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DSP: Hey there, restaurant pros, it's David Scott Peters and welcome to Episode 14 of The Restaurant Prosperity Formula. I've been coaching restaurant owners since 2003 and the Restaurant Prosperity Formula™ is based on what the most successful restaurant owners I've worked with do on a daily basis to achieve their success. The basic premise of the formula centers around achieving prosperity, freedom from your restaurant and the financial freedom you deserve. To achieve prosperity, you have to follow a very specific formula made up of leadership, systems, training, accountability and taking action. Today's topic tells the story of one couple's journey from doing everything possible to make their business survive, to being able to truly take on the role of owners and lead their business and team to success. I know you will find this story inspiring.

Now, I want to tell you about our guests today, Brianna and Jonathan Cowan, owners of The Wooden Paddle in Lemont, Illinois. I first met them at the Florida Restaurant Show over a decade ago, and they made a decision to get on an airplane to attend one of my four-day workshops in Las Vegas just a week later. At that time, their business really needed to grow. Fast forward to March of 2020, when we reconnected at Catersource days before COVID-19 business restrictions shut down their dining room and catering events, they made a big decision to use this newfound time to work on their business.

Listen in on our conversation as they share with us their incredible journey of taking their passion for hospitality and turning it into a thriving business. What's really exciting about their journey is they will tell you how they have gone from working hard in their business, often on the line, to today where they have a quality GM, systems in place and are able to spend 24 hours a week working on high level strategic planning catapulting their business forward. I want to welcome Brianna and Jonathan to the show today.

But first, a word from our sponsor.

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I want to welcome Brianna and Jonathan Cowan, owners of The Wooden Paddle, and I am so excited to have you guys because you have done some incredible things during a pandemic and I don't want to give it all away, but we've known each other for a long time, but really only recently started working together. So, whoever wants to start, tell us a little bit about your restaurant in and kind of your background.

Jonathan: Sure. So, yeah, we have a restaurant in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, and we do shareable dishes, wood fired pizza, craft cocktails, beer and wine, and another part of our businesses is we cater a lot of events, weddings, and things like that with our mobile pizza ovens. We go all over Chicagoland with those and do fun wedding events with people. So, a little bit of background on us is we've actually been dating since we were juniors in high school. And we I moved out of my hometown at 20 bought a kind of struggling carry out and delivery pizzeria. Brianna and I got married two years after that and we tried to make a go of it in business together during that time. About a year after we got married, we that's when we first met you, David, actually in Orlando at a food show. And we loved your speech so what you said during little seminar, so much that we figured out a way a week later to get on a plane to go to your Soup to Nuts seminar in Las Vegas. And we actually signed up for something back then. And our business was in such bad shape at that point where somebody within your company told us might not be it might not be the best thing you're doing. You're kind of a hobbyist right now. You are not making any money. And it might be dangerous even keeping this thing open. And from there, we kind of started looking at going in a different direction. And so we stopped doing the carry out and delivery pizzeria, Chicago style pizzeria, and we can start moving in a more artisan direction, higher heat ovens going kind of more higher end with our pizzeria at that point. And that's where our kind of The Wooden Paddle journey started in 2013. And we bought our first mobile wood burning oven for the wedding services in 2014. And it just kind of grew where we bought a building in 2017 to kind of have to have a dining area. And now we have sixty-six seats at our restaurant in Lemont, Illinois and now we're in 2021. Here we are.

DSP: So again, so we've known each other for over a decade. For all intents and purposes, you see me speak at a food show in Orlando and learn that I've got a workshop a week later. In fact, I think you might even want to seat it if I remember correctly. You make your way to Vegas, just some guy you saw give an hour speech. And what did it mean to open up your eyes to what systems can do as well as it was my old business partner that you later you meet with and goes, hey, man, you're not doing enough to really call this business. It's a hobby. You didn't give up. You instead kind of went forward. What was that like? One, discovering there was so much more to learn, but the other is to have somebody look at you on a professional level, go, what are you doing?

Jonathan: What do you have to say?

Brianna: I mean, I think it was interesting, I remember the people that we sat next to, they were a just a Mexican concept, obviously high end like tequila bar. And I remember them just saying, oh, yeah, we have eight hundred different types of tequilas.

DSP: We got a train going by. Hold on one second. Let the train go by. So, OK, go ahead.

Brianna: And I remember just looking at John and saying, like, "Even if that tequila was ten dollars a bottle" like that, I mean,.

Jonathan: Which we know, it's not.

