A place in the sun
I am writing this blog at the Minneapolis Airport on my way home to Hartford after spending four days attending the Presidents Conference, in Phoenix, hosted by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA). It was my first time visiting the Valley of the Sun and I really did not know what to expect, but I knew it would be great to get a last shot of warm weather before winter comes to New England.
I have never been to the dessert, but watched many movies of John Wayne and the wild west. Whenever I thought of Phoenix, I pictured cowboys, ranchers, red-rocks and plenty of cactus plants, and dry heat, of course.
In terms of the conference it was one of the best that I have ever attended with powerful speakers, excellent presentations and great networking opportunities. Most of the attendees were senior executives of the food industry. Several campus dining operators (such as Berkeley, Stanford, University of Iowa and University of Georgia ) were invited along with me, as the food industry wanted to know more about today’s dining in the university and college segment and how students are driving overall food trends. The temperature was around 83 plus when we arrived at the “Sky Harbor” airport in Phoenix; I did notice the cactus plants in the landscaping everywhere. As far as seeing cowboys, later in the day at a truck stop, I spotted a father and his young son dressed in matching cowboy hats and boots, so just like in the movies they still exist.
During a breakfast time at the hotel, I was fortunate to be sitting next to Sally Smith, President & CEO, Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW), the popular national wings restaurant, that even has a site in the Hampshire Mall. I first met Sally in Chicago last spring, when she was the winner of the prestigious Gold Plate Award, equivalent to the Oscars in the food service industry. Sally was the key presenter following breakfast. During our brief conversation, I asked her whether or not she considered herself to be a perfectionist. She quickly let me know that she was not; on the other hand, she said she is very particular about communication within the company – whether it is a press release or a memo to the staff. She always makes sure a document is clear, precise and easy to understand. In terms of the management style, she told me to listen to her speech.
Sally, was indeed a powerful speaker. During her presentation, she talked about how she turned around the company; from 70 chicken-wing restaurants that were struggling, into to 600 and growing, throughout the nation, in a short span of 15 years.
Several factors can be attributed to the success of BWW including:
1. Brand value of the restaurant and its cult-like following
2. Strong management team and most of the management have been together for 10 years
3. Financial integrity and being debt free
4. Focus on what the company can control such as guest and team member (staff) experience and cost management
5. Encourage the top management to share information and not worry about job security
I was very impressed with her speech and could see some things in common with what UMass Dining has done in the last ten years.
With Sally Smith’s success in business and her Gold Plate award this past year, she really has had ‘a place in the sun’ – and I look forward to more success of UMass Dining and its own little place in the sun as well.
This is Ken Toong and thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.
Ken Toong
Director
Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu
You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong