July 3, 2025 • 44 mins
Join Restaurant Masterminds hosts Stacey Kane and Robin Blanchette as they sit down with Frank Carpenteri, CEO of Garden Catering, to explore how this Connecticut-based chicken concept has maintained its cult-like following while preparing for aggressive expansion. From switching to premium chicken despite the cost impact to building a community-driven brand that makes college students' first stop home, Frank shares invaluable insights on scaling without losing your soul. Learn about their recent brand refresh, tech stack consolidation, and the leadership philosophy that kept every employee working during COVID—plus why their core value is literally "love the nugget."
~This episode is sponsored by: Gusto → https://gusto.pxf.io/PBN ~
#1 rated HR platform for payroll, benefits, and more
With Gusto’s easy-to-use platform, you can empower your people and push your business forward. See why over 400,000 businesses choose Gusto.
RestaurantMasterminds #FastCasual #RestaurantBusiness
Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/
Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.
Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory
Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/
Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.
Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory
~This episode is sponsored by: Gusto → https://gusto.pxf.io/PBN ~
#1 rated HR platform for payroll, benefits, and more
With Gusto’s easy-to-use platform, you can empower your people and push your business forward. See why over 400,000 businesses choose Gusto.
RestaurantMasterminds #FastCasual #RestaurantBusiness
Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/
Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.
Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory
Get Your Podcast Now! Are you a hospitality or restaurant industry leader looking to amplify your voice and establish yourself as a thought leader? Look no further than SavorFM, the premier podcast platform designed exclusively for hospitality visionaries like you. Take the next step in your industry leadership journey – visit https://www.savor.fm/
Capital & Advisory: Are you a fast-casual restaurant startup or a technology innovator in the food service industry? Don't miss out on the opportunity to tap into decades of expertise. Reach out to Savor Capital & Advisory now to explore how their seasoned professionals can propel your business forward. Discover if you're eligible to leverage our unparalleled knowledge in food service branding and technology and take your venture to new heights.
Don't wait – amplify your voice or supercharge your startup's growth today with Savor's ecosystem of industry-leading platforms and advisory services. Visit https://www.savor.fm/capital-advisory
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
My name is Paul Baron. As the early pioneer in
fast casual, I've seen the industry evolve from just a
few operators to the most sought after segment by consumers
around the world. Now we're planning to shape its future.
Tap into decades of my expertise identifying the emerging brands
and tech winners in the space. Saber Capital will be
(00:47):
fueling the next generation of fast casual innovation.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Hi'm cc caine, one of your restaurant masterminds. That I
have my lovely co host with me, Robin Blanchette, and
we have a very very special guest. We'll full disclosure
this that I am the CMO of Frank Carpentery's brand,
(01:13):
Garden Catering, and Robin has done some work for them
as well. But they're very special people and we wanted
to make sure that we gave the Garden Catering brands
some love. So welcome Frank to Restaurant Master Rhinds. I'm
very excited to have you on today.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Absolute pleasure to be here. No nepotism at all, All.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Nepotism all the time. Absolutely industry is so we're going
to get into it. Frank could you tell our viewers
a little bit about the brand and its legacy.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah, of course. So Garden Catering has been around since
the seventies. And you know, of course when you think
of garden catering, you think of handcut chicken nuggets, and so.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
It off. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
So we started in Greenwich, Connecticut in the seventies, actually
Greenwich av which was, you know, not the Greenwich av
that it is today. You know, there's Tiffany's there and
there's you know, all these high end.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Super fancy but back in the day, it was all.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Mom and pop shops and it included a little hole
in the wall chicken place called Garden Poultry, and you
know that was beloved. You know, people like you know,
all the locals went there. But also you know, some
of the locals were people like Diana Ross and I
was actually I just found out that she was a
big garden I actually present. I just presented at my
(02:40):
son's in my eighth grader's career day at his school.
And as you can imagine, we're in, you know, the
finance capital of the world, and you know, some of
the other parents were you know, there's about thirty or
forty of us there, and you know, here I am
slinging chicken nuggets, but I think not to pat myself
(03:01):
on the back, but when I brought some food in
for the kids, and when you bring nuggets in especially,
I think, and you know, I don't even know if
they listened to my presentation.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
But anyway, during the course of.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
Researching for my presentation, I found out that Diana Ross
is a big, big garden poultry fan back in the day.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Anyway, so we were on Greenwich have in the seventies.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
One of the owners moved over to Soundbeach Avenue in
Old Greenwich, which is right on the Stanford border, and
ran the business for about a decade until he unfortunately passed.
My dad had been in the restaurant business for pretty
much his entire life since he was fourteen years old,
(03:45):
and was coming out of a lease at a seafood
restaurant that he ran, and he knew the widow and
her husband, and they struck a deal. She was very
happy to keep the name and the light see that
her husband had created and continued alive, and my dad
(04:05):
reopened Garden Catering after closing it, or after it was closed,
he reopened it in nineteen ninety one, and that's how
we got involved, and so that's sort of the genesis
of our how our family sort of took over the brand.
And at the time it was one location and we've
grown to soon to be eleven over the last couple decades.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
And how many are we, I say, the collective? We
opening this summer for it.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Yeah, so we are currently building out three simultaneous restaurants,
which is two more than we've ever done before at
the same time, and so we're already pretty busy. And
then you throw it's a family business. My sister and
I run the business now, and our dad retired right
around COVID, and so it's she's got a family, I've
(04:59):
got a family, got this big family here at Garden Catering,
And so there's there's lots happening right now.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
Did you guys, did you guys just all of a
sudden one day go we got to grow this thing?
Like what was your impetus for that for all of
a sudden now going from you know, going to open
three all of a sudden just like time.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
Yeah, Uh, that's a great question. I asked myself that
every night before I hear to bed now I uh
so we one of the one of the buildouts is
a is a unfortunately it's an existing location that we're
moving within a development new landlord, new lease.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Uh there there they have Uh they had dreams of.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Combining our space with another behind us for a national
end cap and so that's all happening. And so that
was sort of a forced build out, and that's you know,
sometimes that's that's what happens.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
And uh.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
The two others that were building out that are that
are new just they were released negotiations and site visits
and they just sort of both happened and deals were
struck right around the same time.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
They didn't start at the same time. One happened a
little bit faster than the other.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
And seeing that one of the buildouts is going to
be pretty well funded by the landlord.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
We said, okay, you know, we're not gonna really have
to it'll be easy. They're going to do it.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
You know, they're gonna build it, and yeah, famous last words.
But it's been it's been a The last store we
opened was back in twenty eighteen, our New Haven location,
and so you know, right after twenty eighteen, you know,
it was pretty much in the fall. So twenty nineteen,
in a year into that store, COVID hit, and you know,
(06:40):
from twenty twenty to about twenty twenty three, for us
at least, it was just you know, we're gonna hold
on tight, We're going.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
To keep the we're going to keep the business alive.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
And then you know, saw inflation hit, and so it
took us a couple of years to kind of get
back in the driver's seat and say, okay, we're ready
to continue to grow. Now.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I think it's important to say, like Garden Catering is
growing kind of on its own. This is not a
franchise model. This is all self funded. And it's also
a very lean team. How are you kind of navigating
this quick, this very large growth in such a short
(07:22):
period of time.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Yeah, so yeah, it's a very lean team.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
It's my sister and I I act to CEEEO.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
She access CEO, and you know, along with Stacy.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
She said, our boots on the ground marketing, and Stacy's
you know, you obviously a wonderful job, but we need
someone inside doing doing the deliverable.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
And so we also have a district manager.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
HR team, which is one person UH and uh CTO
and our CFO and but that's that's it. And there
are six of us for you know, so there's a
lot happening, and it's so we're wearing many hats and
it does become challenging at times, but we all love
(08:11):
what we do. I think we're a good team. We
work well together, and it's and it's it's exciting.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Now recently we took the brand through. I'm not going
to call it a rebrand or anything like that. It
was more like I've been using this analogy a lot.