Brianna: It's not. But it kind of blew our mind that, like, restaurants like that existed, just the sales that people were doing and the teams that people had brought. And I knew it existed on some level, but it was interesting interacting with those people, actually seeing successful people and what the problems they were dealing with. And our problems were so low level compared to what they were they were dealing with. But I also think when we heard that about the sales, it was it was eye opening, but it wasn't something that really got us down. It was more just okay like we need to just get better at what we're doing, and we have a lot to learn. And yeah. So really, it wasn't something like big epiphany for us, but it was like we can do better than this and we should be doing better than this. And we have a lot to learn. So that's the good news. Like we're not already doing a bunch of things and unsuccessful we knew there is a lot, a lot to learn. And so yeah. So, we took that book home and we kind of were like in implementing parts of it and trying to do different systems and just piecemealing it on our own. And it definitely it definitely helped us even on that level.

DSP: So, what.

Jonathan: So, for me.

DSP: Go ahead.

Jonathan: Really quick. As a poor student in high school and things like that, I started business after high school. I didn't go to college. I went to a semester of college and dropped out. But I, I was kind of disillusioned with schooling and education because of my experience. But going to your thing and seeing the information there, I was like and Brianna speaking some wisdom to me that started in 2011 where we really, truly where my mindset change is like, man, I need to start reading books. I obviously I thought I was going to move out of my mom's house, open this business and crush it. I, I tried to get in my first apartment after moving out of my mom's house to buying this business. I was like, I only want a three-month lease on this apartment because I won't be buying a house because I'm a big business owner now and then the being cut down over years.

Brianna: We lived there 10 years.

Jonathan: We lived there 10 years, but just being it was just eye opening, all of it.

DSP: Well, it's kind of funny when you look at it, you say, OK, what's impressive is even as young as you guys were and still are, for all that matter, compared to me, you knew you needed to learn something, something different. And so, if you sit there, you already have a distaste for education. It's a big deal to say trust somebody, get on an airplane and go, is this going to be worth it for our business? But the biggest thing that's amazing is a lot of people don't realize, especially those that know you. They look at you and your success and you're just an overnight 10-year success. You know, it was just overnight 10 years of hard work and blood, sweat and tears and, you know, all the things go with that. So, what were things like? So, we I guess the story kind of goes full circle. It's 2011 now, 2020. We meet up again as the pandemic is hitting the United States, March of 2020 at Catersource. Like, literally you attend my seminar I'm putting on just like we went all the way back to Florida Restaurant Show and you meet me at a book signing because, you know, you're up there and you and it was so long ago that you go, "Hey, we've been to your workshop." I'm like, oh shit, I don't remember. So, what was it that brought you to that show? What was it that said, OK, we need to reconnect now that we saw David again? What was going on in your life at that time? Because right then we didn't know how bad things were going to get with covid yet it was brand new, literally shutting down states a week later.

Brianna: Yeah, it's funny about that. Is we've talked about, we were we went to that show and we spent so much money going out to eat, like we went out to like nice places every night. And I was like, thank God we did that because everything shut down. But we went to that show, so we'd always been going to the Pizza Expo but what we felt that was kind of like our network was limited there. Like pizzeria owners are all very much the same. We're kind of having the same problems. And we had gone to that show a lot while it's still like good, we kind of wanted a show that was new, and we could meet different people and just kind of like expand our horizons. So that's what brought us to Catersource. We wanted to kind of get more into our catering side.

DSP: Right.

Brianna: Because we just kind of fell into success. But we knew we could be more effective again, like we already knew we could be better. We just didn't know how. And then I think it was because we went to one of your seminar, we recognized your name and I went to your seminar there again. And you had mentioned the coaching. And so, we bought your book. We talked to you a little bit. And I was like, "John we really need, like, accountability." Like, we I think we know enough about what we're doing now. But we are our own bosses. That's like the best and worst thing. And we just are kind of we kept like hitting a ceiling. And there's a lot of group when you're married and you're like the top of the food chain. So, a lot of decisions were just kind of like, I don't know, we think the same thing to much how are we going to.

DSP: Right.

Brianna: Make this decision? So, and then obviously covid hit and we are very like we are very decisive people. So, we're just like, screw it. Like, now is the time. Like, we don't have any and we don't have in front of house to worry about. So, let's take the time and like the effort that we were putting towards that to like.

DSP: So, you really reframed a negative possibility situation, closing down your dining room and so on to say this is our opportunity to make change. Like.

Brianna: Yeah.

DSP: I guess you probably said in the back your brain. What we have time now. So, if there's any time to work on it, it's now.

Brianna: Yeah, it was like found time, so. Yeah. Why not.

Jonathan: I just think in times of like turbulence that's, that's opportunity time. That's what I've always heard. So, it's like we can be scared and this and that. Who wasn't scared during that time?

DSP: Yeah.

Jonathan: But we were like we need to also figure out how we attack it and make this, make sure we make it through this. Who knew it was going to be this long? It's 2021 now, but here we are.

