Jim Hagy

00:00Hey, this is Jen Heidinger-Kendrick, founder of Giving Kitchen. Let me tell you a little more. Giving Kitchen is a James Beard award-winning nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to food service workers nationally. Headquartered in Atlanta since 2013, Giving Kitchen has served over 19,000 food service workers and awarded over $12 million to food service workers in crisis. Want to get involved and support Giving Kitchen? Join Dining with Gratitude in October, Giving Kitchen's month-long campaign where the food service community pledges to raise critical funds and spread the word about Giving Kitchen's mission. givingkitchen.org slash DWG Unleash the Wolf with Campo Bravo Tequila. Campo Bravo is a 100% agave tequila with a bold, smooth flavor perfect for sipping neat as a shot or in cocktails. Campo Bravo is also certified additive-free, which means there are no artificial flavors or sweeteners in Campo Bravo like there are in many other brands.

01:04Campo Bravo gives you all the bold, smooth flavor you want in a tequila with nothing you don't. Campo Bravo is actually truly farm-to-bottle tequila, meaning our fifth-generation agave farmers meticulously control entire production process from the farm to the bottle to give you the highest quality handcrafted tequila. Order through best brands and please remember to drink responsibly. You're listening to Nashville Restaurant Radio. The podcast is not about food. It's about food people. Now, here's your host, Brandon Styll and Crystal DeLuna-Bogan. Hey everybody, it's Brandon. And I'm Crystal and welcome to Nashville Restaurant Radio. Welcome back. I don't even know how to do the intro anymore.

02:06We don't know how to do the intro anymore. It's a little rusty. Well, it's been a month. We've had Atlanta. So in the past month we have launched Atlanta Restaurant Radio in Atlanta. We have taken a month off. You've had a nice relaxing month off, haven't you? You too, yeah. I mean, I've been in restaurant opening mode and it's just here. It's like I would like to say it's like organized chaos or controlled chaos, but it's not that yet. Not that yet. It's just chaos. It's just a lot of like this isn't going to be done in time all across the board. Okay, so for those out there who've never opened a new restaurant and the cat's out of the bag. We talked about on this show. We you teased it on local on to the other day, but you are opening the Cafe Cheesery August 15th, August 22nd. August 22nd at the Frist Art Museum. You do not need to hold a ticket to get to our cafe and we have validated parking.

03:07It's going to be so awesome. And I think the news just like kind of broke yesterday. Oh, Friday. It's Friday. So yeah, it's really exciting. You had to remind me what day it was. Yeah, it's really exciting, but we're under the gun and we are opening in a museum which we've never obviously done before. So there's a lot of protocol a lot of people signatures to get things signed off on because aesthetically that's basically what the whole place is. So, you know something a sign that we may think is appropriate size wise has to be like kind of run through the Gambit of like many people and that process is taking some time. So what's your biggest challenge? Is that your biggest challenge right now is like getting approval from all of the powers that be for things that need to go where I think also we we tend to obviously work with local vendors. So like our custom tile and our signage every everything kind of lining up to be worked on when the museum isn't in high operating hours because the museum is open.

04:18So we can't have a guy putting sign up like over the door where one of the entrances is so we have to kind of just coordinate. So it's not the typical like this space is not open to the public. It is a space open to the public as you're building as we're building. So, you know, the tile has to go in before the espresso machine goes in and the water lines like there's just a lot of you know, A has to come before B has to come over C and everything has to line up. And on top of that we moved all of our production operations to that kitchen. So we just did that yesterday and me and my production manager Josh just moved over. I mean two huge trucks of stuff in the rain and the humidity and it was like such a long day of just moving everything over to that kitchen. Like physically like all the cans all the spices all the cases of everything. So it was a lot. It was a lot of work. It's a lot of physical work physical work.

05:19But then I don't think people understand. This is when we open Chagos one of the things that I don't while there's a lot of physical work the other mental side of this thing. Not only just the vulnerability of doing all of this and not knowing answers process. How many times a day do you answer questions like I'd be in the building in every 30 seconds. Hey, where do you want this to go? Hey, what do you want with this? Hey, what do you want this and you have to go do that there do that there like there's like literally a hundred and fifty decisions you make every couple hours. And at the end of eight hours of doing this like you're just jello like I'm just like toast. It's like there's smoke coming out of your ears and it's not like hey, there's a dead body in the freezer. Like it's like kind of a different kind of like this and it's just it's like a long sustained death by a thousand cuts at the end of every day.

06:21And then do this for a month and you're like it's a lot. Well, also, you know, I'm a big like check it off the list kind of person. There are a lot of things that are just like not done yet. So it's like we started it. It's in process, but it's not finished. So there's a lot of like it's kind of done and it's we need to touch back on your punch list punch list. Yeah, but they're not like checked off, you know, so there's just it's just a lot of checking in with people training. I mean just like everything we're starting a restaurant from scratch. There's no like blueprint blueprint to this restaurant. Well, the other location we do this like yeah, you do have kind of another but it's a different concept of what you're doing. We're bringing over a lot of that team. So they definitely understand what needs to we're going to all figure it out together. Like we're hiring. We have people coming over there like you're going to figure out this saute station. Like this is here's the blueprint of it. Let's systemize it.

07:22So when we hire someone on we have a training guide. So these people are coming in being hired knowing that they're going to be like the lead of that station. And that's their station to kind of work on with me, you know, so because I need a point person everywhere because there's just the barista. There's the person serving the alcohol and there's going to be the person serving the cake. You know, like how are we heating up the pastries? Like how long are we heating up the pastries? What does it go in a bag or a plate? Like there's so many questions and no matter what you do somebody is going to go do you have a real plate? You're like like all of the little things and we're in a museum plastic glasses glass glasses. I was texting about that so much that I was like, can I please not get glasses? I mean just like I broke so many just taking them out like they came half broken. I mean like and they're like there's breakage and I'm like I deal in comosable cups. I did not know that there was so much breakage, you know, so I'm learning I'm learning and adjusting and texting people when I don't know things.

08:24And there's certain things where I'm like I don't like how many glass racks do I need like there's just so many things that you don't realize you don't know. And this is my fifth restaurant I've opened because all of the other ones were the same. It was similar, you know, they were all different but similar. Yeah, so I think this is really an interesting insight into passion and love and like when we talk about supporting local like you're here in the local community. You live here. You're putting your blood sweat and tears and thing every single day sweat to have somebody come in and leave you a one star review in a month that might be like this place isn't good. And you're like I've tried to do everything in my power to make this thing perfect. But that one moment that they found something that they didn't like and they want to tell it's like I love you sharing some of this is really so it is so vulnerable. And then, you know, we have a media day coming up and there's a lot of talk within the PR team at the frist of like, wow, this person is going to come.

09:28So we need to be careful about them because they have a tendency to be very nitpicky and da da da da. And I'm like, well, I'm not that bad. Brandon will come and we'll just like, you know, put him in the corner. But like, you know, I mean, it's just there's a lot of that talk before. I don't know if people realize when these media days happen, like there is a lot of prep of who's coming and what they're writing about and what you should how much attention you give to certain people. And if you don't, the certain thing will happen. And it's it's interesting. Like I have not usually had a media day like this. Like my our media days usually like friends and family because we're grilled cheese and so friendly and comfortable. This is different because it's such a bigger platform like being in this museum and just the amount of people that are involved in this project. So it's a lot of pressure. I can't wait till everybody sees I'm so proud of it. Like the menu is like, I mean, talk about that later. But like, I mean, that's like a whole different thing that I'm so excited about. So you're going to crush.

10:29I feel really proud. And, you know, the thing is we only crush if our team crushes because sure, I can make all those dishes to like perfection. But if my guy in the back isn't making them the same way, it doesn't matter. Right. So like when when you see a dish and I'm sitting out with you and it's crushing, it's because he's crushing. And then that's when I'm going to be proud of it. You know, I have zero doubt that you're going to do that. It's just going to be so wonderful. Look, you put this much time energy into it. No matter what happens when you do that. It's it's good. It's when you're like, I'll be fine. I don't really care. Yeah. The fact that you guys are doing. Nerves are good. They help you plan and do all the things. So people you care about something, you know. Obviously, that's a major part of your life right now. But I know that Luna graduated preschool. I had a graduation ceremony for the first time as parents. I was so cute. And then she starts her Spanish immersion kindergarten next week with your nephew.

11:30We just found out our kid of my your nephew is in her class. I love that little rowdy little rowdy. I was like, wait, I know Stephanie still we're in like a group text with the teachers. I'm like, wait, why are you in this text message? And then I texted her and she's like, yeah, my son's going to the school at this. Whatever. I'm like, I didn't even know she I didn't even know she had a five year old or six year old. Yeah, five year old. I mean, you didn't tell me this. You don't tell me anything. I've had a five year old and you have a nephew that's five and you've never said anything. We have a lot of other things we talk about. Run into your sister like first day of school. Yeah. Oh my God. Yeah, I was like, yeah, your brother told me nothing. It's a small world. I mean, that's what people think Nashville is a big city. And it's like tiny, not really that big of a city. Tiny. No, I mean, yeah, so excited. Well, I'm excited for you joy. Happy hours at a adventurer. Rats version school rowdy is the sweetest. I can't wait. He's rowdy.

