Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their very own.
Situated within the coronary heart of Portland, Maine, Sur Lie is a James Beard Award-nominated tapas restaurant with a menu spearheaded by chef Mimi Weissenborn, a not too long ago introduced contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef.
Whereas Weissenborn takes the helm within the kitchen, proprietor and James Beard Award semifinalist Krista Cole works behind the scenes to make sure a easy service night time after night time. She first opened the restaurant out of her love for tapas and wine pairings, filling a niche she could not discover in Portland. Then, Weissenborn got here alongside and altered the sport. Now, their distinctive dynamic is a key element to their success at Sur Lie.
“[We’re] this unimaginable dynamic duo,” Cole says. “I am very data-oriented, organized and environment friendly, and she or he’s the good, artistic mind that comes up with the menu, which is why folks come into Sur Lie as effectively. We now have a extremely good relationship that approach. As ladies within the trade making an attempt to interrupt down boundaries, we concentrate on what we’re each actually good at and easy methods to complement one another.”
Collectively, the pair has crafted progressive menus and an much more spectacular tapas service. One buyer, Mike C., visited the restaurant on a post-holiday journey and nonetheless remembers his server’s identify right now.
“Service makes the meal, and it could actually break the meal,” Mike says. “Meg — as a result of I do bear in mind her identify — she was actually nice, tremendous pleasant, good and informal however skilled. The service that we acquired was attentive however not overbearing. I am not in search of them to come back up and test on me each second, however I additionally do not need to have to go searching after I want them. That is service: studying that information, that have, that know-when-to and when-not-to.”
Cole says she is not positive if the sixth sense for exceptional service might be taught, however she encourages her group to develop pleasure of their work. She notices a transparent enchancment in service when servers deal with their work as a craft and really feel empowered so as to add their very own private contact.
Associated: Expert Strategies to Add to Your Small Business’s Playbook This Tax Season
It additionally helps to have a passionate chef operating the present. “I believe an important factor, too, is [Mimi is] a tremendous chief, and that, to me, speaks greater than being a tremendous chef as a result of when you possibly can lead a group of individuals and actually encourage in our trade, then that interprets into the visitor expertise,” Cole says.
Constructing a dream group does not occur by mistake. Cole makes use of two hiring tactics to seek out workers who present promise. First, she critiques the applicant’s resumé and researches their earlier workplaces to know their previous work cultures and see if they’d be a pure match at Sur Lie. Second, she asks concerning the applicant’s favourite office and why, gaining perception into their values and cultural contributions.
From hiring to stock, Cole does all of it, emphasizing the significance of group to remain on prime of all the pieces. Earlier than turning into a restaurateur, Cole labored as a healthcare supervisor and studied entrepreneurship, gaining experience in group and organizational construction that also serves her right now.
“Having techniques and processes in place is tremendous necessary to offering high quality and consistency,” she says. “[That translates into] having your group actually engaged within the work they’re doing and having the ability to maintain folks accountable. It ought to be a well-oiled machine, and there ought to be very clear expectations and a technique of doing issues.”
Associated: The Training (and Business) Philosophy That Sets This Self-Defense Studio Apart
With such techniques and expectations in place, Cole is ready to shield her restricted time. She owns and runs two different eateries in Maine along with Sur Lie. One thing so simple as creating an Amazon order request type or making ready a gathering agenda saves her treasured time and ensures she addresses each subject together with her group.
Studying customer reviews is all the time an merchandise on Cole’s to-do record and an integral part of Sur Lie’s well-oiled machine. She appreciates anybody who takes the time to offer suggestions, however she actually takes it to coronary heart when it comes from an area resident.
When she first took over the restaurant Gather, she invested within the model by hiring consultants and sourcing native elements, leading to larger menu prices. “[We were] listening to from the group that it was getting too costly,” Cole says. “We positively took that suggestions significantly since you’re not a vacation spot restaurant in a small city. Often, you are supported by your group and the locals. In order that was one thing that we shifted and tried to make a bit of extra approachable for folks, particularly in a family-oriented group.”
Associated: What Small Businesses Can Learn from Yelp’s Trend Tracker
From beginning in healthcare to proudly owning three eating places, Cole continues to steer her entrepreneurial journey with these key classes:
- Choose up transferable expertise alongside the way in which. The entrepreneurial journey is commonly a winding street, however expertise from different industries can show invaluable in the long term.
- Hearken to locals. Group is the driving drive behind all native companies. Be certain to hearken to locals and worth their opinions to foster long-term loyalty.
- Get a great learn in the marketplace. Decide if there is a gap available in the market your corporation can fill and assess how one can differentiate yourself from opponents.
- Service is a craft. Service leaves a long-lasting impression, good or dangerous. Encourage your team to carry their very own aptitude to customer support and take pleasure of their craft.
- Defend your time. Set clear expectations along with your group on when and the way you are accessible. Whether or not it is a type for stock requests or an agenda merchandise for the all-hands assembly, having a system in place will enable you work smarter, not more durable.
- Rent to boost your tradition. Should you do not put money into your employees’s careers, they will not put money into the shopper expertise. Acknowledge their worth and the way it aligns along with your firm tradition.
Hearken to the episode beneath to listen to immediately from Cole and Mike C., and subscribe to Behind the Review for extra from new enterprise homeowners and reviewers each Thursday.
Editorial contributions by Erin Palmero and Kristi Lindahl