DSP: So other than so at this point, you'd been to my workshop, you had been to seminars, other seminars, you've been to other shows, you gathered information. You go home, make change, you take it from a hobby to a thriving business. I mean, your dining room was kicking ass, your catering was kicking ass like you had already a good business. Covid hits you go to Catersource, catering goes away like a week later, dining room shuts down. So, what were some of the challenges that you first faced that you said, man, we've got to make a change? Because one of the things that I found and you could tell me if I'm wrong, but when we lost those volumes, any mistakes we made got magnified. Right. They were bigger than we'd like because volumes could cure our ills. So, what were some of those challenges you were facing at that time?

Brianna: I mean, are we found that our catering kind of flooded our restaurant and we were successful and felt like we had money in the bank because of those caterings and the restaurant just didn't really hold its own weight or it was kind of over bloated in different areas because any waste it doesn't matter if food costs is so good on these catering's and labor doesn't really matter because we can do so much in sales and catering and with so little labor. So, having those taken away really magnified the fact that, like the restaurant, it's like, why even have this? If it's going to be like operating like this and catering, it's just tearing down essentially a good catering business. But obviously we were thankful because a lot of caterers don't have that. So.

DSP: Right.

Brianna: We had a restaurant and so we really needed to figure that piece of it out. And we knew people have done it before they figured it out. They have successful restaurants. And if we could have both, obviously, why not? And that's the only thing we had the opportunity to focus on. So, yeah, so we just kind of took that in. And.

DSP: So, when we first started talking, one of the things that that I can remember is you guys were still managing the store day to day and the catering and if you were not in the building, it was not going to get done. You had some supervisors at best. What was it like to sit there and say, oh, my gosh, how are we going to implement all these new systems when there's no extra time? And oh, by the way, you were closed on Mondays, so that was the only day you could get a breather or get caught up and get staged for a big catering and so on and so forth. So, what was time like for you and quite possibly what did finances look like? I mean, where we struggling? Were we doing well? Or where we oh, my gosh covid is has us bleeding what we've built up?

Brianna: Oh, I think I mean finances, I felt like covid was OK for us, it ended up transferring to take out like we had a little dip obviously to start, but then it was OK. Sales kind of remained the same, maybe even a little better. Later was a little better just by default.

DSP: Right.

Brianna: Because we didn't have front of house to deal with. But.

Jonathan: One thing I would say about covid it was very interesting. Like right away, the first and end of March and to most of April, it was really bad. It was like but then it was like we had to work on things.

Brianna: I don't really remember honestly. I just remember I was like, oh this one Friday was good.

Jonathan: Like it was like, wow. When we opened up the location from to the building we bought from our old place, we were known as a carry out place at our old place, and we were doing good food that's meant to be eaten straight out of the oven. So, we had to.

DSP: Right.

Jonathan: Open the new place, not even taking phone orders, not even having online ordering. It was literally you come in and you dine in. That was the new model. We wanted to have our customers first experience in our new location like that. And so, people.

Brianna: Yeah, that was a cute epiphany that.

Jonathan: That was cute.

Brianna: We realized that it wasn't like we thought it was super cool to be open, limited hours, dinner only, not on Mondays, can't touch us like you can barely get in and you can't even call for orders.

Jonathan: We wanted to be that. You know what we learned in the pizza industry, like, oh, look at that cool niche pizzeria that's open five days a week for three hours.

Brianna: Yeah, but we.

Jonathan: But we're not that.

Brianna: Realized that's a lot of pretense. And it's more it's more just like if you want to be trapped in your own business, go ahead and do that. But it's not cute and that our biggest thing, our biggest thing is time. Like we want we want time. And I don't know why we got into this business if that that's what we want. But yeah. And just then when covid hit and our management structure, it's like management structure in quotations. It was a joke, like we had people that were working hard on the line. Also being the manager could barely pull out from the line to talk to anybody like it.

DSP: Right.

Brianna: Was a joke. We just kind of like designated management. And then when we weren't there, it was just kind of like heads in the sand, like we wanted to take time away and spend time with our family. And we did do that. But we always kind of felt guilty because we didn't have those systems. So, we didn't really know what was going on at the store. We were just hoping and praying that it was OK and just trying to relax when we weren't there.

Jonathan: Little irresponsible, yeah.

Brianna: Yeah. Yeah.

DSP: So, what were some of the first things that you put in place that kind of created that. Aha. Oh my gosh. We can make a change, you know. You know, we've talked about you brought in a manager, but it was after making a selection of one and then trying another internally and going outside, covid allowed that. But also, you had budgets, you had numbers to work with. You were controlling cash, you had checklists. I mean, you did a lot of things. What were the first things that kind of went, hey, this is going to this is taking traction for us and it's making a difference?

Brianna: I think probably the budget was.

