Latest / The Inspired Stories Podcast / The Competitive Edge: How Chris Crawley Applies Athletic Mindset to Business Leadership | Restaurants & Franchises Series

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The Competitive Edge: How Chris Crawley Applies Athletic Mindset to Business Leadership | Restaurants & Franchises Series · The Inspired Stories Podcast

0:04
Welcome to another edition of the Inspired Stories podcast,
0:08
where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from
0:11
their successes and be inspired by how they've overcome
0:14
adversity. My name is Anthony Cotespotti
0:16
and today's guest is Chris Crawley.
0:19
Chris is the Chief Financial Officer at Hoffman Hospitality
0:22
Group, A family owned restaurant company based in Signal Hill, CA
0:27
Established in 1951, Hoffman Hospitality owns and operates
0:31
popular dining concepts like Hoff's Hut, Lucille's
0:35
Smokehouse, Barbecue and St. and 2nd.
0:38
Their mission is to deliver great food with friendly service
0:42
in comfortable settings, creating memorable experiences
0:45
for their guests. Under Chris's financial
0:47
guidance, the group has continued to flourish while
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upholding its proud decades long tradition.
0:53
Chris has extensive financial and accounting experience across
0:56
public and private industries. He has served in senior roles at
1:00
organizations like Moxie Management Group and Sizzler
1:03
USA. With an MBA in Finance from the
1:05
University of Arizona Global Campus and a Business Economics
1:09
degree from UC Santa Barbara, Chris brings a wealth of
1:13
knowledge to his current position.
1:15
He is also passionate about supporting others, including
1:18
college athletes transitioning into business roles.
1:21
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1:51
All right, back to our guest today, the CFO of Hoffman
1:54
Hospitality Group, Chris Crawley.
1:56
I appreciate you making the time to Share your story today.
1:59
Oh, thank you very much, Anthony.
2:00
I appreciate you for actually having having me on to tell my
2:03
story. All right, let's jump in, Chris.
2:05
So as a former Division One baseball player at UC Santa
2:09
Barbara, what influence did your athletic career have on your
2:15
professional career path and success?
2:18
Good as well. Good question right off the bat.
2:20
Well, I mean a tremendous amount of of of influence.
2:25
Obviously, yes, I, I was fortunate to be able to play
2:29
Division One college baseball at UC Santa Barbara.
2:33
And but there's a lot of work that was put into that even
2:37
before getting to the collegiate level.
2:41
Sports was a it, it was a catalyst for, for really family
2:46
time early on, but definitely an influence from a competitive
2:51
standpoint and being a me being able to push myself forward.
2:57
Probably it was around just before high school, entering
3:00
high school. It was a goal of mine at that
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point to to play collegiate sports and specifically baseball
3:07
that that was a sport I excelled in as as a child.
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And fortunate for me, I was able to fulfill that dream.
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And Coach Bob Bronson of there at UC Santa Barbara saw
3:21
something in in me and and recruited me to to play at Santa
3:26
Barbara quite some time ago in the in the mid 90s.
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So when you were coming into high school and you sort of had
3:33
this dream, did it seem attainable to you or did it seem
3:37
like it was something just so far out there?
3:40
So it was interesting, you know, I was actually coached by my
3:43
father for many years. And there is one point where
3:51
actually it was when I went to playing on a, a team of a Little
3:56
League team that was, was highly competitive and I ran into
4:01
adversity there. It actually, it was difficult.
4:03
The when I was coached under my dad, you know, he put me in
4:08
places where, where I could succeed.
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I then had to, to go into another level in the adversity.
4:15
I at first I wanted to quit. I literally I, there was a,
4:20
there was doubt. I did not know if I could play
4:24
at that level. But when I did that, he, he made
4:27
me make the decision. He, he forced me to go sit down
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with the, my Little League coach at that time and, and literally
4:35
tell him, you know what I want, I want to hang this up and, and
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quit. And I couldn't do it.
4:39
I, I, I, at that point, that was when I was 10-11 years old,
4:44
just, I, I, I couldn't do it. But it was interesting for my
4:48
dad to actually put the onus on myself to to say, Hey, do I
4:52
really want to walk away from this?
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Because I actually enjoyed the playing the sport from that
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point forward. When I made that decision that,
5:01
you know what, I'm going to stick with this.
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I made that decision to say, Hey, let's see it all the way
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through. And, and at that point, you
5:11
know, I, I understood there was high school, there was college,
5:15
you know, I even put it in my mind, you know, potentially
5:17
playing, you know, second base for the Dodgers or so.
5:21
But but, but so it was very early on that that I did feel or
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have at least have the confidence after not having the
5:29
confidence to to play at a a high level.
5:34
So a decision as a 10 or 11 year old there.
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It's interesting that your dad put that decision in your lap.
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And the way that you talk through the story, it seems like
5:45
everything worked out the way that it should.
5:46
You know, I'm a parent of a boy that, you know, that's about
5:49
that same age. And I struggle with decisions
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like that. Like, you know, I, I want him to
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do, I want him to want to do it right.
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But I also know that sometimes, whether we're kids or adults, we
6:02
could use a little kick, you know, we, you know, kind of stay
6:05
on track to to work harder, to achieve something, to work
6:08
through the hard times. Do you look back on that and
6:11
have appreciation for the way that your dad handle it?
6:14
And would you do it the same way with your own kids?
6:17
Well, absolutely. You know, to answer the
6:20
question, do I look back and show appreciation for how my
6:23
father helped handled that? Absolutely.
6:27
You know, it, it, it was a little bit different era back
6:30
then where it was a, a sink or swim era.
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And, and you know, my, my dad put me in a position where I had
6:37
to make the decision And, and I look at that and that it was
6:43
very healthy. And, and I'm sure as we go along
6:46
in our conversation, you'll see how it actually influenced a lot
6:50
of how I approach life, how I approach work and, and business
6:55
as well. You have to be responsible for,
6:59
for, for decisions. You, it taught me at an early
7:03
age that I had to think through things.
7:05
Is this something I really want to, to let go?
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And that was a, you know, a big decision that for, for a 10 or
7:11
11 year old at that time. I, I happen to have an 11 year
7:15
old right right now. And, and I, I struggle because I
7:22
want to take that approach sometimes, but I do feel in this
7:27
maybe more complex situation that he has today, or at least
7:31
what I feel he has. You know, sometimes I do give
7:35
him a nudge, But, but I do find myself kind of on the fence
7:38
with, with my 11 year old. But you know, as we've gotten
7:42
into youth sports and everything, I'm more so on that
7:45
parent that's going to try to put that that child into the
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flyer to help them actually gain confidence versus holding their
7:54
hand and and kind of giving that taking them to the answer.
