Interview Series: Brian Duncan of Down To Earth Wine Concepts

Here is another interview from The CONQUER Online Restaurant Summit with my friend Brian Duncan. Brian always has a unique understanding and view of the world. The topic for this talk was how Restaurant Culture is in Crisis.

Donald...

The restaurant world will never be the same after what we have been through over the past few years.

Things have changed rapidly for restaurants around the globe and many look to the USA for trends and insight into which direction the industry is headed.

I can tell you from working with over 2200...

The Coronavirus Pandemic is unlike anything we have ever experienced. Times like these bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. It has forced some to close for good and for others to rethink their reason for staying in this industry. Some have added take-out and delivery. Others...

*The following is an excerpt from my new book: Your Restaurant Culture Sucks coming out in September 2021.

"You should close your restaurant."

I can’t believe the words just came out of my mouth. There was a very long silence on the other end of the Zoom call. Enough silence that you knew...

I'VE BEEN WHERE YOU ARE...

Go sit in your restaurant for an hour with your eyes closed and just listen. What do you hear?

Does it sound like the smooth cadence of a well-oiled machine or more like a clunky old car engine that backfires every minute?

When I am coaching a client, I love to sit in the dining room and just...

If you’re like the majority of restaurants and bars in your market, you’ve been struggling to find staff.

Many operators are struggling to find any staff! Are they breathing? Can they form a coherent sentence? Yes? Hired!

The new hires stay for a few weeks but end up...

Day in and day out you are dedicated to the grind. You breathe in stress and breathe out hospitality. You get knocked down one day and get back up the next. Welcome to the world of restaurants and bars. It can be a brutal lifestyle if (and it’s a very big if) you allow it to control you.

...

Bruce Wayne has Batman. Clark Kent has Superman. Bruce Banner has The Hulk. Kobe Bryant has the Black Mamba. How about you? Do you have an alter ego you can channel to elevate your leadership to the elite level?

You should. 

To find it, we’re going to need to take a trip to your dark...

Have you ever seen a bucket full of crabs? 

The strange thing is that they don't put a lid on top to keep them from escaping. Why? The crabs keep each other from getting out.  As soon as one gets up above the rest, another crab will grab it and pull it back down into the...

Your restaurant's culture is the life force of your brand. It creates energy. That energy transcends and influences your staff. That trickles down to encompass the guest experience. To those on the outside looking in, it can be either a beacon or a warning sign.

A toxic culture is a symptom of a...