917: Steve Brown El Presidente Busboy Restaurant Group

Steve brown is El Presidente of Busboy restaurant group. Steve got his start in the restaurant industry as, you guessed it, a busboy, at the age of 15. He then worked in the kitchen and eventually became a host when he was still in his teens, and he realized then that he really enjoys FOH. In his early 20's, he left the restaurant industry to work in liquor and beer sales for 4 years, until he opened his first restaurant in 1985 with a partner, called Esperanza's Restaurante Mexicano in Grapevine, Texas. In 1990, they opened a second location with a different name. 7 years later they opened a third location, again with a different name, this time called Guerro's. In 2000 came the departure of his former partner, leaving Steve with two locations including the original Esperanza's in Grapevine. Today, Esperanza's is a massive, thriving restaurant and Steve is the president of his own restaurant group.

Check out RestaurantSystemsPro as mentioned in today's episode!

Check out On The Brink: The Life and Leadership of Norman Brinker by Norman Brinker as highly recommend by today's guest!

Today’s feature affiliate: Bentobox. In need of a restaurant website? Click this link to find out why so many of my guests use Bentobox!

Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!!

• Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me!  Connect with my past guest and a community of superfans.
• Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel
• Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group
• Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!)

Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "Doubt, pout, or do without."
• "The more you put down, the more you pick up."

In this episode with Steve Brown we will discuss:

• The benefits of opening a restaurant young.
• Stay humble
• Schooling post-high school
• Good with people, bad with food
• Scaling culture
• Major benefits of masterminds
• A deteriorating partnership

Today's sponsor:

At Popmenu, we know that in today’s world, a great hospitality experience usually begins online. Keeping the conversation with guests going beyond the meal also requires simple, powerful, fun technology capable of expression through all kinds of channels. Our team takes pride in helping restaurants put their best foot forward digitally so they can focus on what they do best. We think PDF menus are super boring, we believe 3rd party platforms have had too much say in how consumers find their next dining experience and we deeply feel that sharing your beautiful menu doesn’t have to be so difficult, time-consuming and expensive. As a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable, you'll receive $100 off your first month of Popmenu!

7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free.

Join the 60-day Restaurant Systems Pro FREE TRAINING. This is something that has never been done before. This 60-day event is at no cost to you, but it is not for everyone. Fred Langley, CEO of Restaurant Systems Pro, will lead a group of restaurateurs through the Restaurant Systems Pro software and set up the systems for your restaurant. During the 60 days, Fred will walk you through the Restaurant Systems Pro Process and help you crush the following goals: Recipe Costing Cards; Guidance in your books for accounting; Cash controls; Sales Forecasting(With Accuracy); Checklists; Budgeting for the entire year; Scheduling for profit; More butts in seats and more… Click Here to learn more.

Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Perseverance
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • My heart is too big
3. What's one thing you ask or look for when interviewing/growing your team?
   • A willingness to learn
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Maintaining the culture
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Honesty
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Attention to customer service
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • On The Brink: The Life and Leadership of Norman Brinker by Norman Brinker
   • GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations?
   • RestaurantSystemsPro
   • Motorola head sets/ear piece for communication among restaurant staff
9. What is one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or often enough?
   • Communicate with customers
10. 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?
    • Live large
    • Love large
    • Work hard

Contact info:

Website: http://esparzastexas.com

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!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

Huge thanks to Steve Brown for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!