00:00.00

vigorbranding

Hello everybody today’s guest is Jason Brooks he’s a motivational speaker an expert in restaurant management and the author of the book every leader needs followers 10 keys to transform restaurant managers into hospitality leaders Jason. Thanks so much for being here. Um, I’d love to start off with just you talking a little bit about your past like some of the places you’ve been and some of the things you’ve done.

00:26.34

Jason Brooks

Thank you Michael ah, it’s a pleasure being on forktails in amazing podcast. Your listeners are full First they know their business. They know what they’re talking about so I am honored. Um, you know my past is like many. Pasts of coaches of speakers meaning that I came in through the side door and and I started out washing dishes very young age 15 first job. My my mother didn’t even know that I got a job. Ah, she just came home one day after three weeks of working and there were a lot more groceries in the fridge than when she went to work and she’s like Jason where did all this food come from and like mom I promise I didn’t do anything bad I got a child. But cooking has been something that has stuck with me even up to this day I still find different recipes. You could find me on the weekends breaking out the smoker I have a traeger whether it’s brisket or some chicken or some ribs and. I am getting down but I’ve been in this business I’ve been in this industry for thirty plus years and I’m known as what some may call a restaurant lifer. Um, even though I’m a restaurant lifer I had some odd jobs.

01:53.21

Jason Brooks

In between here and there because people that get in the restaurant business. They don’t typically wake up at the age of 7 and say I want to work in restaurants. You know they actually say I want to be a fireman or I want to be this? Um, so there was a time there that although I was good. In the restaurant business I fought it and I found that most people fight being in this business at some point because they think it’s trying to change them. They think that it’s trying to change themselves from being authentic. And it takes having that right mentor that right person that you lean on or your spouse or friend saying what are you doing you are you are good at this. You need to do this or you to then say? Okay I’m going to now truly invest my time in this. Um, but I’ve worked for 20 different restaurant brands 6 of the top 100 brands in the us and I always say this has given me the ability to view the Mona Lisa painted 20 different ways. Some of them are some amazing pieces of art. Some of them are just pieces but all of these learnings from all these brands help to shape my company called hospitalation which is hospitality and motivation and is putting that motivation back into hospitality.

03:23.31

vigorbranding

Fantastic. That’s great. Ah, and I you know I got to see some of your podcasts. They were wonderful and your energy is contagious I Love it. Absolutely love it. Um, so talk we’re gonna talk about your book. But let’s talk about hospiation a little bit I mean talk about what it does What you’ve been doing with it and you know give us some some background there.

03:27.43

Jason Brooks

Are.

03:42.45

Jason Brooks

Um, probation was made to help manage lead and coach restaurant tours executives back to some of the foundations that may have been lost, especially within the last four years there’s been some things lost within the skill set. Of our teams and also some some of of the things that as owners we need to recognize more of what our teams are missing to help close that gap so hospitalation helps to close the gap between. Customer or guest expectations and the operator or owner execution and we do this through coaching through speeches through workshops through books. Um, we try to meet. The owner meet the manager where they are and give those pieces and leave everything on the table I mean leave it all on field. There are no secrets. It’s just being able to help dive deeper into that team or into that person. To find out what really drove them to be successful and then help double down on those tactics on those skillsets for them to build better teams around them.

05:01.89

vigorbranding

Very good. Um I mean like you know I look at I mean we we employ a lot of folks here in our company and probably 100 and some employees and you know different generations come in and I’ve been doing this for a really long time and you know I see different types of sort of attitudes and stuff and. You know we we we all lived through the whole covid thing and the restaurants I mean getting back and coming back I mean you you have in here about the motivation. Do. Do you feel like restaurants and the hospitality industry in general has lost its motivation. Are you feeling that that that they need that maybe ah, an infusion of ah of motivation.

05:38.37

Jason Brooks

Um, I mean it is motivation. It’s also a understanding of finding out and just remembering what made you successful before.. For example, there’s a lot of times whenever. Let’s let’s go through the whole ranks when a cook shifts into a manager role. What made them successful as a cook they tend to leave that behind as a manager or a manager into a multi-unit manager. Whenever you are a manager you’re running your own restaurant. Um, you tend to use ah a checklist you tend to create mini gms you tend to have all these things in place because there’s so much on your plate. That you need reminders to help make sure that you cover all the bases that you need to cover and then all of a sudden when they shift into a multi unit manager they tend to shoot from the hip. They don’t have any checklist. They don’t walk into the building studying anything about that business whenever they walk in if they’re running multiple restaurants same thing as owners we think that we are exuding some of the same things that made us successful.

