Latest / The Keri Croft Show / Donatos CEO Kevin King on Leading With Heart.

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Donatos CEO Kevin King on Leading With Heart. · The Keri Croft Show

0:01
Keri Croft: Avena Women's Care is a collective of 40-plus providers that have been serving central Ohio communities with comprehensive women's health care for decades.
0:09
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0:12
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0:21
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0:28
Keri Croft: Go to www.avenawomen's care dot com to request an appointment.
0:32
Keri Croft: Be sure to tell them Carrie sent you.
0:35
Keri Croft: Because I live in fear.
1:52
Keri Croft: Here's what I live in fear of, and you'll appreciate this because you can do the same thing with you.
1:56
Keri Croft: You can go to the Google machine and I can see all of the like highlights, you know, how you feel about leadership, all of the main 270 highway shit.
2:06
Keri Croft: Yeah, you can Google, you can chat, you can claw.
2:14
Kevin King: And when we clauded clauded you, that's what it said.
2:19
Keri Croft: Stop it.
2:19
Kevin King: Seriously, that you go, you know, just numbers and little facts are not gonna cut it with Carrie.
2:26
Kevin King: You got she wants the real life stuff.
2:29
Keri Croft: I'm not in Claude.
2:30
Kevin King: Well, we put you in.
2:32
Keri Croft: You really did?
2:32
Keri Croft: Are you being serious?
2:33
Keri Croft: Yes.
2:34
Keri Croft: And it said that about me.
2:35
Keri Croft: Uh-huh.
2:35
Keri Croft: They're so smart.
2:36
Kevin King: Uh-huh.
2:37
Kevin King: It's smart.
2:37
Kevin King: Unbelievable.
2:39
Keri Croft: So, you know, like with Cameron, I was like, I, as great as it would be to have someone like Cameron or someone like you, not interested if we can't learn something new for the people.
2:50
Keri Croft: Yeah.
2:51
Keri Croft: Like Kevin, we don't want the.
2:52
Keri Croft: So the first thing I'm going to ask you today, I want you to take off the Donato CEO.
2:57
Keri Croft: We'll put it on here and there.
2:59
Keri Croft: But then we're going to take it off.
3:00
Keri Croft: We're just going to put the Kev hat on.
3:01
Keri Croft: And we're going to get to know you as a man, a father, and a dad, and just a you know, person walking through the world.
3:08
Keri Croft: Kevin King, welcome to the Carrie Croft show.
3:12
Kevin King: Thank you, Carrie.
3:12
Kevin King: Thrilled to be here.
3:13
Kevin King: It's going to be a blast.
3:14
Keri Croft: My cop runneth over because I am an employee of Donato's now.
3:18
Kevin King: I hear that.
3:19
Keri Croft: And before we get started, I do want to raise and I also want to have a C-level title.
3:23
Keri Croft: So I'm thinking that you could fast track me, get through the red tape.
3:27
Keri Croft: But I do think chief influence officer would be a very sophisticated title.
3:33
Keri Croft: What do you think?
3:34
Kevin King: I think that's just a new take on CIO because usually that's information.
3:37
Kevin King: But this is all about influence.
3:40
Keri Croft: Absolutely.
3:40
Keri Croft: So could you take that to your board when you guys do all the important things?
3:43
Kevin King: We will have that.
3:44
Kevin King: Yep.
3:44
Kevin King: We'll do that.
3:45
Keri Croft: Now, have you have you seen though?
3:47
Keri Croft: And I'm being I want to show you this first.
3:49
Keri Croft: Have you seen like the bit that I did with my friend on Donatos?
3:54
Kevin King: No.
3:54
Keri Croft: Okay.
3:54
Keri Croft: I want to show it to you because I think it's genius.
3:58
Keri Croft: And we want to keep doing more of this, but I want to get your take on it.
4:01
Keri Croft: So when Donatos approached me or Shipyard, you know, I was like, you know, this could be a really great partnership.
4:08
Keri Croft: I love their community aspect.
4:09
Keri Croft: Jane's always seemed really cool.
4:11
Keri Croft: Can't wait to meet her.
4:12
Keri Croft: I just felt like it could be a really good thing.
4:13
Kevin King: She said she's the real badass.
4:15
Keri Croft: She actually is.
4:16
Keri Croft: I'll share.
4:16
Keri Croft: She can she can share that title any day.
4:18
Keri Croft: She's I can't wait to meet her.
4:20
Kevin King: Okay.
4:20
Kevin King: And she can't wait to meet you.
4:21
Keri Croft: I think we're gonna have a real good situation.
4:23
Keri Croft: For sure.
4:25
Keri Croft: So I was like, how can I weave in Donatos in a way that really like not only brings them into the conversation, but like makes it fun, but like on brand for me.
4:35
Keri Croft: So I have this guy, Trimpy, who's a friend of mine, and we do like just funny shit together.
4:39
Keri Croft: And I was like, hey, can you come in and just do a bit?
4:42
Keri Croft: Like just pretend like you're coming in to talk about something random.
4:45
Keri Croft: He came in to talk about like his calves, like this thing about the CAP Institute.
4:49
Keri Croft: So then we parlayed it into Donatos and we got into this fight on Instagram, and people were asking me, like, is this real or is it fake?
4:58
Keri Croft: Okay, so I want you to look at it, I want you to watch it.
5:00
Keri Croft: It's creative, but it's elevated from just like a typical thing you would do.
5:05
Keri Croft: Like I still do all the other stuff too, but I love the storylines and kind of weaving in and making it next level.
5:11
Kevin King: I I loved it.
5:12
Kevin King: Do you approve?
5:12
Keri Croft: It's Kevin approved.
5:13
Kevin King: Yeah, I it's very approved.
5:14
Kevin King: Okay, you know, it was so natural too.
5:16
Kevin King: More than a hundred, because that's what it is.
5:19
Keri Croft: Right.
5:19
Kevin King: You know, it's not a hundred, it's more than a hundred.
5:22
Keri Croft: You guys go above and beyond.
5:24
Keri Croft: You really, really do.
5:25
Kevin King: Yeah.
5:26
Keri Croft: So, okay, so you wrote something in your you wrote a couple things, and what I love about this intake format, it just gives me so much information.
5:33
Keri Croft: Even when somebody doesn't fill it out completely.
5:36
Kevin King: I thought I was gonna knock that out in like two minutes.
5:38
Kevin King: Uh-huh.
5:38
Kevin King: Uh-uh.
5:39
Keri Croft: No.
5:39
Keri Croft: And it's in and I actually got I for the first time I got feedback today from someone.
5:43
Keri Croft: They're like, hey, they were saying that's a little bit long.
5:45
Keri Croft: I'm like, no, we're keeping it long because this is how you fare it.
5:49
Keri Croft: Like this is how you figure it out.
5:51
Keri Croft: And so I loved, I loved how forthcoming and like how much you were like, my wife basically is the shit.
5:59
Keri Croft: And the in the way you wrote it, it wasn't like trying to be anything.
6:02
Keri Croft: It was just like you could feel that this is a true partner and that she truly is like your guidepost.
6:10
Keri Croft: Like she's your person.
6:11
Kevin King: Sure.
6:12
Keri Croft: And her name's Leslie.
6:13
Kevin King: Her name's Leslie.
6:14
Keri Croft: Hello, Leslie.
6:14
Keri Croft: Let's talk about Leslie.
6:16
Kevin King: Let's talk about her.
6:17
Keri Croft: Like, what at what tell me like what's she like?
6:20
Keri Croft: Where did you meet?
6:20
Keri Croft: How'd you know she was the one?
6:22
Keri Croft: Take us through memory lane.
6:24
Kevin King: Oh, so we met at Xeno's.
6:26
Kevin King: And we met in 1991 at Xeno's.
6:30
Kevin King: And I don't think it's changed at all since then.
6:32
Kevin King: And we have several friends who met their future long-term spouse at Xeno's.
6:39
Kevin King: Uh, you know, they're one.
6:40
Kevin King: And so it was just a Friday night.
6:43
Kevin King: I was in there with some of my friends.
6:44
Kevin King: She was with uh a friend of hers, and um the two friends I was with knew her friend, and you know, it just kind of all happened.
6:54
Kevin King: How'd I know?
6:55
Kevin King: I don't know how I knew that that's hard.
6:58
Kevin King: But what I will say is we share a lot of things that are in common, but we have some key differences in who we are, and I think she makes me a better person.
7:08
Kevin King: And um, you know, she'll challenge me like nobody else.
7:12
Kevin King: She yells at, she says, I never yell at anybody but you.
7:15
Kevin King: Um, and that's I think comes from a position of love, right?
7:20
Kevin King: So she can she can yell at me because she loves me.
7:24
Kevin King: And I know that scene sounds weird, but it's it's really true.
7:28
Kevin King: So um that she she challenges, she's uh I think I talked to her about her in the intake form really about music.
7:38
Kevin King: I mean, she totally opened my eyes about music and opened my tastes and what I like and why should I like, and she'll still make fun of some CDs I had in my CD collection when we met.
7:50
Keri Croft: So like what were those?
7:52
Keri Croft: Like what were the like what were a couple that she'd be like, oh my God, just get rid of that.
7:56
Kevin King: Yeah, you had a Madonna CD.