12:31His name's Rowdy. They only call him rowdy. That is the son is really but they call. Oh, she she was. Yeah, I don't think. What's his real name? Roan Roan. Yeah, cool name, too. Yeah, she's very cool. Yeah, her husband are cool people. Well, I'm going to get to know all about it. You're going to love them. Yeah, they're great. This is the whole small world thing. Everybody coming together such a small world. This is like a little pocket school like off Nolensville. I was so shocked. I was like, this is she lives right over there. The best experience ever. Like I'm so excited. Well, I'm excited for you and for her. Yeah, we're starting like a lot of people are like graduating their kids out of high school and that's like almost the end. You know, now I'm like starting square one right now. Are you sad? No, she's really nervous. So I'm more nervous because I know like when my wife sent the kids to school for the first time, like it was like a really sad thing because I like getting older and they go to school and you get them dressed up and they're in their little outfit and you drop them off for school and they leave for the day and you're just like because she's a stay-at-home mom.

13:32So like there's there's a yeah. What do I do now? Like I guess I'll I'm not going to have that problem. Maybe like you're not going to be full. She's running around with her shoes off yesterday in the dining room at the frist and all the security guards know her. I'm just like she's making little crafts in the corner. I'm just like, no, you need to go. You at school is going to be good to be with your peers, not with the security guards at the frist, which are lovely people. What else has been happening with you for the month? Is she had she graduated? You've been just making it happen. Yeah, I mean recipe testing a vendor, you know testing new products just all the I mean, literally that's like all consuming. My sister had a baby. I have a little nephew now. That's a big deal. Yeah, little Luca. Haven't get to seen him yet because of course, you know, we're open a restaurant. So where does she live in Los Angeles? In California. Yeah, that's the double-edged sword. Yeah. Yeah.

14:32So but he's so cute FaceTime every day. We have we have Jim Hagee coming in today. I know. Okay, so I'm so I'm excited because I'm getting a lot into catering with being in the first world. So this guy has been doing cater. I mean, this is the king. This is the catering King. This is the this is that's market. Yeah, I when I started at creation gardens in 2005 one of the accounts that they've been around for forever. They had before me was Chef's Market. And so I walked into Chef. Chef Derek was our chef and I walked into Chef's Market. I'm like, I don't even know this place existed and they placed their order and I was like, that's a $5,000 order. Like what are you guys doing? And it was like every day that kitchen. Wait, where is the kitchen? I want to go do a kitchen tour there. It's there at the Chef's Market. Do you know where Chef's Market is? No, okay. Okay, so if you're I've never been inside if you're driving like 65 North, there's Long Hollow Pike once you get past Rivergate Park. There's Long Hollow Pike you get off Long Hollow Pike and you can make a right right there and it takes you back to Vietnam veterans, but he's just right there.

15:38So off the interstate before you get the Long Hollow Pike look to the right. There's like a strip mall on the back. It says Chef's Market right there. She just pulled to the back of this huge production kitchen and then that you go out front you can order food. That's a restaurant also but man the amount of catering that they do. They're mostly catering them. Yeah, I would love to know the percentage of catering that they do. We could ask him that he's going to be here. Yeah, he was one of the people originally when I started the podcast is like man. I'd love to know what Jim Hagee is doing during the pandemic because like I just never was able to catch up with them and now he's like hey, I love to come on the show like they're doing hope. They got through it obviously well enough because their team seems pretty big still. Yeah, they're crushing I think there but now there's like before he comes flavor catering comes in dream catering. We were on local on to last week. Yes, we were and we're apparently like reoccurring like restaurant consultants. Like what are we now? Do we have our own segments? Well, it's not like in tune.

16:40I did get a message from the executive producers that she loved this. I thought it was really great. We ultimately what we want to be doing is coming on kind of at the end of the month and what we want to be doing is promoting local restaurants and I want to kind of give a recap of our episode. So if we come back on this month, we would say oh my gosh first when we talk about your restaurant and then we're going to say we had Jim Hagee from Chefs Market. Did you know that chefs and we kind of talk about Chefs Market and then we'll also say oh we had holiday catering plans get this person on the show and we learned this. Did you guys know this and like I want to share some of the stories that we get to hear because I think a lot are our podcast is listened to mostly by industry professionals. So leaders in the industry and the general public. There's a lot of inside baseball here that we talk about. Yeah, talk about food cost and peniles and theoreticals and interesting to some people. Some people don't find that interesting like me. Like I wanted I want to know what I should be doing different or what I could be doing more of.

17:42Yeah to know that you're not alone to know that all of the things you're going through right now opening a restaurant you sharing the information you just now shared somebody else out there is opening a restaurant. They go God. I thought I was the only one that was dealing with this crap. It's nice to know maybe somebody reaches out to you and says hey, I got a question. I'm opening a place. What did you do about this? Like how many times we've talked in the past month about hey super source, right? So oh my God Jason's the best. I told you me up at the at the girl's green Hillsboro and at the first kitchen and the soap smells so good. They make it their own. My whole team was like this soap is so much better. You don't even have to soak it for that long and you can tell it's really strong. Like it's so funny. I'm like, are we doing an ad for super source right now? Like it's a thing my team has come up to me. Like just my line cooks have been like, yeah, the soap is so much better. It's a like everybody that switches to super source is like I didn't ask them. They were just like, hey, I like that we switched to that new stuff. It's good. And I'm like awesome and you've worked with Jason himself.

18:45Yeah, I was with him. Is he difficult to work with? Yes, terribly difficult. I was with him the whole time when he was setting up. We were talking about his daughters and I mean, he's just so friendly basketball. His wife is amazing. And they like she's like the coach for the basketball team with her kids on and stuff. We actually sponsored their basketball team this year by the way Nashville restaurant. I never gave her a logo to do anything. We didn't promote it all in the gym or anything, but we were a major sponsor of their basketball team this year. Nashville restaurant radio. I don't know what the team name was. I wish I could know. I just shout out to their team. He is anytime that we need anything. He is just like whatever you need man. I'm happy to help right always there Johnny on the spot. I'm going to have my health inspection. He's like, I'll be there in the Friday morning. Like he's like, I'm going to make sure everything tested all the quat samples and everything and he teaches everybody how to use everything and you're like this is way different than those national brands. Yeah, I introduced him to all the the head team like we should just switch over the whole museum like and and he was like, yeah, I'm here. Here's my card.

19:45Like I'm just like this guy's better and he's cheaper and he's nicer like I'm basically his PR person that everybody comes in that is the same way. I don't even even if he was like a jerk. I would still be like the products good, but the good thing is he's not he's very nice. So when Jim arrives, he's just going to walk in the studio any second. Yeah, we're going to do like a live situation. He's going to walk in and go hey Jim. He's just going to come right in. There's no going to be pre conversation like use the restroom or something. We'll just keep talking like leeway of nothing. Where do I put my jacket or nothing? Yeah, we're just like sit down. We're recording. I think you need to leave a note on the door or something. Well, I think so. I texted him. I told him that's almost going on that when people come in they sit down. We do this get to know you think we spend five minutes of talking and I get every time. What do I say? We should be recording this. Oh, you literally stop us from talking. You're like stop. Let's record this because this is all really this is what we need to talk because it's organic to say it again is weird. It is it's like so it's like all this actors.

20:47So it's like not as people come in. I want to share that five minutes of what do you do man? Hey good to see you. Hey, I like that shirt. Whatever it is that we need it out if it's weird. Yeah, right. I can you should what if he's like, oh man, are you wearing those shorts? I am wearing shorts today. I don't normally wear shorts today. I am I am by defacto the new GM in America. There I go. My weird 40 and slip there from a long time ago work there. No, it's been 25 years since I've worked there or 22 years since I've worked there. It's crazy. The GM at Maribor. I am gonna be acting GM there. We lost your GM yesterday and that wasn't stressful at all. No, hey look, I love the duties an amazing guy and I bet but it adds a lot to me. But today is my day to knock out every single thing I have to do for the rest of the week because I'm basically eight to eight Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Dude, I hope you know what to my my GM of my restaurant Grilled Cheesery in Hillsborough Village.

21:52If anybody knows Sam, he had a baby and I was his replacement and he works a lot of hours. It's gonna so I walk a mile in your shoes. You're saying what did I do with I just literally broke block that on my head because I was just like in the mix and I freaking love it because you know what I love. I love scrubbing a walk-in like I if you let me organize something like I genuinely like the high school students are like, oh no ma'am like we'll do that. I'm like, but no I like to do it. So can you just let me do it? I like to scrub a walk-in like it makes me feel so like the task is done. The task is done, right getting a rookie and having a mop the freezer. I you know, I'm excited because it's a lot of stuff when you're in the mix like that. Well, I create three restaurants in the show and all this stuff like you are constantly thinking about the future and what we can do and you're managing a lot of moving parts one restaurant actively running a shift and like I'm not trying to say it's easy.

22:58No, but it's allows me to focus my energy in one place and I know what needs to be done and I get immediate results. Yeah, there's a lot of I'm excited about that like the task is done like check it off the list. You know, like there's when you're the things you're doing their ideas and hey, there is just walking. I told you see this. Jim. How you doing, man? This is Crystal. Have a seat there. Yeah, that's great recording. Now if we are live right now, we're not live live out there, but we are recording this. So grab a headset. I just feel you feel like this is a fair thing to do people. Yeah, you don't even give them any warm-up or no water like we have a well you get it. So this is what we do when people and guests come in we say hey grab the microphone and talk right into the mic. See how close the mic is to my face. So get comfortable. You can move the microphone closer to you. You don't have to move up closer to it. How about now?

