523: Treating Your Employees Like Partners with Ryan and Leena Rommann

Ryan and Leena had careers in finance and consulting. Leena previously held management positions at Goldman Sachs, IBM, Standard Chartered and GE Capital. Ryan was a Peace Corps voluteer in Mongolia from 2009 to 2011. He served senior consulting positions at IBM, The Asia Group, and Healy Consultants in Singapore.

In 2014, tired of corporate careers that left them stuck behind desks eating fattening fast-food, Ryan and Leena Rommann decided to change things up. They quit their jobs, packed their bags, and journeyed from Singapore to Olympia, WA. In 2015 Miso was born to bring a love of life, food, and family to each bite of their guest took.

 

Show notes…

Favorite Success Quote or Mantra.

"Smile."

In this episode with Ryan and Leena Rommann, we discuss: 

• When it comes to customer service, avoid negative experiences at all cost. One negative experience can ruin the entire experience.
• Why "running capital" is so important when opening a restaurant and how to calculate it.
• Starting small to keep overhead expenses low.
• How only serving fresh food helps cut down on the amount of storage space you need.
• Advice on developing your customer profile and adopting your menu to fit that profile.
• When trying to get media, make the journalist's job as easy as possible.
• The social media strategy Ryan and Leena used to promote their business.
• Establishing clear lanes for yourself and your partners and staying in them.
• What good service looks like.
• The qualities that make for best employees.
• Treating your employees like partners.
• The power in keeping your operation simple.

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Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?

   • Ryan & Leean: Passion for Health and fitness.

2. What is your biggest weakness?

   • Ryan: Getting too personal about the business.
   • Leena: Letting the business spill into personal life.

3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?

   • Ryan: "Why here? Why Miso?"

4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?

   • Growing the new customer base.

5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.

   • Treat your guest the same way you'd treat your mom or grandmother.

6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?

   • Always greet and acknowledge.
   • Check on the table.
   • Invite them back on their way out the door.

7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 

   1. Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
   2. Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time. 
   3. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing It's Soul 
   4. Restaurant Success by the Numbers: A Money-Guy's Guide to Opening the Next New Hot Spot. 

8. Share an online resource or tool. 

   1. Social Media

9. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?

   1. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
   2. Smile.
   3. Do what you want to do.

Contact Info

www.misofitfastfresh.com

@misofitfastfresh

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

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Huge thanks to Ryan and Leena Rommann for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

 

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