It was more like botox as opposed to a full facelook,
a refresh if you will, a refresh if you will,
like a slight chemical peel. So my question is, and
(08:42):
my question is, and I was involved with it, but
why was this the moment in time? Was it because
of the build out And we're going to insert some
graphics right here, but this slight pivot in messaging and
looking y'all.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yeah, So, so just taking it a step back when
when we first opened there, we had a you know,
we had a pineapple logo, which is the old New
England sign of hospitality, and we had a really dark
deep green and red and it's Christmas colors, and there's
a pineapple, and we sell the best chicken nuggets y'all
(09:23):
ever have, But none.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Of it really vibed with the with the logo.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
And so back in twenty eighteen when we were opening
our New Haven location, we had many conversations about, you know,
who we are, what we want to be when we
grow up, right, and what do we do best at
the end of the day. And over the years, our
menu had grown to a point where my thought.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Was that it was not tenable. It was not you know,
you had these.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Old school cooks who've been with us, you know for
fifteen years, and they could handle a large menu. But
if we want to grow, we need to be deeper
than we are wide. And so we said, if we're
going to adopt that thought on our menu, we have
to have that reflected with our brand. And so we
we updated the brand in twenty eighteen, brought the color scheme.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
And we had we had we adopted a chicken as
part of our logo, but chicken was sad and she.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Looked kind of sad, yeah, And so we updated all
that back in twenty eighteen, and about a year or
so ago, my sister and I said, you know, we
really we took it from a style that really didn't
represent who we were at all, and we got very close,
(10:38):
but we thought that we could do better, and that's
when we engage with Robin and our team at Norton
to really tell the story through through the through the
brand colors, through the.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Scheme, through the.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Fonts, through you know, as best we could, through just
the you know, physical representation in the store and obviously
on our digital footprint. And so you know, Robbin and
our team sort of took all the information that we
had to give them. You know, we told them how
we felt about things, and how we felt about the
communities that we operated, and how we'd love to get
(11:11):
back and and all the things that uh, you know,
really that really represent.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Who we are.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
And and they, you know, they did a wonderful job
updating and as you said, giving it a little bit
of a you know, shot of botox. So we didn't
change the green or change from green. We're still green,
but we tweet.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
That green a little bit. And and so.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, and for those of you on in the in
the viewership, the chicken does have a name. Her name
is Guardina, and we use her for things like during
the Olympics, we'll put an Olympic crown on her. At
the Holidays, she'll have a Santa hat. She's very very
much part of the brand. But it brings us to
(11:55):
talk about chicken. I mean, that's the the our message
of the brand. It's the best chicken nuggets you'll ever have.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
That's right, it is.
Speaker 5 (12:06):
I just want to say, like real quick before we
wrap up on the brand piece, because I just have
to say, like, you know, when people come to us
about refreshing their brand or doing something different, this is
the This is one of the only times I think
in our you know, tenure, that we've had people that
really come to it from a place of feeling like
(12:26):
I'm feeling like this needs That's the hard part of
the brand, and I think.
Speaker 6 (12:32):
That just brings great workout.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
I mean, especially from a feeling group of people like
we are kind of I think, you know, the approach
wasn't just like you know, I need you to make
this lighter green or not as dark or what. There
wasn't like this prescriptive direction. It was more like I want,
we want to scale, we want to grow, and I
want it to come from a place that feels like
who we are, and I think that's a really important
(12:57):
differentiation around a lot of the way a lot of
people approach their own.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
Branding or identity work or anything like that.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
So, oh yeah, for sure, who is to you guys,
because you made it just just absolutely such a pleasure
to do the work because it's not coming just from
a place of technical changes.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Oh well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
That brings me Actually we'll gets a chicken in a second.
But it brings up another question. You know, it's you
and your sister. You took over for your dad, who
is very charismatic. Yes, And how do you guys keep
the brand real? You've got five kids? Tina has two kids.
(13:39):
How do you keep the brand? How do you keep
going back to like the north star of why you're
doing this? You're so busy, but yet you guys took
the time to do this thoughtful brand refresh.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Yeah, I mean how do you keep it in check?
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Going back to you know, why we're here and and
what we want to do with our with our with
our lives at work, and we spend more time here,
uh than we do at home. And that's the reality
of it, and we have to make sure that time
at home is special, and we take advantage of all
the time that we have with our kids. And but
at the end of the day, we also have a
(14:17):
business to run, a business that we love, and so
we I'm reminded I saw this this This is at
least a decade ago. I saw some documentary on Dave
Thomas and and the founder of Wendy's, And you know,
you have this quote paraphrasing of like when he needed
to like recenter, he would just randomly drive to one
(14:39):
of his locations and grab a cheeseburger. And so you know,
I and I do the same thing sometimes with our nuggets,
because they are the best that you'll ever have. And
and not purposely, but every time, you know, when I
when we're testing things out and we're kind of experimenting,
I'll grab some nuggets and I'll say to myself, like, Okay,
(15:00):
here's we have an opportunity. Here we make the best
chicken nugs ever have. We can help people through those nuggets.
And that kind of sounds silly or maybe you know
too much, moved, but there's a lot of things that
you can do with food to make people's lives better.
And that's not the only reason that we're in business,
but that really helps me stay grounded and stay focused
knowing that we have a really special product and what's
the best way to get that out to the community,
(15:21):
And certainly not the only way to do it is
through our brand and our brand colors and our brand design.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
But that's a that's a big part of it.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
So for us, I mean, there's lots of reasons to
keep going and to keep growing, but it's all it
all starts and ends with with nuggets.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
So you just touched on community and one of the
things that I say all the time about Garden Catering
is that community is kind of baked into its DNA.
And you know, recently, you guys made the Fast Casual
Top one hundred for the fourth time. You're and it's
(16:01):
a small brand. Garden Catering is eight again, about to
be ten units. How important is community and helping the
communities that garden Catering serves when you're making decisions making
business decisions. I mean, you guys give back a lot
in food and cash, So can you talk about that
(16:23):
a little bit, your commitment to community and being a
good business partner.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
Yeah, of course that was you know, it is baked
into our DNA, and that's just you know, when that happens,
I feel like it's a.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Little bit easier to sort.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
Of execute, and it's a good thing to have picked
into your DNA. We saw our dad and how he
ran the business, and he never said no to any
donation request.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
And I remember from when I.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Started working here part time, when I was a teenager,
everyone knew him. He always you know, took care of
you know, the local churches or little leagues or you know,
you know, whenever organization came through, it was sure, what
do you need? And there was never really a budget
for that. And you know, we we've we've since uh
(17:18):
sort of taken what he has and this is what
you want. What might I want my kids to do,
whether they come into our business or not, is that
you want to have your the generation, the next generation
stand on the shoulders with the previous one. And so
we took what he had and we we modernized it,
we put systems behind it. And one of the things
we really haven't done, and I think kind of purposefully
is is put a hard budget on what we give back,
(17:42):
because you know, if there's someone in need or if
there's an organization that we love and we support, like, hey,
let's let's figure out a way to support that organization
so it's not hurt us financially. I mean, we don't
really look at it like that. It's it's only you know,
it's our core purpose. You know, we sat down a
couple of years ago and you know, we kind of said,
you know, we went through our core values.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
And that was a long process.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Because it be because if you really believe in something,
it really.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
You know, uh, you should take time to think about that.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
But at the end of the day, we said we
need to you know, mission statement sounds very militaristic, and
we said, but we need a core purpose to go
along with this. Why are we here And we landed
on to make our communities a better place to live
and so we can get through a chicken and we've
seen that happen over the years, and that was a
sentence that we took out lightly, but it really is
at the core of what we do. We're here obviously
(18:33):
to make money, and we can make money, we can
get more opportunities to our people. But you know that
goes part and parcel with you know, making making our
towns and our cities that we operate in.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Better just by by being there. Not to say that.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
We're so special we're going to make cities better now,
but we employ the people who lives in the cities,
and we get back to the and we provide really
good food.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
So that's that's how we that's how we approach it.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
I always say, you get what you give, and you
guys give so much you get back in return. I mean,
not just because you have a great product, but you know,
because it's just it just keeps on keeping on, you know,
love that.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
So you mentioned Diana Ross. But when I first started
onboarding with Garden Catering, you told me about this phenomenon.
I didn't fully understand the cult like following, but you
told me about this phenomenon. When kids come back from
college the first place, even before they go home or
go to the bar Thanksgiving, they go straight to Garden Catering.
(19:38):
Can you talk a little bit about what it's like
to have a cult like like brands pray for that
kind of yeah, realty, Can you talk about that a
little bit?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (19:50):
Yeah, So when I was in high school and home
from college and just starting out when I when I,
you know, my early twenties, when I I would work
in the stores, and you know, full time in the stores,
not in the back office, I would I would see
that firsthand. So the week leading up to Thanksgiving was
always when the college students came back, and it was
(20:11):
always something that I didn't really think of a lot about.
