860: Kevin Cornish owner of KC's Rib Shack

Kevin Cornish opened the original KC's Rib Shack in 1998. Prior to that he owned a printing company in Manchester, NH, as well as a rock club in Miami. The rock club lasted about 5 years from late 80's to mid-90's when he returned to Manchester. After barbecue-ing with friends he decided to open up his own restaurant. The first location was in Litchfield, NH and had only a handful of tables. The concept soon moved to the much bigger city of Manchester. Now, KC's Rib Shack is a staple in Manchester with over 300 seats.

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Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "We are in the hospitality industry first and foremost."

In this workshop with Kevin Cornish we will discuss:

• Staff longevity
• BBQ mail order
• Operating a music venue and bar
• Being busy but not making money
• Proof of concept
• Pop ups
• When investors pull out
• Where passion gets you when money fails
• Opening a restaurant in the 90s with 4,000 dollars
• Guerilla marketing
• Email marketing
• Facebook marketing
• Yelp
• Mug clubs
• RestaurantOwner dot com
• Labor

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Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Hospitality
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Push-over
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • Longevity, loyalty
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Labor and food cost
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Make people feel welcome
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Always smile
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • Setting the Table by Danny Meyer
   • 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?
   • BentoBox
9. Name one service you've hired.
   • KDS with Toast POS
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?
    • Don't open a restaurant
    • Charge what you need to charge
    • Expect restaurant ownership to be hard

Contact info:

Website: ribshack.net

Email: kcsribshack@gmail.com

Thanks for listening!

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Huge thanks to Kevin Cornish 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!