06:56.88

Jason Brooks

But we have to revisit. What is it exactly that made us successful within our last role and now how do we bring that into the next and that’s what that’s that motivation that is missing. We can’t leave things behind. We have to bring them with us.

07:14.34

vigorbranding

Good. So okay, let’s talk about your book I see it behind you there leadership every leader needs followers 10 keys to transform restaurant managers into hospitality leaders. Um, it’s not easy to get people to follow. You is it as a leader.

07:17.99

Jason Brooks

Um, I Yes, um.

07:26.71

Jason Brooks

No no, ask any social media manager it is it. It’s it’s very hard to get them to follow you and it’s even harder to keep them and that’s where that’s where some of the 10 keys. Covers is not only how do you build a followship and you have to be a wonderful follower yourself. But then how do you keep that as well.

07:54.33

vigorbranding

Very good. So what? What? What do you think are the biggest mistakes the restaurant managers are making when it comes to being an effective leader.

08:02.48

Jason Brooks

Hands down doing it by yourself I’ve seen it too many times we come in as a manager and we think that the things again the things I used to do I can just do it and then I’ll do it by myself. I don’t have trust and whenever you you try to lead a restaurant team by yourself. Yes, there’s things that you should bring with you but there’s a lot of management and leadership things that you have to learn because. Managing and leading a group of people is it natural. It is something that you have to invest time and and even money in order to make sure that you do this right? and when I say money as a investment time is money. When we put 3 hours of our life into something else that definitely cost us. We could be doing something else. But the return we get when we invest in the right way to manage lead and coach that return is just amazing and it’s not just. Managing leading and coaching is knowing the difference between the three because managing is using or or having a group of people keep.

09:24.99

Jason Brooks

Keeping them in the guard rails to hit a certain point by a certain time and remain within a certain budget. We use managing more than anything else within our day as a hospitality leader leadership is different. Leadership is is really understanding that. Overarching ah items about the industry about the trends about what’s going on about where to move the brand to next and it’s also when a group of people have run into a situation that they don’t know what the next step should be. And then that leadership mindset helps to shift it into painting the picture for them to see ah that’s exactly where we have to go I can’t believe I didn’t see that before now coaching is different than managing and leadership coaching is that mastery of small groups. 1 on one. That’s the thing that we forget to bring with us whenever we are trying to lead our teams is the coaching aspect. We think I don’t need to coach my teams. My team has been around been working together for the last two three years I pay him $15 per hour. They better know what to do, but it’s just not true and coaching also isn’t just you making 1 on 1 time to spew more stuff onto them coaching is actually you creating a space 30 minutes to listen to your team to find out what their challenges are.

10:59.85

Jason Brooks

But they’re trying to accomplish about themselves a a about their family. All the things that helps build that relationship that when they’re in your building In. You’re not there. They have the the skillset to make the right choices with maximum results. That’s the key to coaching.

11:20.24

vigorbranding

Yeah that’s ah, that’s well said I know that a couple of things you said there were really really interesting. The 1 thing you said it was a big mistake people make is they do it themselves and you’re right I think as leaders sometimes we’re so used to doing things or we know how to do it and we take it for granted, we don’t take the time to for for lack of a word teach. And bring people along right? I mean you know it’s just ah, it’s one of those things where um, if you don’t take the time to to train and coach. Ah, you’re not you can’t expect them to to learn and and to excel I think that’s ah I think it’s a really good point that you made. Um so you know in your book you have 10 keys for effective restaurant leadership.

11:48.90

Jason Brooks

Um, but.

11:54.74

vigorbranding

Want to talk about 1 of the one of those keys and you talk about kpis I mean obviously it’s important for the managers to know about the kpis but you feel it’s important for everyone to understand talk about that a little bit. Why why? Why are the kpi so important.

