789: Ken Schwartz President of SSA Foodservice Design + Consulting

SSA is a global hospitality design and consulting firm established in Tampa by Ken Schwartz in 1987. SSA specializes in food and beverage service design and is known for their Bespoke design solutions.

President & CEO SSA Foodservice Design + Consulting Ken Schwartz has been selected as one of the top 12 design consultants in the world and the SSA team has grown from a single office to multiple locations in the US and Europe. SSA project engagements range from small boutique coffee establishments to $2.6 billion resorts. Brands, architects, and interior designers within all sectors of foodservice design (ie restaurants, casino, hotels, resorts, healthcare, workplace dining, sports venues, airports and college/universities) engage SSA for its extensive knowledge, creativity, and collaborative approach.

 

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Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "We take our work incredibly serious, but not ourselves."

In today's episode with Ken Schwartz we will discuss:

• The journey to success
• The packaging of your to-go orders is part of your brand, even though it is trash
• Restaurant design
• Controlling costs
• When to scale

Today's sponsor:

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.

P&G ProfessionalTM offers innovative total foodservice solutions featuring trusted brands such as Dawn® Professional, Cascade® Professional, Spic and Span® and Comet®. We are unique in that our total solutions are founded in customer and patron understanding, superior products that help save time and cut overall costs, and a five-star service group that is compensated based on customer satisfaction, not commissions. Visit www.pgpro.com for the latest information about P&G Professional's solutions and services.

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!

Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Attention to detail
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Attention to detail
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • Do they fit with the brand
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Travel
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • The work has to be pristine
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Think about things logically
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • Who Moved My Cheese? An A-Mazing Way To Deal With Change In Your Work And In Your Life by Spencer Johnson
     GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
   • Clean
9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influence operations?
   • Handheld devices - 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?
    • Love each other
    • Respect each other
    • Embrace each other

Contact info:

website: www.studiofs.com

Instagram: @ssafsd

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 Ken Schwartz 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!