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So you're 10 or 11, and your father says if you want to quit,
8:01
you have to go tell your coach. And you couldn't do that.
8:05
Could you not do that because it was just a hard conversation to
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have with your coach? Or was it more of this
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competitive spirit sort of lit inside of you?
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And you're like, now I got this, I'm going to figure it out.
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You know, it, it probably has a little sprinkling of everything
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in it. I, I so it's so funny.
8:22
Anthony is I can go back to the night before.
8:24
So so I actually did sit down with my coach.
8:27
My dad took me up early before practice.
8:30
I was thinking about it in in bed and, and, you know, there
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was just something inside that was like, you know, why, why
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quit? Because it's, and even at that
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time I was processing because this is hard, it's difficult.
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And so when I spoke with my coach, he obviously encouraged
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me. But at the end of that
8:49
conversation and through the, and, and I did have every
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intention to, to actually tell my coach at that time, I was no
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longer going to play for, for his team.
9:01
But once I began having that discussion and all these
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thoughts filtered through my mind, I, I was like, you know
9:08
what, I would be cutting myself short by not seeing something
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through. So, so part of it too, that was
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the challenge at that point. That was the competitiveness as
9:17
well, even within myself to see something through at least.
9:24
And, and I think, you know, having that has stuck with me
9:29
through my my entire life. So let's Fast forward go through
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high school, you make a Division One team, you get recruited to
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play at UC Santa Barbara. You have, you know, some
9:41
aspirations. Like I'm sure everybody who
9:44
plays at that level, hey, could I make it to, you know, to the
9:47
next level? At the same time, though, I'm
9:50
going to put words in your mouth here.
9:52
You're you're still studying. You're, you're coming up with a
9:54
backup plan, right? What what attracted you to study
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economics and finance at this stage?
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So, so my household coming up, my, both my, my mother and
10:08
father, you know, were huge influences to, to both me and,
10:12
and my siblings. I had two younger sisters.
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Education was highly stressed in our, in our household.
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So I, I attended UC Santa Barbara, yes, but I have two
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younger sisters. One attended Stanford, the other
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one went to to University of Southern California.
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So it was a a high. There was competition in our
10:35
home academically. So that's why I'm kind of looked
10:39
at it. You know, UC Santa Barbara, it's
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not a terrible, terrible school at all.
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However, you know, there, there was definitely a level of, of
10:49
stress that we had to ensure that we were doing the right
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things academically. My father actually, he, he ran a
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recruiting firm in Los Angeles, which specialized in finance,
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accounting and technology. So the business economics and,
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and, and going in that, that direction, I can't claim that
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that was fully my, my decision making.
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I, I was definitely tasked to, to go that route and influenced
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by my parents. I, I, I look back at that and at
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the time I, I didn't really think much of it.
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I, I was so enthralled with, with sports and it just was kind
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of part of the program and, and I look back at it and it
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definitely paid off. It, it was definitely a, a
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discipline, just as, as my, my parents would talk to me about,
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Hey, make sure you're thinking about doing something else
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besides sports. And so they gave me a, a very
11:56
good basis of an understanding of, of what I want to do.
11:59
Because like I said, in my mind, even going to college, I was
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going to play second base for the Los Angeles Dodgers at some
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point. So, but obviously I would, I had
12:11
very good structure at home in in giving me a balance of
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ensuring that I took care of the academic side as well as the the
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athletic side. At what point did you realize
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that you were not going to have a professional career in sports
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and what was that moment of understanding like?
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You know, it, it came, believe it or not, actually early on.
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So probably during I would say my my sophomore you so it it was
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interesting. My sports career through high
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school was was things came easy. It it, it was I, I did well when
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I got to college and stepped into A to a different level of
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competition. I realized at that point in my
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five 10160 LB frame didn't didn't necessarily hold up to
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the test. I was getting everything I could
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out of it. And so I knew right away,
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actually in my sophomore year, because I actually got a chance
13:12
to play with a couple of guys who played in the major leagues
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and I and I saw their ability and their dedication.
13:18
Michael Young was someone who actually influenced me when I
13:22
was at UC Santa Barbara. He had a great career with the
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Texas Rangers, but his, his worth ethic and true passion and
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love for the game, that was something that I realized that,
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you know, I didn't have all of that.
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I didn't work as hard as, as necessary to, to get there.
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And it wasn't the physical part. It was really it's the mental
13:45
part of everything. I also played with another
13:50
gentleman named Freddie Sanchez. We were on a traveling team and
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be 1:00 in the morning before we're getting ready to play a
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game and he's practicing his, his swing.
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I'm like, what are you doing? But it was that dedication that
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I learned from those guys. And so I realized that, you
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know, to go to the professional levels, it was more than just
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the physical, it was mental as well.
14:12
So at that point, and also I, I, I did incur injuries throughout
14:18
my, my career, which definitely set me back in.
14:21
And it right away I knew I had to figure out, OK, what else am
14:26
I going to do while, while I'm still competing in, in playing
14:30
sports. And that was a difficult
14:32
balance, you know, because you have to realize that, that you
14:34
know what, you think you're good, but there's a lot of
14:38
competition out there. And so it took me a bit, but I
14:44
was able to accept that. And I think that was important
14:47
for me to be able to also then transition into a normal student
14:52
because I took an extra year there at, at Santa Barbara and
14:56
then eventually to transition into a, you know, a life where I
15:02
have had to go to work and sit behind a desk.
15:05
So that there there's a big transition in in that.
15:08
You know, in my own experience and talking with other business
15:12
leaders, making those transitions can be really
15:16
challenging, much more challenging than just saying,
15:20
oh, it was hard, you know, and tell me if this rings true for
15:24
you, Chris, You know, because you had identified as a baseball
15:27
player, as an athlete for so long, right?
15:30
You had, you were doing this, as you know, in when you were a
15:34
little kid, you were doing this in junior high, high school.
15:38
Now you're playing Division One college ball.
15:40
You got a scholarship. Like like this is the trajectory
15:43
that you're on. And then all of a sudden it's
15:46
like, OK, that part of who I thought I was has to morph into
15:52
something else. Was this like AI don't know kind
15:56
of a couple weeks and you got over it or was it a bit more
15:59
destabilizing than that? Oh, this was years.
16:02
This, this is years to, to get to get through that.
16:07
Obviously, like I said, you know, my, my parents stress
16:10
education. So, you know, I had to tend to
16:12
fulfill that task and, and, and finish that side.
16:17
Even with that, you know, after knowing if it wasn't for my
16:21
parents pushing me or so and, and give me that motivation, it
16:24
would have been a difficult transition.
16:26
It's like, you know, you've lost your dream.
16:29
What are you, what are you going to school for now?
16:32
But even as I transitioned into, you know, the first job that I
16:37
took, the first job I took was actually there was a local CPA
16:41
firm in Santa Barbara that hired me on and I actually did the
16:46
accounting for tennis clubs that they that they had managed
16:51
throughout the Central Coast there.
16:53
And even during that time, it was a transition for me because
16:59
I was even thinking to myself as this is not the excitement of
17:04
being a professional, being an athlete in general.
17:06
You know, this is where you come to work every single day.
17:09
You're working on reconciliations.
17:11
And, and it was just a almost kind of a mundane task that
17:16
really was not inspiring me day in and day out because I just
17:20
felt like I was kind of just punching the clock or so.
17:24
So so I had to then get inspired and do other things.
17:30
And so that's actually what led me into my next job.
17:34
I one of the partners there, he reached out to a, a firm in, in
17:39
Florida and I went to to go work for AACPA firm as an auditor in,
17:45
in Florida. And that actually began to, to
17:48
get me somewhat excited because, you know, I was travelling as an
17:52
auditor, I was learning about, you know, other companies, how
17:57
business works. But in the same regard to I was
18:00
now kind of fighting this, this piece because I was an introvert
18:04
at that. At that point, I was an athlete.
18:06
But now I'm, I'm, I'm thrusted into the business world.
18:12
You know, I had to kind of find my place there.
18:16
What all I knew was just get a job done, essentially work hard
18:20
and get the job done. So, but I did not really
18:23
understand how to, to maneuver through essentially corporate
18:29
America or, or even really at that point know what I wanted to
18:32
do. I, it wasn't that I, I
18:34
necessarily wanted to be ACPA or, or, or go down the
18:37
accounting route. But when I was auditing the,
18:41
the, the, the trigger really that, that got me in or where I
18:47
was inspired was really just learning about the businesses
18:50
that we, I would perform audits on, understanding how, how they
18:56
function, learning the business processes in interacting with
19:02
the high level executive folks there and understanding their
19:05
strategy. And, and even at that time, you
19:08
know, I, I remember thinking to myself, do I agree or disagree
19:12
with some of the, some of the strategy?
19:15
And that became kind of the catalyst for me to, to really
19:20
start to, to maneuver in my career and get serious about,
19:24
about my career. So I, how can we sort of
19:29
encapsulate that into advice for listeners who are thinking, I'm
19:35
not really sure where my career is going.
19:38
I don't know what to do, where to find sort of the joy and the
19:42
and the hope and the the excitement, the inspiration for
19:45
it. Yeah, well, one of the things I,
19:47
I would suggest it and I was there you have to get out of the
19:51
doldrums of of of kind of thinking to yourself is, is, is
19:57
this the best it gets or you know, or, or this negative
20:01
energy. I I I would come to work
20:03
sometimes with a negative thought process or so because.
20:09
You know, this wasn't exactly what I wanted to do.
20:11
So, you know, trying to find the, the passions.
20:15
I mean, it's obviously it's work, you know, I'm, I'm, it's
20:19
work, but what, what drives you? And then what can you work
20:23
towards to drive you? So, so one of the things, as I
20:27
mentioned before too, is, you know, very early on in my career
20:32
as an auditor, you'd understand business processes and, and look
20:35
at strategy and, and I was like, gosh, well, we could do this a
20:39
little bit better maybe if that changes.
20:41
And So what I learned early on too, is that I did like to be in
20:45
a place where I could add suggestion or, or bring a
20:51
different type of thought process.
20:53
And, and so that led me onto a path of, of thinking, OK, well,
20:57
how do I get into that role? You know, as, as a staff
21:01
auditor, a staff accountant, you're basically in the weeds
21:04
and just just doing that. How can I get strategic and, and
21:07
really be able to drive decision making in, in organizations?
21:14
And so that's kind of an area, you know, for me, what help is
21:19
trying to put the, the, the, the negative thought aside of, oh,
21:23
this is a job. And really trying to, to figure
21:27
out what is best or, or what's positive here or what actually
21:31
motivates me and take that focus and, and, and try to build upon
21:36
that. So kind of putting everything
21:38
that you had into it, how can I put myself fully into this
21:43
experience so that I can get the most out of it in return?
21:49
How can I, you know, the the more that I invest, the more
21:52
that I'm going to get back, the, the, you know, the more that I
21:54
can better myself and start setting new goals for, OK, I'm
21:59
just here. But I can see all these other
22:00
people, you know, in these different positions, You know,
22:03
how can I get to that place? Absolutely.
22:06
And, and, and you know, you know, for, for listeners, it
22:10
that didn't come easy either because I didn't necessarily
22:12
know the, the answers on how to do that.
22:15
So what I tried to do is really excel in whatever my task was,
22:20
whether I was working in a, a senior auditor's capacity or
22:24
even just an accounting manager's capacity.
22:27
It was all I knew was get my task done and do it very, very
22:31
well so that you would get at least praise or appreciation of,
22:36
of that. So then you could go on to the
22:38
next, but I found over time and in my career, just doing that
22:44
was not enough, I think. And, and if, if one looks in, in
22:49
my resume, you know, I, I spent almost 10 years at the
22:54
controller level and what I did not understand and, and what it
23:01
took me a long time. And actually there was a, there
23:03
was a book that I read. It was called How to Talk to
23:06
anyone. It was written by Paul Newcomer.
23:11
And what this did is it allowed me to break down the walls that
23:16
I had and be open, being able to network, to talk with people, to
23:22
communicate to, to really understand how A-Team may
23:28
function, what other people's needs are versus me just focused
23:32
on getting tasks done and, you know, making sure deadline
23:36
deadlines were met. And when I, when I took, began
23:41
to take that approach, things really began to change for me
23:46
in, in, in my career. And, and I think sometimes
23:51
that's what I, or I do see folks run into as they, they get
23:55
bogged down in these mundane tasks, they've hit a certain
23:58
level. Like for me, I, I, I had hit the
24:02
controller level, which, you know, it, it, it created a
24:06
comfortable space for, for, you know, where our family was at at
24:11
that point. But it wasn't 100% fulfilling
24:13
for my, for myself. And part of that was because I,
24:18
I was not, I did not have the influence on the organization
24:22
and bring the, the, the think tank that was necessary to
24:27
really make an impactful change. What was the the biggest thing
24:33
that you learned from that book that kind of helped you
24:35
breakthrough those walls? Oh gosh, you know, putting
24:39
putting yourself doubts aside. So, so let's let's go back to as
24:43
being a, you know, parents stressing education, being a
24:49
Division One athlete. You, you are always competing
24:51
against yourself. You always feel that you have to
24:55
be the absolute best of the best.