12:08.80

Jason Brooks

Because of what we do every year as a business every year if you look at your window. Not just we do it every business that is on your block does the same thing they create this business plan. They make the business plan. They put a core of people that’s in the c-suite or just on the on the ownership team they make this business plan print it on a pretty parsial paper put it in a frame hang it on a wall and then maybe a senior manager or 2 knows exactly what that is. And by the time it gets down to the guest-facing employee. It is lost so what I mean by master your kpis as being the number one key is that it isn’t just knowing your numbers It’s not just knowing sales. And and and your profits and your losses it is about how do you create that number and make a connection with the human element that is in your business every position and either help you or hurt you in making those business goals. The question is whenever we make those goals or big rocks. Do we know what we’re doing when we make those big rocks and whenever I say big I like to use the acronym b I g not just because I like the rapper but b I g because b if it’s a big rock.

13:35.69

Jason Brooks

The B is for believable is the goal can it actually be attained I intentional. Yes, it may be a goal but are you actually putting effort is your team putting effort behind making that goal happen daily and then G grounded. Grounded is if we don’t make this goal. We will not be successful at what we do so whenever we make those goals those big rocks Those Kpis are we making it believable intentional and grounded and then when we do. How do we create that same pattern for what the buser does what the host does what the matrid does what? what the cook does every single person has to understand what is the human element in the things that they do within their role 3 things that they can do to help.

14:31.40

vigorbranding

Very cool. So I mean sometimes though the Kpis the numbers and all that does that get in the way of the customer experience can that some kind sometimes dilute or detract from the attention that they deserve for the customer experience.

14:31.48

Jason Brooks

Make that happen.

14:37.92

Jason Brooks

And. I think that’s where whenever you break it down to make the human element behind it. That’s where it makes sense because you can say that it is to grow sales. But if it’s only about the dollar item. And you’re only telling that for just the server that they need to grow sales that doesn’t make sense that does take away from the from the experience but whenever you can say whenever you can actually connect with your guest and get them to come back 2 more times because you wowed them. Because you beat the guest to the hospitality meaning you were getting things for them that they didn’t even ask for that. You remembered their anniversary when you can make that true connection and make them choose us over someone else on on the same block. That’s how we build sales. So yes, it is a number but when you can connect the human element to it. That’s whenever you can actually you can improve that experience not just make it numerical.

15:50.00

vigorbranding

Yeah, you nailed it I mean at the end of the day we’re we’re serving. We’re serving guests and it’s people and we want to make their day. We want to make them feel special and it is more than just numbers at the end of the day there’s numbers involved when we gets paid. We’re doing this for business. It’s ah it’s a living. It’s a passion but it’s you know it all comes around the the customer I think that’s super important I think that ties into the next thing one of your chapters in your book owner like orientation. Ah, really interesting. We. We have a thing here in our company. Um, we we as an agency. Ah. Have a thing called Homeroom which goes back to the old school days we get together on a Tuesday morning the entire organization multiple cities and we we talk about the good the bad and the ugly of the industry and at the end we ask people what they’re passionate about passion is one of our core values. And we also talk about putting your name on the door and what we mean by that is if your name was on the door. What would you do what would you do differently how would you improve the company what do you suggest and so I think that’s like a really important thing and ah we want I want people to to act like owners if owners care. Ah, owners care about the customer so owner like orientation half the feeling might might tie in there. can you can you talk about that a little bit.

17:03.48

Jason Brooks

Yes I think that definitely when we bring our team in with the bigger picture things happen and what I mean by that is that we typically do orientation wrong right now we’ll bring them in. We’ll have a table ready some aprons shirt hat name tag. And then they’ll have a seat a stack of paper and then they’ll scribe until the pen runs hot then we’ll take them back. Put them on a laptop for possibly some computer-based training and then put them on 1 position what we’re doing right? There is that the only thing that that they’re owning is three things. 1 table which happens to be their favorite break table if you ever notice the table you do orientation at ends up being their breakck table then 2 a laptop and 3 1 position and then for the next 6 to eight weeks we’re hoping and praying that they tend to branch out to do more. While the people who train them are just going crazy because they’re like Steve where are you getting these horrible hires from they don’t want to do anything so that’s where we first start out with doing orientation wrong which is one of the easiest way. That any listener can change their ro I on a new hires. What I propose is this tick scene table same setup papers all all of that good stuff when you bring them in shake their hand ask them if they’re thirsty and then say where we we are going to start outside.

18:37.73

Jason Brooks

You take them outside and not just outside you take them out all the way out to the road by the curb on the edge by the cars driving by and you then say this is your restaurant and this is mine too and this is the view that every single customer sees whether they are stopping by here or not. They they see it from the curb all the way in and this is how we look compared to our neighbor and this neighbor we actually pick up all this trash from the curb all the way up every single day because we want to make sure that we look amazing to everyone that chooses to eat here or not. And then you walk them on it. We also sweep the parking lot not just up to the curb but all the way to the edge of the lot. This is our sidewalk. We actually scrub this this is our trash cans whenever we drop trash. We pick it up and then we sweep it and we keep the doors closed because we want to keep all the flies inside. We don’t want them flying out and then as you’re doing this as you’re walking them as you’re walking them through you’re you’re also checking their body language. How much does it suck whenever you hire someone and three weeks later they’re like ah this is too much for me I’m out of here wouldn’t you want to know on day zero. This is not going to work out. So as you’re walking them around the exterior giving them that owner like view as you walk them in now talk about sightlines for the customer and break it down to a 1 a 3 and a 5 a one being the lowest or subpar a 3 being par.

20:11.50

Jason Brooks

And a 5 being exceptional service and then you’re talking them through what a 1 3 or 5 is at the host stand with a host creek with it being neat and being tidy as they’re walking through the dining room what they can hear from the kitchen ass are sitting down. You’re now connecting. Your guest experience scores with your walkthrough and they now understand and see the whole building more as you’re doing this? Yes, you do add on forty five maybe fifty more minutes onto your onto your orientation. But the return on investment you get. Of them knowing that they can help when they pull up in the parking lot. Not just when they’re in position and then your trainer’s like oh man Steve these new hires you you you you ah must have got these guys from chick-fil-a. Dunked them in the back office in holy water and then brought them back out saying please and thank you like? no actually I just made sure that they understand the big picture on day one and then that way when I pass them off to you. They now see things differently.

21:22.40

vigorbranding

That’s great. That’s great, Well look as a marketing company I mean we’re hired to help build brands and oftentimes people think a brand is the logo the name. Maybe it’s the social media the personality that we project in the in the advertising and all that which is they’re all parts of the brand. But.

21:26.83

Jason Brooks

He.

21:38.69

vigorbranding

At the end of the day I mean it’s how the customer feels when they’re in there. It’s the product of course. But it’s also the experience and that’s part of the brand. So the folks you’re training are your brand. Ah you know evangelists and they’re going to be what people remember when they drive by to use your your analogy going by the road and they look over at that restaurant. They’re going to remember how they felt.

21:40.57

Jason Brooks

Greater. But we can.

21:57.93

vigorbranding

When they were there Sure they’re going to think about the food and if it was good and it was a good value. Did I they treat but that that experience and and it’s really going to be those folks that you’re training that are going to make that good or bad and we’ve all eaten it. Phenomenal restaurants. Food was great and and the the service was bad, something went wrong along the way.

22:04.97

Jason Brooks

Are are are.

22:15.71

vigorbranding

And in this day and age we can’t afford that I mean every touch point of the brand has to be at its peak and the people are are really integral to the the whole thing um key 6 another one of your your your your keys now I think you and I might disagree on this. Maybe we don’t I don’t know but I’m gonna I’ll dive into it. Master.

22:31.87

Jason Brooks

I.

22:34.68

vigorbranding

Master your meetings I hate meetings I think meetings end up being half of them more than half of them are a waste of time perhaps because I’m in them I don’t know but I just I don’t find them to be I don’t find them to be valuable at all and you know you have agendas you have follow through. You have ah deadlines and all that stuff. But. So talk to me about mastering a meeting and maybe ah maybe I’m going to learn a lot here because I have a feeling I’m going to.

22:59.23

Jason Brooks

Well first we suck at meetings and no, no, we we actually suck at meetings because there’s times we we ah ah have meetings in order to fill.