It was just like, oh, it's busy, and but as
I started getting more involved in the business and thinking
about growth and thinking about my place in the business,
it was something that I really I loved because you
would you would hear these conversations and it would be like.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
The kid who lived in town, and it would be.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
That person that you know, that young boy or girl
bringing their friends in for the first time, because you
could hear the conversations and say, oh, if you have
to try, this is the place I was telling you
about uggets And it was like, you know, that was
cool at the time, but now looking back on it,
that's exactly what you said, France Covet that that feeling
that you want to give your your guests, your customers,
(20:54):
and so that right there is a standard that's pretty high, right,
I mean, if you think about it, like you want
to have everyone leaving like they would go and tell
their their friend who's never been here before. Because you know,
when you recommend something that you're that passionate about, that's
not a risk kind of you better be that good, right,
And so that's a standard that we try to hit
(21:16):
on and that does become harder to hit every time
as you continue to grow. And so that's why when
we talk about menus and lt O s and which
we do now, and it's like, at the end of
the day, I'm telling myself and I believe in this,
like you need to say no more than you say
yes with all because there's some wonderful ideas out there.
(21:38):
But if you from making the best chicken nugget you'll
ever have, it's that much harder to execute on that
unspoken promise of you know.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
But it is such a cool thing when and I
see it every once in a while.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
I'm not in the front of the stores as much
as I used to be, but I just saw it
a number of months ago, and I was when I
was in the front and there's this kid. I think
he's wearing an Ohio state special. He lived in Greenwich
when out you know, Stanford or somewhere near our store
and you could tell he was bringing his buddy for
the first time, and it's like, yeah, that's that's really
cool that happens.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
I mean, I think you guys, you know, you have
these fundamentals that sometimes even the largest of chains just
completely forget about, you know, in terms of like you
could do a there's a thousand things you could do,
and being able to have the constraint to say, I'm
not going to do what you know lt O every
four week.
Speaker 6 (22:30):
I'm not going to do that.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
I'm going to focus on the core products and be
the best in the world at that so that when
people new people come in or you know, you have
potential guests or new markets, you're not going at eighty
two different directions.
Speaker 6 (22:43):
And I mean I see it all the time.
Speaker 5 (22:46):
I Mean, these like several thousand unit chains can't even
control themselves with regards to that kind of thing.
Speaker 6 (22:53):
So I mean, congrats on that. That's not an easy
business thing to do.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Well we and thank you.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
We haven't Tachael that. I mean, we had this menu
that was a very big menu. This is going about
twenty years and we've parsed it down and Covid actually
gave us an opportunity to do that even further and
it's still you know, at a point where we could
probably refine even more. But yeah, it's it's really important
to you know, to focus on the things that you
(23:20):
do better than anyone else.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
And so.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
It's, yeah, that's the nugget. But who doesn't want to
run up on LTL. So it's challengers a push and
pull there revenue and have you know, a reason for
your your guests to talk about you on social and elsewhere.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
So it's a challenge.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
It's feasted and you know it can help with frequency.
But when you have the best chicken nugget, you'll ever
have people just seem to want like that's something you
can eat two or three times a week, and we
see that with guests at Carbon Catering.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
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Speaker 2 (25:30):
Going back to the chicken, to the reason for being
the chicken nugget. Now, when you have all your oh
my god, here comes another time when you have all
your eggs in one chicken nugget tasket. How have you
navigated the supply chain type of things when it comes
(25:51):
to being so dependent on a great chicken nugget? So
what are some of the things that you have done
to kind of maintain that standard of quality.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
One of the decisions that we made a number of
years ago is if you know, if we were saying
on paper and we believe it, we make the best
chicken nug you'll ever have, and.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
And for many years that the product that we use
is great.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
It was a it was a you know, we worked
with our distributor to find the you know, the best
product that we could find. And over time, you know,
God didn't intend to tend to have a ten pounds chicken, right, so, uh,
we encountered some some.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Some quality issues with the product that we were buying.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
And that was based on supply chain and based on
how the chicken was raised and grown, and not just
the ones we were buying, but it's out there. It's
called woody chicken. And so you bite into the chicken
and it tastes like it's undercooked. It's not undercooked, it's
just the muscles have you. I won't get too technical,
but we said to ourselves, okay, we need to change
something here because you know, this is uh, this is
(26:54):
not what we believe it. And so the change was
to a to a bird that was smaller.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Bird that was uh, you know, that was raised.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
Differently, and that cost a heck of a lot more.
And so we took a leap of faith because we
ran some quick numbers and we said, okay, this is
going to cost x amount more per year.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
We don't I don't think that we're going to recoup
that number.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Based on increased sales, you know, over the next twelve months,
because it's just not how that works. And uh and
and we didn't. But that was three or four or
five years ago, and here we are, and we're doing.
We're doing wonderfully because we made a decision that financially
maybe didn't make sense, but we have our number one
core value is love.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
The nugget.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
And they always say that you can't base the core
value on a product because things change, and it's like,
well screw that.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Without nuggets, nothing, and so.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
We can, you know, and we did, and we made
a business decision, not based it was not a very
good decision if you want to look at just the financials,
but but based on your original question, how do you
navigate the supply chain?
Speaker 3 (27:58):
We work with our vendor to make sure that we're
getting the best.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
Product possible, and that involves direct conversations with farms, that
involves direct conversations with heads of purchasing.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
We use US Foods. They're a great partner.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
And we tell our partners before we start engaging with them,
here's what we here's our you know, the broadliners want
you to buy you know, two hundred and fifty skews right,
and it's like or more and they need to get
their quotas. But it's like, Okay, we're going to help
you guys out, and we want to be good business
partners and that's what we believe in.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
But at the end of the day, you need.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
To help us find the best possible chicken relationship we
could have.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
And they've done a great job of that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
And then and for anybody who wants to try Gardener
Catering nuggets who doesn't live in the footprint of the brand,
garden Catering also sells on gold Belly, so shameless plug. Yeah,
and you can have them sent overnight and you can
make them in your house and they are exquisite.
Speaker 6 (28:57):
I should they send some to us.
Speaker 5 (28:59):
When we first started to join work and the entire
office was going nuts, we.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
Had a whole setup with like all this giant spread.
It's really fun. It's I highly recommend it.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
I oh sorry, go ahead now.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
I did a chicken nugget party here at Ziggy's for
the entire HQ. I believe it was. It's a thirty
four pounds chicken nuts. It was so ridiculous number. And
we sent the whole Ziggy's team. And now they even
though they're in Denver, in Longmont, Colorado, or Meat Colorado,
(29:35):
they're all obsessed with the brand on these. So you know,
that's what the time industry is all about, Like mutual
love and affection.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Of course, that's our that's become a virtual way of
that Thanksgiving story because we'll get random emails every soften
of someone you know, down in Florida or Texas and
letting us know they just ordered gold Belly and they
got their nuggets and it's like, you know, they're it's
like just you know, brought.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
Back to you know, to my childhood.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
And so that's that sort of stuff drives us and
it's just the part of Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Absolutely, so let's talk a little bit more about growth. So,
because we're a podcast about restaurants, we cannot escape having
the dreaded tests at conversation. And I know that you
you have a very very easiness word again charismatic CTO,
(30:32):
my pals, you know, car my partner in crime.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
But my my question for our viewers is where again,
an eight unit brand about to be a ten unit brand?
How did the how is the decision made to go
with the tech steck that we have Now I know
that there are some big changes coming, so I'm now
(31:02):
why these the decisions that were made about the tech stack?
And you can get as intricate as you want to
get on revealing what.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
That tech stac is. Sure, I mean and and yeah,
that's certainly. I think something that we've sort of been
challenged with was Okay, you have this this tech. You know,
restaurant the restaurant industry had notoriously always been slow to
(31:31):
the uptake with with tech, right, and so we had
all these ideas.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
Yeah yeah, but.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
We found through Zeno great partners to do to accomplish
the things that we really want and need to accomplish,
you know, digital presence, you know, guests, you know, communicating
with your guests.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
We have great partners like Ovation, our Que.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
And UH and and I think we for a small brand,
we we sort of punch above.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Our weight a little bit with the.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
U And you know, at the end of the day,
you want to make sure that that you're doing something
with the data as well. And you know, I mean
need to know this better than I do. You know,
there's there's there's a difference I think between having data
and then being able to for it to be user
friendly enough for for a for an operator to do
something with that data who maybe doesn't have someone with
(32:22):
your level of expertise, Stacey.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
And so I think that's we've I think we've reached
a point where the tech.
Speaker 4 (32:31):
Was wonderful and gave us an opportunity to lean into
the customer experience even further, but it started to become
in my eyes, siloed and and harder to manipulate, maybe
not be the right word, but to use in order
to the end result wants you needs to be a
better employee, experience a better customers.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
And so we.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Felt we were struggling a little bit just keeping up
with all the different siloed tech stacks are stacked, you know,
a tech within the stack, I should.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Say, And so all that, all those sort of roads
led to.
