Restaurant and Hospitality Operations
Consultant
“Proactive Leader and Problem Solver”
30 years experience in all aspects of
restaurant operations.
Expertise in building, revitalizing and
optimizing
restaurants' daily operations, processes, menu, product
development
and organizational infrastructure to optimize results.
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Strategic Planning, Leadership Skills
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Recipe and Menu Development
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Team Building, Motivation, and Performance
Revenue, Increased Sales and Growth
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Streamlining Operations
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Menu to Kitchen: Planning and Organization
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Product, Performance, Market Optimization
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Value-Added Products and Customer Service
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Founder and
Operator Crescent
Moon Eateries 1995-2008
Consulting Chef New
Orleans Café 1994
Restaurant Chef Murphy’s
Restaurant 1989-1994
Managing Partner/Chef Alternative
Dining, Inc. 1988-1989
Assistant Chef, Lead Cook Gilbert
and Robinson Co. 1986-1987
Line Cook, Waiter, Busboy Dishwasher Virginia
Beach VA, Raleigh NC, Providence MA 1978-1986 |
My restaurant and hospitality odyssey began as
a dishwasher/bus boy in a Virginia Beach, Va. diner in the summer
of 1978. Over the next eight years I completed my education and
worked in restaurants from Raleigh, NC to Seekonk, MA. Dishwasher,
bus boy, host, waiter, sandwich maker, salad station, prep cook,
dessert plating and preparation, line cook, and floor sweeper-I
experienced and enjoyed them all. The camaraderie, hard work
and respect that come with working hard and being productive
were intoxicating. After college I entered the world of corporate
restaurants. I hated it. There I was wearing a white coat and
paper toque doing product yield reports and inventory.
A former co-worker, two others and myself opened a fine dining
southwestern themed restaurant in Virginia Beach, VA. The restaurant
was a success and is still operating today. As a partnership
we were not successful. Too many cooks in the kitchen! We sold
the business and I took a job as a catering chef for a local
gourmet store and catering company. Catering did not provide
the adrenaline rush of a restaurant. After ten months my
wife and I accepted an offer to move to Atlanta. Two months later
I was living in Atlanta working as the Sous Chef at Murphy’s.
Six months later I was the restaurant chef. Over the next four
years, we expanded, relocated to a more prominent location and
completely transformed the menu and concept.
Crescent Moon was founded and opened on January 1, 1995 in downtown
Decatur, Ga. We opened initially as a breakfast and lunch diner.
After five years we expanded into a larger location which we
built from the ground up. Dinner was added and we reopened to
standing room only crowds. We kept it up for eight more years
and then received an offer to sell which was well timed and reflective
of our commitment to excellence. Over those thirteen years, I
was involved in every aspect and every decision of the operation,
everyday. I opened a second Crescent Moon in May of 2004. Then,
I saw the wisdom of employee manuals, proper training, creating
promotions, organized book keeping etc. My staff and I created
those items along with many other tools that enabled me to operate
two locations with out a clone.
When I started Crescent Moon, my goal was to be the best at
every position. I worked long and hard and earned the respect
of my staff and can boast one of the lowest turnover rates in
the industry. That time in the trenches working with my staff
and customers created the atmosphere necessary for success. The
documentation and formulation of the spreadsheets, manuals and
metrics are all a product of involvement not a textbook. There
is no substitute for experience. I enhanced my experience with
a formal education, not visa versa. I started at the bottom.
I would honor the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience
with you and your company. |