23:59Yeah. Oh hey, there you are. Yeah. Okay, Jim Hagee Hagee Hagee. I said it right. Jim Hagee this whole time. So owner of the Chef's Market. Yeah. What an honor. We have so many questions. It's an honor to be here. Thanks for asking us so many questions. Welcome to Nashville Restaurant Radio. Oh, yeah. What a great idea. He's just funny. He's like, I didn't even know this existed. This is pretty neat. I did know it existed. Yeah. Yeah. Now 2000 episodes in at this point. 400. This is episode. I think 394. Okay, so we're not that I'm counting but that's a lot of hours talking to a lot of people. Don't even remind me how much so much information in that head of his of just everybody. He remembers everything too. Oh, that's pretty wild. Oh, that's wonderful. Yeah. What's it says? Fun thing you get in this little room and it's quiet and you can look somebody in the eye and you can you can do this. Yeah. Yeah. Do you know have you ever met me before because I've met you multiple times.

25:00Do I look familiar to you? You do look familiar to me and and you know, it seems like were you in the business of selling food at some point? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm the nose. Yeah. And so I feel like that's it. Of course, you know in this business and you see three or 400 people a day as just guests coming in and faces kind of blur together. But yeah, you definitely have I remember that and I remember it from buying or selling or something. 2005 I started at Creation Gardens. Okay. And Chef Derek. Oh, you remember Derek Fulton? Of course I know. One of my favorite people great guy and he ran Chef's Market and I worked with him. I was the managing partner at Creation Gardens and then I ran Fresh Point for almost eight years. So I sold you a lot of lettuce over the years, but I was always in the kitchen walking into the back door hanging out with a chef down there and you kind of had your office up there at the top of the stairs.

26:00I think in the kitchen, right? I talked to you a handful of times in a very short great to meet you. Hey look at this, but like I always worked with the chef and so but I knew exactly who you were. Derek was fantastic and Derek moved on and you probably worked with someone else here. I would imagine at some point. Yeah. Yeah. I don't remember who was after them. I remember Derek because I loved him and we had like we became friends. You know, he's opening a place. He had a food truck for a long time. He still does. What food truck? Derek Fulton. Yeah, he has. Music City something. No, Rolling Recipe. The Rolling Recipe. Rolling Recipe. Oh, she's the food. I forgot your food truck. I know him. I just didn't put the names together. Yeah. Rolling Recipe. I own the Grilled Cheesery Food Truck. Oh my gosh. Oh, that's an icon. Yeah. Oh, thank you. Yeah. She's with the food truck OG's. Okay. And we opened a restaurant several years ago in Hillsborough Village of that namesake. And then I'm opening a new restaurant next month.

27:02Oh, congratulations. Of a different name. Yeah. That's surprising you have time to... I don't. I'm sure you don't. We don't have time. What is the name? Both of us don't. But we love it, so we do. It's going to be the Cafe Cheesery. Yeah. Okay. It's like in the first art center. It's like the grown up star of the Grilled Cheesery. Yeah. So we're working closely with the museum. So when I was in that space, they wanted the Grilled Cheesery. But when I was in that space catering something for them in your world, catering something for them, I was just inspired by the space. And I was like, this feels like it needs to be something different. Right. And kind of went from there, tore it all apart and started from scratch. And so, you know, like why do we do this? Why do we do this? I don't know, but I could see you having the vision. Oh, what a beautiful spot. And yeah, it's got that great view out of the back. Wait till you see it after we're done with it. We're adding some new fun things to it. So for context, typically this is where I say, hey, we should be recording this. Yeah, see now you don't have to do that.

28:02Normally guests would come in. They sit down and we catch up like this. And then I go, hey, let's start the recording. And then I go, welcome Jim Hagee. Jim, how long have you been in this business? And then we start an interview. But I think this is the good part. We got to keep this in. Good job. We're trying something. This is restaurateurs talking to each other about exciting new things that you're doing. That's all this is, you know, supporting. I think there's so many, everyone's got so much stuff going on. I love that. I'm like, oh, good. Now I've got to go eat at Pytown Tacos or now I got to go to cinema for the new chef that has a new menu. You know, like there's so many things that are happening. It's like nice that we all can support each other this way. How long has the chef's market been open? You know, 27 years next month. Yeah. So we roll over our 27th year and you know how it is when you're in this business. You're you know, you kind of celebrate those anniversaries because you never really, you know, know is what's going to be next around the corner and and so it's okay. How did you guys recover from the pandemic? Like how is that for you guys?

29:03Because we were so curious. We're like all the catering companies in town. It was such a huge hit for them. Oh, yeah, it was it was awful. You know, of course it was, you know, having a full year best year that we'd had in 2019 and so many things on the books that were coming up. And then there the phones were just ringing constantly because you know, initially it was going to be oh, it's only in two weeks three weeks. Yeah, so we're just going to move it. We've worked it out with our venue. We're going to move it down the road. Maybe three months now, you know, and so there was so much moving and trying to accommodate people who were freaking out and of course everybody was freaking out us included. Oh, yeah, we'll do that for you. You know, that's not a problem. We can adjust and and of course in it when it said in that it was just going to be a longer haul and if you remember in the catering business, then they came out so you can have events but they can only be 25. Yeah people and of course, you know the business model of doing that.

30:09Yeah, that number was like why 25 people were outside and like it just everyone felt like they were just making it up as they were going. Yeah. I mean being a food truck saying weird like it was weird. Yeah, it was just like, oh, I guess we're not doing any of these festivals. That is that's the bulk of the money we make during the season right now. We're doing neighborhoods and that's like my second the second well first guest that I actually had on the show was Matt left and he you know when this whole thing started my first episode was March 14th 2020. So like the day that everything shut down the NBA season post postpone NHL they canceled March Madness. I was like, oh damn, this is this is big and so I started I had already started the podcast, but the first thought in my brain was the guy that does all the events the winter warmers the you know beer festivals all of the things like and I called him and I go what are you what are you doing? And then we'd like to talk on this podcast our second episode is Matt left because that was my first question.

31:12Like what are these companies that do these massive events? How are you going to live or just like high high dining or fine dining like that do not to take out like their food is not for take out, you know that like we all I remember we all started like they all like pivoted and tried to do like take out and it was weird and we pivoted to like a family meal situation at Marable. Yeah, that where we were like, hey, we'll do family meals. I'm the director of operations for Marable Green Hills Grill and Chagos right down the street here great operations. And so I operate those three restaurants every day during that day. It was like, what do we do? So we pivoted to these feed your family of five will do pastas and steaks and all this stuff, but it just didn't it never landed. Well, it would have to be such high volume for it to keep the staff that you have. What are the servers going to do? Yeah, you know, it was we did the same thing and just to kind of be out there really and to give the people in the kitchen something to do, but we would do, you know, the family packs for the pizza build your own pizza kit. There you go upscale lasagna things and it and you know, it was just like you could you could be standing behind the building throwing $20 bills and burning on the interstate just letting them go away right there.

32:24You know, it's it's you know, you knew it wasn't working, but you knew you had to do something and that's what everybody was doing and you didn't know how long it was going to last and and so one of the things we did and we pivoted at Chess Market, you know, we we'd established at Chess Market in the restaurant itself that we would do dining cafe dining or takeaway dining so that all was set up, but what we didn't have was curbside so that all of the people that were working in logistics flip to redoing our website and coming up with the processes to be able to have the things marked out front. There had to be like 20 positions you probably did too where you were all numbered and people would call in and say I'm in spot number a one and you know, what a nightmare that we did that at the grill at Green Hills grow. We ramped up our to go and delivery, but it was a pull-up back and call us and we brought it out to your car and put it in there, but we didn't have a specific we just said you're a blue Honda.

33:26We just tell us what kind of car you're in and we'd come out and do it, but it's it's it was a logistical night, but that was a nightmare, especially around this area where there's like no parking. Oh, yeah, you know like this specific all both of our restaurants are in this area in Hillsboro Village and there's just like not a lot of parking, you know to begin with so it was it was we started delivering, you know, that was something we had not done. We had of course delivered to catering and all of that, but we would never take that kind of delivery with our gift shop manager was driving. You know, that's what our big one of our biggest customers was the health department, you know, which had we were feeding them. I'd seem like almost every day. There were some people working a lot and those were the people we were trying to care of all the Vanderbilt people, the police officers and and all of that and and so, you know, that was good and guy got us through that. I mean it was it was one of those paradigm shift moments like, you know, what's it all about? Have a why am I doing this sort of thing because you saw people, you know, and people that you knew in love that didn't make it out of that situation.

34:32And so I'm talking about restaurants are closed and just people who, you know, died in the and a lot of people did die. It was a big deal. And I think a lot of the conversations when we were talking to our vendors are just anybody else. It was shifted to how are you doing? How is your family? It wasn't even about a oh, here's my order. Sorry, it'll be bigger next time. You know, we're just trying to like, you know, just giving them that it was like, how are you doing? Are you healthy? Are you safe? Are you say, you know, like it turned into a real I mean for a real conversation about who you are as a person and caring about, okay, good, you know, they're going to keep you on like, you know, it was we all were very concerned for each other and I felt like we have a strong relationship now with just our community from that. I feel like, you know, I would say that that's a good synopsis and sometimes we came out of that. And so we're all busy and and finding people to work became a really difficult thing. If you remember that and then God trying to kind of gear up for that and as things were coming back and then it just blew up, you know, there were a lot.

35:39There's a lot of pent-up demand for well now I can get married, you know, and so well Nashville opened up really fast, right? So that was good for all of us in the event business, you know, right and finding people to fulfill that became the next kind of challenge right after that. So, you know, this business is, you know, it's every day is kind of a challenge, but it was like, oh, this is one really really big challenge on top of what is all every single day day in and day out a relentless lifestyle of of, you know, you may be doing four weddings in a weekend or your six weddings in a weekend and they're all coming so fast at you. It's relent relentless in that and then oh now it's really really complicated already was complicated. So but you know, we've made it through and I think Nashville is really shining right now as far as hospitality goes. It really is. I think there's a I look back on the pandemic and thank you for asking that question because I forget sometimes what it was like and if you're back in 2008-2009 when we did the housing crisis and the economic downturn, it's amazing how resilient people are.

36:56It's amazing how leaders tend to turn around and lead and I almost think like can I because we're kind of in a status that we're kind of just cruising right now and I think everybody we're talking to is down 5% in sales. Everybody we're talking to is down 5 to 10% and I kind of go, are we still managing everything to that or because when I look at sales look at 4th, July sales and I go well if our sales went down 50% that week, our labor should go down 50% that week. Why did it only go down 20% like the leanness we saw in 2008-2009 the resilience and the willingness from the person who does the social media marketing to go make deliveries during that day was completely different. And now we're in this point. It's like hey, it's not my job. Like can we have the mentality again that this is about making every guest a repeat guest like that's what it doesn't matter that when I clock in, I clock in as this if what I need to do is X and you need me to do Y and like let's just all jump in to make it happen.

37:58And I think that we lose some of that and if there's some special moments in those really times of trials that I wish we could capture and kind of go, how do we keep that mentality going longer? But it's stressful. It's tough. And it's a whole thing. But I don't I the things I lay in bed and think about at night, I think people were scared and they're not scared anymore because they feel like they can quit the job today and go get a job later today, you know, and they didn't have that then. Then it was like, oh, they're keeping me on. I better do those deliveries, you know, like they're they're trying to hold now. I feel like I've had people like, you know, I'm like, well, they just check references. They know not to hire this person that's had so many, you know, turn so much turnover. But, you know, now I don't I mean, we're not getting reference checks. Like people are getting hired everywhere that probably no call no showed, you know, like it's this. It's kind of amazing. Check references people. I think it is it is something you need to pick up the phone and it's amazing. A Christian on the corporate world you you're told you never give a reference.

39:02You know, you don't want to get in the company any legal trouble as to what you can say and would you hire them and not hire them. There's only two things you can say really like they're a good employer that you can say they're eligible for rehire or they're not right. And I think that's the answer right there, right? They're not eligible for rehire like enough said. Thank you. Oh, that's all I need to hear. That's all I need to and that's the only thing you need to really say when you don't need to say, oh, they were stealing stakes out of the walk-in like that's slander and that's and unless it was proven and they admit like there's a lot of things involved. Jim, how'd you get into this business? You know, I was I was born into this business. I could you know, like so many people that are in it. This is what what my grandparents did and what my great grandfather did and my father did. What really? Yeah. Yeah. Where was their restaurant? You know, it still is it's yeah, my sister and I own it and it's in West Tennessee and it is a little place called Shiloh where the Battle of Shiloh was fought in the Civil War.

40:05And so in 1938 my grandparents had an old warehouse that was on the family farm that just happened to sit on the Tennessee River and it had been used for there was a lot of steamship travel and and they would store things there that would to be loaded and people would store things there and it was just a large building. It was not that point wasn't being used River traffic wouldn't be new. So my my grandfather loved to party. He loved to have people over and he had he loved to cook. He had he was a he was a he was a farmer, but he was he was also loved people and visiting with people and he was a traveling shoe salesman for Brown shoe company. And so he was like what you would do for produce he would go to the stores and sell the stores the shirts that was selling. So he he traveled a good bit when he was home his buddies they would get together.

41:07They'd have a fish raw in this place and they would camp out on the river and and typically they would probably have a little bit too much to drink and and he would bring down batting from the house up on the hill and then they would camp out there and they nicknamed it the catfish hotel and so that fish Hotel the catfish Hotel and tell me that's what it's called today. It is it's called Hagee's catfish Hotel. Oh it is that's how far away is this. It's a it's about three hours away. It's near Savannah Pickwick Lake. I was like road trip. I know road trip so best catfish in the world. It's been there for wow since you know 1938 and and then you guys go out and catch the catfish they did you know, they did it at one point or they had fishermen that would bring them in and then they would clean them. I can remember them dressing them in a table outside behind the building and and you know, they had four things they had catfish. They had fried chicken. They had country ham and I think they had a steak or two but how was that?

42:10That was it. That's all they had course, you know, it's in the middle of nowhere. The National Park is there but there's not a lot going on there. And so if they had they had a cook and so if somebody ordered fried chicken, there was a pin behind the restaurant and you would have the hook they would you know, they would go rain. Yes, they would do that. And so but you know, it was there on the river. So if you had driven that far and you were going to sit and enjoy the view and and and so, you know over the years it's developed to be more than that's more it's got more seafood and but catfish is still the star of the show and hush puppies were also their his recipe for hush puppies were amazing and then my dad my dad took it over and actually is a kind of side story to this. The hush puppies were so amazing and you can appreciate this because you were in the food service or there was a gentleman named Mr. Harden.

43:10I think JB Harden who was what Robert or is to Cisco here. He was to Cisco in in Memphis, but it was just his and he so he had a yacht there at Pickwick Lake and he's talking to my uncle and dad and he said boys he said y'all these hush puppies are so good. Y'all need to sell these and bag these and so they did and I can remember they there was a little dining room. They called the cane room and that turned into Monday through Friday. They turn on all the fries. All they do is just for our hush puppies and they would bag them and Mr. Harden would send a truck and pick them up. So how old were you when you started working there? I was 11 years old and and I helped with the doing the hush puppies and and all that but the hush puppy business took off and that became a product that's still on the market. You can you can find it. They've my uncle ended up having it, but he sold it years ago and my dad and my dad ended up with the restaurant and so of course he's passed and so we have a couple that run it and they do an amazing amazing job is so that's how I got into the restaurant business.

44:28Wow. I mean you never really saw anything else right like this was everything around you busing tables at 11, you know, and then graduated to the dishwasher position and and in this old building that built the dishwasher was on the bottom floor, but the but the main dining room was built to look over the river and it had a poop deck on the top of it that building is burned but we would have to bust the tables and they had built this ramp that would never pass any wall. There's no code to it and the water would leak on it and you would just they had built slats on this slide. You'd slide to one slide to the next and hopefully you didn't bust your butt. Oh my God, how fun it was 11. It was like little adventures. Hey y'all, we're going to take a quick break to hear a word from our sponsors and I'm not going to play commercials right now. What I'm going to tell you is that we have several sponsors that are willing to help the giving kitchen.

45:32Yes, they've reached out. This is a big deal. We really want to help the giving kitchen. You heard that October is a big big month dining with gratitude giving kitchen at the beginning of every show you get to hear from Jen Heidinger Kendrick, but I will tell you right now our fantastic title sponsor Gordon food service who is hosting their food show on September the 18th in Louisville. If you want to come out there, I will be there recording live. If you ever wanted to be on Nashville restaurant radio, that could be your day. Just stop by the Nashville restaurant radio booth. I'd love to meet you as well as contact your GFS rep or you can call Paul Hunter 615-945-6753 and I'll tell you what I'll do if you place an order with GFS on their first orders got to be $1,500 or more. They were going to give you $250 of that back in cash. Bam $250 with the groceries and then they're going to make a $250 donation to giving kitchen. This is an amazing offer. If you're looking to test out another company, but come out on September the 18th at the Louisville Agricultural Center where this is contact Paul and maybe they can get you set up up there.

46:40If you want to come check them out, but Rob Bowman over at All-Star Fire Protection was so excited to do this. He originally learned about giving kitchen and said man, I want to help him out. Anybody who calls me and we do a hood suppression system check fire extinguisher service anything that you guys do he's going to donate $50 and guys I'm telling you let this be a reminder. I did a inspection the other day at the Green Hills Grill and it had been a year since they'd been done and I called All-Star Fire and they came right out and man professional on point know their stuff and you know what guys they're local. So will you want to use those local let this be a reminder if you go look at your fire extinguisher. Look at that little tag on the side. See when the last time it's been done and if it's been over a year you need to call All-Star Fire Protection. You're going to call Rob Bowman at 615-865-5600. Ask for Rob also Jason Ellis. If you come get a quote on your dish machine and chemicals, he is going to donate $50. You can call him at 770-337-1143.

47:43We talked a lot about Jason Ellis on the intro. This is the time call him now while you can have him hook up giving kitchen and help restaurant workers Cali sober for every placement that you get with Cali sober. Michael Dean is going to donate $50 to the giving kitchen. So if you have a restaurant you want to try the THC beverages call Lippman Brothers and say hey man send me some Cali sober the Berry Ginger Fizz is delicious. We've got it at the Green Hills Grill. If you want to come try it come on by and drink one. We also have the Paloma Spritz and they have a ranch water. So there's some great flavors. You get a placement you get a $50 donation and giving kitchen. I also want to mention the Chandler James team Miller Chandler and Lee and James. They are the brokers that can find you your next location there with Lee Lee and associates. You're going to call Miller at 615-473-2452 because this is a vital if you're looking for a new location, he knows I love I see Miller at the gym.

48:44We live close by and the stuff he knows is I just it's fascinating. I love talking to him and you should too. If you're a restaurant owner call the Chandler James team Matthew Clements at Robins Insurance. There's another one get a quote from Matthew Clements. He'll donate $50 to giving kitchen. His number is 863-409-9372. That's what Robins Insurance if you're not using Robins Insurance you got to get with the program because he does everybody. This is the guy. I mean he absolutely takes care of all the restaurants in Nashville and if you're not one of those you're missing out give Matthew Clements a call today and there you go. These are some amazing sponsors who have stepped up to help restaurant workers. I love it. If you need any of those services, please press pause go back a minute or two or three minutes and listen to those names. You can also look in the show notes where I will have all of their names listed, but these are really really important people and they're doing really great things.