7:58
Kevin King: Uh she said, I think that came up recently.
8:03
Keri Croft: Were you getting down to La Islabo Nicole?
8:05
Kevin King: I don't even I don't know if it was one of those, you know.
8:07
Kevin King: Back in the day, we used to get those join this record club and you get 27 CDs for I don't know how I got it, but it was like who doesn't love Madonna, dude.
8:16
Kevin King: What?
8:17
Keri Croft: Who doesn't love Madonna?
8:18
Keri Croft: She's she's an idea.
8:20
Kevin King: She was a 80s, 90s alternative, certainly 90s alternative um now.
8:26
Kevin King: Um, but she had great musical taste and really broad.
8:30
Kevin King: Uh she also has the most incredible memory for details and things.
8:34
Kevin King: That's certainly where we compliment.
8:36
Kevin King: She'll compliment each other.
8:39
Kevin King: Uh we used to joke back when you used to read the Sunday paper, between the two of us, we read every page, but none of the same.
8:47
Keri Croft: Yeah.
8:48
Kevin King: And uh, but she has memories for conversations and meeting people and can be so specific.
8:55
Kevin King: And sometimes those are the things that that I miss.
8:58
Kevin King: And she's she's great about that.
8:59
Kevin King: She's uh she's great.
9:02
Kevin King: She's also fiercely loyal.
9:04
Kevin King: So when I say I said she's a badass, uh, she is so loyal to her friends, her family, and to causes and things.
9:14
Kevin King: And you know, she'll just she'll tell it like it is.
9:18
Keri Croft: Um what's a song, like a 90s, 2000s song, that would just totally remind you of her?
9:24
Keri Croft: Like what would be one of the anthems that you're like, oh, that's Leslie?
9:27
Kevin King: Um because you said I'll tell Elvis Costello is her absolute favorite.
9:32
Kevin King: So if any Elvis Costello ever comes on song, first of all, I I now know all of them.
9:39
Kevin King: I I would immediately think of her.
9:42
Kevin King: Yeah.
9:42
Kevin King: So that's probably the easiest, is just to say anything Elvis, because not a lot of people talk about Elvis Costello, you know.
9:51
Kevin King: And um, you know, he's been around forever.
9:54
Kevin King: We saw him at Mershawn a few months ago.
9:58
Kevin King: Um, and we've seen him in every city we've lived in, we've seen him in cities we don't live in, and uh, so he's he's he's great.
10:05
Kevin King: So that's probably one band that will always remind me of her.
10:09
Kevin King: But there's a lot of other ones.
10:11
Kevin King: Um, and um we our youngest son, he's 24.
10:17
Kevin King: Um, he's very musical too, musical also, um, and shares the passion for music.
10:25
Kevin King: And um, you know, Leslie's listening to Green Day driving Ethan around in a car seat.
10:31
Kevin King: He's four years old.
10:32
Kevin King: And, you know, he says, Mom, turn on American Idiot and don't turn it down when the bad words come.
10:39
Kevin King: So here she is, uh in her 30s, maybe even close to 40, driving around in a in her white minivan with her four or five-year-old son in the backseat.
10:52
Kevin King: She's listening to Green Day, and he knows who Green Day is.
10:54
Kevin King: And today, Green Day is one of her favorites.
10:56
Keri Croft: My kind of girl.
10:57
Kevin King: Her favorites and his favorites.
10:58
Keri Croft: So I love that.
10:59
Keri Croft: Well, let's try to give her a call.
11:00
Keri Croft: And you know what?
11:01
Keri Croft: Um, so you have to text her.
11:03
Keri Croft: Okay.
11:03
Keri Croft: And you have to say, hey, I don't want you to tell her all the details.
11:06
Keri Croft: Just say, hey, this number is gonna call you.
11:08
Keri Croft: You have to pick it up.
11:09
Keri Croft: Do you like how I'm bossing you around already, Kevin?
11:12
Keri Croft: I mean, this is just how you know, this is how it goes.
11:15
Keri Croft: All of a sudden, it's just like, do this, do that.
11:17
Keri Croft: It's just I can't help it.
11:22
Kevin King: I can't really hear anything through here.
11:23
Keri Croft: You can't?
11:24
Kevin King: No.
11:24
Keri Croft: Oh, you can't hear her?
11:25
Keri Croft: Oh, Leslie, how are you?
11:28
Keri Croft: It's Carrie.
11:30
Keri Croft: Hold on.
11:31
Keri Croft: Your husband's having technical difficulties.
11:33
Keri Croft: Let me, I'm gonna hang up with you.
11:35
Keri Croft: I'm gonna call you right back when I get him settled because he can't hear you.
11:37
Keri Croft: So just answer my call, okay?
11:39
Keri Croft: Yeah.
11:40
Keri Croft: And we're back, Leslie.
11:42
Keri Croft: We're I apologize for the technical difficulties.
11:45
Keri Croft: We've got Kevin on the line here.
11:46
Kevin King: Yes, I'm here.
11:47
Keri Croft: So when he filled out his intake form, he said so many nice things about you, but they were like actually, they felt very genuine.
11:53
Keri Croft: And so we started the podcast just basically talking about you, and he called you a badass.
11:59
Keri Croft: And I was like, okay, this is my kindred spirit.
12:01
Keri Croft: I'm like, why don't we just call her and see what she's up to?
12:04
Keri Croft: Did you finish Pilates?
12:06
Leslie King: Yes, I just had iced tea with a friend and just got in the car.
12:12
Keri Croft: Oh, that sounds like my kind of morning or afternoon now.
12:16
Keri Croft: I love that.
12:17
Keri Croft: So, okay, so Kevin, when we were we're not gonna tell you what he said, you have to wait till the episode drops.
12:22
Keri Croft: But do you have like what give me one thing about Kevin that's like your favorite part of him that you're like, oh my gosh, I just think this is the best part of his personality.
12:35
Leslie King: I will tell you this, and this I have loved for 31 years.
12:41
Leslie King: Our oldest is 31.
12:43
Leslie King: How he talks to our children and how he explains things to them and he lays things out in a very businesslike manner, and he doesn't let emotion rule a conversation.
13:06
Leslie King: So, for example, when our oldest was in second grade, she was getting bullied at school, and Kevin explained that this kid is playing a game, and this and our daughter was like, That is not a nice game.
13:26
Leslie King: Kevin says, No, it's not a nice game.
13:29
Leslie King: But he said to our daughter, whose name is Laura, he said, But I'm gonna teach you how to play the game, and I'm gonna teach you how to win.
13:39
Leslie King: And then he comes into our bedroom and he's like, Okay, look, at breakfast the night at breakfast tomorrow morning, I want you to go over this, you know, so that she knows what to do when she gets to school, because he was greeting her every morning and calling her a name.
14:06
Leslie King: And he said, This is how you're gonna handle it.
14:09
Leslie King: And so I did, you know, went over it, walked to the bus stop, you know, go over it.
14:15
Leslie King: And meanwhile, our kindergartner, remember Kevin, was listening to every word, every word.
14:22
Leslie King: He never missed anything.
14:24
Leslie King: And um, later that day, the bus came and she flew off the bus into my arms.
14:31
Leslie King: I did it, mommy, I did it.
14:34
Leslie King: And she said that when she said this thing to him, what Kevin told her to say, he said, Who told you to say that?
14:45
Leslie King: She said, My daddy did.
14:47
Leslie King: He taught me how to play your game and he taught me how to win.
14:51
Leslie King: I was like, okay, well, I told them, shouldn't have said that part.
14:55
Leslie King: That's okay.
14:56
Leslie King: Oh, I know.
14:59
Leslie King: It was the greatest thing ever.
15:02
Keri Croft: And what did you tell her to say?
15:05
Kevin King: So she was calling him, she was calling her names.
15:07
Keri Croft: Yeah.
15:08
Kevin King: And I you just play it back.
15:10
Kevin King: Yeah.
15:10
Kevin King: And uh and don't react and don't don't make a reaction because that's what the game was all about.
15:16
Kevin King: Was you know, all he was trying to do was be cool.
15:19
Kevin King: Yeah, it was to make her go ballistic and upset.
15:23
Leslie King: And uh and it worked because she's reactionary, and then nothing happened ever again.
15:29
Kevin King: Um that was it, one time.
15:31
Kevin King: And you know, she Leslie said these things, but uh these things just they they're those are the easiest things for me when it comes to our kids, and um just trying to break down a big problem for them.
15:46
Kevin King: One of them I had recently was um our daughter never really wanted to use connections to get anywhere.
15:56
Kevin King: She thought that was really coming from a place of privilege, and I had to change and cheating.
16:03
Kevin King: Yeah, like that's cheating and that's unfair to others.
16:06
Kevin King: She has this real fairness streak.
16:08
Kevin King: And I had to change the conversation for her.
16:12
Kevin King: And it was really all about it was about a job.
16:16
Kevin King: And I had to paint the picture from the hiring person's perspective and show her why you having a connection isn't helping you, it's actually helping the hiring manager.
16:31
Kevin King: And I said, you know, when you when you hire somebody, you take a big risk.
16:36
Kevin King: And that risk is, did you ask all the right questions?
16:39
Kevin King: Are you a good judge of character?
16:42
Kevin King: And the person who's hiring wants to do everything to minimize the risk.