24:58
And, and if you don't check every single box, you feel a
25:02
little bit of uncertainty or so. And, and that's what I had to
25:07
learn as well as like, you know what, you don't have to be
25:10
perfect. I don't have to have every
25:12
single answer. What's key is can you be that
25:15
person in that facilitator that can actually go get answers
25:19
between much smarter people in the room, but be able to
25:22
facilitate that, you know, amongst headstrong individuals.
25:29
And so for me, that was a, a huge take away because it, it
25:34
broke down the barriers that I had inside myself to be able to
25:39
really effectively communicate to to other other people and
25:44
also be able to bring, you know, strong minded people together
25:48
that may have different ideas, different approaches.
25:51
And it definitely made me a better manager of people made
25:55
allowed me to even see myself as not trying to be perfect for my
26:00
teams, but really look to see what do I need to offer to each
26:05
of my team members to make us collectively better as a whole.
26:10
And so, so that that was the the big take away that you know,
26:15
that I got, you know, from that particular book.
26:18
So maybe not necessarily Chris Crawley having to be the one
26:21
that has all the answers, but how can I support my team and
26:25
find the people that are best suited to help with this
26:28
discussion with this problem solving?
26:30
Absolutely. And and part of that too, you
26:33
have to step away. You know, I would be hands on,
26:38
very much hands on in and really kind of taking a step back so
26:42
that you could actually see the a larger picture in in, in
26:45
quarterback things. So, you know, especially in
26:50
those roles, we one of the roles when I was controller at
26:54
Yoshinoya America, which was a company that was Japanese owned
26:58
and, and you know, we had, you know, an international flavor
27:03
there, which we, our team didn't necessarily our, our team here
27:09
in the US didn't necessarily see eye to eye always with our
27:13
Japanese counterparts and, and the owners there.
27:16
I had to bridge those gaps in, in, in doing that, I had to
27:20
understand really what are the needs of, of, of very high level
27:27
headstrong folks on both sides and how do we come together to,
27:31
to ensure that we are on the same page so, so that we are
27:35
satisfying the needs of, of, of our boards and, and being able
27:39
to, to move our functions, you know, in, in unison.
27:43
So was it the time that you were at the Yoshinoya, the Japanese
27:47
owned company, that you first read this book, or had that come
27:49
earlier? It it had come earlier, so we
27:53
were. Able to take those lessons that
27:55
you had learned from before and apply them in a on a bigger
27:57
scale. Absolutely, because this was,
27:59
this was at the time as well where you know, as you're,
28:02
you're sitting in the controllership role and you're
28:05
trying to figure out how do you move forward?
28:08
What, what next? You know, there there wasn't a
28:11
pathway through, through, at least for me, through education.
28:15
It, it was education, it wasn't a pathway how to maneuver
28:19
through the business world. And, and really, like I said,
28:24
the, I think the most important thing is being able to connect
28:27
with people and build relationships.
28:30
That really began to set, set me apart once I read the book and,
28:36
and I understood that relationships were, were very
28:39
big. Obviously you have to have the
28:42
technical piece, but your ability to to bring people
28:45
together, bring ideas together and facilitate them, which I've
28:51
been in the restaurant industry for, for many years.
28:54
That's a difficult task when you have operations and then you
28:58
have the other side of compliance financing in county.
29:01
You know, you have folks that are interfacing guests and
29:05
customers and, and, you know, if something falls out of
29:08
compliance, they're going to do that to ensure we, we satisfy
29:13
the needs of, of customers. And then, but you have sometimes
29:18
me as the bad guy putting in policy behind that.
29:21
But being able to marry, you know, those two worlds has been
29:25
something that's difficult in our industry, in the restaurant
29:27
industry. But I feel I've been successful
29:31
in, in doing that over, you know, the decade, more than a
29:34
decade that I've spent in the industry.
29:36
What's an example of you having to be the bad guy?
29:40
So one of the, you know, obviously we, we operate here in
29:46
California or, or just the tipping process right now, you
29:50
know, with, as far as our, our team members reporting tips, you
29:57
know, there, there has to be guidelines around that or so,
30:00
and you know, there, there's definitely policing that comes
30:06
around that. And so I, I get it, I, I, I'm
30:09
the bad guy when it comes to that.
30:11
But when you look at ensuring that we're, we're protecting the
30:16
company and keeping the company, you know, above water as far as
30:21
compliance, it, it, it's, it's an area that that has to be
30:25
done. But you know, you don't tackle
30:29
this with an iron fist. I think a lot of this is
30:32
communication and being very transparent as to the reasons
30:35
why in, in our industry. That's what I feel is very
30:40
important that that we're very transparent in what we do to our
30:44
operators. If operators did not, you cannot
30:47
put reason behind something, then you have very, very little
30:51
chance in, in getting a, you know, getting a, a new task
30:57
through new operators or through operators.
31:01
And the interesting thing too is with operators as well is it's
31:04
very, you know, they are they in our, in the restaurant industry,
31:09
they do drive the business. That's it is it is not us as, as
31:14
you know, finance, accounting folks, the analysts, we give
31:19
them information. However these I, I do definitely
31:22
respect. These are the folks that are on
31:23
the front lines that really have a the knowledge of of what is
31:29
happening day in and day out. So as an auditor, you had a
31:33
chance to work with a lot of different kinds of businesses.
31:36
And as you mentioned, you've been in the restaurant space for
31:38
a number of years. What is it that you really like
31:44
about this space? And then how has that segwayed
31:47
into the opportunity that you have now with Hoffman?
31:51
So, so I think you'll hear this from a lot of restaurant
31:55
operators and, and, and executives.
31:59
It, it, it and, and I agree with it.
32:01
It's the people, you know, in the restaurant and hospitality
32:05
industry, you have to be people focused.
32:10
You, you have to understand your consumer base.
32:12
You have to understand your, your team members.
32:16
And for me, that, that definitely drives the, the
32:18
connection for me. I, I, I, I do enjoy being making
32:24
decisions that that obviously positively impact people and,
32:30
and that definitely ties me to the restaurant industry where,
32:36
you know, I, I had operated in, you know, in banking prior to
32:40
that public accounting. And there's an element of that,
32:45
but, but it really, you don't necessarily have those
32:49
connections with, with the people also too, you know, it's
32:54
in the restaurant industry, there's an for the most part,
32:58
there's an open book. You know, we, we, we do converse
33:01
with each other. We, we do share notes, you know,
33:05
at least in, in the, in the circles that I'm networking in,
33:10
we all kind of, you know, we take the UPS and the downs to
33:14
together in the industry. So let's now as we've kind of
33:20
gotten through a little bit of your story, let's now explore
33:23
what is the Hoffman Hospitality Group.
33:26
Tell us about the different brands and maybe the common
33:30
thread that sort of pulls them together.