49:45Thank you to all of you for supporting restaurant workers because that is way above and beyond. Well, I bring my I have a 10 year old who turns 11 like in two weeks and sometimes I'll bring him to Chagos because he if I have to work or something and my wife had like I'll bring him to Chagos with me and we'll come over there and he'll put a little Chagos shirt on and he'll bust tables and he does not need my help. Like I don't have to follow him around. He walk of tables go. Are you finished eating that he'll he'll pre bus tables and almost every time when we're done doing this, we've like done like a three four times like it's not like a thing, right? I give him like 25 bucks or something. He's not on payroll. Yeah, every guest first of all falls in love with it. They see a 10 year old going around bus and tables like who's that kid? Yeah, where's like, can I bring my kid here? Is that is this the thing? I need my kid to do this too. But then when we sit down to eat after he's done, he can't stop. So we'll sit there like if we're eating dinner and he'll be like, hey did that table just got up and he'll get up middle of dinner and go start busing a table because he think he sees the immediate result and he feels I'm doing something that's creates value and like he gets so much out of it.

51:01It's amazing form of affirmation for him to know he's doing a good job. There's no ambiguity. They're like, hey, the table is dirty. I cleaned it. It looks good. I win and he loves it. But it's as a proud dad to see that I'll come up to you and say you're such a good dad a lot. It's insane people like they'll teach it in my work ethic. Well, if you early on and and and yeah, I think it's I can remember that being at that point there were hard times in doing it but I definitely learned that you know, well, that's your job. That's different. This is a sporadic fun thing. He does something about like having being in this restaurant industry and letting your kids kind of be a part of it. That is so formative and so important to their work ethic. You can really tell I interviewed this 16 year old kid. We get a lot of high school students working at the cheesery because we close at 9 and we don't serve alcohol. Shout out to all the moms that let their kids work at the grilled cheesery. But I interviewed this kid and he didn't have any prior work experience.

52:01He's 16, but he said I go with my his mom said the housekeeper or like a you know, a you know, custodian whatever she she cleans houses and he said I don't have any work experience ma'am, but I have been cleaning houses with my mom since I've been nine years old and she says I do a very good job. Do you want her number? You can call her and ask her she only speaks Spanish. Do you speak Spanish? I'm like I'm like you're hired. I know this kid for sure is going to figure it out and show up in his work ethic is like going to be like golden, you know, he's a kid. He had a little outfit on it was so cute. I love it when like 16 year olds will come in to Maribol wearing a suit. Oh, yeah. And they're applying to be like an essay and they're like hello. I'd like to apply for a job here and you're like, what do you want to do? And they did you get dressed up for this interview? He's like, yes, sir. You're like, I don't know whatever is going to happen and going to hire you just by the way that you showed up, right? I can't be professional. I'm like, you're so cute.

53:02Like I'm like, hey, be serious. They're coming in serious. Be serious to them. I'm just like the mom and me comes out. I'm like, you're doing so great in that endearing moment because I mean you you often have a lot of times the opposite of that. But when it happens and you get those, you know, you know, we're going to be superstars. It's a great feeling and you know that their parents have driven that somewhere down the line or someone in their life has really taught them what work is and and to enjoy work that work is not something that is some, you know, like a punishment punishment. Yeah, there's there's a value in it. And I think that's what you're teaching. I look at those. I look at those moments when you have the 16 year old kid walking 15 year old kid walkings. You can hire him earlier that they want to be an essay. I get some managers and I have in the past like they don't listen and it's this they're not my 45 year old star server who can outline the first five growths of Fordo.

54:02No, there are 16 year old who's distracted in this net, but I like it. I'm going to go. What an amazing opportunity we have as leaders to be their first boss for the rest of their life. They're going to remember their first job in their first boss. You're that first boss. What an amazing moment you have right now to take somebody in your wing and to be an understanding coach to give very clear direction to thank them for their hard work to go back and show them what good leadership looks like so they can have a baseline. You never want to go. Oh, my first boss was a real jerk like my first boss took me to the wing and they recognized my my my how green I was and they really helped develop me into who I am like, yes, like we get that chance a lot and I don't think we recognize in that moment that we have that opportunity and a lot of times this is the these kids first experience away from their school and parents with adults. Yeah, so I always tell very formidable these kids or you know, we talked to the parents to it's like we really hire based on like quality of person so you can rest assured that your daughter your 16 year old daughter is working here isn't around some like creepy a guy in the back because like they she's never been put in this position where she's going to be around some questionable people, you know, we're all looking out for that, you know, and I think that's my take on it because I've been around the creepy guy in the back as a 16 year old worker and when you've been around a long long time one of the the sweetest moments is when you have one of those people who that was their first job and then they bring their kid in and say I want this to be his first job.

55:45Oh man, I bet you've had that we have had that. Yeah, we've been around for a while. So man, that's cool. And of course at the at the catfish Hotel, it's it's happens a whole lot and multi generations have been there over the years a small town. But yeah, I mean, I think there's a great and you know, that's feeding generations. You fed this guy's grandfather. You fed the father of the son and now the grand kid like you fed four or five generations of people and they and they've worked for you, you know, several generations. So it's been a wonderful I would say that the staff and the people that have been there, you know, we have people that at Chess Market that have been there for all 27 years and they're going to you know, they're just really they become family. God, that's what do you attest to that? What do you what do you you know, you know, I don't know. I mean, of course not everybody has stayed that long. No, you know, I think there is just a family. They found their their spot. You know, they they've connected with not necessarily with me with other management that are that are there and it's their home.

56:50They take a lot of pride in where they are. I think that's that's part of it. They they take a they're proud of the restaurant. They're proud of be at the restaurant in Shiloh or the restaurant up here. There's a certain amount of pride that they get out of the the fact that they feel like they're a part of something that's really special. I think that's part of it as well. And they're and you know, they are special. They they've they're really centrally part of one of the reasons that it is turned at both places have turned into, you know, pretty lucrative places to be. So how hands-on are you every day? I love it. I used to see you there all the time. I'm always there scared the shit out of me, but it's okay when I was this is 20 years ago. So, I mean, I was 25 years old walking into the chef's market as a new produce guy. And here's the owner of the chef's market. And I got to know Chef Derek and he was pretty hard on me. Derek was initially. Yeah. I mean, there's the you have to set that standard with your rep.

57:50I could see that swimming based on how much I needed to work with Derek. I was like his boss. I'm afraid of that guy. I mean, as a human being who's a rookie, there's a lot of that and I've never it's unfounded. You know, I think that's that is something that a lot of the time because I'm just in there and I'm sure you can relate to this to your bus and tables if you have to you're yeah on the line if you're playing restaurant a lot of time playing restaurant. You love it, but you're kind of filling holes and you kind of lose the track that maybe you are older and you're you are the boss and you're and that people are more just naturally intimidate wouldn't matter who you are, you know, just like you had that experience. So I need to hold that mirror up to myself occasionally because you know walking through the restaurant trying to do every day I try to go around and talk to everybody, you know, look and I say, hey, how are you? That's so wonderful. Yeah, and and there's a big crowd there, you know, it shows off but then they come they start coming in and then I'm like, you know, I'm getting older like did I say hi, you know, it's like, you know what I'm saying to you.

58:54Yeah, that usually happens to me at 1015 at night when I'm laying in bed my head at the pillow and I go, oh man, that person came in. I told him I saw him and I said, hey, I'll be right back with you and I never made it back because I got to the kitchen and the the fire was on fire and I had to go back there and I didn't do that. But I'm the same. I'm six foot six, 250 pounds and I have a title and when I'm in there, I think I'm like 19. I really when I'm in the building, I feel like I'm 19 and I'm having fun. I'm genuine enthusiastic. I love talking to guests. But then somebody to say something like, well, you said the other day that I'm like, I don't know. I was just joking. I don't get to joke. I don't get to joke around and be funny because people hear what I say and they go, oh, is he upset? Is he this is that I'm like, I'm just me. People don't get that you and I think you have to remind yourself of that that, you know, that you're that those in your wonder what those kids are. Why aren't they speaking back? You know, well, they're probably scared. You know, they're afraid to say anything.

59:55But you pull that mic a little closer. Charles said you're fine. You get comfortable in here talking, you know, and it's a whole thing. No, I learned that the hard way. Why didn't you tell me this? This just happened. A terrible thing happened a couple weeks ago where I had just asked somebody from another restaurant that's connected to us to do something simple. And I did not realize it was like a whole thing. Oh, like it was it turned into like a she's intimidating us like kind of a thing. And I'm just like, uh, I see me myself as a peer, but a hundred percent. Yeah, right. No, I mean, this has happened a couple times to me, but like, like, you know, I've felt like I've probably puffed my chest out a little bit, you know, and the other times, but this time I was like, I feel like I'm kind and hey, you know, like kind of, but apparently who you are and what you do kind of holds a little bit of weight. And then that intimidates people. And so now I'm just like, I guess I can't ask people any questions.