Speaker 4 (33:12):
The fact that we at the end of the day,
you know your POS is really you know, the center
of the plate, right.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Everything owes from that, right.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
And so we found a really wonderful partner. We had
a wonderful partner and they're still a good partner, but
just sometimes you need to change. And so I think
we're kind of taking a step back. And the partner
we have decided on as our new next POS provider
has a has more of an internal stack and know
if that's the right way to put it where we
can do more with with what they've offered through loyalty,
(33:42):
through through guest communication, and there's there's a they make
it really easy because at the end of the day, Zeno,
who's our you know, our cto as you just mentioned,
like he steps into an operator role sometimes and he
steps into you know, the of like we all do
when we're juggling, and so at the end of the day,
(34:05):
we need it to be easier friendly for us on
the back end. And so we really feel like the
next uh, you know, can I say who it is
a touch point of we're moving with them? Yeah. Absolutely,
their team has been awesome and we really feel like
we were missing a four while loyalty program before, which
is you know, we went years without that, as you know, Stacy,
something that was just an competitive you.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Know, we didn't think we would go this long without it.
But that's a different conversation.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
But being able to do that and bring that back
into our brand because this is something we had years ago.
I think it's just compaed a loan is going to
be a game changer, but there's so much more that
that touch point provides that we're just super excited about.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Yeah, I mean without giving them a shameless club. I
think for Garden Catering, because of the size of the
team and the size of the brand, having everything housed
within one bubble as opposed to like you said, having
it silent, it is going to give us so much
more utility.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
Yes, and just being a little bit more nimble, which
we need to be. You know, we're small enough where
we can't feel bogged down, you know by things.
Speaker 6 (35:16):
So yeah, we're rom of marketing tools along with it.
Speaker 5 (35:19):
I mean that, I you know, I just remember the
days were to your point, like everything's very siloed and
all these different marketing was completely separate from all of this.
And once data science started to become important in the
restaurant industry, it's like, okay, we're going to we need
to really use this to be able to grow and
love our customers.
Speaker 6 (35:39):
I mean, I think that's one of the things, you know.
Speaker 5 (35:41):
Yeah, I think there's a lot of folks that are
using it to get one more visit or one more
you know, frequent guests or whatever.
Speaker 6 (35:47):
But for y'all and how you are really.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
Focused on your community and your people and your teams,
like making it easy for your teams and being able
to give sort of the love and care to your
exis guests is another way that tech can really make
a difference there. And I think that's that's a really
important piece and not all of the not everybody's doing that.
(36:10):
I mean they're trying, but it's hard to go to
one provider versus you.
Speaker 6 (36:14):
Know, sort of all these different ones.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
So I think it's yeah, we took a while to
get where we're at, but we're we're really excited to
see what the relationship, what we can do with the relationship.
Speaker 6 (36:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
So, Frank, you know, I wanted to say as we
come towards the top of the ends of the podcast,
as we're moving towards it. Recently, Tina was awarded Woman
of the Year at the Fast Patrol of Gata and
(36:48):
it was amazing. Rob and I were both there to
present the awards. Yet no idea. It was a huge surprise,
and it was for kind of garden caterings, kind of
philanthropic spirit and everything that you and Tina do. So
I wanted to make sure on this podcast, which will
(37:08):
go worldwide, that's me you are a man of.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
The Oh wow.
Speaker 6 (37:15):
And I really wanted you.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
I really wanted you to kind of.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
Know that, oh, well, thank you that that yeah, I
mean that comment has nothing to do with my little
text you every once in a while.
Speaker 6 (37:25):
About I mean, we're going to make him like a
button something.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
The other guy. Yeah, No, it's uh, my sister and I.
They're they're we have other siblings. Our parents divorced when
we were were quite young and quickly remarried, and so
I don't count them as half siblings at all. They're
my siblings, but they're younger, and so my sister and
I are only eleven months apart. But as you both know,
(37:52):
this rest this business will you know, absolutely cheat up
and spit you out, just if you don't have that
love and that passion for it, and then throw in
a family business and then it's like, oh, just like that,
that kind of not turns it up a little bit
of But Tina and I have always been extremely close
and and there's a fight or disagreement or an argument,
(38:16):
it's quickly forgotten. And we actually don't either argue all
that often, and so there's really, uh, you know, no
better partner I could think of.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
She does. The other thing is I think we compliment
each other really well.
Speaker 4 (38:29):
Like I'll come up with a you know, sort of
a big idea, and Tina will make sure it's executed,
and so you know, I handle you know a lot
of the things like the least negotiations and dealing with
the landlords and some of the development growth stuff. But
Tina does the things that really actually matter, like making
sure you know those stores are stay operational and that
(38:51):
you know the guest service is on point. And so
we really, I think, do a good job just naturally
complimenting each other. And and we're not We're far from perfect,
but I think we're a pretty good team. And thank
you for the Man of the Year.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
Well, I mean, I wondered, like, surely you can't agree
on everything, So like, I love that you guys compliment
each other because I think that's kind of where the
sweet spot is.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
I yeah, and we don't.
Speaker 4 (39:16):
But I think we're also pretty good at you know,
if there's something that I'm really I feel really strongly about,
I'll represent that, and if there's something that she really
feels strongly about, she'll represent that. And typically we trust
each other enough to say, okay, like I hear you,
I feel you, and you know, if we can't get
to a mutual agreement on something, it's like, well, go
(39:38):
try it.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
And there's that trust there.
Speaker 4 (39:43):
Because at the end of the day, we were both
coming from the same place, which is to make the
brand stronger.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
And you know, I think that's a I can't really
disagree with that.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
Yeah, So Frank, I have just one more question. We
talked a lot about, you know, garden catering being a
family business. We talked about the history of your dad
buying the restaurant, and then your dad running the restaurant,
and then your dad's stepping away, and so your dad's
legacy is really this brand, right he was the kickoff
(40:17):
from the brand, and as we move into growth mode,
eventually you're going to step away. So what do you
want your legacy to be of gardener Catering? What do
you want people to say, yeah, five years from now.
Speaker 4 (40:34):
You know, on the product side, it's like garden Catering,
best chicken nugets you ever have.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
But on a you know a little bit deeper than that.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
I remember when we when COVID first hit, we we
had a no one knew knew ay used zoom like,
I mean, we didn't need it ever, we're restaurant, and
so we got on a zoom call with our managers
and I think it was a phone and called over
I don't know, I can't remember, but I said to
(41:02):
all of them. I said, anyone who tell your teams
and this goes for you all.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
You know, all the managers. Do you want a job,
it's guaranteeing you have one. And and you.
Speaker 4 (41:14):
Know, we had some teenage employees and we said, you know, discount.
You know, those those kids have to get home, they've
got to stay home, they've got to be with their parents.
But anyone who needs to work and wants to work,
let them know that that they're good. We didn't know
how we were going to be good. This before the PPP,
before any government support. It was and so you know,
(41:34):
and I didn't know how it was going to work.
And I said, I hung up the phone. I said, ship, like, what.
Speaker 6 (41:40):
I did I just commit to?
Speaker 3 (41:44):
Yeah? What did I just commit to?
Speaker 4 (41:45):
But I knew we would figure it out because that's
what restaurants do.
Speaker 3 (41:48):
They got to were resilient. And we're not just us,
that's the industry.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
And so I, you know, back to the question, I
you know, I hope that we're I'm remembered as someone
who who uh cared about people at the end of
the day, and that's really what it's all about. So
that's so I say, I want to live I leave
for my kids also because you think about the example
you want to set for them, and that's probably the
most important one that you could set.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
Getting all teary eyed, no, I mean.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
I knew that story, but I hadn't thought about it.
No oil and that that was huge, That was a
huge undertaking, and you guys did.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Yeah. We sometimes we have to.
Speaker 4 (42:32):
We sometimes it's kind of can sneak up on you
and kind of bite you. But like sometimes you know,
promising something and then saying, how are we going to
you know, kind of doing it in reverse order. But
that's sort of what you need to do sometimes and
so that's, uh, you know, nothing venture, nothing gain.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
So that's you know.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
Yeah, And like I said, at the end of the day,
it's all about relationships and that's that's why we're here.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
Love it well, Frank, I love spending this time with
you today and my friend Robin.
Speaker 4 (43:03):
It's a nice little break from the three construction projects
that are that I just got seventeen texts about in
the last Yeah, and we.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Had to move back into opening or closing on the
one that we're moving.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
I'm blurred out. I don't know if you could see it.
Speaker 4 (43:21):
Our CFO just walked up, looked at me, started talking
to me, and he just and then grab my phone,
put it in front of my face to get the
facial recognition, and then just I.
