In the small business industry—particularly in the restaurant industry—it’s easy to let company culture take a back seat when hungry diners need to be fed and kitchens need to be cleaned, especially in today’s society, as larger issues are occurring in the kitchen as a result of the high stresses that come along with the territory.
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Luckily, there are restaurateurs who consider a happy culture their top priority. Take it from an industry leader who’s seen it all in the past 11 years: Chicago-based Ricardo Garcia-Rubio, chief culinary officer of Bien Trucha Group and its four restaurant entities (Bien Trucha, A Toda Madre, Quiubo and Santo Cielo). Below, Garcia-Rubio shares the group’s ingredients to success and how its focus on company culture has created a united front with its team and instilled a sense of family with its diners.
- Treat your team as family: There should be a level of trust in play that allows the team members to rely on each other, build memories, and celebrate successes or milestones the same way you do with family. Bien Trucha Group builds teams that empower everyone by showing the reasons why instead of handing out a book of rules. Encouraging all hellos, goodbyes, pleases, and thank yous as currency can help create and solidify that feeling.
- Focus on guests vs. customers: The restaurant industry is all about creating personable interactions and equipping your team with the proper skills to make guests feel welcome always. Being aware of guests’ needs and tailoring their experience is how we genuinely care for them. Guests should know they are in good hands and feel a connection with our people and our place.
- Think 5 years ahead: Every member of our team can help expand and grow the company. We seek ways to harness the collective intelligence and not the “I.” If you develop a 5-year plan for your staff, offering constant feedback and allowing them to contribute to the plan, you are more likely to attract talented people who want to share the common thread of development.
- Know when to reinvent: It’s important for a restaurant group (or any company) to know what attracts guests and when it’s the right time to switch things up. Evolution is in our DNA; understanding how to inspire guests and staff alike is crucial. Everyone must be excited and passionate about true hospitality, the dining experience, and our menu offerings.
- Play hard; work harder: At the end of the day, work should be fun. We constantly look for new ways to reward the group and acknowledge their hard work. While we do run the “necessary seminars” (food/wine and spirits) to keep the staff up to date on the latest trends, we also consider well-being. We offer weekly yoga/meditation classes to relieve stress, host unique lessons (e.g., sign language, Spanish, cooking, mixology) to strengthen skills, and plan fun field trips to bond as a team (e.g., brewery tours, etc.).
Take it from Garcia-Rubio: There is always room for growth, but at the center of whatever industry you’re in, you should always ensure that the team is happy, and that will lend to every other part of your company’s being sound and successful. For more information on Bien Trucha Group, visit https://www.bientruchagroup.com/.
Ricardo & Dolores Garcia-Rubio, Chief Culinary Officer & Partner Husband and wife culinary duo Ricardo and Dolores “Loli” Garcia-Rubio have been an unstoppable epicurean force since they met in Mexico in 1996. Since then, the pair has helmed now-shuttered spot El Sazon in Playa del Carmen and opened Bien Trucha in Geneva, Illinois in 2006.