01:00:56I don't know. Like if there's a weird medium where I like, I guess I'll just tell my manager to ask them. Like I don't I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Well, you know, I think and I have tried to do that a little bit better. I actually have a new a new partner, a new business partner that's come on. You know, it may know Jeff Larkin who was with Cisco for years and was my rep for probably 20 years has come on. How do I not know Jeff Larkin? I knew everybody at Cisco, Hunter, Steve, all the guys like, I mean, Jeff Larkin. Yeah, you you would know him if I'm sure I would know him anyway, you know, I've got I've got to figure out, you know, I'm getting to the point where I've got to figure out what I'm going to do. So Jeff has come on. He wants will want has the desire to open more chef's markets and okay. And and then he's come on. But one of the things I will say he's taught me is where I feel like I'm in the trenches on bus and table. So if I didn't see that, hey, you know, in the kitchen, there should be a little bit more productivity in the scullery area instead of just going I will go I'm trying to go through the right chain of command and say, okay, this is the person I need to talk to who needs to talk to them.

01:02:04And and I think Jeff is has has kind of reminded me of that because I've been in it. Do you have a general manager? You know, Jeff is acting. Okay, so general manager and we have in our upstairs and you know, the physical physical layout have a general manager of the restaurant and then we have five additional managers there and then downstairs we have an operation. I'm telling you, it's an operation when I was looking into I was like, he is a big team. He's a big team. Five managers, general manager, general manager. We have the you know, executive chef and then we have four chefs that are under him. This is in the catering department and we have five salespeople and then we have four people that are logistics managers and then you know, our HR person. So there's a total of about 20 people in the offices that are there which which no and I think about it. This is like my mind when I opened Chess Market. I had this little tiny, you know, like walk-in closet sort of office.

01:03:06Yeah, and I didn't want the office to be any bigger than that, you know, you know, you don't want to have it outing in the office and and so and make it as uncomfortable as possible. Honestly, I put nails in the chairs. I want you sitting in here on your phone. Yeah, so you want people to be out so for me that whole that whole business model has been one that I've just kind of learned along the way and just realized that I got to have those those people that are answering those emails and and following through on the logistics of the different events that are happening and so I'll tell you we do it because three restaurants is difficult for one as a director of operations. The general managers report to me and so I am the integrator for our company. Steven the owners are visionary. We work on the EOS process, which is Gina Wickman's traction book, the entrepreneurial operating system. He's visionary. I'm the integrator. So I've found that if I give really clear direction to the general managers what the expectations are when I come in I get to I say the term play restaurant.

01:04:11I do not have a role in any of the restaurants to operate me personally. There's no role for me, which is normal. But when I'm in the building, I don't manage anybody because when I manage people they quit right because I'm the boss so to speak. So when I say hey can you go bust that table for me over there? They go. Oh, are you mad at me because I didn't bust that table? What happened? What happened? The whole thing. So I have to observe when I'm there and keep my mouth shut and have fun and I talk to guests and I bust tables and I'll run drinks and I'll run food and I go to the table. Hey, can I get you anything else and I love connecting that way and when I see that there's a light bulb out and when I see that there's something that's dusty when I see that this stuff is here, I go to the general manager and I go hey wonderful shift tonight, but I did notice a few things and I let them know and between me and them is a safe place of trust that I'm not criticizing them that these are things I observe when I'm there and then I have to trust that he's going to take care of it. But I've learned I don't manage anybody because when I manage people they quit and so I've stopped doing that all unless it's a hey, this server is beating up an old woman in the back parking lot.

01:05:18I'll step in. That's an issue. But like that's that's how we do it and Steven doesn't either. He doesn't manage anybody. We give the general managers the ability to lead their restaurant completely, but I get to come in and play restaurant and you go in and you make observations. You think of ways to make it better and on Mondays we meet I have one-on-one meetings with all the general managers individually and then we have a leadership team and we have agenda items and we look at our numbers and all the stuff and I give them really specific marching orders and expectations and then throughout the week I kind of follow up on them and thank them for doing the things they do or redirect. It's all one-minute manager stuff. Give clear expectations. Tell them thank you when they do it or redirect them if they get off track. Yeah, and it yeah, they have fun with it and then they have the yeah, that's really hard for owners to do like a really difficult owner cannot be in a director of operations position that successfully it's really hard to detach because I can see why you're so valuable in that role because I think of Steven was doing it.

01:06:19It becomes more personal and it's like I told you to change that light bulb. This is the second time I'm having to ask you what you know, like it he does that just with me. Yeah, you have to do that with me. You need the buffer person or else you do have a team of people that feels intimidated or like, oh they always come in and they're always, you know, judging something and I'm working so hard and you know, or you know what it does is it gives mixed signals. So I'll tell you I'll tell you a situation. Trays right using a tray to run a drink yesterday in our leadership meeting our new general manager said, hey, I want everybody using a tray when you drop off a drink. This is Maribold. This is a nice restaurant. I want you to use a tray when you go to the table. I don't want you holding the wine in your hand warm your warm hands on a cold glass. Plus it's an elegant restaurant. I want this to be done. If I'm not aware that he has made that decree and I'm totally fine with that level of autonomy. If I walk in and there's drinks to be ran and I go hey, we run this drink to me and they go I need a tray and I go you need a tray just run it. And then they go well Brandon said I don't need a tray and you said I do need a tray.

01:07:22Which one do I listen to? And so there's conflicting opinions as to what needs to happen and I just need to let them do their thing. So when I come in and manage I not only I don't it's not by in it's not intentional whatsoever. But by me managing people I then cancel out what my general manager is doing in the building because I'll trump him and they go well, I'm not listening to the general manager. I'll just listen to Brandon because he's the one who will tell me what and I don't want that and that's happened and I just know I do think that when you have bootstrapped it up and you brought it up and you've worked building your business there is that point where it really becomes hard to do that, you know, because you're so in it all the time. It makes it really really difficult, but it is definitely the way to go and with one location you're there all the time in that one spot, right? And then you feel like, you know, you get to the point too and and you probably y'all probably can't relate to this, but there's so much going on that I sometimes think if I don't say it now, if I don't do it now, I'm going to forget it.

01:08:26It's going to you know, I'm not going I feel but I feel like that's the problem. Like I do have to take the steps and go to my general manager or I had a director of operations when we had three restaurants and I had to go to them and then they go to them and I'm just like, oh by the time they freaking figure it out. I could have just done it myself. I'll mop the bathroom, you know, like it's just like those little things because I'm such a worker, you know, and I mean I'm young so I'm such a worker still that I'm like God like the chain of command and but I know that that works, you know, what I'm doing is going to make me have to mop the bathroom most of the time if I see that it wasn't done right, you know, that's right, but then I'm always going to have to mop the bathroom. No one's ever going to do it right if we're not shown showing training, you know, so just as an example, but like that times a thousand other things in the day, you know, right. So training is key. Wonder how many people are listening to this right now going yeah, I feel the exact same like this. Everybody out there is just going, oh, you hit me to my core Baxter. Wow, really pulling out the Anchorman reference.

01:09:28Oh, I like that you got the Anchorman reference. Very nice. You get to the core to me Baxter. Okay, go ahead. I'm sorry. No, no, no, after you. That was all a subject Anchorman. Yes, the movie with Will Ferrell. Okay. Oh, yeah, I was making a reference to a movie with that, you know, that's one of the other things in the restaurant business. You know, you don't see a lot of movies. Your homework is you need to go home on your free time and watch Anchorman. That's what I'll do. Have you seen the movie waiting? I don't think so. I made a reference to waiting yesterday to is really funny. And I yesterday to who yourself in restaurant? Yeah, I was in the restaurant. Okay, I was talking. I was showing a video. So we're talking about fantasy football. We do a fantasy football league and I'm doing a fancy football league for Nashville restaurant radio to we're bringing it back this year again for the giving kitchen. Yes, we're in we're in for that. But I said I love doing a fancy football league at work at a guy who was contemplating being in it. And I said you need to do it because he's a leader in the building a server who's our head captain and I go man.

01:10:30The best part is making bets every week not cash bets, but I always do goofy bets one year. I bet that we had a person who a manager who was a ballerina professional ballerina work national ballet. She was one of our managers and I bet her that she had to do Paula Abdul straight up like the dance to Paula Abdul's she had to have the video on and she had to come in lineup and do the dance and she goes, all right, well if I win you have to do the dance to Britney Spears hit me one more time and I'm like deal. I was crushing her until Monday night and Mason Crosby had five field goals and hit the escalator bonus and I lost by one point and I had to come in the restaurant in a full red jumpsuit and I have the video. I'll show you the video. It's had a wig on the whole thing of the video playing. I was dancing but one of the managers I bet him I said if you lose you have to come to lineup and there's a there's a scene in waiting where the manager does a lineup and at the end of the line goes the difference between being ordinary and extraordinary. It's just that little extra and it's the cheesiest and at the very end of it.

01:11:31He goes, all right guys push the fish. It's about to turn. He does this little thing and he's out in the back and I go if you lose you have to memorize that exact lineup and then you have to perform that lineup in them as your lineup and see who picks up on what you're doing. I got you and he lost and he had to do it and had the video. I said it's these fun things for fantasy football that make it fun. It's being doing 20 push-ups and lineup because you lost in front of everybody as a I lost in fantasy. I have to wear a shirt today to work like it's that stuff that builds team like that's the fun stuff. So I was referencing this yesterday and I said the movie waiting in this thing and the so long story but had to be there. I guess if you if you don't do it you got to do a fantasy football team. I was I was sweating and moving. I was just having conversations in the kitchen. That's what I do. I don't have a role. I just have come I run the fantasy football team.