16:47
Kevin King: So they use connections.
16:49
Kevin King: They use, wow, this person knows someone I know.
16:51
Kevin King: So, and I changed the narrative for her, and all of a sudden it just clicked to her, and that made total sense.
16:59
Kevin King: And it then wasn't about privilege for her, and it was why somebody would use connections to hire somebody, all of a sudden made sense to her.
17:10
Kevin King: And um, those are the kinds of things that Leslie's talking about that I've been able to kind of really on the fly or in the moment be able to like, okay, well, here's the problem and here's how we're gonna solve it.
17:23
Keri Croft: So it's so important though, and I think that a lot of parents going through it right now in the thick of it should take note of this because you know this, you guys, when you're a parent, you're so emotional.
17:34
Keri Croft: You know, everything is attached to these kids, your every your whole, you know, their your your heart's like outside of your body, and so your instinct as a parent is to be, you know, this little shit is talking about, and then or you know, there's an easy thing to oh, don't worry about it, just forget it.
17:48
Leslie King: Like, and I've said those words, Carrie, just to tell you this little shit.
17:52
Keri Croft: Oh, for sure, because you want you the mama bear comes out, right?
17:56
Keri Croft: But like acknowledging the fear her feelings, like this is a big deal in your world, and here's how we solve for it.
18:03
Keri Croft: You're giving her a tool that she can then put in her toolbox and use over and over.
18:08
Keri Croft: I mean, what a great thing to be given to your kids, you know, and it it sounds so simple, but it's not.
18:16
Kevin King: Because you get caught in the emotion.
18:17
Kevin King: And you you have to you have to break it down.
18:23
Kevin King: Um, and you know, what's going on here?
18:26
Kevin King: And then what is the strategy to get myself out?
18:30
Kevin King: And um, and I I think that that is a key lesson in life, it's a key lesson in business, it's a key lesson in relationships and in general.
18:40
Kevin King: And um you gotta you gotta step back for a second and reassess.
18:47
Kevin King: Otherwise you just you're yeah blabbing at each other.
18:51
Keri Croft: So Leslie, is he a hard guy to rattle?
18:53
Keri Croft: Pretty hard, yeah.
18:56
Keri Croft: So like when you're wanting to get a reaction out of him, like sometimes you're like, God, could you just like why are you so even keeled and pragmatic?
19:06
Leslie King: So I I always say to him, how come I get to how come I have to get mad?
19:12
Keri Croft: Yeah.
19:12
Leslie King: To get a reaction out of you.
19:14
Leslie King: He goes, I have no idea.
19:21
Kevin King: Yeah, we talked, we talked about Leslie a minute ago about she's fiercely loyal.
19:25
Keri Croft: Yeah.
19:26
Kevin King: And uh the one thing that I I try to sometimes solve the problem when what she just wants me to do is just stand up for her.
19:35
Kevin King: And so that that took 30 plus years of our relationship to kind of start to make sense of, and it's probably not my first instinct.
19:44
Kevin King: And she just wants somebody to stand up for her like she stands up for her friends and her family.
19:52
Keri Croft: Yeah.
19:53
Keri Croft: And unfortunately, sometimes that doesn't, that's not reciprocated the way that you think it should be.
19:58
Keri Croft: You know, somebody said something recently, it was probably on TikTok because I'm addicted to TikTok.
20:02
Keri Croft: But it was like the way they approach that is they will ask the person, like, are you right now in this moment, are you looking for a solution?
20:11
Keri Croft: Are you looking for an ear?
20:13
Keri Croft: Like, are you looking for someone to listen?
20:14
Keri Croft: I think we we don't tee that up and really frame up like what the person needs or wants.
20:19
Keri Croft: We just kind of go in with what our agenda is, you know.
20:22
Keri Croft: And sometimes, especially us women, they we just want to vent and we want you to listen and we want you to like, you know, do that what we tell you to do, basically.
20:32
Kevin King: And that's not a natural instinct for me.
20:34
Keri Croft: Is is Kevin an emotional guy?
20:37
Keri Croft: No, like does he cry easily?
20:42
Leslie King: Yes.
20:43
Keri Croft: Well, I could see him even when you were talking about the the bullying thing.
20:47
Leslie King: He tears up about family and our children very easily.
20:50
Leslie King: Well, it was a really otherwise, no.
20:54
Keri Croft: It was a sweet moment because I'm sitting here and all of a sudden you were telling that story, and I was watching him listening, and I could see him like taking a trip down memory lane, you know, and and remembering and kind of just you know, being you could tell what kind of family guy you are and you and how you you have like a heart of God.
21:12
Keri Croft: I could see it right there.
21:13
Keri Croft: It's like on the surface.
21:14
Keri Croft: You're you guys are lucky to all have each other.
21:17
Keri Croft: Yeah.
21:17
Keri Croft: Okay, so what does he do that is so annoying?
21:21
Keri Croft: Like the habit that is like, I'm sure there's more than one, but let's just tee one like one habit where you're like, this is the thing that we constantly.
21:33
Keri Croft: Why are we on this gerbil wheel of your habit?
21:35
Keri Croft: And you could you could probably name what it is too.
21:37
Kevin King: I can name a recent one, but let's see what she says.
21:41
Leslie King: Doesn't check his pockets for the laundry.
21:45
Leslie King: So I mean like ever.
21:50
Leslie King: And so last week, remember, Kevin, I said, Well, here's a drill bit that was all, you know, it's all clean.
21:57
Leslie King: And then a couple weeks ago, I texted him once again, his AirPods.
22:08
Keri Croft: Oh, I do that all the time.
22:10
Leslie King: I texted him a picture and he goes, Oh, thank God, they were filthy.
22:14
Leslie King: And I just said, I said, why?
22:18
Leslie King: With you know, like one W, four H's, and 30 lies.
22:23
Leslie King: And he said, And it made me laugh so hard.
22:28
Leslie King: He said, I have no reasonable explanation.
22:31
Leslie King: Seriously, I was standing in our very tiny laundry closet and I laughed my ass off.
22:41
Leslie King: Because when I get mad, and it wasn't like I was mad, mad.
22:47
Leslie King: I was just so frustrated because it's come at least once a month, you know?
22:52
Leslie King: And um but when he says something like that, and then I laugh, then all of a sudden I'm fine.
23:00
Keri Croft: Oh, for sure, yeah.
23:02
Keri Croft: Was that what you were gonna say, or were you gonna say something different kind of thing?
23:04
Kevin King: I don't know.
23:04
Kevin King: I think I sometimes I point and I point in front of her face and she just hates.
23:10
Leslie King: Oh my gosh, this is terrible thing.
23:12
Kevin King: And it it happened the other day, and she just kind of she's like, she went off on it.
23:18
Kevin King: Oh, that's great.
23:19
Kevin King: You know, we've been together, you know, we're gonna be 34 years uh married, so known each other 35, 36 years.
23:28
Kevin King: Uh, there are some things I can do that annoy her.
23:31
Kevin King: It's not hard.
23:32
Keri Croft: Listen, marriage is But you know what?
23:37
Leslie King: His his I and I told this to him.
23:39
Leslie King: I read this whole thing on genetics, and people who um let's say a a couple gives or someone gives their baby up for adoption and then they meet later, and the adopted, you know, the biological baby that has been reunited with this family shares some of these same phys physical characteristics.
23:59
Leslie King: You know, like they they rub their ear the same way.
24:03
Leslie King: And I read this whole article um a couple months ago about this, and it's just really funny, this thing that is literally passed down through genes in a family.
24:15
Leslie King: And I said, you know, your sister and your brother, your brother Jim and your mom, they all rub their nose in the same way, all three of them.
24:25
Leslie King: And I said, and you and your brother Brian and your dad have this wild gesticulation which comes flying right in front of someone's face.
24:36
Leslie King: And I said, And you have almost hit me so many times.
24:40
Leslie King: And it's always when I'm driving.
24:43
Kevin King: That's the one I'm thinking.
24:46
Leslie King: Yeah, and this hand will this left arm, he'll be in the passenger seat.
24:49
Leslie King: This left arm will come in front of me, and he's like, or whatever.
24:53
Keri Croft: And I'm like, You had me at gesticulation.
24:56
Keri Croft: You had me at gesticulation.
24:59
Keri Croft: I mean, I haven't heard a thing since I heard that word.
25:02
Keri Croft: Five syllable words get me rotted.
25:04
Keri Croft: I feel like we could hang out.
25:06
Kevin King: Yeah, you could.
25:07
Keri Croft: I totally feel like we should hang out.
25:08
Keri Croft: I mean, I I feel like we probably have seen each other.
25:11
Keri Croft: I need to like now.
25:12
Keri Croft: I'm gonna be going on the are you on Instagram?
25:14
Kevin King: Yes, she is.
25:14
Kevin King: You are?
25:15
Keri Croft: Yeah, what's your handle?
25:16
Leslie King: Um I don't know.
25:18
Leslie King: I don't post.
25:19
Keri Croft: Oh, you just go on there and look.
25:21
Keri Croft: Yeah, I'm a lurker.
25:23
Keri Croft: Oh, I mean, most people I call it perving.
25:25
Keri Croft: That's my oh wait, Leslie King.
25:28
Keri Croft: Wait, is it Leslie King XO?