Speaker 6 (43:33):
Know, whatever it takes, man.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
You know that is one. One last thing I want
to leave the audience with is when we talk about
a lean family team, everybody who works at Garden Cateren
has basically known each other since junior high or maybe
even elementary school. So that's CFO, that's the real you
for ever.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
He's been my best friend since sixth grade.
Speaker 4 (43:56):
So yeah, there's yeah, we're we're here, whether whether they
all want to be or not.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
I mean, it's all no one's going anywhere. I love it.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Thanks again Frank for coming on with us, and Robin
it's always a pleasure to see him.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Did so good.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
All right, well, thank you everyone out from restaurant mastermind Land.
This is Stacy Kane and we'll see you soon.
My name is Paul Baron. As the early pioneer in
fast casual, I've seen the industry evolve from just a
few operators to the most sought after segment by consumers
around the world. Now we're planning to shape its future.
Tap into decades of my expertise identifying the emerging brands
and tech winners in the space. Saber Capital will be
(00:47):
fueling the next generation of fast casual innovation.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Hi'm cc caine, one of your restaurant masterminds. That I
have my lovely co host with me, Robin Blanchette, and
we have a very very special guest. We'll full disclosure
this that I am the CMO of Frank Carpentery's brand,
(01:13):
Garden Catering, and Robin has done some work for them
as well. But they're very special people and we wanted
to make sure that we gave the Garden Catering brands
some love. So welcome Frank to Restaurant Master Rhinds. I'm
very excited to have you on today.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Absolute pleasure to be here. No nepotism at all, All.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Nepotism all the time. Absolutely industry is so we're going
to get into it. Frank could you tell our viewers
a little bit about the brand and its legacy.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah, of course. So Garden Catering has been around since
the seventies. And you know, of course when you think
of garden catering, you think of handcut chicken nuggets, and so.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
It off. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
So we started in Greenwich, Connecticut in the seventies, actually
Greenwich av which was, you know, not the Greenwich av
that it is today. You know, there's Tiffany's there and
there's you know, all these high end.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Super fancy but back in the day, it was all.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Mom and pop shops and it included a little hole
in the wall chicken place called Garden Poultry, and you
know that was beloved. You know, people like you know,
all the locals went there. But also you know, some
of the locals were people like Diana Ross and I
was actually I just found out that she was a
big garden I actually present. I just presented at my
(02:40):
son's in my eighth grader's career day at his school.
And as you can imagine, we're in, you know, the
finance capital of the world, and you know, some of
the other parents were you know, there's about thirty or
forty of us there, and you know, here I am
slinging chicken nuggets, but I think not to pat myself
(03:01):
on the back, but when I brought some food in
for the kids, and when you bring nuggets in especially,
I think, and you know, I don't even know if
they listened to my presentation.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
But anyway, during the course of.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
Researching for my presentation, I found out that Diana Ross
is a big, big garden poultry fan back in the day.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Anyway, so we were on Greenwich have in the seventies.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
One of the owners moved over to Soundbeach Avenue in
Old Greenwich, which is right on the Stanford border, and
ran the business for about a decade until he unfortunately passed.
My dad had been in the restaurant business for pretty
much his entire life since he was fourteen years old,
(03:45):
and was coming out of a lease at a seafood
restaurant that he ran, and he knew the widow and
her husband, and they struck a deal. She was very
happy to keep the name and the light see that
her husband had created and continued alive, and my dad
(04:05):
reopened Garden Catering after closing it, or after it was closed,
he reopened it in nineteen ninety one, and that's how
we got involved, and so that's sort of the genesis
of our how our family sort of took over the brand.
And at the time it was one location and we've
grown to soon to be eleven over the last couple decades.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
And how many are we, I say, the collective? We
opening this summer for it.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Yeah, so we are currently building out three simultaneous restaurants,
which is two more than we've ever done before at
the same time, and so we're already pretty busy. And
then you throw it's a family business. My sister and
I run the business now, and our dad retired right
around COVID, and so it's she's got a family, I've
(04:59):
got a family, got this big family here at Garden Catering,
And so there's there's lots happening right now.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
Did you guys, did you guys just all of a
sudden one day go we got to grow this thing?
Like what was your impetus for that for all of
a sudden now going from you know, going to open
three all of a sudden just like time.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
Yeah, Uh, that's a great question. I asked myself that
every night before I hear to bed now I uh
so we one of the one of the buildouts is
a is a unfortunately it's an existing location that we're
moving within a development new landlord, new lease.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Uh there there they have Uh they had dreams of.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Combining our space with another behind us for a national
end cap and so that's all happening. And so that
was sort of a forced build out, and that's you know,
sometimes that's that's what happens.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
And uh.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
The two others that were building out that are that
are new just they were released negotiations and site visits
and they just sort of both happened and deals were
struck right around the same time.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
They didn't start at the same time. One happened a
little bit faster than the other.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
And seeing that one of the buildouts is going to
be pretty well funded by the landlord.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
We said, okay, you know, we're not gonna really have
to it'll be easy. They're going to do it.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
You know, they're gonna build it, and yeah, famous last words.
But it's been it's been a The last store we
opened was back in twenty eighteen, our New Haven location,
and so you know, right after twenty eighteen, you know,
it was pretty much in the fall. So twenty nineteen,
in a year into that store, COVID hit, and you know,
(06:40):
from twenty twenty to about twenty twenty three, for us
at least, it was just you know, we're gonna hold
on tight, We're going.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
To keep the we're going to keep the business alive.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
And then you know, saw inflation hit, and so it
took us a couple of years to kind of get
back in the driver's seat and say, okay, we're ready
to continue to grow. Now.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I think it's important to say, like Garden Catering is
growing kind of on its own. This is not a
franchise model. This is all self funded. And it's also
a very lean team. How are you kind of navigating
this quick, this very large growth in such a short
(07:22):
period of time.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Yeah, so yeah, it's a very lean team.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
It's my sister and I I act to CEEEO.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
She access CEO, and you know, along with Stacy.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
She said, our boots on the ground marketing, and Stacy's
you know, you obviously a wonderful job, but we need
someone inside doing doing the deliverable.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
And so we also have a district manager.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
HR team, which is one person UH and uh CTO
and our CFO and but that's that's it. And there
are six of us for you know, so there's a
lot happening, and it's so we're wearing many hats and
it does become challenging at times, but we all love
(08:11):
what we do. I think we're a good team. We
work well together, and it's and it's it's exciting.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Now recently we took the brand through. I'm not going
to call it a rebrand or anything like that. It
was more like I've been using this analogy a lot.
It was more like botox as opposed to a full facelook,
a refresh if you will, a refresh if you will,
like a slight chemical peel. So my question is, and
(08:42):
my question is, and I was involved with it, but
why was this the moment in time? Was it because
of the build out And we're going to insert some
graphics right here, but this slight pivot in messaging and
looking y'all.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yeah, So, so just taking it a step back when
when we first opened there, we had a you know,
we had a pineapple logo, which is the old New
England sign of hospitality, and we had a really dark
deep green and red and it's Christmas colors, and there's
a pineapple, and we sell the best chicken nuggets y'all
(09:23):
ever have, But none.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Of it really vibed with the with the logo.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
And so back in twenty eighteen when we were opening
our New Haven location, we had many conversations about, you know,
who we are, what we want to be when we
grow up, right, and what do we do best at
the end of the day. And over the years, our
menu had grown to a point where my thought.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Was that it was not tenable. It was not you know,
you had these.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Old school cooks who've been with us, you know for
fifteen years, and they could handle a large menu. But
if we want to grow, we need to be deeper
than we are wide. And so we said, if we're
going to adopt that thought on our menu, we have
to have that reflected with our brand. And so we
we updated the brand in twenty eighteen, brought the color scheme.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
And we had we had we adopted a chicken as
part of our logo, but chicken was sad and she.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Looked kind of sad, yeah, And so we updated all
that back in twenty eighteen, and about a year or
so ago, my sister and I said, you know, we
really we took it from a style that really didn't
represent who we were at all, and we got very close,
(10:38):
but we thought that we could do better, and that's
when we engage with Robin and our team at Norton
to really tell the story through through the through the
brand colors, through the.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Scheme, through the.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Fonts, through you know, as best we could, through just
the you know, physical representation in the store and obviously
on our digital footprint. And so you know, Robbin and
our team sort of took all the information that we
had to give them. You know, we told them how
we felt about things, and how we felt about the
communities that we operated, and how we'd love to get
(11:11):
back and and all the things that uh, you know,
really that really represent.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Who we are.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
And and they, you know, they did a wonderful job
updating and as you said, giving it a little bit
of a you know, shot of botox. So we didn't
change the green or change from green. We're still green,
but we tweet.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
That green a little bit. And and so.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Yeah, and for those of you on in the in
the viewership, the chicken does have a name. Her name
is Guardina, and we use her for things like during
the Olympics, we'll put an Olympic crown on her. At
the Holidays, she'll have a Santa hat. She's very very
much part of the brand. But it brings us to
(11:55):
talk about chicken. I mean, that's the the our message
of the brand. It's the best chicken nuggets you'll ever have.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
That's right, it is.
