916: Kris Schoenberger Founder/Owner at BBQ'd Productions

Kris Schoenberger left the police department in 2009 and started a catering business. He and his team worked events, weddings, and festivals all over Illinois and Wisconsin. In 2014, he decided to open his first restaurant, with his mother, called BBQ'd Productions. Kris now owns 6 restaurants, including the original BBQ'd Productions, and second location of that brand, opened in 2017.  Check out RestaurantSystemsPro as mentioned in today's episode! Today's feature affiliate: Bentobox. In need of a restaurant website? Click this link to find out why so many of my guests use Bentobox! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me!  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: "I will help you." In this episode with Kris Shoenberger we will discuss: Catering Operating a catering business out of your own kitchen BBQ Working festivals Restaurants are easier after catering Realizing how to properly treat your team and improve The difficulties of scaling Ego in the industry Finding and hiring an Executive Chef Today's sponsor: At Popmenu, we know that in today's world, a great hospitality experience usually begins online. Keeping the conversation with guests going beyond the meal also requires simple, powerful, fun technology capable of expression through all kinds of channels. Our team takes pride in helping restaurants put their best foot forward digitally so they can focus on what they do best. We think PDF menus are super boring, we believe 3rd party platforms have had too much say in how consumers find their next dining experience and we deeply feel that sharing your beautiful menu doesn't have to be so difficult, time-consuming and expensive. As a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable, you'll receive $100 off your first month of Popmenu! 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. Join the 60-day Restaurant Systems Pro FREE TRAINING. This is something that has never been done before. This 60-day event is at no cost to you, but it is not for everyone. Fred Langley, CEO of Restaurant Systems Pro, will lead a group of restaurateurs through the Restaurant Systems Pro software and set up the systems for your restaurant. During the 60 days, Fred will walk you through the Restaurant Systems Pro Process and help you crush the following goals: Recipe Costing Cards; Guidance in your books for accounting; Cash controls; Sales Forecasting(With Accuracy); Checklists; Budgeting for the entire year; Scheduling for profit; More butts in seats and more… Click Here to learn more. Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Humble What is your biggest weakness? My heart What's one thing you ask or look for when interviewing/growing your team? What are your future goals What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Supply shortages Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Be somebody for somebody What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? 3 seconds of attachment, 3 seconds of detachment What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations? Facebook What is one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or often enough? Take care of their employees 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? Give a shit Stay humble Handwrite more thank you notes Contact info: Website: wegrillitall.com Facebook: @BBQdproductionsKenosha 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 Kris Shoenberger 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!