25:31
Leslie King: Or wait, that's no, it's wildcat girl.
25:34
Leslie King: I'm a Kentucky Wildcat.
25:38
Leslie King: Wildcat girl.
25:40
Leslie King: That's amazing.
25:41
Keri Croft: I really like her.
25:42
Keri Croft: You take it about the lecture, but I really like her now.
25:46
Keri Croft: Okay, I'm gonna follow you right now.
25:48
Keri Croft: So before we go with you, we could even have you guys in on a whole episode.
25:52
Keri Croft: A whole like I love digging into marriage, giving advice to like people who are getting married, like just the dynamics of a relationship, even one that's strong and healthy.
26:02
Keri Croft: Like there are things, right?
26:04
Keri Croft: It's like you learn to fight fair, you learn the things about each other, you figure out how to fit into the grooves, right?
26:11
Keri Croft: It's like there's no magic thing, it's work.
26:14
Keri Croft: It's work.
26:15
Keri Croft: So, Leslie, any any tips out there for people who are like, you know, just getting on the uh the highway of marriage and all of it.
26:26
Keri Croft: Like how what if what's the big thing that has kept you guys solid and flourishing?
26:34
Leslie King: The love.
26:35
Leslie King: I got a lot of love for him.
26:38
Kevin King: Be friends.
26:41
Leslie King: Oh, yeah.
26:42
Leslie King: He is my best friend.
26:45
Keri Croft: I love that.
26:46
Keri Croft: You guys just made my whole day, just so you know.
26:48
Keri Croft: Seriously, this is so this is like so great.
26:51
Keri Croft: And Leslie, thank you for being a good sport.
26:53
Leslie King: And he doesn't care when I go, he doesn't care when I travel with my girlfriends.
26:57
Keri Croft: Oh, that's huge.
26:58
Leslie King: He knows that's super important to me.
27:00
Keri Croft: That's huge.
27:00
Keri Croft: And he secretly, we secretly want our alone time.
27:03
Keri Croft: And that's okay.
27:04
Keri Croft: Like, that's okay to be like, yeah, I get, but but I think there's I I know there's there's just these.
27:11
Keri Croft: I what I wish, and I I've always tried to be super open about my marriage and just really give the honest stuff.
27:18
Keri Croft: I just wish people were more honest about like it's okay for you to be like, you know what, two days alone sounds real nice right now.
27:25
Keri Croft: And then when you come back together, it's even better.
27:28
Keri Croft: You know, it's like, hell yeah, go with your girlfriends, and then good.
27:32
Keri Croft: Yeah, people are weird about that stuff.
27:35
Kevin King: Weird, you know?
27:36
Keri Croft: Yeah.
27:37
Keri Croft: Kevin, weird.
27:39
Keri Croft: Why can't everyone be cool like us?
27:42
Keri Croft: Let's I don't know.
27:44
Leslie King: I have asked that for years.
27:46
Keri Croft: Can you do you think you'd like to come back on like in the fall with Kevin and we can have like a fun, like get you on on air?
27:52
Keri Croft: Air?
27:52
Keri Croft: You're on half air now.
27:53
Keri Croft: You're kind of like a cameo.
27:55
Keri Croft: You see what's gonna happen?
27:56
Keri Croft: People are gonna hear this and they're gonna be like, oh my gosh, we want more of you.
28:00
Keri Croft: We want more.
28:00
Keri Croft: Uh-huh.
28:01
Keri Croft: Yep.
28:02
Kevin King: That's what's gonna happen.
28:03
Keri Croft: You didn't realize what was gonna happen to you today.
28:04
Keri Croft: Well, here we go.
28:06
Keri Croft: We can make that hey, I've got man eater media over here.
28:09
Keri Croft: I can I can prop up a show for you in two seconds, honey.
28:14
Leslie King: Yeah, awesome.
28:14
Leslie King: I've always had a lot to say, haven't I?
28:17
Keri Croft: Good.
28:17
Kevin King: She's got a lot to say.
28:18
Keri Croft: Well, I appreciate you um joining the call.
28:20
Keri Croft: I'm gonna hang up now and talk to your husband about, you know, all kinds of things like leadership and uh the pillars of you know, all the serious shit we're gonna get into.
28:28
Keri Croft: We're gonna go into some deep waters now.
28:30
Keri Croft: But thank you, my new friend.
28:33
Kevin King: Bye, Les.
28:36
Keri Croft: Bye, bye.
28:37
Keri Croft: Bye.
28:39
Keri Croft: We're gonna choose 12 out of 10, dude.
28:42
Keri Croft: Thanks for doing that.
28:44
Keri Croft: You guys are so great.
28:46
Keri Croft: Like I was expecting you to be cool, but I wasn't really expecting this.
28:49
Keri Croft: I'm very excited.
28:50
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29:24
Keri Croft: So clearly, you are a family guy, you are a good person.
30:15
Keri Croft: You can just see it.
30:16
Keri Croft: Like I knew it right from the intake form.
30:17
Keri Croft: Takes a lot to like have that type of foundation and the way you are as a dad and a husband.
30:25
Keri Croft: And so your parents were clearly very huge influences.
30:30
Keri Croft: Sure.
30:30
Keri Croft: And just showed you how to be a hard worker, a good human being.
30:35
Keri Croft: I mean, so were you equally as close to both of them, or did you have a special relationship with one over the other?
30:41
Kevin King: Well, um, you know, growing up, so I was born in the in the mid-60s, and growing up during that period of time, uh, male and female roles were were different than they are today.
30:54
Kevin King: And um my dad, um, he was the provider in the family.
31:01
Kevin King: And, you know, maybe a little bit on the discipline side, but my mom was there with us day in and day out.
31:09
Kevin King: And um so when you say were you close, I was probably closer to my mother because she was around all the time and my dad worked.
31:19
Kevin King: And um so a little different.
31:23
Kevin King: And, you know, you know, my dad is a huge influence in my life, but so is my mother in lots of ways.
31:30
Kevin King: And um there, you know, you can look back and see, and I'm probably much more like my father in physical traits and um just a lot of things in my work life and and and a lot of those things.
31:48
Kevin King: But my mom was a great balance.
31:51
Kevin King: And you know, there's an emotional, my mom was super emotional, and um, she had a great spirit and a, you know, and a um and a huge personality, um, but she was super emotional.
32:04
Kevin King: Um, and so that what that's probably one of the reasons I'm when I say that I'm there's a lot of me that it is my dad, but you know, I took a lot of my mom as well.
32:15
Kevin King: And so that's what your parents do.
32:17
Kevin King: Um and you and you also have been able to um see their their strengths and their weaknesses.
32:25
Kevin King: And um one of the one of the weaknesses that I reflected on about my dad was his relationship with us.
32:34
Kevin King: Um he relied on my mom to be the conduit to us, both when we were living in the house, but especially when we had left.
32:44
Kevin King: You know, it wasn't the era we didn't have cell phones.
32:47
Kevin King: Um, so my mom would be the one who called us.
32:50
Kevin King: And I knew um when we had kids that it was my job to develop relationships with my kids that were going to connect us for the rest of our lives, whatever those were.
33:03
Kevin King: And that I could not rely on Leslie to be the one who only connected with our kids because uh my mom died, and my dad did not have connections to us, and so he at age 65, he had to learn to develop connections with not only us, but with friends, because he relied on my mom to do that totally, and so that's something you know you learn, you watch that was a weakness of my dad's and a strength of my mom's.
33:36
Kevin King: Um, and it worked great for them for a lot of time.
33:39
Kevin King: But when she was gone, there was a hole.
33:42
Kevin King: And it was it so I I knew it was my job to develop things that I can talk to my kids about for the rest of our lives.
33:54
Kevin King: Um, and um, you know, and they're not all the same, right?
33:58
Kevin King: Each kid is different.
33:59
Kevin King: So what am I gonna connect with them on?
34:02
Kevin King: And what what will they text me about that happens in their life or you know, their sporting a sporting team, a sporting event, or just something that happens in the world, what are those connections gonna be?
34:16
Kevin King: So I take that because that's what I learned by watching my parents, um, both their strengths and their weaknesses.
34:25
Keri Croft: And is your dad still alive?
34:27
Kevin King: Yeah.
34:27
Keri Croft: And then how is that now?
34:29
Kevin King: Well, he has dementia now.
34:31
Kevin King: So uh he lives l is in town, and I I get to take care of him.
34:36
Kevin King: You know, he lives in a a community, but I'm the only one of uh us who are close.
34:43
Kevin King: So I get to see him regularly.
34:46
Kevin King: Um, but you know, his his memory is gone.
34:50
Kevin King: So that's gotta be hard.
34:52
Keri Croft: Is that hard for you?
34:53
Kevin King: It it's hard and not hard at the same time.
34:57
Kevin King: He would not want the person I knew would not want to live the way he lives today.
35:04
Kevin King: So um knowing that he doesn't really know is actually a little more comforting than say he was had a physical challenge but was all there mentally, you know.
35:19
Kevin King: Yeah, having a mental challenge, you don't really know.
35:23
Kevin King: Um and he in in his dementia, I've seen people who get angry, but he did not.
35:31
Kevin King: He got softer, more loving, more tender, um, which um I'm happy for because living what he's living, he's not living in anger, he's not living in frustration, which he could have easily gotten to.
