Episode Details

In this episode with Federico Castellucci III, we discuss:

• How you can literally cause your restaurant can burn down if you flirt with your guest's girlfriend. Especially if that guest is a mobster.
• How vulnerable a high food cost restaurant concept is during a slow economy.
• Charging what food is worth. There are other ways to provide value without giving food away.
• Treating your small business as if it were a big business.
• Making sure all your business partners have the same vision and mission. If they don't, there will be too many people pulling in too many directions.
• Being intentional with your college experience.
• Quantitating everything in your business so you can create standards and track progress.
• Focusing on the aspects of your business that are the most important, especially during the early days.
• How to create financial sovereignty in your restaurant.
• The positives and negatives of being in a family business.
• Using a mission statement and core values to to maintain consistency across multiple brands.
• Keeping people motivated by creating work that matters.

Federico Castellucci III has been working in the restaurant business his entire life, holding his first job as an eleven year old in a bakery in Rhode Island. Soon after, as a teenager, he began working in the family business holding various roles in the kitchen including cook and kitchen manager before heading to Cornell University, where he studied Hospitality Management. Today, he has taken over the family business and serves as President and CEO of Castellucci Hospitality Group, which consist of 6 unique concepts and locations.

Show notes… Favorite Success Quote or Mantra.

"Make it more personal."

Other resources mentioned

BarResturantSuccess.com Inner Circle

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Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Emotional intelligence
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Overly optimistic.
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • Ask questions that get to the core of who people are.
     • Example: Federico suggests having the interviewee tell you about a friend that they had to help. Why did you have to help? How did you help?
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Continuing to grow the brand in an extremely loud market place.
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Be sincere.
   • Be authentic.
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Ask a question of the guest to learn more about them. Use that questions to connect or relate and go deeper.
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
   • Good to Great: Why Some Companies Ma