Jonathan: I agree one hundred percent with that.

Brianna: I was eye opening because, I mean, honestly, we are like quintessential entrepreneurs. Like when we had a lot in the bank account, we were like, we're good. When we didn't have a lot, we're like, what's going on? And just actually putting the budget, putting the numbers on paper was eye opening. One, just because we saw some of our costs were out of control. But then, two, we also saw, oh, like how we're currently paying people and what this person could do for us. Oh, we could afford a GM. We've been lying to ourselves constantly because we didn't have numbers in front of us. So, having the budget kind of spoken to that and it was like, OK, gave us a level of comfort to move forward with that.

Jonathan: Well, specifically the budget program that you made, it was just really nice to move around. It's very easy to when we when we talked about was like, wow, this actually makes sense. And that was really cool. And we're actually taking that into, you know, we've kind of sat back and really had we've had more time, which is which is great because since we did get at a GM put in place where we've been sitting back and really just doing strategic planning on what are these next positions we need to do. The GM has been a light bulb. It's like, oh, my gosh, we would never go without a GM ever again.

Brianna: Yeah.

Jonathan: That's a that's a necessity for our company. But now we're like, OK, well, how can we move around this budget to fit in this position? Like, we we're still working on getting a kitchen manager in place and somebody a bar manager and just having that accountability of you're the one person that we question on this. This is your domain here. You know, like what's going on.

Brianna: One hand to shake or one.

Jonathan: Yeah.

DSP: So, for all intents and purposes, by bringing by bringing that the GM in, having a budget, you could put your plan together and say, I can afford it. These are the changes I need to make to make it work. And now you have the help. And often I talk to people about the really one of the reasons why most restaurants fail. The number one reason, I think is lack of leadership. And one of the things that I've watched you guys as like a like a proud papa is this major shift in being the managers really of your business to being the leader of your business. Planning, looking at new marketing programs, looking at the growth of your business, looking at other locations, looking at like all of a sudden, you've had time to sit back and lead the team, work on budgets, work on marketing, developing. What has that been like? And is that really a lot of it because of one, having one person who can get shit done and working on the others, meaning the GM being your implementer, is it that or is there more to it?

Jonathan: I think having that implementer is just such a huge thing, because if I think about where we were last January compared to now, we had a nightmare scenario happen in December of 2019 where we just had a few of our back of house team members leave right at the same time within weeks of each other. And all of a sudden it was like, oh, we have.

Brianna: We're not pulled into management, then we're actually pulled into the line.

Jonathan: We're in the line.

DSP: Right.

Jonathan: We were working all the time and it was just like, oh well, let's close on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day because.

Brianna: We're tired.

Jonathan: I don't want to work.

Brianna: Yeah.

Jonathan: And it was just really unhealthy place right there. To this January where Brianna and I have been able to work at our office from our home office. We built sense of hiring you. And literally we've been able to spend like this week. We've spent about twenty-four hours of work time, just work time just together, going through our strategic work. Twenty-four hours is a lot of strategic work time. And we're now seeing, wow, we got this much done on this plan for this year. We might be able to cross some of these things off before this year plan is over and add different strategic things to this plan. And with that, the exponential power of growth is it's pretty amazing. I'm just kind of blown away with it after each workday right now where I'm like, we got this much done. That's wild.

DSP: So here kind of thing. So are you. When you have somebody in there helping, implementing, helping build your management team, working with one person instead of the five people or the 40 people, because you had to be it, you're pulling yourself away from day to day. Is it running better with you or without you?

Brianna: Oh, absolutely better without us.

Jonathan: If the numbers and the sales numbers are better, and I'd say the percentages are better without us.

Brianna: I would say people are more engaged because I like if I was an absolute tornado, like if I was working a shift in the kitchen, all of a sudden, I'm like, this isn't running efficient enough. And instead of just prepping for the day, I was trying to reorganize and thinking about kitchen layout, like just going down a rabbit hole. And I just realized, and the funny thing is I think we both thought we were decent with systems. We understood the concept of systems. We understand our business needed them. We had built a few. And so, we thought where systems people until we met Angela. And then I was like, I am not a systems person like she so much. She is so much better than us. And I think thankfully I never had the thought that, like, I'm the best. I know I'm not the best. I know John's not the best. We're not the best. There are so many other people that are much better than us so that if you have that mindset, that's kind of like that's an issue. And I think a lot of what we what was transformed this year was our mindset. It was just thinking we can do it. Just thinking like management can be in place constantly and we can control our labor. We can look at a budget. It's not going to be completely fuzzy constantly. It'll be useful to us. All of those things are like little subtle shifts that we had to make to kind of make a bigger.