23:02.30

vigorbranding

Okay, maybe that’s it Maybe I sucked at me. Maybe ah maybe maybe that’s when I learned this whole thing. Okay, so.

23:16.30

Jason Brooks

Time and space a meeting should be defined as the reason why I’m asking you to step away from your role is because the thing that we need to make a decision on. We can’t unless you are there. That’s it.

23:32.81

vigorbranding

Me here.

23:35.97

Jason Brooks

If that doesn’t apply to the person that’s at the table. They shouldn’t be at the table 1 and 2 you probably shouldn’t be having that meeting now a a meeting that is repetitive like let’s say a manager’s meeting why sometimes they suck. Is because it is a data dump. It is a absolute data I treat meetings the same way I treat one on ones except even a bit more extreme if it’s my meeting that I’m running I should be speaking 20% of the time. The rest of my team is speaking 80.

24:12.30

vigorbranding

And.

24:14.29

Jason Brooks

And that’s because at that point I’ve already done um key number 3 in the book which is delegate by creating many gms I have created many managers within each department and their goal is to report out on. What’s going on and those goals from from my many gms are linked to key number 1 master your kpis they understand what the kpis are they understand the human element that is behind it and they deep dive on that data and bring it to the table. So. When it comes to to key number 6 mastering your meetings. The main thing you have to do is understand that if you weren’t sitting down to make a decision. You shouldn’t be there and 2 if it is something that is a consistent meeting. It’s a 20% from the person that’s running it and 80% from everything else because when you do that you then build this ownership and a different view on things within your building I’ll say one last piece we have gotten into firefighting way too much. We have some amazing firemen and fire women within the hospitality industry but we’ve got to stop firefighting because when you firefight you shoot from the hip you see the fire you pull the hose out.

25:41.82

Jason Brooks

And you just start dumping water on that fire. But when a fire happens in a building think about it. You’re facing one side of the building and you can only see one side.. There can be several things that is going on all around that building. We’ve got to stop being. Fire men and fire women and we had to start being fire Chiefs A fire Chief has firemen and fire women all around the building putting out these fires for us and we can say the same thing about these meetings whenever you are fire chiefing your meeting your fire team. Understands exactly what’s going on but you have put them in places around your business to know where those spires are to where you have better control of everything else.

26:30.96

vigorbranding

That’s good analogy I mean I I love analogies and I think that makes it very so that’s why you’re good at what you do I mean it was very easily understood. Well done. Um, okay so training we talk about the importance of training right? and we ah we know it’s important to train.

26:32.72

Jason Brooks

Are.

26:44.63

vigorbranding

Ah, you feel it’s important for ongoing training which I think is interesting and and certainly makes an awful lot of sense. Um, why why is that I mean like let’s face it with with a turnover in this world with with people. Maybe they’re not going to be in the job for three months why would I spend so much time training them. Um you you feel that’s important. Let’s talk about that.

27:03.91

Jason Brooks

Yeah I definitely feel that um, never stop training is one of the keys to being successful and of course we like to say it but we don’t really like to budget it. We can train our way in and out of anything. We really can. How we fall short of executing never stop training is that we don’t have a training plan that again goes back to what the plan is we have we have a training plan. Yes, but it’s a training plan one. That’s probably been the same training plan for the last 3 4 or 5 years versus each year do we sit down and say now that our objective is this? how are we training it’s not just how we hit that number. It’s not just growing digital sales. It’s not just getting better marketing. It’s. Do we have that included within the training poke in in the in the training program for our teams or are we just adding that in here and there second piece to never stop training is it absolutely as you and I both know it needs to be written down that that doesn’t mean. That our team currently trucks at sucks at training that means that our team has several things on their mind bills spouse car. All that good stuff they are going to lose their thought and their focus.