33:32
Yep. Well, yeah.
33:34
So Hoffman Hospitality Group, you know, they've been owned and
33:37
operated for just over 75 years by the Hoffman family.
33:43
Brad Hoffman, who is 4th generation now as president of
33:47
our company and and Craig Hoffman sits as chairman of our
33:52
board. Craig's grandfather started HHG
33:59
as a basically just a burger stand out out on the beach at
34:03
Long Beach. That morphed into Hoffs Hut,
34:08
which is family. It's basically a family dining
34:12
where it's pretty much American cuisine that we have been in.
34:17
Currently right now we have 3 of those locations.
34:20
But then Craig Hoffman, he decided to go in a whole
34:25
different route in creating Lucille Smokehouse, which is
34:29
totally, totally different concept.
34:32
And this is these are larger family dining locations that we
34:37
have anywhere from 8 to 10,000 square feet where we actually
34:41
have a smoker in the center of all of these restaurants that
34:44
are actually smoking the the meat.
34:47
So, so it is 100% authentic here for the for the West Coast.
34:52
And so we operate 24 of those locations throughout mostly
34:57
Southern California, but we also have some outline locations in
35:01
Nevada and Arizona as well. So, so then we have the third
35:06
concept, which is St. and 2nd, which is completely different
35:10
from the family dining experience.
35:13
And, and this we kind of coin as a high end casual dining.
35:18
And this is where we, we obviously have a chef inspired
35:22
dishes that are seasonal, a pretty robust specialty cocktail
35:30
menu as well. And, and so this, we cater to a
35:35
lot of the, you know, kind of the folks that are looking for
35:39
an experience that, that are really coming for, for a dining
35:44
experience. And, and, and so we're, we're in
35:48
the process right now of we have 3 locations currently right now.
35:53
And right that is our focus of growth is is really building
35:58
upon this the this concept of of St. and 2nd.
36:02
Why is that? Why is the St. and 2nd sort of
36:05
the the primary focus at the moment?
36:07
So there there there. There are multiple reasons
36:10
there. You know, one of the, the, the
36:13
focus as well is, is the customer demographic.
36:17
It's, it's a much higher end customer that we're focusing on.
36:24
The locations that we look at. You know, they're, they're all
36:27
kind of in the coastal cities here currently.
36:31
But one of the advantages is we can operate out of a smaller, a
36:36
smaller box or so less square footage.
36:39
The the price point is, is much higher and it definitely gives
36:44
us an advantage, you know, when it comes to to our prime costs
36:48
in operating in this this way also too with the the new
36:51
technologies that are coming in, you know, we can operate this
36:57
concept much, much more efficiently.
37:01
I would say more about that what what are some of the technology
37:04
plays that are contributing to that efficiency?
37:07
Oh, so I mean on, on the back end we've, we've injected quite
37:13
a few, you know, whether they're labor modeling and forecasting
37:16
tools that that we can apply to a concept that's more
37:24
straightforward. And what I mean by more
37:26
straightforward than that is with the BBQ concept, there are
37:29
so many different segments of Labor that are happening within
37:32
running that operation. Whereas the St. and 2nd model is
37:39
a much more streamlined late labor model than we have in
37:43
actually in either of our other concepts.
37:46
Also, when you look at the really just in building the new
37:53
building out our our new locations, we we've been able to
37:56
modernize a lot of our equipment that have more efficiencies in
38:01
in within that equipment. But the build out as well from a
38:06
technology standpoint, we we can create the better more
38:11
efficiencies from an operating standpoint.
38:14
Whereas in our other models because there are other concepts
38:18
a lot of the retrofit it would create a lot of costs around
38:22
build out to to create different efficiencies whether it's around
38:28
you know, coolers, the beer systems that that we put in.
38:33
We've definitely been able to take advantage of of the newer
38:36
technology and also space saving technology that we have in in
38:41
the new concepts. And so at Lucille's, for
38:45
example, is it just much more labor intensive to smoke the
38:49
meats and just you kind of need like more people to produce the
38:54
same amount of food? Absolutely.
38:57
So so there's even a lot of prep work, all of the meats that
38:59
Lucille's that, you know, we we literally are hand seasoning
39:05
every single every piece of meat of protein that goes into that
39:09
smoker. So yes, there, there, there are
39:13
a lot of hands involved from a labor side.
39:16
And, and that's difficult to forecast as well because smoke,
39:20
it's not like you can take proteins in and smoke them in,
39:24
in a few minutes. And, and you're ready to, to
39:26
serve, you know. So it's even really getting to
39:29
the point where you have to forecast your, your guest
39:32
traffic and, and all this to ensure that, that you have one
39:36
quality product, but then the right amounts of product
39:40
available for, for the customer. And so, so this is, it's a, it's
39:45
a very difficult balance with it, within that, that concept.
39:51
And obviously with the, the stresses of, of the costs, you
39:57
know, of, of running a 10,000 square foot restaurant with
40:01
anywhere north of 150 to 175 employees that run that
40:06
restaurant and trying to fit that into California's labor
40:10
market. You know, it, it poses
40:13
challenges. Luckily for us, we we've been
40:15
able to figure out a mix that works.
40:18
For our existing locations, however in building that out it,
40:23
it just right now at this point doesn't make sense here in the
40:28
Southern California area, you know, for for that Lucille's
40:32
concept. So say more about the labor
40:35
challenges specifically in California at the moment,
40:37
because this is something sure people outside of the market
40:40
maybe not don't understand. Yeah.
40:42
Well, well, it's interesting. I mean, everyone obviously we
40:45
have the fast food, you know, minimum wage hike that we were
40:49
not directly affected by because we did not operate the number of
40:54
locations that where we would be affected by it.
40:56
However, we were indirectly affected because now all of our,
41:01
you know, back of the house, you know, wages needed to be, need
41:07
to be competitive. One of the things for us too, is
41:11
the organization has been, we, for the industry.
41:14
We've been very successful in retaining our employees.
41:17
We, we have quite a few, you know, really tenured employees
41:22
throughout all of our, our locations.
41:25
And you know, we, we had to get creative in how to ensure that
41:30
we could continue to, you know, compensate these folks and not
41:36
turn over big Staffs because of how intricate our process is.
41:42
And so, so that definitely led to challenges.
41:47
But we have been able to find a mix, you know, that that has
41:52
satisfied a lot of, you know, our, our, our front line, our
41:56
front line help. And, and I think the other side
41:59
of it too though, what, what our organization has been, you know,
42:03
very, very, you know, good at is driving the culture.
42:07
So one of the things too as well, you know, when you're
42:11
looking at, you know, in our industry, whether it's $0.50,
42:14
maybe it could be 1/4 difference in, in wage.
42:16
Sometimes, especially in QSR, you get folks that that leave
42:20
for that different in wage, difference in wage.
42:23
The culture that we have created.
42:25
I mean, that's what has really I think benefited the the Hoffmans
42:29
and the entire organization. I definitely saw that that
42:33
culture, that's part of the culture is what led me back
42:37
into, into my role in, in working with, with this group.
42:42
But I believe that is really what drives a lot of that
42:45
retention with our with our employees.
42:48
But you know, as as we try to attract new team members on as
42:53
well, you know, we have to really continue to strengthen
42:56
that culture and make sure that that it's something that's felt
42:59
as soon as a new team member, you know, walks, walks into the
43:02
door. Can you say more from a
43:05
practical standpoint, what it looks like to implement direct,
43:10
foster that culture, especially, you know, when you've got so
43:14
many locations spread out across, you know, a pretty good
43:17
sized geography, What what does that look like on a practical
43:21
side? Well, I, I mean, I, I can give
43:24
you an of exactly where it comes from.
43:26
And, and this is it, it really it, it's tone at the top.
43:31
I mean, our, our ownership, our ownership group is, is very team
43:39
member first. They take a team member first
43:43
approach it, it, it goes back to really I think the success that
43:49
the Hoffman family has had over the 75 years their, their
43:54
approach one, they call it the company is Hoffman Hospitality
44:00
Group. We're not Hoffman or Hoffman
44:02
restaurants. It's hospitality first, but they
44:06
take even a, a, a further step with that as well in also being
44:11
hospitable to the team members. That was a big portion.
44:15
I, I do, you know, I, I empathize with and, and even in,
44:20
in my role, which is sometimes is a, is a difficult role,
44:24
especially when you're looking at, you know, right sizing
44:26
organizations and those things. But, but I understood that right
44:30
away that that anytime we had to do something, any changes we
44:34
made, it had to be team member first.
44:36
Does this make sense for the, the team?
44:40
How does it, how do, how will this impact our, our teams?
44:44
And so that's where it actually, it's easy because like we, there
44:51
are even times to where we may sacrifice things that would
44:54
drive bottom line to ensure that we are putting our team members
45:00
and, and team members even extend to some of our key
45:02
vendors as well to, to ensure that we're working in, in in
45:07
unison with our vendors. And so that is something that's
45:10
that's very unique, you know, from an ownership group, but
45:16
that's really where the the culture kind of starts and, and
45:23
it's very easy to implement all the way down to the, the, the
45:26
next person that that comes on on to the team, you know, you
45:30
know, is it perfect? Does everybody latch onto this?
45:34
Of course you're going to have your anomalies.
45:36
But, but I think that culture has definitely been built for
45:39
for many, many decades, you know, within this this
45:43
organization. Can you maybe mention a specific
45:46
example, Chris, of a time where you did something that wasn't
45:50
great for the bottom line just so that you could take better
45:53
care of either your employees or your vendors?
45:56
Oh, absolutely. I mean, there, there were times,
46:01
obviously the, you know, first quarter last year, you know,
46:05
it's just for the industry in general.
46:07
You know what, what was a tough, tough quarter.
46:09
So, so we're looking through ways, we're going through the
46:12
PNL, you know, hey, how, how can we shave a pointer to, to, to
46:15
our, our bottom line. And, you know, I came up with
46:18
some ideas, some ideas were, you know, do we cut, you know, cut a
46:25
linen service or, or, or so, and, and, and maybe cut back on,
46:30
on, you know, some of the more hospitable things that that we
46:35
offer in, in our restaurants. And it would have driven a, a
46:40
reasonable amount. You know, it may have helped us
46:43
pick up that half a point or point that, that we're looking
46:46
to. But you know, our ownership
46:48
group decided not to take those stands because they didn't want
46:54
to break relationships with their vendors who they've had
46:58
long time relationships with. You know, that there was a
47:01
philosophy of, you know, if we cut them short, you know, we're
47:06
we're going to pat ourselves, but we're going to cut someone
47:08
else's bottom line short. In all my experience, you know,
47:13
prior to, to coming in to HHG, you know, I was in the private
47:17
equity space. That's unheard of.
47:20
It's absolutely unheard of. But when you talk about culture
47:24
and, and, and how it is team member vendor, you know, people
47:28
first, I mean, that there couldn't have been more of a
47:31
straight answer early on that I got with that.
47:34
So, but then also it makes things difficult as well because
47:39
sometimes you have to make those, those hard decisions and
47:43
hard cuts. And, and I think that's where
47:45
it's been a, a very good, you know, balance between, you know,
47:51
some of the tough decisions that need to be made, but also the
47:53
culture that that our our organization does have instilled
47:57
in it. That's an incredible story.
48:00
Yeah, you're, you're right in my experience too, that that kind
48:03
of thing is virtually unheard of.
48:06
I'm, let's assume like like I'm a, I'm a new server starting
48:10
with your organization or I'm a line cook starting and I've had
48:14
experience working in other restaurants before.
48:16
What's the difference that I might notice, you know, my first
48:20
day or or couple of weeks on the job as it pertains to the
48:24
culture and how you you treat team members?
48:26
Yeah. So, so you know, one, one of
48:28
the, the, the main things that our, our general managers are
48:32
tasked with right away is, you know, this, this notion of going
48:39
above and beyond from a hospitality standpoint.
48:42
It's, it's how we one, obviously treat our, our customers, but
48:47
most importantly, how we treat our new team members.
48:50
You know, obviously 2IN in certain roles, you have folks
48:55
that are, you know, this may be their first job or so that, that
48:58
they've taken or, or maybe it's their first time in, in full
49:03
service. We, we tend to really try to set
49:08
our folks up to, to be successful in their roles and
49:14
what they're doing. And part of that is, is really
49:15
it's we're kind of still old school where, where our general
49:19
managers are literally taking their teams and we have line UPS
49:23
before every single shift where they go through and check in
49:27
individually with each of our team members.
49:29
And that's also new, new folks that have come on on board.
49:34
And you know, that I think is, is really something that drives
49:39
the, you know, or at least when our new team members come on
49:44
that gives them that sense of, OK, I'm actually going to be
49:49
supported here. And, and also I think
49:53
communication, we're communicating to them exactly,
49:56
you know what we're we're looking for them to to achieve
49:59
on day one and day 1000. So.
50:05
Chris, what is athletes touch and why has this become so
50:09
important to you? So it, it, it, obviously it,
50:14
it's, it's a, it's an organization that focuses in
50:18
helping college students transition or college athletes
50:24
transition into the workforce. Obviously the, it, it, it
50:29
touches home for me because I was that person.