Jonathan: Or like one thing I liked working with you, David, is like. Just when you started talking about day parts, because we're still we're under that mentality of the pizzeria thing and we're trying to keep it really small and keep the supply and demand thing. But you're like, "Dude you have this location? You're not open for lunch on any of these days. You're not even open on Monday at all. What are you doing?" Well, now it's like just an easy thing, just implementing expanding what we do our offerings to. And we're doing our neighbors a service by being open. It's like I've had so many people since opening up our hours. Come and be like, "Man. Lemont has not had anything for lunch on Mondays for as long as we've lived here. Now we can just come and work here and it's really helpful to people." I was like, dang, look at my you know, it's nice to have somebody to run things off of because we think a certain way and it's hard to get our own way sometimes.

DSP: Well, yeah, the most dangerous phrase in our business is that's what we've always done. Right. And so, I'm not stuck in your location and have the history. So, I just look at things black and white. Trust me, if I invited you to my business, you go, "David, why do you do that?" I go oh that's the way I've always done it." Right. It's always easier to look into somebody else's business. However, you had to make that mental shift, a culture change in your business to say, hey, we can do more because oh my gosh, if I remember correctly, one of the challenges to do that for you was going, well, "How are we going to manage that?" Right. Because you didn't have any more time. You didn't have help. Like, it was scary. But once you have the right people in place, it's what people don't understand by giving up more of the tasks, not control, but tasks, you can get more done, increase your sales because that's lunch started six days a week. Then it became seven days plus an evening shift. And your labor costs. Are actually better, even though it's a struggle. Man, you're in Illinois like many states, the governor shuts you down or makes different changes and it affects us in a big way. But let's pray here in the next few months, you know, we get covid under control.

Jonathan: Yeah.

DSP: What is it? What is life been like? What? Let's go backwards before I get there. What was an unexpected shift for your business? What came out of left field that you didn't expect that would have happened?

Brianna: I really think. Getting the kind of the caliber of GM that we did, I honestly, I don't know, I think we tried to bring people up. We tried to coach people. We're not good managers. So how are we going to coach good managers? I don't know. But like getting our GM in, it was amazing to kind of see that that was like the one and only domino we should have been focusing on because that affected everything else. Like she was able to pinpoint other people and say, have you thought about this person as a leader? They're really good. Now she's training them up, just making shifts immediately in the kitchen. People overall, the team being more engaged and strong. And, you know, I just like it. And what was funny, tying that back into, like, lunch was well if you open for lunch and you only do a thousand dollars every, oh. I'm sorry, open for Mondays. You only do a thousand dollars every Monday. And you didn't have that before. Does that kind of pay for your GM, at least partially? I remember just making the connection like, oh my God.

Jonathan: Yeah.

Brianna: Why would we not open on Mondays? So, it was a lot of like little things. And what did we do? We opened for Mondays like the next week. We didn't have the staff for it, but we're like, let's just do it.

Jonathan: Time to do it. Let's go.

Brianna: Yeah.

Jonathan: Yeah.

DSP: Oh I, I can remember the conversation. Go print a banner. I mean, after we finish, like, oh yeah, I'm going to go print a banner and once you put it out there, you got to be open.

Brianna: Yeah, exactly. And then we were.

DSP: We're like, what the heck, some of these numbers. And then we got to a point where around Christmas we had like a thirty-three-hundred-dollar Monday and I'm like, "What?".

Brianna: Yeah.

Jonathan: This is.

Brianna: We did not expect that.

Jonathan: We use to do zero on Mondays.

Brianna: Yeah.

DSP: So, let me just ask you real quick, when we talk about Angela, your general manager, we tried we tried to develop people from within and we had we had some success, but mostly struggles. It just did not work and ninety nine percent of the time. You know me. I want you to hire from within because they know culture. But when you found Angela, she was your first candidate. You interviewed the very first. But how did you know she was the one? I know she had great experience and because of covid for the first time, we had good people out there that we could find. And she was moving back, but. I kind of want to. What was that most important quality that just drew you together and said she fits here?

Jonathan: You know, I think.

Brianna: Honestly, I feel like if we are good at anything over the years, we are decently good at hiring. I would say and we are good at kind of figuring out who people are in the interview. We don't take what they say for what they say, what one piece of the interview and you can speak to it, too. But one piece of the interview was she said, she said she has a business management degree. And she was like, "Yeah, I called my school and asked for a refund because I'm not using that stupid degree." And I was like, "Girl you are you are my people." So, because, I mean, we are just so much more about, like, experience. Like we neither of us went to college. We're all about kind of like school of hard knocks. Like it's good to, you know, learn that way. And that's mostly how she learned. I mean, she was in all of these different restaurants and she wasn't bringing her business management degree. She was bringing all of that experience. And culturally, she just fit us. She is.

DSP: That's the thing I was looking for. Yeah.