28:31.35

Jason Brooks

On the thing that they should be training that that should be a core fundamental. That’s whenever that never stop training that checklist training helps because we we want you to say all the foundational things and with how long you’ve been with me I still want you to add on. That whipped cream the cherry and the sprinkles on top from all the things that you do well to but I want to make sure that the foundation of what’s being said to every single person is done last piece on never stop training I believe that you continue training. All the way up to their last day even if they put in a two week notice you train them all the way up to their last day and do you know why? because if you have 50 people that’s on your staff and you now have 51 because you are replacing one that put in their notice. It doesn’t help you by saying well I got one more so I’m a stop training the person who’s leaving no whenever you train the one that’s leaving you are also shifting that training you’re shifting that mindset you’re training them. How to onboard onto a different team even if it is your competitor you are training them how to get on board. How to get to learn the people how to get to learn their culture because a few things happen when that happens one everyone around you.

30:01.10

Jason Brooks

It’s watching the attention you’re still putting into the person that’s leaving and they’re like that is a true coach and then number 2 number 2 is how many times is it that the grass is truly greener on the other side. So you shipped into the alma still keep training you I’m going to train you to be the next whatever that you are getting into. Let’s say you get there and it sucks guess what’s going to happen. Ah Jason ah I actually want to come back because grass isn’t greener. Then you’re able to now still build on your team but I truly believe you should never stop training even when they put in a notice.

30:42.62

vigorbranding

Yeah I Think that’s Great. We’ve had an awful lot. We call them. Boomerangs. We’ve had several people leave during the great resignation. You know for the grass being greener and we’ve had several boomerangs come back and you make another really wonderful point and that is people around you that are on your team that are staying on your team that are. Loyal and dedicated. They see how you treat people when they leave and um, that’s a reflection on you as a leader and I think that’s really important to to keep that in mind. Ah you know if you sit there and say bad things about somebody. You know the moment the door closes behind them just ah, that’s just really a poor reflection on and on you as Leader. So I think that’s ah I think it’s very sage advice.

31:08.00

Jason Brooks

Are you.

31:20.12

vigorbranding

Right? So um, we talked about training another thing you talk about which I find this to be I think this is really important ah closing the gap between the restaurant manager and what the customer sees I mean again. Ah you know we always often say we’re too close to it I think that may be the case here with with managers you want to talk a little bit about that.

31:20.86

Jason Brooks

Brother I know.

31:39.10

Jason Brooks

Oh yes I I love this topic um and closing the gap is is. It’s there because we live the 2 wheel life michael do you know what? the 2 wheel life is okay.

31:50.89

vigorbranding

I do not know what the 2 wheel life is I don’t own a motorcycle so I assume that’s what it is but I mean maybe not.

31:56.87

Jason Brooks

Is that although our car has 4 Wheels we are pulling into the parking lot. So damn fast. We may as well be on 2 wheels and do you know why? because we’ve gotten that fourteenth text with the fifth picture about the close last night and our main truck call said that they’re short on drivers and now the truck order is due. third third 30 minutes ago and payroll calls someone forgot to clock out last weekend and you have to log into the portal and change your hours or else they can’t process payroll so that’s why you’re on 2 wheels. Doors open Bigfoot Dragon trying to get out the car and you walk up to the front the host and has a line and you’re like ah let me come help get these table sat bus some tables run to the back, get the line down. Finally get your truck order in fix payroll. But by this time. You are on fire. Your heartbeat is racing 120 beats per minute you are lapping like Nascar you’re touching tables. You’re pointing out things to clean and you’re like whoa girl I’m on fire this is amazing. You work a triple double that day heartbeat racing. And you get home somehow fall asleep and then your email goes off ding and it’s that guest complete a 2 on clean. They had a horrible experience. You just about flip your table but they’re lying no way I was there all day.

33:30.25

Jason Brooks

I worked the whole day I was lapping like Nascar I was touching on tables I was telling people what to clean. There’s no way. But there’s a gap. There’s a gap between what the operator experiences and what the guest does and that gap is because we are walking through like the terminator. Head on swivel I view Twenty feet out twenty feet wide looking for the next fire fire hose on the hip just looking for that next fire and we are standing at at an average five foot six height looking down to see what that next thing is. Our customers though. It’s very different their heart rate actually slows down when they’re pulling onto our lot first, they want to see are we open. They want to see is the parking lot. Clean does it look like someone lives here. They then pull up they get out. Ah, the car slow walk up to the door and then the the guest learned this trick from covid they now check the little slit of the door to see is the bar there because they don’t want to yank um, make on the door and pull their arm out their sockt like ah it’s open. So then they finally get in like yes I can stop eating from the dashboard of my car they walk in their heartbeats slow down things are good and then they sit down and they’re sitting at an average of three feet high heart rate heart rate has slowed down eyes are dimmer.

