant people Adapt fast with Toast's cloud-based restaurant POS system that updates to evolve your POS along with changing industry trends and guest expectations. Toast is built exclusively for restaurants of all shapes and sizes, with over 2/3 of our employees having restaurant experience to serve you better. Online Ordering - Let guests easily order directly from your restaurant for pickup or contactless delivery to keep revenue flowing during these uncertain times. Toast Delivery Services Dispatch local drivers through an on-demand network to keep your community fed and revenue coming in.   Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Hard working What is your biggest weakness? Sarcasm What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? What's your biggest weakness? What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? COVID-19 Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Politeness, say please and thank you What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Every guest is important, not just the ones that look like they will leave a good tip What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough? Adapt Name one service you've hired. Paychex -- payroll What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenced operations? Open Table 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? Love yourself, take care of others, be you Contact info: Facebook: @otisrestaurant Instagram: @chefleefrank Call the restaurant: 603-580-1705 Website: www.otisrestaurant.com Email: [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 Lee Frank 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!