Speaker 5 (12:06):
I just want to say, like real quick before we
wrap up on the brand piece, because I just have
to say, like, you know, when people come to us
about refreshing their brand or doing something different, this is
the This is one of the only times I think
in our you know, tenure, that we've had people that
really come to it from a place of feeling like
(12:26):
I'm feeling like this needs That's the hard part of
the brand, and I think.
Speaker 6 (12:32):
That just brings great workout.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
I mean, especially from a feeling group of people like
we are kind of I think, you know, the approach
wasn't just like you know, I need you to make
this lighter green or not as dark or what. There
wasn't like this prescriptive direction. It was more like I want,
we want to scale, we want to grow, and I
want it to come from a place that feels like
who we are, and I think that's a really important
(12:57):
differentiation around a lot of the way a lot of
people approach their own.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
Branding or identity work or anything like that.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
So, oh yeah, for sure, who is to you guys,
because you made it just just absolutely such a pleasure
to do the work because it's not coming just from
a place of technical changes.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Oh well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
That brings me Actually we'll gets a chicken in a second.
But it brings up another question. You know, it's you
and your sister. You took over for your dad, who
is very charismatic. Yes, And how do you guys keep
the brand real? You've got five kids? Tina has two kids.
(13:39):
How do you keep the brand? How do you keep
going back to like the north star of why you're
doing this? You're so busy, but yet you guys took
the time to do this thoughtful brand refresh.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Yeah, I mean how do you keep it in check?
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Going back to you know, why we're here and and
what we want to do with our with our with
our lives at work, and we spend more time here,
uh than we do at home. And that's the reality
of it, and we have to make sure that time
at home is special, and we take advantage of all
the time that we have with our kids. And but
at the end of the day, we also have a
(14:17):
business to run, a business that we love, and so
we I'm reminded I saw this this This is at
least a decade ago. I saw some documentary on Dave
Thomas and and the founder of Wendy's, And you know,
you have this quote paraphrasing of like when he needed
to like recenter, he would just randomly drive to one
(14:39):
of his locations and grab a cheeseburger. And so you know,
I and I do the same thing sometimes with our nuggets,
because they are the best that you'll ever have. And
and not purposely, but every time, you know, when I
when we're testing things out and we're kind of experimenting,
I'll grab some nuggets and I'll say to myself, like, Okay,
(15:00):
here's we have an opportunity. Here we make the best
chicken nugs ever have. We can help people through those nuggets.
And that kind of sounds silly or maybe you know
too much, moved, but there's a lot of things that
you can do with food to make people's lives better.
And that's not the only reason that we're in business,
but that really helps me stay grounded and stay focused
knowing that we have a really special product and what's
the best way to get that out to the community,
(15:21):
And certainly not the only way to do it is
through our brand and our brand colors and our brand design.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
But that's a that's a big part of it.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
So for us, I mean, there's lots of reasons to
keep going and to keep growing, but it's all it
all starts and ends with with nuggets.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
So you just touched on community and one of the
things that I say all the time about Garden Catering
is that community is kind of baked into its DNA.
And you know, recently, you guys made the Fast Casual
Top one hundred for the fourth time. You're and it's
(16:01):
a small brand. Garden Catering is eight again, about to
be ten units. How important is community and helping the
communities that garden Catering serves when you're making decisions making
business decisions. I mean, you guys give back a lot
in food and cash, So can you talk about that
(16:23):
a little bit, your commitment to community and being a
good business partner.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
Yeah, of course that was you know, it is baked
into our DNA, and that's just you know, when that happens,
I feel like it's a.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
Little bit easier to sort.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
Of execute, and it's a good thing to have picked
into your DNA. We saw our dad and how he
ran the business, and he never said no to any
donation request.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
And I remember from when I.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Started working here part time, when I was a teenager,
everyone knew him. He always you know, took care of
you know, the local churches or little leagues or you know,
you know, whenever organization came through, it was sure, what
do you need? And there was never really a budget
for that. And you know, we we've we've since uh
(17:18):
sort of taken what he has and this is what
you want. What might I want my kids to do,
whether they come into our business or not, is that
you want to have your the generation, the next generation
stand on the shoulders with the previous one. And so
we took what he had and we we modernized it,
we put systems behind it. And one of the things
we really haven't done, and I think kind of purposefully
is is put a hard budget on what we give back,
(17:42):
because you know, if there's someone in need or if
there's an organization that we love and we support, like, hey,
let's let's figure out a way to support that organization
so it's not hurt us financially. I mean, we don't
really look at it like that. It's it's only you know,
it's our core purpose. You know, we sat down a
couple of years ago and you know, we kind of said,
you know, we went through our core values.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
And that was a long process.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Because it be because if you really believe in something,
it really.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
You know, uh, you should take time to think about that.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
But at the end of the day, we said we
need to you know, mission statement sounds very militaristic, and
we said, but we need a core purpose to go
along with this. Why are we here And we landed
on to make our communities a better place to live
and so we can get through a chicken and we've
seen that happen over the years, and that was a
sentence that we took out lightly, but it really is
at the core of what we do. We're here obviously
(18:33):
to make money, and we can make money, we can
get more opportunities to our people. But you know that
goes part and parcel with you know, making making our
towns and our cities that we operate in.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Better just by by being there. Not to say that.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
We're so special we're going to make cities better now,
but we employ the people who lives in the cities,
and we get back to the and we provide really
good food.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
So that's that's how we that's how we approach it.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
I always say, you get what you give, and you
guys give so much you get back in return. I mean,
not just because you have a great product, but you know,
because it's just it just keeps on keeping on, you know,
love that.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
So you mentioned Diana Ross. But when I first started
onboarding with Garden Catering, you told me about this phenomenon.
I didn't fully understand the cult like following, but you
told me about this phenomenon. When kids come back from
college the first place, even before they go home or
go to the bar Thanksgiving, they go straight to Garden Catering.
(19:38):
Can you talk a little bit about what it's like
to have a cult like like brands pray for that
kind of yeah, realty, Can you talk about that a
little bit?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (19:50):
Yeah, So when I was in high school and home
from college and just starting out when I when I,
you know, my early twenties, when I I would work
in the stores, and you know, full time in the stores,
not in the back office, I would I would see
that firsthand. So the week leading up to Thanksgiving was
always when the college students came back, and it was
(20:11):
always something that I didn't really think of a lot about.
It was just like, oh, it's busy, and but as
I started getting more involved in the business and thinking
about growth and thinking about my place in the business,
it was something that I really I loved because you
would you would hear these conversations and it would be like.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
The kid who lived in town, and it would be.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
That person that you know, that young boy or girl
bringing their friends in for the first time, because you
could hear the conversations and say, oh, if you have
to try, this is the place I was telling you
about uggets And it was like, you know, that was
cool at the time, but now looking back on it,
that's exactly what you said, France Covet that that feeling
that you want to give your your guests, your customers,
(20:54):
and so that right there is a standard that's pretty high, right,
I mean, if you think about it, like you want
to have everyone leaving like they would go and tell
their their friend who's never been here before. Because you know,
when you recommend something that you're that passionate about, that's
not a risk kind of you better be that good, right,
And so that's a standard that we try to hit
(21:16):
on and that does become harder to hit every time
as you continue to grow. And so that's why when
we talk about menus and lt O s and which
we do now, and it's like, at the end of
the day, I'm telling myself and I believe in this,
like you need to say no more than you say
yes with all because there's some wonderful ideas out there.
(21:38):
But if you from making the best chicken nugget you'll
ever have, it's that much harder to execute on that
unspoken promise of you know.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
But it is such a cool thing when and I
see it every once in a while.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
I'm not in the front of the stores as much
as I used to be, but I just saw it
a number of months ago, and I was when I
was in the front and there's this kid. I think
he's wearing an Ohio state special. He lived in Greenwich
when out you know, Stanford or somewhere near our store
and you could tell he was bringing his buddy for
the first time, and it's like, yeah, that's that's really
cool that happens.