34:59.56

Jason Brooks

When your eyes when the the ah light is dimmer your your pupils actually get bigger and then whenever you’re looking at a distance of about eighteen inches from the table to your food. You are looking at that eighteen inch and then no higher than three feet while the manager heart rate fast 20 by 20 view and walking quickly. There’s a huge gap there in order to close that gap one of the things that that you have to practice which is hard is pulling yourself out the shift. Scheduling yourself to not be in position sometimes that’s hard. We are trained from day one that when things are short we are locked in. We make that happen. But at least once a week you have to take that customer view and I’m not taking and I’m not talking taking the view. Right? before it opens. That’s like having a super bowl ad well before the game starts when it’s peak periods walk out to your lot all way to the edge view. What’s going on because that’s when the most advertising is being done walk up through the lot. Then walk in then you’re listening in then you’re hearing what’s going on when you do this during peak volumes once a week even if you can’t once a month

36:24.00

Jason Brooks

That helps you to understand what that what the guest is actually going through versus well before opening or after close.

36:33.99

vigorbranding

That’s great Jason I love your passion I got to tell you so like what? what’s what’s next for you. Ah, you’re making your rounds as the speaker I mean is there a new book any trips coming up.

36:44.20

Jason Brooks

And there is a if there is a pocket companion to the book that is going to be coming out. Ah the every leader pocket guide something that managers owners can can actually have on them. Ah, a flip book style to be able to keep them on track to never lead alone again. I actually have another ah session. That’s that’s coming up for the international bowl expo that’s going to be in Denver um I will be at the qsr. Evolution conference with Danny Klein I’ll be moderating one of the panels of how to scale culture. Um, there’s a few more speaking engagements that that I’m closing in on now. But it’s been very busy, but it’s been great I get to meet lovely people just like you just like your listeners and talk great shop about what’s going on and how to put that people piece with the numbers in order to better manage lead and coach.

37:47.34

vigorbranding

Yeah, it’s it’s awesome I mean this industry is a way of life and it is ah people dealing with people and I think that’s super important and it does make it very tactical and grounded and it’s ah it’s great to have people like you out there helping lead and coach and teach. So ah. That’s fantastic. So I have one last question. Let’s go I asked this of everybody if you had 1 last meal. What would you eat where and why.

38:10.40

Jason Brooks

I have 2 answers for that first answer is a place that I haven’t been yet but I hear great things about and my last meal for that would be Oso Buco from pierro’s in Las Vegas

38:24.16

vigorbranding

Nice.

38:26.68

Jason Brooks

Ah, heard that they make some amazing. Oh so puco. But that that would be 1 that I haven’t been to but would love to um, second one is I’m going to cheat and say that I’m very. Egotistical and I love my own food if you just give me the food and let me cook it I will that will be more than glad to be my last meal. So I I would do brisket. It takes me about three days um beef brisket i’d.

38:51.52

vigorbranding

What would be what what? what? What are you cooking for yourself.

39:00.41

vigorbranding

Nice.

39:02.74

Jason Brooks

I trim it my I trim it my my ah my ah self and then I will slather it with some horse radish I make my own rub. Let it sit for about 48 hours smoke it low until it gets to write about one sixty pull that baby out wrap it in some parchment paper. Put it back in. Let it get to 206 pull it out at 8 put it inside the cooler just a regular cooler for 4 hours slice that baby up make the barbecue sauce from scratch and then do a smoked bake mac and cheese. With some grilled corn and um, yeah, that’s it right? there? um.

39:44.65

vigorbranding

It sounds fantastic I even eat lunch day so I’m starving. That’s you did well that was that was as good as anything that’s beautiful, beautiful well done so hey listen Jason thank you so much for your time and your insights it was really really ah educational. Thank you.

40:00.59

Jason Brooks

Thank you Sir and I do appreciate the invite you listeners have ah ah a wonderful time Fork tales. Thank you so much. This has been great.

40:07.34

vigorbranding

Awesome! See you soon.