50:32
I, I was an athlete in, in college without necessary
50:37
direction and, and even at that time didn't really have anyone
50:42
to, to speak with to, on how to transition and how do I look at
50:48
life. And so this is a great thing
50:51
that I'm able to do. And, and it's really, it's to
50:55
speak with a lot of college athletes and, and, and these are
51:00
athletes across the board, not, you know, these are tennis
51:06
players, field hockey players that are, are transitioning out
51:11
of a college sport and into the, the workforce.
51:15
And, and really it's a, it's a easy discussion for me because
51:19
I, I can tell my story and, and tell and give insight on what
51:24
it's like to, to make those transitions and, and through my
51:28
experiences, you know, really help lead people in that, that
51:35
transition. Is this something that happens
51:38
like on a one-on-one basis, are you sort of speaking to teams
51:41
and groups? How?
51:42
How does that look? It it it, it, it varies it it it
51:46
varies some. Sometimes it is in a in Group
51:48
settings. A lot of times too, it's it's we
51:51
even have have get togethers of, of, of folks that have actually
51:56
transition. They're working, but they were
51:58
athletes and and we get together to really kind of share our
52:01
stories and and kind of connect in in ways that, you know, is
52:07
unique to, to anyone that had that experience in in college.
52:13
Do you find this is maybe a gross generalization, but that
52:18
college athletes make, once they're able to sort of make
52:24
that transition, that they make really good employees because of
52:30
the work ethic that they had to instill in themselves at a very
52:35
young age? Or is it sort of the opposite,
52:38
where they kind of need to learn how to be at a desk and, you
52:43
know, follow responsibilities and take orders?
52:46
What? What's been your general
52:47
experience? Yeah.
52:49
You know, so I have been fortunate to to hire college
52:53
athletes and I actually feel they actually come in right away
52:59
with a lot of the the skill sets that are necessary to succeed,
53:04
not only in business, in life in general.
53:07
And and they tend for me in my experience with my, the folks
53:11
that I have hired have made excellent team members.
53:20
And as far as as the sorry about that, Anthony, gosh, OK,
53:27
hopefully you can edit that. Is there any way we can start
53:32
that? Over, Yeah.
53:35
What was the last question that I asked?
53:37
I apologize that so so with the team team, team members, team
53:40
members so. So I'm, I'm curious, Chris,
53:45
what's your experience, Ben? I, I could see this kind of
53:48
going one of two directions with athletes entering the workforce.
53:51
You know, 1 is that they are, you know, well accustomed to,
53:56
you know, a strong work ethic because that's what was required
53:59
for, you know, to get them to the level of success that they
54:02
had. And so that they make really
54:05
great employees right from the outset.
54:07
The other side could be that, you know, they're used to
54:10
playing a game and they're not accustomed to sort of sitting
54:13
down in a more structured work environment.
54:16
And so that's a more difficult transition for for them to
54:19
experience. What?
54:20
What do you say? Yeah.
54:22
So in, in my, in my experience, you know, I, I have, I have
54:26
welcomed the resumes of, of athletes because I, I feel that
54:32
they do come in with a discipline right away.
54:36
The, the experience of any, any person who is dedicated to, to a
54:41
sport at the collegiate level has had to, to go above and
54:46
beyond what the, the normal task of, of, of just going to class
54:51
is. So that always is a positive,
54:56
very rarely to that. I think that's the misnomer.
54:59
I mean, anyone that's going to sit in front of me for a finance
55:02
and accounting job, you know, that that has gone through the,
55:05
the rigors of the education for it, along with being an athlete.
55:11
Very rarely are you going to run into the, the attitude of I'm an
55:15
athlete, so you owe me something at all.
55:19
Everyone understands how to come in and, and fight for a, a
55:23
position, a, a space there. There's that level of
55:26
competition that that isn't amongst others.
55:30
It's it's like really feel within themselves.
55:33
They don't want to let themselves down.
55:35
And I feel that it makes a nice mix when when you do have
55:40
somebody with that type of background coming into the into
55:44
the workforce. I.
55:46
Can see that, Chris, I'd be interested to hear about a
55:49
serious challenge that you've overcome in your life, whether
55:53
it's business, personal, maybe a combination of the two.
55:57
What was it like getting through that?
55:58
What were some lessons that you learned?
56:00
Sure. You know, I'm going to keep
56:04
this, you know how we started it, it was sports.
56:08
So, so the, so the challenge, the challenge for me was really
56:15
being recruited, going to, you know, I was recruited to, to
56:18
multiple universities being wanted at at that time and, and
56:27
getting to the stage and, and realizing that, I mean, for lack
56:33
of better words, you just weren't good enough.
56:37
That's, that's it. It's something and probably, you
56:41
know, you talked to a lot of athletes that sticks with them
56:45
in some way for the rest of their lives.
56:48
When you've done something, it's such a high level, but you
56:50
didn't quite get to the finishing top that that is it.
56:56
It's a difficult things to to keep mentally.
57:01
But what I what it has done is it keeps a I've turned that in
57:07
energy and that's why I talk with a lot of of the athletes
57:11
that are transitioning. I've been able to take that that
57:14
energy and turn that into more motivation.
57:19
But they're daunting days where you doubt yourself when you,
57:23
when you've achieved at a such a high level and you're unable to,
57:26
to get to that next level, it it creates a level of doubt or, or
57:31
you start going back and thinking, what did I do wrong?
57:33
How could I have been better? There's, you know, different,
57:37
different ways that, that, that folks look at that.
57:40
But for me it was more so I doubted myself.
57:45
You know, you, you realize, OK, physically I was unable to, to,
57:49
to do certain things, even mentally, you know, I wasn't
57:54
able to compete at the top level.
57:58
And so that was a huge challenge.
58:00
And, and mentally it's, it's very difficult to, to, to get
58:04
over. But then it, it's, it's kind of
58:08
like when you, when you have those challenges, it's an easy
58:13
today, it's much easier to look at it because just like before I
58:18
realized you'd like I mentioned before, you don't have to be
58:21
perfect. Nothing has to be perfect.
58:24
And I think as you're an athlete and trying to, you know, go to
58:28
the next level or become a professional, you feel that
58:32
everything has to be perfect. So, so that was a huge challenge
58:38
And, and, and like I said, it still remains a challenge to
58:40
this very day. Here I am 30 years removed and,
58:44
and, and you still think to yourself, OK, how do I get to
58:47
that next challenge? But even for myself today, you
58:51
know where I'm at. I is just another there.
58:56
There's a challenge to myself to, to to take the next step.
58:59
Let let's how can how can I influence and do things even
59:03
further, Whether it's with my current organization or whether
59:07
it's my community or or any other things, There's always
59:10
that that drive to ascend to the to take another step.