Brianna: Yeah. She was just like one of one of our core values. We'd say it's like just scrappiness being resourceful with what you have. And she's like the ultimate I would say, like nothing gets in her way. And we were able to kind of like through the interview just figure out that like we're a match. I mean, we had a three-hour dinner with her. Like, if you're not a good candidate, you're not talking to us for three hours.

DSP: Right.

Jonathan: And just it's also we've never had a GM. It's scary giving up that control.

Brianna: Yes.

Jonathan: Of the whole company.

Brianna: Yeah.

Jonathan: And we had our thing. It's like we didn't want to handcuff somebody by saying, like, "You're GM, but, you know, I'm going to be all over." We all like we kind of like to let people do their jobs and things like that. So, the gut feeling I know I got in that interview was like, wow, you can just kind of tell us sometimes. It's like what? Like the cultural fit. Just hearing the story she's telling about other experiences, I was like, "Wow, that that's exactly what I want." And I'm glad that my gut was right to this point. You know, it's like.

DSP: Well, one of the things that made it work is because we were putting systems in place. You didn't say just come in and fix my place. You said these are the systems we're going to use. This is.

Jonathan: Yes.

DSP: What we're doing.

Brianna: Yeah.

DSP: And that's the key to making it work, because we've all hired managers in our day that come in with great experience. But talk a wonderful game and don't do. It's another to say, hey, you can do this. Are you going to use these systems? And man, she never says no like it's "Sure that's how you want to do it. I don't care. Yes. Let's go." If it can help the business, so on and so forth. So, you got a good catch. But it's really that where I was looking for is, man, when you bring somebody into your business like that, they had better be a culture fit. They better be the right person because we can train them on the systems. She's just you got really, really lucky making that your first interview, I'll just say.

Brianna: Well, OK, not only not only our first interview, our only interview.

Jonathan: Don't even say that. No.

DSP: Well when you know!

Jonathan: After we talked to her.

Brianna: But then that was our big thing. We did the interview, and we were like, do we need to do any other ones? Like if we if she fits the bill.

Jonathan: Yeah.

Brianna: I mean.

Jonathan: I think Brianna.

Brianna: We tried out internal candidates.

Jonathan: I think Brianna has a gift for like writing and things like that. And so, like she writes all of our job descriptions and this and that, and we'd put something up like just a feeler kind of like job thing out there months before. And she had filled it out. And then she we put it out again. We didn't contact anybody. And then we did it again a few months later. And she's like she filled it out again. And she actually emailed and said, "Hey, what's going on? Are you guys like, can I get in for an interview?" She's the only person who emailed us. And we're like, yeah, if you have the gumption to do that, let's interview her at least you know. And then it's just interesting how things work out. We'll just sat that much.

DSP: And what's interesting about that is, is, like you said, you did it once, did it again. There was fear. There was great fear of who are.

Jonathan: Totally.

DSP: We going to find and how are you going to trust them and how are you going to do all these things? And that's a big step for many entrepreneurs, especially when you've been doing everything yourself for over a decade. Right. You built it from a hobby kind of thing to this incredible wood fired pizza, great cocktails, catering beyond belief. You know, I've had the pleasure of my daughter goes to school nearby you is actually sitting in your restaurant and eating. And I'm telling you, the food is fantastic. The atmosphere is really I mean, it's just feels really comfortable. So, it's a great business. It's really hard to give that up when it's your baby, right?

Jonathan: Yeah.

Brianna: Yeah.

Jonathan: Totally.

DSP: So what's life like now? You opened up increased your sales, even though there's still the challenge, like during covid you still got hit. I mean, it wasn't you got extra revenue because you created more revenue streams, meaning lunch and a Monday you hired a and we're not talking to inexpensive general manager. It was a you stepped up and said, hey, "We can pay for this as we go through the budget" and what have you. So, what are the major changes? What's life like a time off, financial, headaches? What's it like now?

Brianna: Well, gosh, I honestly can't like we I don't think you can put a dollar amount on how nice it is to talk to one person and know that she's going to get stuff done. So, I don't have I mean, I follow up with her, but like in general, she is just she has amazing follow through. And just knowing that she's going to take care of it. Like the only conversation I need to have that week is with my GM pour into her and then the rest just kind of flows through the company like she's the domino. That's like that's probably the biggest.

Jonathan: Yeah, that's huge. So.

DSP: What about time for you guys? Because you live like across the street from the darn restaurant. So, it.

Brianna: Yeah.

DSP: Can it can tend to call you in like a siren. What's life like now? Because you've got two small kids growing family. What's it like?

Jonathan: OK, so here's a perfect example. We just did a fundraiser on a Monday night and we don't we it was something, a new type of fundraiser for us. And at a certain point, I was kind of like looking at like preorders happening and things like that. And I was like, "Oh, Bri this might be really a busy day, like, holy cow." And I was like getting antsy, like in the past, like, should I call.

