In The Room Where It Happens

This week we're staying local, and the Shoutout goes to our friends and partners at the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA). If you run a restaurant in this state, NYSRA is in your corner, and this month they're putting on two things worth your time, both on the same day, Tuesday, September 22, right here in New York City.

The first is a real one. From Restaurant Manager to Leader: Build the People Skills That Power Great Restaurants, (not a short title, but then again, no one ever called my writing style concise or tight, just saying) running 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM at HMG Plus (12 West 37th Street). It's a two-part conference built for managers, assistant managers, and the emerging leaders who are responsible for a team and want to get better at actually leading it. Part one is led by Tezra Bryant, The Restaurant MC, and part two by Sarah Diehl and Emily Helms of Empowered Hospitality. Tickets are $99 for NYSRA members and $139 for non-members, and that includes lunch (but I can’t comment on the water that will be served). 😊

Here's why I'm pointing you to it. We spend a lot of ink in this newsletter on the back of house and the P&L, but the truth is your single most expensive line item, labor, is won or lost on whether your managers can lead. A great manager retains a team. A struggling one bleeds turnover, and turnover is one of the most punishing costs in the entire business. A day of real leadership training for ninety-nine bucks isn't an expense, it's one of the highest-ROI checks you'll write all year, b/c it protects the people who protect your guests.

Then, that evening from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, NYSRA hosts its Emerging Leaders Council Happy Hour at the iconic Grand Central Oyster Bar, for hospitality pros under 40 looking to build their network and their careers. And in a lovely bit of symmetry with this week's Top of the Fold, this one comes with complimentary appetizers and an open bar. The drinks, quite literally, are on the house. It's free to attend, and it's generously sponsored by two more friends of Branded, SpotOn and Ecolab, who show up for this industry again and again. A genuine thank-you to both.

So, there it is. Spend the day getting better at the hardest, most human part of this business, then spend the evening with the next generation of people building it. Class in session, drinks to follow. Go register, and come say hello.

See you at Grand Central.