35:47
Kevin King: Yeah.
35:48
Keri Croft: But um, so I bet I would bet you're a really good leader, and I bet the people at Donatos really like you a lot.
35:54
Kevin King: I hope so.
35:55
Keri Croft: I because I feel like you just have the you just have that that stillness, but yet stern.
36:01
Keri Croft: Like people probably know when you're steering the ship that they're on a good trajectory.
36:06
Kevin King: Leader, I have to make sure my heart shows.
36:08
Kevin King: Um you know, sometimes people say that that is held back, and that's some of being even and keeping emotion out of it.
36:20
Kevin King: But people want some emotion in their leaders, and so when I think about what what I have to do as a leader, I do have to show my heart.
36:30
Keri Croft: Yeah.
36:30
Kevin King: Um, the people who know me know it's there, but I need to make sure that everybody knows it's there.
36:36
Kevin King: Yeah.
36:36
Kevin King: Um, because I can be focused on a project or a task or numbers.
36:42
Kevin King: Um, and some of those things come really easy to me.
36:46
Kevin King: Um, but if I can show if they know that, but I can also show my heart, then I can get both sides of them.
36:53
Keri Croft: Yeah.
36:53
Keri Croft: And I feel like Donato's just has such a a great heart and soul.
36:57
Kevin King: It does.
36:58
Kevin King: So that that part is a little easier.
37:00
Kevin King: Um, you know, Jane and Jim um have done such a great job instilling that in who we are and what we do at Donato's, um that it it's not hard to grab onto.
37:14
Keri Croft: Yeah.
37:14
Keri Croft: So let's talk a little bit about that because on the surface, it's a pizza company, right?
37:18
Keri Croft: But I think it's important for people to understand.
37:20
Keri Croft: Not, I mean, we all know the most people know the Columbus roots, which is great.
37:24
Keri Croft: So I'm like going to Donato's first because like why not support local, even though you're all over now.
37:29
Keri Croft: Yeah.
37:30
Keri Croft: But the intentional philanthropy, the actual doing good because you want to and because it's at the core of who you are, is really important for people to understand.
37:42
Keri Croft: You know, when they see the the brand Donatos, like the the three H's housing, hunger and health, hunger and health.
37:49
Keri Croft: Uh, and clearly Jane's attachment to the Reeb Center.
37:52
Keri Croft: I mean, what pick one?
37:53
Keri Croft: Like there's like so much there that you guys are you're a pizza company, but you're all about people, right?
37:58
Kevin King: What what's really fascinating is um Jim started with the concept that I can bring values to work.
38:05
Kevin King: And he had t been told uh, you know, Jim started Donato's, he was 19 years old.
38:12
Kevin King: Um, and but his mentors and people, as he was a young business owner and kind of really figuring out who he was, kept telling him, you, you know, this is a dog eat dog world, you gotta kill them before they kill you.
38:28
Kevin King: And Jim wanted to prove that you could run a business and keep your values and make it successful.
38:37
Kevin King: And actually, Jane has done a great job bringing that to life in causes, community, and people.
38:44
Kevin King: Uh so they've been in a really good partnership between the two of them.
38:47
Kevin King: But Jim talked about values when nobody talked about values.
38:52
Kevin King: Um, he talked about values in the 80s and the 90s.
38:56
Kevin King: Um and uh, you know, a lot of people weren't talking about things like love in a business in 1990.
39:03
Kevin King: Um, and a lot of people didn't talk about how important values like integrity and honesty uh are.
39:12
Kevin King: Um so Jim has always been wanting to show that you can bring your values with you and you can grow and build successful businesses.
39:23
Kevin King: And he's done that.
39:24
Kevin King: And Jane has done a great job of connecting that um with our team, our people, um, but also the community.
39:33
Kevin King: Um and the Reeb Center was a great way for her to do it.
39:36
Kevin King: And our foundation now that you mentioned, Housing, Hunger, and Health, is a great way for us to bring it to life for both our associates um and our community.
39:45
Kevin King: Um we do a volunteer day around one of those three pillars, and um it brings all of our associates together, and it's a really meaningful day.
39:58
Kevin King: Um, we do one with Habitat for Humanity.
40:02
Kevin King: We basically build playhouses for kids and we design them, and our team takes such interest.
40:07
Kevin King: We get learn a little bit about the kid and kid or kids that we're building this playhouse for, and we theme them like they're you should see these houses.
40:17
Kevin King: They're amazing.
40:18
Kevin King: And you know, we do post them on social and stuff like that.
40:22
Kevin King: But um, you know, this year I worked on a house and the kid was all into Spider-Man, and this house was so good.
40:30
Kevin King: I mean, um, our CFO actually said, we're donating these houses to these kids.
40:35
Kevin King: What we should really do to raise money for habitat is to sell these houses because they're so nice.
40:42
Kevin King: Now, we love giving them to families who wouldn't have anything so cool, but um, you know, it's it's a great event, it's a great way to give back, and it's a great way to bring our team together and bring our mission and values to life.
40:55
Keri Croft: Yeah.
40:55
Keri Croft: So let's talk a little bit of like CEO worries, uh, aspirations.
41:02
Keri Croft: Like what what are you what's the big topic du jour?
41:06
Keri Croft: Like I'm sure that there is always competition.
41:09
Keri Croft: I like what's happening with like Uber Eats, DoorDash, like what are you guys like what's the big pain point right now?
41:16
Keri Croft: I'm sure there's more than one, but like what's the like what do you think?
41:20
Kevin King: So there's a lot of pain points in business.
41:22
Kevin King: Um peep uh Uber Eats or DoorDash, um, probably one of the single biggest disruptions to the pizza category since pizza started delivering, you know, whenever that was, 40s or 50s, because the pizza companies pretty much own home delivery.
41:40
Kevin King: You know, outside of New York City, uh the only thing, you know, if you know a couple's had a bad day at work and they're like, I'm not cooking tonight, we need food.
41:50
Kevin King: Well, we're gonna order food in.
41:52
Kevin King: It's pizza.
41:53
Kevin King: That's about all there was.
41:55
Kevin King: Uh people joke about Chinese, but I don't know anyone who lives in Columbus, Ohio who got Chinese food delivered.
42:01
Kevin King: Um but it was pizza.
42:03
Kevin King: And now today, everybody delivers, right?
42:06
Kevin King: Because of DoorDash.
42:08
Kevin King: And uh so there's there's a lot more competition on that side.
42:12
Kevin King: And the pizza categories we've had to we've had to adjust and and we have to change.
42:17
Kevin King: Um so um in a disruption, you're either part of the disruption or you're the disrupted.
42:24
Keri Croft: Yeah.
42:24
Kevin King: Um, so that that's something I tried to uh talk to our team about is well, we got to figure out how we're part of the disruption and not gonna be disrupted.
42:35
Kevin King: Uh so it's been challenging there.
42:37
Kevin King: Um and uh the the the world keeps changing.
42:41
Kevin King: And you know, if there's anything about the age that we live in in this the pace of change is just uh it is so different.
42:49
Kevin King: And you kind of go from one to the next.
42:51
Kevin King: You're like, oh, it's first it's it's COVID, then it was this, then it was that, and everything, it it just changes.
42:57
Kevin King: That's the way information flows today.
43:00
Kevin King: It's so fast, and the world changes.
43:02
Kevin King: Um but one of the things that I wanted us to be uh focused on is Donato's has always done a fantastic job on its product quality, and that comes from Jim Grody.
43:16
Kevin King: And it came from Jim wanting to make every pizza exactly the same.
43:21
Kevin King: Because in Jim's world, you can't be high quality if you're not consistent.
43:28
Kevin King: If I can't rely on you, then it's not quality.
43:32
Kevin King: So um he built an operating system to put uh over a hundred pieces of pepperoni on a large pizza, and it's easy to execute.
43:41
Kevin King: It's actually harder not to follow the system than it is to follow the system.
43:45
Keri Croft: I was gonna ask about that.
43:46
Keri Croft: What is the system?
43:47
Kevin King: The system is just really detailed.
43:49
Kevin King: So we build pizzas on scales.
43:52
Kevin King: So um we we we weigh every ingredient that goes on the pizza, and it's not to uh lower food costs.
43:59
Kevin King: Or it it's to make it whether I order today on Monday and Joe made my pizza and I order uh Wednesday from a different restaurant and Sally made my pizza, they're gonna be exactly the same.
44:12
Kevin King: And if they're not, then you can't be high quality.
44:16
Kevin King: Um so and I think there's so much truth to that.
44:20
Kevin King: But what our focus is on now is making sure our service matches our pizza.
44:26
Kevin King: Um and how do we make sure the experience, which is so much more important today, uh, to uh to Gen Z, Gen Y, um, and Gen Alpha, they're about experience.
44:40
Kevin King: And so we've got to give them a great experience.
44:43
Kevin King: And that's how we're gonna win, even though everybody delivers, is we're gonna we're gonna give you a great experience.
44:51
Kevin King: So we've always given you a great pizza.
44:54
Kevin King: Now we want to make sure that the experience matches the the quality and the consistency of the the pizza.
45:01
Kevin King: One of the things that we did starting at the beginning of the year was really focus on our pickup times.
45:06
Kevin King: So uh most of our business is picked up.