Brianna: “Do you need us?”

Jonathan: Are you going to need us? Like, OK, I'm an awesome pizza maker, I'll do it, you know, I'll get pumped, you know, but.

DSP: Yeah.

Jonathan: I called up Angela. And I was like, "Hey, what's going on? You need some help. Are you sure you guys got this under control?" They had it under control. They crushed the day. There was. It was it was like, wow. And I was able to go about my regular workday. Which we are. We have a very regimented day of like what we're doing to make sure everything's done. So, we were able to keep on task as opposed to putting out every fire, what we're used to doing from the past life of not being as organized as business owners.

DSP: So stress levels are way down?

Jonathan: Yes.

Brianna: Oh, yeah.

DSP: More patient with the kids and you got two small kids, they got energy, man?

Jonathan: It's great.

Brianna: Yeah.

Jonathan: Well, honestly, I feel more fulfilled because it's like, you know, it gets mundane doing the same thing over and over again. It's very cool when you see the possibilities, kind of like when I mentioned earlier, just like, wow, this is what we're working towards now. There's and we're actually have time to do it now. That time is everything and it's it it's just awesome.

DSP: It's. Go ahead.

Brianna: And I don't think like if we were to right our job description, it would be put out the fire, make sure that like that that day is staffed for that fundraiser. Like, that's not where our sweet spot is. I don't think that that's what we're meant to do. And I think everybody else in the business we're realizing is counting on us to do bigger things, because like, if we if we could do anything, open up more locations, Angela would be the regional manager. One thousand percent. I love Angela. I want to pull her up with us and then everybody else gets pulled up. So, it's like we have no business taking other people's jobs and tasks from them. Like if they can do them usually better than us, like leave it to them, we're going to do what we're good at, which is growing the company. And then that's going to leave some voids where everybody can go, with you know.

DSP: Well, as an entrepreneur, that is probably one of the biggest lessons that the hardest lesson for us to do. That when we realize other people can do certain areas of our business better than we can because we look at everything at the same time, they can just you just focus on food cost. You just focus on pour cost. You just focus on labor cost. Where you're like paying bills and you got worker's comp and what's happening with covid and the restrictions. And it's so much it's like, wow, when you get there, but it's a big step to get there. Here are the kids in the background. Like I said, they're their terrors. It's all good. It's all good.

Brianna: I mean they're being baby sat. There is a babysitter up there.

DSP: Well, you know, we've got we've got you hidden in your in your newly ready, modely remodeled basement. You're in the process. They're just to hide. So that's.

Jonathan: Working on it. Yeah.

Brianna: Because this is where the internet is best.

DSP: Yeah. No, no worries.

Jonathan: No, this open studs is not a new design trend.

Brianna: Yeah.

DSP: We have an open concept restaurant. Now we want to live that way.

Jonathan: Yeah exactly.

DSP: Let me ask you this. If somebody were trying to figure out, "Hey, do, do I invest in working with David Scott Peters, in my programs and what I have to offer." What would you tell them?

Brianna: I would say be if you are going to do it, you have to be open to learning and you have to be like, I'm ready to invest because it's not a small investment. And I wouldn't say take it lightly, but like, absolutely. I mean, like, I wouldn't even it's almost like the in-betweens of the of the program have been the most pivotal for us. And I'm sure there are in-betweens for everyone in the program. These little like subtle mindset shifts thought, "Oh, I can do that" or "Oh, I don't have to do that." Like more so than just like learning how to put a food cost system in place. Those have been the most pivotal for me, and that's not part of the program, but it's part of the program. And so absolutely. But you have to be open to learning, doing the systems, as you say. Yeah. And just making like the full investment, including your time. Like, you can't mess around with it.

DSP: Oh, I think it's great because I tell people really the program now, the way we work things, it's really about transforming your life. Because what I discovered for decades, I'm like, "Hey, prime cost, food costs, labor costs, let's lower those things." But the truth of matter is, doesn't matter if you don't have a life. If we get you a life, you're making money. You've got people in place; you've got the ability to leave your restaurant and so on. And that was a big epiphany for me. So, to see you guys go through that transformation, because, again, you met me when I was doing that, right? Money, money, money, money, money. And then we re-met when the message changed. And that's when you're blossoming in your business, which is just unbelievable. The other part is I don't do the work, you do, and that's where you invest in yourself. And that's where I appreciate where you say, you know, it's not a small investment. It's an investment in time, money and mindset. Like you've got to make a change. If you're not ready, then I'm the wrong person because aren't I sweet on when we do Zoom calls. Just so sweet.

Brianna: Yes. So sweet.