59:16
You know, it's so interesting sort of how we're wired as human
59:19
beings that we're we're always looking to the next thing.
59:24
And why, why am I stuck here? Why am I not here?
59:29
Whether it's in athletics, whether it's in sports finance,
59:34
you know what the business world, etcetera.
59:37
You know, you, you attained a certain level of success in in
59:42
your athletic career, right? You got to Division One college
59:47
baseball, but what you do is you don't appreciate where you've
59:52
come from and everything that you've accomplished.
59:55
You're despondent about what you weren't able to kind of
1:00:00
accomplish at the next level. And I for myself personally,
1:00:04
when I find myself in in a thought process like that, I
1:00:08
right, I get hard on myself and I doubt myself and like, you
1:00:11
know, why is this my ceiling? And you know why can't I get to
1:00:15
here? And what I've come to realize,
1:00:19
and I'm I'm curious to get your take on this, Chris, is that
1:00:22
that's actually a little bit healthy.
1:00:24
As long as that negative voice doesn't get too loud.
1:00:26
That is what is pushing us to want to achieve more and push
1:00:30
ourselves to greatness is sort of that, that self doubt and
1:00:35
that that what, why? Why can't I do more?
1:00:40
Why? Why am I here?
1:00:41
Why, why can't I be there? How does all that resonate with
1:00:44
you? No, it, it, it definitely
1:00:46
resonates and that is absolutely a part of of what drives me in,
1:00:52
in, in your I, I completely agree with you.
1:00:56
It's really trying to quell that voice.
1:00:59
That voice doesn't need to be tamed or so, but you know, to
1:01:04
the point that you make, it's, you do need to look back at your
1:01:08
successes. And, and that's one of the
1:01:10
things that I had a very difficult time doing is taking a
1:01:14
second just to, to pat myself on the back or so to, to say, you
1:01:18
know what, Hey, this, there was an accomplishment here because
1:01:22
you're constantly looking ahead, you know, but, but I do agree.
1:01:27
And, and I, I feel that, you know, it's drive that, that you
1:01:31
always, you need motivation somehow or some way.
1:01:34
I'm, I'm a huge proponent of, of that.
1:01:37
I, I think, you know, how you have to create motivation.
1:01:41
I, I, I would laugh. I, I, I look like, I think there
1:01:45
were stories of like Michael Jordan where he would just make
1:01:47
up these, you know, rivalries and, and things to, to motivate
1:01:52
him. Well, for, for me too, I think
1:01:55
even in business and, and trying to get to the next level, trying
1:02:00
to do something else to be more impactful is what motivates in,
1:02:06
in, in having that voice inside of you that that doesn't allow
1:02:11
for complacency and, and comfort.
1:02:13
There's a quote I saw where comfort is the no progress zone.
1:02:18
I, I, I subscribe to that. I, I'm, I'm definitely one of
1:02:21
those folks that, that subscribe to, to, to that and, you know,
1:02:27
just continuously improving and, and getting better.
1:02:32
And, and unfortunately or fortunately, when you have
1:02:35
experiences like I had and, and you have that competitiveness as
1:02:38
an athlete, like I said, it sticks with you all the all the
1:02:42
way, all the way through. Chris, I've just got one more
1:02:46
question for you, but before I ask it, I want to do 2 things
1:02:49
for everyone listening today. I know that you love today's
1:02:52
content. Chris has been an amazing guest.
1:02:54
Please hit the follow button on your favorite podcast app to
1:02:56
continue receiving great content like this.
1:03:00
Also, if you want to keep following Chris, if you want to
1:03:02
get in touch with him, there's a couple things you can do.
1:03:05
There's the hoffmangroup.com website and Hoffman is spelled
1:03:08
with 1F HO FM, AN group.com. You can also e-mail Chris
1:03:14
directly at c.crawleysothatsccrawley@hoffmangroup.com.
1:03:22
So now, Chris, the last question I've got for you.
1:03:24
As you look to the future, either in your industry at large
1:03:29
or more specifically the Hoffman Group, what changes in
1:03:33
evolutions are you most excited about coming around the corner?
1:03:37
Oh, we, we're, we are doing quite a few things.
1:03:43
Obviously at, over at HHG, we're out-of-the-box, you know, just
1:03:47
with our concepts, just all the different things that, that
1:03:51
we're doing. But you know, one of the things
1:03:55
I'm really excited about is, is the new direction that that
1:04:00
we're taking with the branding of of our Satan second, you
1:04:06
know, this is for everyone creating a lot of excitement.
1:04:10
We we're really trying to begin to market in, in, in our local
1:04:16
areas where where we're opening currently right now as well.
1:04:20
We're opening a brand new location in Manhattan Beach.
1:04:25
This is for anyone here in Southern California on the West
1:04:28
Coast. This is a it's a prime location,
1:04:31
Manhattan Beach, you know, it's a gorgeous area, great place.
1:04:36
And, and we have a main and main location there.
1:04:40
So, so this is kind of a flagship for us.
1:04:42
And, and also too, what it does is, is, you know, this is a
1:04:46
catalyst for us to really, you know, build something, this
1:04:51
concept. So obviously now it gives me
1:04:54
something to go and begin to try to, to develop and, and scale
1:04:59
this out, you know, to a, to a much larger, larger audience.
1:05:05
So, so that's definitely on, on the high on our task list for
1:05:11
this year. Really just pushing this brand
1:05:14
forward and, and trying to ensure that we can touch as many
1:05:19
people out there to, to let them know that we are, we are
1:05:25
completely going in a, you know, we, we are not just the BBQ
1:05:29
company, but we also have, you know, a different flavor for,
1:05:33
for, for a different, different audience as well and a different
1:05:36
experience within, within our restaurant group.
1:05:40
And this new location, will it be the first one that has a lot
1:05:44
of these sort of new operational efficiencies baked in that we
1:05:47
were talking about earlier? Yeah.
1:05:49
So, so the unique part of this, this location that we're
1:05:52
building in Manhattan Beach, this this will be a location
1:05:54
where that we're actually building from ground up.
1:05:57
The other locations they've been conversions of of restaurants
1:06:01
and buildings that we have run in the past.
1:06:05
So yes, this this will be the first location that we kind of,
1:06:10
you know, built out organically and exactly to spec on how our,
1:06:16
our ownership's vision of this concept looks like.
1:06:21
Well, Chris, I want to be the first one to thank you for
1:06:23
sharing both your time and your story with us today.
1:06:25
I really appreciate it. Yeah, I appreciate it as well,
1:06:28
Anthony. It was a great great to be be a
1:06:30
part of the Inspired Story podcast.
1:06:33
Folks, that's a wrap on another episode of the Inspired Stories
1:06:36
podcast. Thanks for learning with us
1:06:37
today.