45:09
Kevin King: People come to our restaurant, pick up the pizza, and take it home.
45:13
Kevin King: Um, and during COVID, we'd kind of gotten into, oh, it'll be ready in 15 to 20 minutes.
45:19
Kevin King: But I talked about that operating system that we have.
45:22
Kevin King: It actually, it your pizza can easily be ready in eight or nine minutes.
45:28
Kevin King: But we were telling people 15 to 20.
45:31
Kevin King: Um, so we started focusing it on it at the beginning of the year and really dialed in on 12 minutes uh and telling people your pizza is going to be ready in 12 minutes.
45:41
Kevin King: And it has had a it has had a huge impact on our quality scores, our service scores, um, and it's showing up in our sales.
45:51
Kevin King: So um there are ways that we can win, and that is leveraging this fantastic operating system that we have, but to give you great service.
46:02
Kevin King: Um, you know, really, it's gonna be ready in 12 minutes?
46:06
Kevin King: Um, and and we're gonna take that to the next level.
46:08
Kevin King: We've got some things we're working on right now that are gonna uh better communicate to our guests uh about their pizza on its journey.
46:17
Kevin King: And uh it's just gonna reinforce how fast we can actually be.
46:22
Keri Croft: Yeah.
46:22
Kevin King: Um, you know, it as a mom or as somebody who's responsible for feeding the family, if you know, oh, I just 12 minutes, it my pizza's gonna be ready.
46:34
Kevin King: Uh we were out in a store on Tuesday and um a business called up.
46:40
Kevin King: They ordered 10 pizzas and we had it to them in about 25 minutes.
46:44
Kevin King: So we made 10 pizzas.
46:47
Kevin King: We we just uh Jane and I were actually out in the restaurants.
46:50
Kevin King: We were there and the order came in, but we have the ability to execute that way.
46:57
Kevin King: And who can who can feed that many people in that short a period of time?
47:01
Kevin King: So it's a huge advantage.
47:03
Kevin King: And then if we just add some friendliness and then some consistency, uh, you know, today uh a lot of times as a customer, you don't even get greeted.
47:14
Kevin King: You kind of get you're expected to know what to do, and they just kind of look at you and you throw out what you're think you're supposed to say.
47:21
Kevin King: And so we want to bring some humanity back into our service as well.
47:25
Kevin King: So we're working on that right now as well.
47:27
Kevin King: And so that's our biggest focus right now is how do we make sure the quality of our experience equals the quality of our pizza?
47:35
Keri Croft: Yeah.
47:35
Keri Croft: I just ordered it the other day, obviously.
47:38
Keri Croft: And I was waiting, I was like, you know, because it came actually from a Donato's delivery guy, and I was chatting it up with him, letting him know that I'm, you know, I was already saying I was a chief influencer officer, and he was laughing.
47:51
Keri Croft: And then uh I think his name's Luke, and he said, I've been with them, I've been with Donato's for he's like at the store right there on um Northwest.
48:00
Keri Croft: And he said something like, did he want to say 20?
48:03
Keri Croft: It was like a long time that he's been at Donato's, and I was like, that's that says a lot.
48:08
Kevin King: So we have a number of associates on our team who have been with Donato's over 20 years.
48:15
Kevin King: Uh, we were out celebrating some people.
48:17
Kevin King: Three of the people we were celebrating were 35 years with Donatos.
48:21
Kevin King: Um one is one was a delivery driver in Hilliard, um, who this it was his 35th anniversary, and he's delivered pizzas for us for 35 years.
48:33
Kevin King: Wow.
48:33
Kevin King: Um, and he all in Hilliard.
48:36
Kevin King: So he knows his customers, he sees their names.
48:39
Kevin King: That's awesome.
48:40
Kevin King: He knows uh what their dog's names are.
48:43
Kevin King: I uh he just yeah um he's just got such wealth of experience and knowledge, and we we have people on our team that have been around that long.
48:53
Kevin King: I mean, we have uh, you know, a few people in our office over 45 years with Donatos.
48:58
Kevin King: Um, you know, of course we have new people, um, but we have such tenure and such experience and such dedication with people.
49:08
Kevin King: Um, and I know we can deliver a fantastic experience um and and truly differentiate ourselves, not just with great food, but great great service too.
49:21
Keri Croft: So let's uh talk a little bit about you.
49:24
Keri Croft: I want to know some things about just you as Kevin King.
49:28
Keri Croft: You're a pretty fit guy.
49:30
Keri Croft: I mean, I'm not like surprised, I wasn't sure what to expect, but like you're pretty fit.
49:35
Keri Croft: Are you what are you doing there?
49:37
Keri Croft: So your wife's doing you gotta keep up with Leslie.
49:39
Kevin King: I do.
49:39
Kevin King: So we do we actually she's got me.
49:41
Kevin King: I'm going to Pilates once a week with her.
49:43
Kevin King: Okay.
49:44
Kevin King: She goes six, seven times a week uh to Pilates, and uh it's been great for her.
49:50
Kevin King: Um, and I have become religious about walking.
49:53
Kevin King: Um, so I walk four miles every day.
49:56
Kevin King: I do a lot of it on a treadmill, um, but I do walk outside too.
50:01
Kevin King: And um that that's one of the things I've committed to really in the last year is just be religious about walking.
50:08
Keri Croft: Do you have your AirPods in?
50:10
Kevin King: Uh I'm either watching TV or listening to a podcast or uh something.
50:15
Keri Croft: What would be your show or podcast of choice?
50:17
Keri Croft: Now it's the Carrie Croft show, clearly.
50:19
Keri Croft: Since I'm an employee, it's only appropriate.
50:22
Kevin King: Uh I I like a lot of different things.
50:24
Kevin King: I uh when I read and I do a lot of audiobooks, um, I'm I'm learning.
50:30
Kevin King: That that's how I learn.
50:31
Kevin King: My wife reads to relax.
50:33
Kevin King: So she she r reads lots of uh fiction and I don't.
50:38
Kevin King: I read mostly nonfiction.
50:40
Kevin King: So business books, biographies, history, um th things like that.
50:46
Kevin King: So I spent a lot of my time there.
50:48
Keri Croft: Does she cook for you?
50:49
Kevin King: Yes.
50:50
Keri Croft: Do you guys eat healthy?
50:51
Kevin King: We eat pretty healthy.
50:53
Kevin King: Not not crazy, but yeah.
50:55
Keri Croft: Like what did you have for breakfast?
50:57
Kevin King: I had a smoothie for breakfast.
50:58
Keri Croft: Did you make it?
50:59
Kevin King: No.
51:00
Kevin King: I I spent seven years at Smoothie King.
51:02
Kevin King: I I think it is a fantastic brand and I love it, and I go every day for breakfast.
51:07
Keri Croft: Where's Smoothie King?
51:08
Kevin King: It's right on Fifth Avenue, right around the corner.
51:10
Keri Croft: I didn't realize there was one here, like right around here.
51:12
Kevin King: Oh, it's it's at Fifth and Northwest.
51:14
Keri Croft: Huh.
51:15
Kevin King: Yeah.
51:15
Keri Croft: That's what you do every morning for breakfast.
51:17
Kevin King: That's my breakfast.
51:18
Kevin King: I don't drink coffee.
51:19
Kevin King: I have a smoothie every day.
51:20
Keri Croft: What do you frequent in UA?
51:21
Keri Croft: Like, where do you go when you go somewhere in UA?
51:24
Kevin King: We love Lupo.
51:25
Kevin King: It's right by our house.
51:26
Kevin King: I love Lupo.
51:27
Kevin King: It's right right there.
51:28
Kevin King: Um we like Piata.
51:31
Kevin King: Yeah.
51:31
Kevin King: Uh we we go there.
51:33
Kevin King: Um we we go to Donato's regularly.
51:36
Kevin King: It's shocking, I know.
51:37
Kevin King: How weird is that.
51:39
Keri Croft: You have to.
51:40
Kevin King: Um, but we love a lot of the UA things or Grandview.
51:44
Kevin King: Grandview is so awesome.
51:45
Kevin King: Yeah, it is.
51:45
Kevin King: We go to the Grandview Cafe.
51:47
Kevin King: Um so a lot of a lot of places around here.
51:52
Keri Croft: What about hobbies?
51:53
Keri Croft: You golf?
51:54
Kevin King: I don't golf.
51:55
Kevin King: Um, you know, it's funny, golf.
51:59
Kevin King: My wife has actually tried to get me to golf, and and she's like, we should golf together.
52:04
Kevin King: And I'm like, I I'm 62 years old.
52:07
Kevin King: I I don't want to spend five hours at something I suck at, to be honest.
52:13
Kevin King: And uh that that's why I've avoided golf.
52:16
Kevin King: Um when our kids were younger, we lived in in Portland, Oregon, and so we skied, and I loved that.
52:23
Kevin King: We would ski all winter.
52:24
Kevin King: And um so I spent a lot of time doing that since we moved back to Ohio.
52:30
Kevin King: I haven't skied as much, but I would love to get back into that.
52:33
Keri Croft: I've got my I'm trying to get my kids into ski like my son is gonna be eight, and he and I have gone.
52:39
Keri Croft: My husband's got real bad, like he can't be on skis, but I've gone with a family friend.
52:44
Keri Croft: So Dane's been up on skis.