Jonathan: Yeah, definitely.

Brianna: Thick skin.

DSP: Man, I appreciate you guys doing this with me today and I hope everybody listening can see that that you can really take your idea. You know, we didn't spend a lot of time about your passion for hospitality and we didn't take, you know, the passion for developing people and giving back to the community all those things that grew your business from a hobby to literally a rock star business in your area. And now we're looking at multiple locations. You are I should say. If there was one thing that we didn't talk about or you want to share with anybody that's listening to us, what would that be before we go?

Jonathan: I'd say just continue just to search out the proper education for you, because everybody goes through their own life differently, and I think you should talk to people who've done it before, like one person we talked to about, "Hey, how's David? How's DSP as a coach?" Mark Link owns Uncle Bub's barbecue place by us, and we respect him big time as a restaurateur. And he's like, "No doubt about it, Jonathan, you go ahead and do that. That's a good move." So that I'd say what I learned when back to me, being a poor student, like I found out, that the best way I learn is audible, you know, listening to things. So, you know, my Audible list on my phone is sixty-two titles right now and I.

DSP: Wow.

Jonathan: Found some great books, you know, it's like one we've read recently that was awesome was the "Millionaire Fastlane" by MJ DeMarco. We bought our building because we kind of bought into the "Rich Dad Poor Dad" book about how that philosophy of life, of owning things and buildings like that and. Any books that you read?

Brianna: Yeah, I think something that's really helping us recently we read the book a while ago, "The One Thing", but it asks a clarifying question. That's what's one thing you can do such that by doing it would make everything else easier or unnecessary. And when we sat back, and we were looking at all projects we had to do and all the systems we to put in place to do. And like you were telling us, in general, owners can't do all this stuff, like "Haha. I know you keep trying." And we were just like beating our heads against the wall. We're like, we thought we were good at this, but we can't do it. We kept embarrassing ourselves coming back to you, reporting back like, nope, didn't do our homework. When we sat back and asked that question, which I ask a lot now in all areas of life. Like what's the one thing we can do that would make all of this easier or unnecessary?

Jonathan: Yup.

Brianna: And then it was, oh, hire a GM. Duh. And it's like that has made everything easier. And then now moving forward, if we keep asking those questions, it's like, OK, well, what would what would if we're paying her a lot and we have this big team, like what would make all that easier or unnecessary? Oh, maybe we're expanding. We're growing. We're hiring another key team members that will support Angela and so that book has been transformational. We did a really awesome goal setting retreat with them and.

Jonathan: And honestly, one last thing about, you know, we heard Gary Keller say something is that the biggest one of the biggest problems entrepreneurs have when setting goals is not shooting high enough. And I finally feel like we're at a point now in our journey of entrepreneurship where we have enough of a foundation in certain places with help from you and other things we've done along the way where it's like, all right, now we can legitimately start making these goals and start attacking them. And it's really exciting.

DSP: What's really need is to listen to guys who say, OK, well, weren't necessarily meant for college, didn't want that, didn't enjoy school. You're in the school of hard knocks. But you also realize there is knowledge out there instead of a rote criteria. You say this is what I need, you go find it. And what's amazing about it is, you know, I always talk about my dad's phrase. Is ideas are cheap, it's the people who put them into action are priceless. Right. Take action is what we need to do. And you live that because think about it, everything you just said, a librarian should be a millionaire, multimillionaire. All that knowledge is right around that person, right? Doesn't matter that you go get the knowledge. It's what you do with it. And that's the magic. That's why I love you guys to death is because, like you said, you're decisive. You make a decision and you frickin go for it. You understand some you're going to lose some. You're to win some, but you go for it. And that that's the amazing part. So I love the quotes. I love the books. I'm going to be writing those down. I've got a couple that now I got to put on my list, so I appreciate that. Thanks, guys. I really appreciate you taking the time to be with us today. I can't wait to see what 2021 brings you.

Brianna: Absolutely.

Jonathan: Thanks, David.

Brianna: Thanks, David.

DSP: Hey, that was an awesome episode, I want to thank you for taking the time to take action on building a better, more prosperous restaurant. Before you go, I want to give you these three thoughts. One, by combining leadership and taking action with systems and training, being checked by accountability, you are on your way to creating prosperity for you and your restaurant. Two, I have something I need from you. Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you happen to listen to podcast. By leaving us a review other restaurant pros seeking out this information are able to find it. I read the reviews and hearing how this information has benefited you does wonders for me. And three, if you find any of the discussions helpful, share them. The more restaurant pros who have access to them, the better we become as an industry. For more restaurant resources or to get in contact with me, connect with me at DavidScottPeters.com. Be passionate about what you're doing, be persistent, but more importantly, become better and help everyone around you become better and your restaurant is going to kick some ass.