01:12:31This is the important stuff that we got to do around here driving a 15 foot truck. All right, let's get back to the chef's market because we could do this all day and this is a lot of fun. I just a lot of fun. Thanks for being here. John. This is great. I'm happy to be in Brandon talk about I love it. I'm you know, it's it kind of is like being in the kitchen or you know anywhere about it. I'm like people would love to hear this conversation that we're having well people that you know, they said what conversation would you like to give Jim some talking points about the conversation. No, no, we're just going to yeah, we're going to come in and talk and see where it goes. There's not going to be an agenda. Yeah, you know, and it's it's like sitting down with a guest in the in the dining room. You don't know where it's going to go. And it's those are some are over-the-counter but they're intimately aware of your business and how it operates and all the running pieces of it. Yeah, probably too much information. Yeah, what percentage of business do you guys do that is catering versus dine-in? We are doing about 60% of what we do is catering. Wow, I thought it'd be higher than that, you know, you know, it's the restaurant is, you know, just really kind of blown up, you know, I mentioned we were doing the curbside and that's that's blown up that has blown up, you know, we would never would have I never would have put the effort into that had it not have been for covid but that's that's added, you know, and and it's just, you know, a busy little road, you know, hotels open Dollar General headquarters are up the street and a lot of people are in town to see Dollar General.

01:13:58So there's a lot of that going on. So there is right now and you had mentioned there's a there seems to be, you know, it was up every week and now it's coming about, you know, we're seeing a little bit of flatness in the market catering not the catering still is is amazing. But what's happening is things are very last minute. It's like people are like we're going to wait to see if the sky falls and then if it doesn't will have this party, you know, really? Yeah, it's there's a lot of last minute bookings, of course, not weddings, but a lot of corporate things are happening like tomorrow for like a hundred people or for like 20 like tomorrow. You know, there's an event at one of the bars downtown. They've decided they want to they decided a couple of weeks ago. They wanted to do lunch for 600 people. You know, so there's that and that's a good phone call to get. Yeah, you like that phone call. It's a logistical. It's a difficult one. Logistically, yeah, it's a hard one.

01:15:00So there's a who figures that out though. So let's let's rabbit hunt this 600 people. Hello. Hi chefs market. I'd like to order for 600 people. You answer that call who takes that call usually it's a one of the the sales assistants who's answering the phone and getting that phone and then they'll direct it to whatever salesperson that we have that's going to be most suited to be able to handle it. If if another sales person has a big event on that day, they're not going to give it to that person or it's kind of in rotation. How many salespeople do you have? We have a total of five. We have two that are just more on corporate and casual events and then we have three that are wedding and wedding and the 600 that kind of thing and there have been there a little bit longer. The others are more junior. Although the others will do like if we have a wedding that's 50 or 100 people they they start to stick their stick their toe in the water there and they always blow it out of the water to they do a great job when they do the smaller ones and that's how they the person that's handling the 600 was in that role at one point.

01:16:09So she's kind of grown into that but they it goes to the salesperson and the salesperson works through a menu. They talk about this particular one. They had to have they had to have hot dogs. They had to have a Caesar salad for whatever reason and it's a PR company from another city that's working in that there's no give or take on the menu. They've got to have these things because it ties to something that so then once it's once it's done it's moved over to one of our logistics people and these are the people that have the vision to know the venues a little bit better. They're often really creative and how they the they know what the theme of the parties got to they go to the venue and like scout it. Oh, yeah, they would go if they've not been to it before they would definitely do a site visit and like an event with this. I think we did the site visit with the actual PR company so they could talk about where it was going to be and all that but this particular venue has very little prep space.

01:17:11There's not a lot of room. So there were a lot of logistical issues and so this has been like three weeks of just kind of talking through and just last week. Okay. Yeah, we're sending you a deposit because we couldn't you know, there had to be a little give and take and what really could we didn't want to disappoint but what could be done and so that finally once the deposit happens and then we're moving forward the booking starts and we start so we use a program called staff made and we have about 250 people that are on the team. We try not to hire staff that are not our employees so that we go through a training process of sure make sure that they understand and and then that gets sent out and then the team is put together and then there's meetings weekly meetings where we discuss the event in detail and then that's every Wednesday morning. The culinary team is there look sales team logistics team and then we go over every single event that we have a BEO meeting event.

01:18:16It is pretty much that's what we call it the BEO meeting. Yeah, so we have a BEO meeting Mondays at 230. Okay. Yeah, and it's one of those disciplines that without exception and you know, you can't be late. Everybody's got to be on time and be ready and have their times in and have the details because they're communicating with the culinary team when it starts when it's got to leave the building. You know when there's a second food run sometimes there's a third food run on it as well because most of the venues that we're working in don't have enough space and and they don't allow you to cook. You know a lot of historic flames open flame. So you have to bring the food as last minute as you possibly can which in Nashville is a scary. It's a scary thought a lot of us thrive on chaos. You know, it is a chaotic man ever that before. Yeah, nothing's ever the same like it's not like you can be like this is how to do this event now.

01:19:16It's like no, there's like a structure but there's definitely things that happen and stuff that falls and things have to be replaced and break. You have to be ready to you know, we had a we had one of our bands hit on 40 going to an event in Lebanon and so it flipped and that was the second food run. So all of the entrees and the staff was fine. Thank God. But you know, we were on pins lips. It flipped on his side and so all that food was destroyed but we had the team. Thankfully, you know, we have a team with the restaurant there and we called them and we were like 20 minutes late and it starts it. So we have a we have a great and now I know I truck. We're gonna be 20 minutes late. Sorry. Like what and they they were so nice. And they understood and applauded the guy who who ended up grabbing that band. He ended up at the and they all gave him a standing ovation. So but but it is a memorable part of the event.

01:20:17It is chaos. You know, it is but it's organized chaos and and it is and you can relate every day is different. You know, you're at a different place. You're there's a different style and it's kind of like you're opening every event that you do if there any complexity to them at all. You're you know, you're opening a restaurant. You know, you have to plan way ahead so that in the two hours that you're given by the venue are the space you have to have it all together. The Reynolds got to be there. The lighting's got to come in the staff who you know, a lot of times have never been to that venue before have to be rallied and pulled together and they have to trust them like because they're the the customer facing, you know, trust them facing like that's representing your whole business and you know, the stand-up is real important and there's a whole lot of you know, there's a champagne toast at this time. The cake cutting is this time. See these are these are things everything you just described if you're listening to this and you're going to plant an event. I would hire you guys in a second because these are lifelong memories that these people are going to have and you can't take chance on this.

01:21:27You're a local company, but you guys are pros. This is what you do. So if you're having a wedding, you have this big event, you need it to be done, right? I want a team who's got senior salespeople who know this and that are doing BO meetings every Wednesdays and we're reviewing it. We're doing site visits. I want to know that this isn't oh, sorry. We forgot the desserts. It's our first time like I recorded something the other day and I had the Bluetooth on. I guess my phone said we're going to. Yeah, I was even saying like we get asked it because we do weddings, but it's mostly like the after food like it's or it's never usually like obviously in the main thing and we have a cap what our food truck can even carry and we've had you know food drops to when we've had to bring more and we're so tight on what we do. We can't veer from that. Like we tell people all the time they want something after like you need to go to a catering company like we are a food truck that does something very specific and we do what we do well and our team is trained.

01:22:36You don't want us to do past or derves. We are not like you know, like and I think it's really important for small businesses to know what you do well do that very well and be known for that and not try to overextend yourself like I would work at your catering company before I tried to start doing it myself because I want to see how you're getting it done. You know, I'm not going to just wing it at somebody's wedding and hope that I figure it out. You know, like even my years, it's a you know, it's a logistically catering is amazing to me that it comes together. Yeah, you know, it is one of those things. So we have so many lists, you know, there's a there's a food. There's a secondary food list. The production list goes up and there's a food list that's created that the staff is put together from the BEO not from the production list because there's the possibility that the production list is not right. And so the person that's doing logistics is doing their own food list so that if there's some issue then they'll find it there. And then there's a list of all every spoon, you know, every tongue, you know, every thing you have to mean that there's no that's how you succeed.

01:23:46You can't guess on that stuff. Can't you know how much stern? Oh, you know, and by the way, the hotbox is often you need to bring extra certain because you know, all of those things that are like you need to have to be able to fix if if you need to. And so, you know, and and I would say that those are things that we've learned over the years. There's no way that trial and error you make mistakes and you go, oh, we need a list for that and we need this space organized in this way. So, you know, we've grown to now where we have there's additional space in the in the building. So we have that new office suite that we have and then we have another 5,000 square foot space on the other end of the building. How many square feet is chef's market? It's 15 about 15,000 square feet. 15,000. That's it. So in case you're wondering, what you might need. Yeah. Yeah. And none of that, of course, is that we only see a hundred people. So all of that is sort of the back kitchen and there's a lot of chafing.

01:24:50A lot of prep area, a lot of prep area, storage area, a lot of cooler, you know, freezer coolers and those kind of things and you know, I never would have thought that, you know, when I it was when I first started and I you know, you have your your vision of what you think it would be and then you just like, you know, God just took it in a whole nother place. People started asking for events. I'll tell you a story that is kind of where it started is my wife is an interior designer and we met in college. We were both 19 and we both did our senior projects together. I was a hospitality manager. I designed a restaurant and she designed the the a restaurant to that. We did two separate things, but we both help with kitchen design and the menu design and and we had said in our our sort of naive state at that point and it's a long time ago, you know what we did. We really want to I knew enough about the restaurant business that how hard it was. It would be good if we could just go around and design restaurants, you know, and that was a time of the cell maker and there was restaurants were maybe a little bit more kitschy and in theme me and wouldn't it be nice if we could just go around and and do that and and I'm sure people do that.