52:46
Keri Croft: I feel like it's really important just to give them that sort of ability.
52:49
Keri Croft: Like I always wished that I was able to, whether they want it or not, like that he'll have it, you know.
52:54
Keri Croft: And then Kyle's my daughter, she'll be three.
52:57
Keri Croft: Um, I'm gonna get her up on skis.
52:59
Kevin King: We we moved to Portland, our kids were 10, 8, and 4, and we got them skiing.
53:05
Kevin King: And um they, you know, I think it's one of those things that is uh a life skill, a great thing to do.
53:14
Kevin King: Um, it's beautiful, you're out in nature, you're you're enjoying winter.
53:18
Kevin King: Mountains are beautiful.
53:20
Kevin King: There's just there's something about it that's so relaxing that that I just love.
53:25
Keri Croft: Yeah.
53:25
Keri Croft: Well, I promise not to stalk you now.
53:28
Kevin King: Okay.
53:28
Kevin King: Well, you can.
53:29
Keri Croft: Uh well, you know, I've been known to be a stalker, I'm not sure.
53:33
Keri Croft: Um, so last well, is there anything we have not touched on that you'd leave here and be like, we missed this?
53:39
Keri Croft: Because sometimes that'll happen and someone's like, God, I wish I would have said, you know, I just want to give you like that last opportunity.
53:46
Kevin King: Well let me just talk about one thing in people.
53:49
Kevin King: Yeah.
53:49
Kevin King: Um, because we're in the age, and it's a conversation, and and this is another conversation I've had with my kids.
53:56
Kevin King: Um and we're in this AI world, and there's a lot of fear.
54:01
Kevin King: And there's a lot of fear that AI is gonna um replace all the jobs.
54:07
Kevin King: And we talk about AI and we talk about automation at Donato's.
54:12
Kevin King: But when when I think of automation and I think of AI is I think of how to leverage it so that we can focus our people's time, effort, and energy on interacting with guests as opposed to eliminating people.
54:28
Kevin King: You know, a hospitality business cannot live or thrive without people.
54:34
Kevin King: And people are always gonna be a huge part of our Donatos business, no matter what.
54:41
Kevin King: But if we can take away the things they don't really love doing, then I think that's where we're gonna automate or use AI.
54:49
Kevin King: So we um we always answered phones in restaurants till 2022.
54:54
Kevin King: And the reality is answering the telephone in a pizza restaurant is not a great experience.
55:00
Kevin King: And um your oldest is eight, so you may not uh get this yet, but um my kids do not answer the phone, they don't like to talk on the phone, the phone is just not a part of their life, and we really struggled to get associates to answer telephones in the restaurants, and so it's not a great place to answer the phone, and they clearly don't want to do it.
55:25
Kevin King: Um, so we took the phones out of the restaurants, and we now have an AI phone system.
55:32
Kevin King: Um, and you know, not everybody loves it, to be honest, but um a lot of people do really like it.
55:40
Kevin King: And uh it has changed the environment in the restaurant because it was a struggle to get them to answer the phones.
55:49
Kevin King: And uh the restaurants are so much more calm now.
55:52
Kevin King: And again, now we can focus on that interaction when you are face-to-face with a guest that we can hopefully talk to you.
56:00
Kevin King: We could hopefully call you by your name and hopefully learn a little bit about you and smile and say thank you.
56:06
Kevin King: And so people, this is the hospitality business, is a people business, it will always be.
56:13
Kevin King: And automation and artificial intelligence, how do we leverage them to make to get the most out of our people?
56:21
Kevin King: And that's the the message I want both our team to understand is we're not looking at automation and uh AI as a way to get rid of people.
56:31
Kevin King: We're in the hospitality business, we're here to make people's lives better.
56:38
Keri Croft: Yeah.
56:38
Kevin King: Um, and we're only gonna do that with people, and so um we're gonna look to automate things or use AI on things that people don't love to do or people aren't very good at, so that we can focus on our guests.
56:53
Kevin King: And that's that's the thing because people are like, well, what's gonna happen with AI?
56:58
Kevin King: And I don't trust it, and you know, how are people gonna live?
57:02
Kevin King: And um, you know, uh but uh there's so much it can do, but we have to remember it's about connection, it's about people, it's how we connect with our people, it's how we uh make their job easier.
57:17
Kevin King: Um and so we have a lot of initiatives on the service side.
57:21
Kevin King: The first part of the initiative was how can we make it easier to execute in the restaurant so that we can be friendlier?
57:29
Kevin King: If we execute better, then it's way easier to be friendly.
57:34
Keri Croft: Yeah.
57:34
Keri Croft: And I mean, just like look throughout time, anything that comes along that's new, uh change is the scariest thing for human beings.
57:42
Keri Croft: That and like speaking in public in front of people, right?
57:45
Keri Croft: Or maybe bungee jumping.
57:46
Keri Croft: Or on a podcast.
57:47
Keri Croft: Well, right, right.
57:48
Keri Croft: But change is always pushed against, and there's always a scarcity mindset with the the group.
57:56
Keri Croft: And I think it's the people who look at it and say, okay, how are we able to evolve as human beings, right?
58:02
Keri Croft: Without all of this stuff that came through.
58:05
Keri Croft: And now it's AI.
58:06
Keri Croft: This is the moment, and it's huge and it's disruptive.
58:09
Keri Croft: Back to your point earlier.
58:10
Keri Croft: But what am I gonna do about it?
58:14
Keri Croft: Am I going to recoil and get really upset about it and scared?
58:18
Keri Croft: Or am I gonna look at this as an opportunity and say, okay, maybe depending on what job you're doing, where you're at in the world, maybe life as you know it is going to change, and maybe that is scary.
58:28
Keri Croft: But but then what is this opening up to you in other ways that wouldn't be possible?
58:33
Keri Croft: I mean, I I I just for me, living in that that mindset of just always being super scared and what are we gonna do?
58:41
Keri Croft: How are we?
58:42
Keri Croft: It's not going away.
58:43
Kevin King: Yeah.
58:44
Keri Croft: So you got to build the mental athleticism, as I like to call it.
58:47
Kevin King: And it's it's some of the conversation we had earlier.
58:50
Kevin King: It's how I approach a problem is um how do I take advantage of this?
58:56
Keri Croft: Yes.
58:56
Kevin King: Right?
58:56
Kevin King: So it is here.
59:00
Kevin King: AI is here, and so much of it is gonna be so wonderful.
59:05
Kevin King: Are there gonna be some negatives?
59:07
Kevin King: Absolutely.
59:08
Kevin King: With anything there is, but how how can I, in my personal life, in my uh emotional relationship life with my family, or in my work life, how can I use AI to either free me up or give me better information or do things that I don't want to do so that I can do the things that I do want to do?
59:29
Kevin King: Yeah.
59:30
Kevin King: And uh it is it's a little bit scary right now that people are talking about you know, fully autonomous things.
59:37
Kevin King: And um, but we we gotta we just gotta bring it back to it doesn't replace people, and AI is not gonna have a relationship and people are strive for connection.
59:48
Kevin King: We learned that in COVID.
59:49
Keri Croft: I mean, Kevin, there are people out there having relationships with their AI.
59:53
Keri Croft: You know that, right?
59:54
Keri Croft: Yeah.
59:55
Keri Croft: It's a weird thing.
59:56
Keri Croft: So I mean there are there is a subset of people that are getting a little weird with AI, but they're gonna get weird with anything, you know.
1:00:01
Keri Croft: They might be the people that had the blow up doll situation.
1:00:04
Keri Croft: But now they're just now they're just transitioning into into AI.
1:00:07
Kevin King: Yeah.
1:00:07
Kevin King: They're full videos and they talk back to them.
1:00:09
Keri Croft: What so I have a I really need to know is there a cubicle available near your office that I can have?
1:00:18
Kevin King: It's an auto's we have a few cubes available.
1:00:21
Keri Croft: And is it too soon to get my business cards uh printed?
1:00:26
Kevin King: I don't know, Carrie.
1:00:27
Kevin King: Do people use business cards anymore?
1:00:28
Kevin King: I mean, we just really share contact information on the phones.
1:00:31
Keri Croft: They maybe not, but now that I have this title, I'm feeling as if I really want people to know.
1:00:37
Keri Croft: And I think me and people are going analog now, so I feel like people might bring the business card.
1:00:42
Keri Croft: So I would like to actually have a Donato's CIO in parentheses chief influencer officer cards that I could pass out.
1:00:52
Kevin King: Okay.
1:00:53
Keri Croft: Will you guys reimburse that?
1:00:54
Kevin King: Uh we'll print them for you.
1:00:56
Keri Croft: You will print them for me.
1:00:57
Keri Croft: Okay.
1:00:58
Keri Croft: That that sounds great.
1:00:59
Keri Croft: Because I really think that you and I could chop it up if I had a cube and we could really make some make some.
1:01:04
Kevin King: Well, you're gonna bring music into the office because I, you know, we didn't really talk about what what your pump-up song is.
1:01:10
Keri Croft: Oh, yeah.
1:01:10
Keri Croft: So we got we got to see you just brought it all the way back.
1:01:12
Keri Croft: There you go.
1:01:13
Keri Croft: So my pump-up song, I have many of them.
