844: Andy Little Chef at Josephine On 12th

With excitement allow me to introduce to you today's guest, Chef Andy Little. Chef Little came to Nashville in 2013 by way of central Pennsylvania where he grew up on traditional Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. After realizing "orchestral musician" was not his career path, Little took up a server position to pay his way through school and discovered his love of the restaurant kitchen. Little graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and began his rising career in the industry first working under Patrick O'Connell at The Inn at Little Washington before a stint at Pennsylvania's Evermay-on-the-Delaware, which eventually led him back to his hometown to spearhead the fine dining restaurant at The Sheppard Mansion. Now a 2017 and 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast, Little helms the kitchen at popular restaurant Josephine, where Pennsylvania Dutch roots meet Southern hospitality for a distinct and thoughtful experience beloved by guests. Check out Atomic Habits by James Clear as mentioned in today's episode. Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and connect with my past guest and a community of superfans. 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: "A little bit better everyday." In today's episode with Andy Little we will discuss: Staring as a server Team environments in the kitchen Attending the C.I.A. Should you go to culinary school? Networking in the restaurant world Discipline Be unique within a specific standard Recipe execution - what makes the end result taste different? The Nashville food scene explosion in the early 2010s Seeking momentum markets Sharing a curated YouTube list with your team If you can't teach and inspire, you can't lead The interview process The desire to help your employees grow and leave your restaurant when they are ready Give your staff the tools and knowledge to be better than you Identifying when you are in over your head Branding Chasing success on social media Today's sponsor: Diageo Bar Academy equips bartenders, servers, managers, and hospitality professionals with the insights, stories, and tools to be better - raising the bar on industry standards. Diageo Bar Academy reaches a diverse audience, with backgrounds and skill levels of all ranges- providing them with skills, knowledge, and the techniques they need to improve their personal and professional lives. 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. MarginEdge is completely free for new customers until September. No setup fees. No integration fees. No commitment. Take your back office paperwork down to 2-3 minutes a day while creating real-time financial views to inform your path ahead. Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Dogged persistence What is your biggest weakness? Dogged persistence What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Attitude AttitudeWhat's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Staffing Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Don't be an asshole What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Personal engagement on a human level; we don't just take orders What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough? Clear perspective of what they want for themselves Name one service you've hired. Allen Benton Bacon What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations? iPhone 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? Try to get a little better every day be a good person Be yourself Contact info: Josephine On 12th website Josephine on Instagram: @josephineon12 Andy Little on Instagram: @chefandylittle 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 Andy Little 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!