01:26:04Emin does a lot of that. I think here but she ended up working as an interior designer of Holiday Inn and then I ended up working for different restaurants. The last place I ended up was with Pargo's, which was a you know, the over you the one that did the little fake people. I did not the plush people that were all over the place, you know, I ordered many of those people talking about there was a restaurant called Pargo's. There's one in Bell Mead like right next to there was one in Brentwood right by Maribor like right there is calling it Rivergate Rivergate people, but they had these little plush people with like little button eyes and kind of like like the old men and and I want to say Sesame Street, but it's not Sesame Street. What was it? The Muppets Muppets. Yeah, they look like the two old men in the on the that was phase two where they look more like puppets, you know, originally they were made and they were pieces of art and the ones that started which were in the North Atlantic Baltimore and they were all paper mache very detailed and the ones at Rivergate were as well.

01:27:10But as they started growing so fast they could make enough and so they did the sort of puppet kind of thing which people still loved they but it was like an over-the-top there's all the setting around the restaurant is over-the-top sort of Fern Bar that look it had a beautiful looks like lots of fun. Yeah, lots of plants skylights. It was beautiful place and but anyway, I ended up my last job there is I was a regional director and and had the stores here but because the headquarters were here they were part of shown ease. I ended up doing research and development and concept of all of it. So we were working with the button advertising team and I'm in Mon Lawrence, which was a PR firm and and we had the chef that excellent R&D chef and so you know God just put me in that place to learn those particular sides of it. It was kind of like what I always wanted to do. I wanted to just be the creative part of that.

01:28:11So when we decided to open Chefs Market and the idea behind Chefs Market was to be able to provide chef quality food and to make it fast and make it casual. You know at that point there was it was either fast food or there was casual dining or there was really fine dining like Mario's and maybe Sunset Grill would fall in there but there wasn't that place where you could just get a casually really good prepared meal and you could get it to go as easily as you could eat it inside it just wasn't a form of dining. It wasn't a form of dining and so we thought that's what we wanted to do and that and then from that immediately people started asking had love for you to cater this for me and yeah inevitably right and then you had to figure it out. You just followed I'm sure that happened to me as well. Yeah, that's where we kind of formed and then we started hitting boundaries of like all right. This is our cap because there's just no way we can produce out of this truck more than this and have a good customer experience because it's all about customer experience even in a food truck, you know, we're still catering your big event, you know, or your daughter's 16th birthday party like we want to be able to like there's no way we can feed 500 people in an hour like there's just no way we can do it, you know, and that's hard to hear sometimes for people and we're just like it's physically impossible for us out of this truck, you know, so what we have the same thing, you know, we'll say well the band is so important for this couple.

01:29:36The band's got to start at eight o'clock. Dinner's got to be done. But only really we only have an hour because the sun sets here only have an hour for you to do this five course dinner. It's like no, it's not going to happen, you know, we wait you've learned to tell people now you can yeah, you can't know they don't know. Yeah, you know, well, sometimes the planners are like, oh, you could do it. You could get it, you know, but no, you know, we need to delete and it hurts, you know, that shrimp and grip shrimp and grits appetizers got to go or something. We have to do something different because it won't work and so it's the very same thing. Sometimes you have to have that hard conversation that, you know, that particular food item that you would want on your event. We can't cook so it's not going to travel. It's only the matter if it's on the road an hour that fried catfish which I would love will not be good to be good if we we bring it to the event. So have you ever had a food truck that you guys like cooked out of or it seems like you would have like one of those cool trail big huge like trailers that like you have like a full kitchen in, you know, you know, it I've dreamed of that and it's you know, I I know I know guy do you build?

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01:34:05And so we're in a major, we're in a major scramble. We've got first runs leaving, second runs leaving, and so we're trying to determine what to do. So we call a church and we've got all of the vans. You call it church. Church. What do you mean? They're friends. They're going over, they're cranking their ovens up. And it's the bridge ministry. I don't know if you know them or not. They feed the homeless and we've contributed to them. So they were all about it. And then just right at the last minute, power comes back on. Well, I'm like, it's so, that is like the most restaurant story I've ever heard. We have four weddings to go out and a car hits a pole and then there goes our power. Like it's that moment of like, all right, I mean, we're focused. We've had meetings for weeks with, this is Janie and Logan's wedding. We're excited. Let's get the food out. Where are the lights? What happened? Oh, like completely out of your control. But this is where you thriving on chaos.

01:35:07You don't freak out in that moment. Do you? You go, okay. I was kind of freaked. No, I was freaked. I don't know if people knew it, but some people can't process and they just, they stay still. Freeze. Those are not the people that you want on your caring team. You need the person that's like really calm. Let's find solutions. And are like solution based. You know, like this is what I have. This is what we're doing. Well, that solution might be, you know, that if we had had that truck in the back, we could have just kind of, you know. We used to have a second one that was our backup truck because we just, we were running one and then we only ran that other one for events. So we had a backup truck. We're like, we're like, we are a hundred percent sure that we will be at your event because even if the transmission goes down, we have a backup truck. You got an engine and you got to get to the place. I mean, we have motor oil and fryer oil on like lockdown. Just in case. Just in case. We have generator oil. I mean, the things that are in our like just in case box in the truck are like pretty hilarious. Electrical tape. Like we have the whole thing.

01:36:09Advil. Yeah. Jim, I want to be respectful of everybody's time and I know that she has a bunch going on in a very short amount of time. So we've got to wrap. I want to make sure we, I have loved this conversation so much. I just getting to know you a little bit, just sitting here talking about restaurant stuff. I think, I don't think I'm afraid of you anymore. That you're trying to instill fear in me. But I, you know, it's weird how these all 20 years working with you and then finally having you here in studio to learn about your story. Have we missed anything? Like I know you didn't come here just to talk restaurant stuff. Do you have any, do you want to plug anything, promote some stuff? Do you have anything? 27 years of the chef's market. Anything else you got going on? You know, of course I was telling you about that transition. You know, I think as people get older that are in the business and that'll happen and you know, you've got some place that you've created, that you've loved and you're thinking about what am I going to do my kids?

01:37:12And I'm so proud of them. They're real successful in what they're doing. But they did not want to do the restaurant business. They were, they were good for them. Yeah. My wife does not want me to bring William in to do that either. Yeah. It's like, let's be a doctor. Let's not be a chef. And so finding that right thing, praying about who the right person is to bring in. I think, you know, at some point, it would be great for you to talk to Jeff. Yeah. He, you know, he has those years of being in the food service industry just like you. And has, and it's brought to the table a good knowledge of that side of it that I did not know. And I think just stepping in, you know, it's just seeing, you know, having somebody come in. Of course he was, he vetted himself and we vetted him for a year before we would, you know, is he really, I know he's been here enough and he also had an office there that he is really sure that he knows what he's getting into.

01:38:16You know, is he going to throw his hands up? And so, you know, I guess I would just say that I feel really fortunate that I found that transition, you know, so that one of the things my wife and I work really closely together. And, you know, she cannot not be there, you know, so this gives her that opportunity to, so we can, we can slot out. But I think you'd love talking to Jeff. Y'all have a lot in common. I need a Jeff. Yeah, you do. Yeah. Well, I tell people, I go, my position is a luxury position. Like most locally owned and operated restaurants don't have a director of operations who manages the GMs, who can negotiate all of the contracts and spend time learning new technology and software and executing it. Like I'm kind of a luxury position to have. And it's a testament to those operations that are, I mean, they're so great. I mean, you know what they- We have a really good team. We have a really, really good team of people who care.

01:39:16I think that the main thing, I don't care what you've done in the past. If you care, if you genuinely care to make every guest a repeat guest, that's our mission. What can I do to make every guest a repeat guest? And we got a team of people that do that. It makes my job really easy. You know, it really is. It gives me time to do stuff like this, you know, which is fun, which I think on the same time, I get to pick brains of people and I get to take that stuff into the restaurant. But also, you know, this is, I just love it. I love being here. It's been an honor to be here. And I'm so glad to meet you. And I'm glad to know I'm not scary anymore, you know? It's important, you know. I'm a little older. I was 25, like I said, you know. You know, when you look at yourself in the mirror and you think, there's no way I would ever scare anybody. You know what I mean? You know what I mean? 100%. It's your experience and your title and the fact that people probably really respect you. That I think that's what I'm telling myself when people say that to me. People really respect me. No.

01:40:16All right. Well, we're not going to do an outro today. I'm going to take what you just kind of said there. We do, if you'd like to, we do the Gordon Food Service Final Thought. You probably use Cisco. We're big fans of Gordon Food Service over here at Nashville Restaurant Radio. They're our title sponsor. Oh, okay. We love GFS. Not besides the fact they're top. They're just really good people. They're good, solid people and I love them. We do a final thought. So we let you take us out of the show. Whatever you want to say. Any kind of wisdom, any, whatever it is, you get to say the final word of the show and then we will say goodbye after that. I would say if there was one thing in the restaurant business that people will say, well, how can you be successful in the restaurant business? And I don't know that I have the key to that, but I do know that I think if you can be generous, you know, that is, if that is in your heart and you can be generous and I'm not talking about generous with the food portions or, I'm talking about generous with your time and talking to guests at the table, generous with your staff and those people that need help, you know, occasionally.

01:41:23I think that's really where is the heart of hospitality, having a kind of that generous sort of mindset and it can't be, and I've seen major chains that I work for destroy themselves. It can't be all about the bottom line. You know, it's, and I think they consume themself with driving profits where it really needs to be about the hospitality and the generosity of your time and the food that you're giving, just your heart. It's a fantastic final thought. That's wonderful. Jim Hagee, thanks for joining us on Nashville Restaurant Radio. My pleasure, my pleasure. Thank you.