923: Chef Brendan Vesey Owner of Botanica Restaurant and Gin Bar

Brendan Vesey is the Chef/Owner of Botanica Restaurant and Gin Bar. Upon Graduating the University of Virginia Chef Brendan Vesey found himself serving as an officer in the US Navy. Since finishing service in 2005, his nose has been to the grindstone growing and developing as a professional Chef. In 2014, he opened his second restaurant, The Joinery, located in Newmarket NH, which, unfortunately, was a casualty of the pandemic. His third concept, Botanica Restaurant, and Gin Bar, which Vesey opened in 2019, was able to survive the pandemic and is thriving today. When he's not leading his team at the Joinery he serves as an adjunct hospitality professor at Great Bay Community College and serves as a local leader for chefs collaborative. We highly recommend that you check out episode 286 with Brendan Vesey before you listen to this 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: "Just do it right. make it perfect and real, because everything was never the deal." In this episode with Brendan Vesey we will discuss: Small menus Regulars Juxtaposition on your offerings - mix up what you offer every so often Scaling Internal growth and scaling The decision to close a restaurant Operating out of a small kitchen How to raise profits Profit first Today's sponsor: 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. 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. Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Harder on myself than anyone else could ever be What is your biggest weakness? Harder on myself than anyone else could ever be What's one thing you ask or look for when interviewing/growing your team? A level of engagement about anything What do you do outside of work that excites you? What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Managing my time and work/life balance Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Be nice to each other What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? The staff is the star of the show What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bordain GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations? Tock - reservation system What is one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or often enough? Take care of their staff 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? Don't over-promise Be your toughest critic be nice to the people that are doing things for you Contact: Website: botanicanh.com Instagram: @botanica_nh 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 Brendan Vesey 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!