Speaker 5 (22:09):
I mean, I think you guys, you know, you have
these fundamentals that sometimes even the largest of chains just
completely forget about, you know, in terms of like you
could do a there's a thousand things you could do,
and being able to have the constraint to say, I'm
not going to do what you know lt O every
four week.
Speaker 6 (22:30):
I'm not going to do that.
Speaker 5 (22:31):
I'm going to focus on the core products and be
the best in the world at that so that when
people new people come in or you know, you have
potential guests or new markets, you're not going at eighty
two different directions.
Speaker 6 (22:43):
And I mean I see it all the time.
Speaker 5 (22:46):
I Mean, these like several thousand unit chains can't even
control themselves with regards to that kind of thing.
Speaker 6 (22:53):
So I mean, congrats on that. That's not an easy
business thing to do.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Well we and thank you.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
We haven't Tachael that. I mean, we had this menu
that was a very big menu. This is going about
twenty years and we've parsed it down and Covid actually
gave us an opportunity to do that even further and
it's still you know, at a point where we could
probably refine even more. But yeah, it's it's really important
to you know, to focus on the things that you
(23:20):
do better than anyone else.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
And so.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
It's, yeah, that's the nugget. But who doesn't want to
run up on LTL. So it's challengers a push and
pull there revenue and have you know, a reason for
your your guests to talk about you on social and elsewhere.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
So it's a challenge.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
It's feasted and you know it can help with frequency.
But when you have the best chicken nugget, you'll ever
have people just seem to want like that's something you
can eat two or three times a week, and we
see that with guests at Carbon Catering.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
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Speaker 2 (25:30):
Going back to the chicken, to the reason for being
the chicken nugget. Now, when you have all your oh
my god, here comes another time when you have all
your eggs in one chicken nugget tasket. How have you
navigated the supply chain type of things when it comes
(25:51):
to being so dependent on a great chicken nugget? So
what are some of the things that you have done
to kind of maintain that standard of quality.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
One of the decisions that we made a number of
years ago is if you know, if we were saying
on paper and we believe it, we make the best
chicken nug you'll ever have, and.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
And for many years that the product that we use
is great.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
It was a it was a you know, we worked
with our distributor to find the you know, the best
product that we could find. And over time, you know,
God didn't intend to tend to have a ten pounds chicken, right, so, uh,
we encountered some some.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Some quality issues with the product that we were buying.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
And that was based on supply chain and based on
how the chicken was raised and grown, and not just
the ones we were buying, but it's out there. It's
called woody chicken. And so you bite into the chicken
and it tastes like it's undercooked. It's not undercooked, it's
just the muscles have you. I won't get too technical,
but we said to ourselves, okay, we need to change
something here because you know, this is uh, this is
(26:54):
not what we believe it. And so the change was
to a to a bird that was smaller.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Bird that was uh, you know, that was raised.
Speaker 4 (27:03):
Differently, and that cost a heck of a lot more.
And so we took a leap of faith because we
ran some quick numbers and we said, okay, this is
going to cost x amount more per year.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
We don't I don't think that we're going to recoup
that number.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
Based on increased sales, you know, over the next twelve months,
because it's just not how that works. And uh and
and we didn't. But that was three or four or
five years ago, and here we are, and we're doing.
We're doing wonderfully because we made a decision that financially
maybe didn't make sense, but we have our number one
core value is love.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
The nugget.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
And they always say that you can't base the core
value on a product because things change, and it's like,
well screw that.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Without nuggets, nothing, and so.
Speaker 4 (27:46):
We can, you know, and we did, and we made
a business decision, not based it was not a very
good decision if you want to look at just the financials,
but but based on your original question, how do you
navigate the supply chain?
Speaker 3 (27:58):
We work with our vendor to make sure that we're
getting the best.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
Product possible, and that involves direct conversations with farms, that
involves direct conversations with heads of purchasing.
Speaker 3 (28:09):
We use US Foods. They're a great partner.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
And we tell our partners before we start engaging with them,
here's what we here's our you know, the broadliners want
you to buy you know, two hundred and fifty skews right,
and it's like or more and they need to get
their quotas. But it's like, Okay, we're going to help
you guys out, and we want to be good business
partners and that's what we believe in.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
But at the end of the day, you need.
Speaker 4 (28:31):
To help us find the best possible chicken relationship we
could have.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
And they've done a great job of that. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
And then and for anybody who wants to try Gardener
Catering nuggets who doesn't live in the footprint of the brand,
garden Catering also sells on gold Belly, so shameless plug. Yeah,
and you can have them sent overnight and you can
make them in your house and they are exquisite.
Speaker 6 (28:57):
I should they send some to us.
Speaker 5 (28:59):
When we first started to join work and the entire
office was going nuts, we.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
Had a whole setup with like all this giant spread.
It's really fun. It's I highly recommend it.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
I oh sorry, go ahead now.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
I did a chicken nugget party here at Ziggy's for
the entire HQ. I believe it was. It's a thirty
four pounds chicken nuts. It was so ridiculous number. And
we sent the whole Ziggy's team. And now they even
though they're in Denver, in Longmont, Colorado, or Meat Colorado,
(29:35):
they're all obsessed with the brand on these. So you know,
that's what the time industry is all about, Like mutual
love and affection.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Of course, that's our that's become a virtual way of
that Thanksgiving story because we'll get random emails every soften
of someone you know, down in Florida or Texas and
letting us know they just ordered gold Belly and they
got their nuggets and it's like, you know, they're it's
like just you know, brought.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
Back to you know, to my childhood.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
And so that's that sort of stuff drives us and
it's just the part of Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Absolutely, so let's talk a little bit more about growth. So,
because we're a podcast about restaurants, we cannot escape having
the dreaded tests at conversation. And I know that you
you have a very very easiness word again charismatic CTO,
(30:32):
my pals, you know, car my partner in crime.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
But my my question for our viewers is where again,
an eight unit brand about to be a ten unit brand?
How did the how is the decision made to go
with the tech steck that we have Now I know
that there are some big changes coming, so I'm now
(31:02):
why these the decisions that were made about the tech stack?
And you can get as intricate as you want to
get on revealing what.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
That tech stac is. Sure, I mean and and yeah,
that's certainly. I think something that we've sort of been
challenged with was Okay, you have this this tech. You know,
restaurant the restaurant industry had notoriously always been slow to
(31:31):
the uptake with with tech, right, and so we had
all these ideas.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
Yeah yeah, but.
Speaker 4 (31:40):
We found through Zeno great partners to do to accomplish
the things that we really want and need to accomplish,
you know, digital presence, you know, guests, you know, communicating
with your guests.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
We have great partners like Ovation, our Que.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
And UH and and I think we for a small brand,
we we sort of punch above.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Our weight a little bit with the.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
U And you know, at the end of the day,
you want to make sure that that you're doing something
with the data as well. And you know, I mean
need to know this better than I do. You know,
there's there's there's a difference I think between having data
and then being able to for it to be user
friendly enough for for a for an operator to do
something with that data who maybe doesn't have someone with
(32:22):
your level of expertise, Stacey.
Speaker 3 (32:24):
And so I think that's we've I think we've reached
a point where the tech.
Speaker 4 (32:31):
Was wonderful and gave us an opportunity to lean into
the customer experience even further, but it started to become
in my eyes, siloed and and harder to manipulate, maybe
not be the right word, but to use in order
to the end result wants you needs to be a
better employee, experience a better customers.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
And so we.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Felt we were struggling a little bit just keeping up
with all the different siloed tech stacks are stacked, you know,
a tech within the stack, I should.
Speaker 3 (33:06):
Say, And so all that, all those sort of roads
led to.
Speaker 4 (33:12):
The fact that we at the end of the day,
you know your POS is really you know, the center
of the plate, right.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
Everything owes from that, right.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
And so we found a really wonderful partner. We had
a wonderful partner and they're still a good partner, but
just sometimes you need to change. And so I think
we're kind of taking a step back. And the partner
we have decided on as our new next POS provider
has a has more of an internal stack and know
if that's the right way to put it where we
can do more with with what they've offered through loyalty,
(33:42):
through through guest communication, and there's there's a they make
it really easy because at the end of the day, Zeno,
who's our you know, our cto as you just mentioned,
like he steps into an operator role sometimes and he
steps into you know, the of like we all do
when we're juggling, and so at the end of the day,
(34:05):
we need it to be easier friendly for us on
the back end. And so we really feel like the
next uh, you know, can I say who it is
a touch point of we're moving with them? Yeah. Absolutely,
their team has been awesome and we really feel like
we were missing a four while loyalty program before, which
is you know, we went years without that, as you know, Stacy,
something that was just an competitive you.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Know, we didn't think we would go this long without it.
But that's a different conversation.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
But being able to do that and bring that back
into our brand because this is something we had years ago.
I think it's just compaed a loan is going to
be a game changer, but there's so much more that
that touch point provides that we're just super excited about.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Yeah, I mean without giving them a shameless club. I
think for Garden Catering, because of the size of the
team and the size of the brand, having everything housed
within one bubble as opposed to like you said, having
it silent, it is going to give us so much
more utility.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
Yes, and just being a little bit more nimble, which
we need to be. You know, we're small enough where
we can't feel bogged down, you know by things.
Speaker 6 (35:16):
So yeah, we're rom of marketing tools along with it.
Speaker 5 (35:19):
I mean that, I you know, I just remember the
days were to your point, like everything's very siloed and
all these different marketing was completely separate from all of this.
And once data science started to become important in the
restaurant industry, it's like, okay, we're going to we need
to really use this to be able to grow and
love our customers.
Speaker 6 (35:39):
I mean, I think that's one of the things, you know.
Speaker 5 (35:41):
Yeah, I think there's a lot of folks that are
using it to get one more visit or one more
you know, frequent guests or whatever.
Speaker 6 (35:47):
But for y'all and how you are really.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
Focused on your community and your people and your teams,
like making it easy for your teams and being able
to give sort of the love and care to your
exis guests is another way that tech can really make
a difference there. And I think that's that's a really
important piece and not all of the not everybody's doing that.
(36:10):
I mean they're trying, but it's hard to go to
one provider versus you.
Speaker 6 (36:14):
Know, sort of all these different ones.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
So I think it's yeah, we took a while to
get where we're at, but we're we're really excited to
see what the relationship, what we can do with the relationship.
Speaker 6 (36:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
So, Frank, you know, I wanted to say as we
come towards the top of the ends of the podcast,
as we're moving towards it. Recently, Tina was awarded Woman
of the Year at the Fast Patrol of Gata and
(36:48):
it was amazing. Rob and I were both there to
present the awards. Yet no idea. It was a huge surprise,
and it was for kind of garden caterings, kind of
philanthropic spirit and everything that you and Tina do. So
I wanted to make sure on this podcast, which will
(37:08):
go worldwide, that's me you are a man of.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
The Oh wow.
Speaker 6 (37:15):
And I really wanted you.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
I really wanted you to kind of.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
Know that, oh, well, thank you that that yeah, I
mean that comment has nothing to do with my little
text you every once in a while.
Speaker 6 (37:25):
About I mean, we're going to make him like a
button something.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
The other guy. Yeah, No, it's uh, my sister and I.
They're they're we have other siblings. Our parents divorced when
we were were quite young and quickly remarried, and so
I don't count them as half siblings at all. They're
my siblings, but they're younger, and so my sister and
I are only eleven months apart. But as you both know,
(37:52):
this rest this business will you know, absolutely cheat up
and spit you out, just if you don't have that
love and that passion for it, and then throw in
a family business and then it's like, oh, just like that,
that kind of not turns it up a little bit
of But Tina and I have always been extremely close
and and there's a fight or disagreement or an argument,
(38:16):
it's quickly forgotten. And we actually don't either argue all
that often, and so there's really, uh, you know, no
better partner I could think of.
Speaker 3 (38:25):
She does. The other thing is I think we compliment
each other really well.
Speaker 4 (38:29):
Like I'll come up with a you know, sort of
a big idea, and Tina will make sure it's executed,
and so you know, I handle you know a lot
of the things like the least negotiations and dealing with
the landlords and some of the development growth stuff. But
Tina does the things that really actually matter, like making
sure you know those stores are stay operational and that
(38:51):
you know the guest service is on point. And so
we really, I think, do a good job just naturally
complimenting each other. And and we're not We're far from perfect,
but I think we're a pretty good team. And thank
you for the Man of the Year.
Speaker 5 (39:06):
Well, I mean, I wondered, like, surely you can't agree
on everything, So like, I love that you guys compliment
each other because I think that's kind of where the
sweet spot is.
Speaker 3 (39:15):
I yeah, and we don't.
Speaker 4 (39:16):
But I think we're also pretty good at you know,
if there's something that I'm really I feel really strongly about,
I'll represent that, and if there's something that she really
feels strongly about, she'll represent that. And typically we trust
each other enough to say, okay, like I hear you,
I feel you, and you know, if we can't get
to a mutual agreement on something, it's like, well, go
(39:38):
try it.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
And there's that trust there.
Speaker 4 (39:43):
Because at the end of the day, we were both
coming from the same place, which is to make the
brand stronger.
Speaker 3 (39:47):
And you know, I think that's a I can't really
disagree with that.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
Yeah, So Frank, I have just one more question. We
talked a lot about, you know, garden catering being a
family business. We talked about the history of your dad
buying the restaurant, and then your dad running the restaurant,
and then your dad's stepping away, and so your dad's
legacy is really this brand, right he was the kickoff
(40:17):
from the brand, and as we move into growth mode,
eventually you're going to step away. So what do you
want your legacy to be of gardener Catering? What do
you want people to say, yeah, five years from now.
Speaker 4 (40:34):
You know, on the product side, it's like garden Catering,
best chicken nugets you ever have.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
But on a you know a little bit deeper than that.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
I remember when we when COVID first hit, we we
had a no one knew knew ay used zoom like,
I mean, we didn't need it ever, we're restaurant, and
so we got on a zoom call with our managers
and I think it was a phone and called over
I don't know, I can't remember, but I said to
(41:02):
all of them. I said, anyone who tell your teams
and this goes for you all.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
You know, all the managers. Do you want a job,
it's guaranteeing you have one. And and you.
Speaker 4 (41:14):
Know, we had some teenage employees and we said, you know, discount.
You know, those those kids have to get home, they've
got to stay home, they've got to be with their parents.
But anyone who needs to work and wants to work,
let them know that that they're good. We didn't know
how we were going to be good. This before the PPP,
before any government support. It was and so you know,
(41:34):
and I didn't know how it was going to work.
And I said, I hung up the phone. I said, ship, like, what.
Speaker 6 (41:40):
I did I just commit to?
Speaker 3 (41:44):
Yeah? What did I just commit to?
Speaker 4 (41:45):
But I knew we would figure it out because that's
what restaurants do.
Speaker 3 (41:48):
They got to were resilient. And we're not just us,
that's the industry.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
And so I, you know, back to the question, I
you know, I hope that we're I'm remembered as someone
who who uh cared about people at the end of
the day, and that's really what it's all about. So
that's so I say, I want to live I leave
for my kids also because you think about the example
you want to set for them, and that's probably the
most important one that you could set.
Speaker 3 (42:15):
Getting all teary eyed, no, I mean.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
I knew that story, but I hadn't thought about it.
No oil and that that was huge, That was a
huge undertaking, and you guys did.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Yeah. We sometimes we have to.
Speaker 4 (42:32):
We sometimes it's kind of can sneak up on you
and kind of bite you. But like sometimes you know,
promising something and then saying, how are we going to
you know, kind of doing it in reverse order. But
that's sort of what you need to do sometimes and
so that's, uh, you know, nothing venture, nothing gain.
Speaker 3 (42:48):
So that's you know.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
Yeah, And like I said, at the end of the day,
it's all about relationships and that's that's why we're here.
Speaker 2 (42:56):
Love it well, Frank, I love spending this time with
you today and my friend Robin.
Speaker 4 (43:03):
It's a nice little break from the three construction projects
that are that I just got seventeen texts about in
the last Yeah, and we.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Had to move back into opening or closing on the
one that we're moving.
Speaker 3 (43:19):
I'm blurred out. I don't know if you could see it.
Speaker 4 (43:21):
Our CFO just walked up, looked at me, started talking
to me, and he just and then grab my phone,
put it in front of my face to get the
facial recognition, and then just I.
Speaker 6 (43:33):
Know, whatever it takes, man.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
You know that is one. One last thing I want
to leave the audience with is when we talk about
a lean family team, everybody who works at Garden Cateren
has basically known each other since junior high or maybe
even elementary school. So that's CFO, that's the real you
for ever.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
He's been my best friend since sixth grade.
Speaker 4 (43:56):
So yeah, there's yeah, we're we're here, whether whether they
all want to be or not.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
I mean, it's all no one's going anywhere. I love it.
Speaker 2 (44:06):
Thanks again Frank for coming on with us, and Robin
it's always a pleasure to see him.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
Did so good.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
All right, well, thank you everyone out from restaurant mastermind Land.
This is Stacy Kane and we'll see you soon.
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