1:01:17
Keri Croft: Um, it would probably be well, it could be like God Smack when I'm working, like lift and heavy, corn, uh-huh, um, Limp Biscuit.
1:01:29
Kevin King: Oh, that's a favorite of my wife's Limp Biscuit.
1:01:31
Kevin King: Stop it.
1:01:31
Kevin King: Yeah.
1:01:32
Keri Croft: Stop it.
1:01:32
Keri Croft: I told you she's got the best musical taste.
1:01:34
Keri Croft: 311 is like my I am in love with them.
1:01:38
Keri Croft: Um and then I mean, I just I I right now I'm really into country, which is funny.
1:01:45
Keri Croft: When the summertime comes, like I'm listening to Zach Bryan on my computer when I'm working, like the channel, the Zach Bryan channel, or Miranda Lambert channel.
1:01:53
Keri Croft: So I'm I mean, I'm I just love music.
1:01:55
Keri Croft: Music is my you love concerts?
1:01:58
Keri Croft: Yeah, I do love concerts.
1:02:00
Kevin King: What was the last concert you went to?
1:02:02
Keri Croft: I think it was Zach Bryan.
1:02:03
Kevin King: Okay.
1:02:03
Keri Croft: Um I went to Zach Bryan.
1:02:05
Keri Croft: Oh, or was it 311?
1:02:07
Keri Croft: I think I went to Red Rocks front row, 311.
1:02:10
Kevin King: Terrible place to have to watch a concert, isn't it?
1:02:12
Kevin King: Oh my god, it wasn't it beautiful.
1:02:13
Keri Croft: It was unbelievable.
1:02:14
Keri Croft: And like being down there with them in the front.
1:02:16
Kevin King: Guess who I saw there?
1:02:17
Keri Croft: Who?
1:02:18
Kevin King: Counting Crows.
1:02:19
Keri Croft: Oh, Counting Crows.
1:02:20
Keri Croft: Yeah.
1:02:20
Keri Croft: So are you like, what's your favorite Counting Crows song?
1:02:24
Keri Croft: Do you have one?
1:02:26
Kevin King: Oh, I have many.
1:02:27
Keri Croft: Like, what's one of them?
1:02:29
Kevin King: Um, Rain King.
1:02:30
Kevin King: First of all, my name's in the song title.
1:02:33
Kevin King: Right, true.
1:02:34
Kevin King: But it's such a great song.
1:02:36
Keri Croft: So I have to go with colorblind.
1:02:38
Kevin King: Love colorblind.
1:02:39
Kevin King: That's so that's reaching in there because not a lot of people know colorblind.
1:02:43
Keri Croft: Coffee black and egg white.
1:02:44
Kevin King: Yeah.
1:02:45
Keri Croft: Pull me out from inside.
1:02:48
Kevin King: One of Leslie's favorite lines uh is all oyster and no pearls.
1:02:53
Kevin King: Oh, yeah.
1:02:54
Kevin King: Um, so from Long December.
1:02:56
Keri Croft: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:02:56
Keri Croft: Oh, I like Long December.
1:02:58
Keri Croft: Smell of hospitals and winter.
1:02:59
Keri Croft: Yeah.
1:03:00
Keri Croft: I mean, that's a sound.
1:03:01
Keri Croft: All oysters and no pearls.
1:03:02
Keri Croft: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:03:04
Keri Croft: Talked a little while about the we all want the pearls.
1:03:06
Keri Croft: Are you kidding me?
1:03:07
Keri Croft: Um, so who else though?
1:03:09
Keri Croft: You you only gave me counting crows.
1:03:11
Keri Croft: Like who would be who were you listening to in college?
1:03:14
Keri Croft: That's kind of what I want to know too.
1:03:16
Kevin King: I was more kind of early 80s rock, so ACDC and those kinds of things when I was in college.
1:03:23
Keri Croft: Were you a Simon and Garfunkel guy?
1:03:25
Kevin King: No.
1:03:25
Keri Croft: I love Simon and Garfunkel.
1:03:27
Kevin King: Yeah.
1:03:27
Kevin King: So um, but I was a Springsteen.
1:03:30
Kevin King: Oh, yeah.
1:03:31
Kevin King: Springsteen was big in college for me.
1:03:33
Kevin King: And I love Springsteen.
1:03:36
Kevin King: Uh, and I didn't see him uh for a long time.
1:03:39
Kevin King: I didn't see him until maybe 10 or 15 years ago.
1:03:44
Kevin King: Um, and his concerts are just legendary.
1:03:47
Kevin King: Right.
1:03:48
Keri Croft: And now I've not seen him.
1:03:49
Kevin King: You haven't?
1:03:49
Kevin King: No.
1:03:49
Kevin King: Oh, you know, I I'll laugh.
1:03:52
Kevin King: He was at Nationwide Arena, and that show was rescheduled a couple times.
1:03:56
Kevin King: Uh, once he had COVID, once he had some other uh illness and stuff.
1:04:02
Kevin King: So I I I'm kind of joking, but I'm sure a few people died between the time uh that he they bought the tickets and he did.
1:04:10
Keri Croft: Yeah.
1:04:10
Kevin King: And it was so funny.
1:04:12
Kevin King: I'm pretty sure afterwards, every chiropractor in the city of Columbus was booked for several days because of the people in their 60s and 70s and 80s who were dancing, jamming out, like living their best damn lives.
1:04:27
Kevin King: They were.
1:04:28
Keri Croft: I love that.
1:04:29
Kevin King: Now it was a great show.
1:04:30
Keri Croft: When you guys like when you drink a cocktail, it's like what's your drink of choice?
1:04:34
Kevin King: I drink wine mostly.
1:04:36
Keri Croft: Red, white, what is it?
1:04:37
Kevin King: I I am a fan of both.
1:04:39
Kevin King: My wife only likes white, so if we're o opening a bottle at home, then I'll drink white with her.
1:04:46
Kevin King: Um, but I do like red wine.
1:04:47
Kevin King: I'm a Pinot Noir guy.
1:04:49
Keri Croft: Um Have you had a Pinot Noir that's white, that's clear?
1:04:53
Kevin King: No.
1:04:53
Kevin King: So White Burgundy, though, which is essentially the same.
1:04:57
Keri Croft: Oh, is that what it is?
1:04:58
Keri Croft: So there's Pinot Noir that um I just had from the wine bistro.
1:05:02
Kevin King: Uh-huh.
1:05:02
Keri Croft: And it's like the only bottle they have that's like called Pinot Noir, but it's like they do something to the grape where it's like white.
1:05:08
Kevin King: Wow.
1:05:08
Keri Croft: It's really good.
1:05:09
Keri Croft: I can't remember the name of it, but like when you and me and your wife at our spot that's gonna be our spot, then we're gonna go and we're gonna have that bottle because it's really good.
1:05:20
Kevin King: And we'll have to hijack the music list there and play play the favorites.
1:05:24
Keri Croft: For sure.
1:05:25
Keri Croft: I'll bring my speaker.
1:05:25
Keri Croft: We'll sit outside.
1:05:28
Kevin King: Awesome.
1:05:29
Kevin King: Jamming on Lane Avenue.
1:05:31
Keri Croft: We that could be we need to be jamming more on Lane Avenue.
1:05:34
Keri Croft: Yeah, you know?
1:05:35
Kevin King: Yeah, we need a little better outdoor space in Upper Arlington.
1:05:39
Keri Croft: I could not agree.
1:05:40
Keri Croft: That's a whole different episode.
1:05:42
Keri Croft: It's a whole I could do an entire episode on what we could do in the bubble.
1:05:52
Kevin King: In the bubble.
1:05:52
Keri Croft: In the bubble.
1:05:53
Kevin King: Well, we're about into bubble week.
1:05:54
Kevin King: So coming up on the 4th of July.
1:05:57
Kevin King: And I was shocked there were no chairs out on Northwest Bloom.
1:06:01
Keri Croft: I think they've done, I think they probably put a kiosh on that because people were putting chairs out in February pretty much.
1:06:06
Kevin King: Pretty much.
1:06:07
Keri Croft: Like, we really like these fireworks.
1:06:09
Keri Croft: We really like the parade.
1:06:11
Keri Croft: Like it's like, wow.
1:06:13
Kevin King: Yeah.
1:06:13
Keri Croft: You know, I love it.
1:06:14
Keri Croft: Well, this has just been so much fun.
1:06:17
Kevin King: Thank you.
1:06:18
Kevin King: That was fun for me.
1:06:18
Keri Croft: You're really great.
1:06:19
Keri Croft: And I can't wait to work together.
1:06:20
Keri Croft: Okay, I can't wait to hear.
1:06:22
Kevin King: I'll bring your business cards over.
1:06:23
Kevin King: I'll drop them off on the way home.
1:06:25
Keri Croft: Yes, Kevin, make it snappy.
1:06:27
Keri Croft: I need this.
1:06:27
Keri Croft: I need this now.
1:06:28
Keri Croft: I need my business cards now.
1:06:30
Kevin King: Okay, we'll we'll work on that.
1:06:31
Keri Croft: Oh my God.
1:06:32
Keri Croft: If you're still out there following your girl, follow me on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast.
1:06:36
Keri Croft: And until next time, go order a Donato's pizza edge to edge, baby, and keep moving.
1:06:42
Kevin King: Thank you, Carrie.