Barcelona Restaurant Group When Andy Pfize was in college, he took a road trip to New Orleans that would change his life. The sights and sounds of the Big Easy was thrilling to the nineteen-year old student, but it was the smells and tastes of the city restaurants that captured his imaginations. While discussing the city‘s eclectic dinning with locals, a chef challenged Andy to go to France to discover what cooking is all about. Decades after heeding the chef‘s words, Andy is himself a renowned chef and the co-owner of Barcelona Restaurant Group, a collection of seven wine and tapas bars in Connecticut and Atlanta, Georgia. Barcelona Restaurant Group prides itself on being ―anti-chain‖. When customers dine at any of the Andy‘s Spanish cuisine restaurants, they experience the local colour and personal touch of a neighbourhood eatery in Milan, Rio de Janeiro or SoHo. The wait staff is personable, and the head chef is known for cooking up flavourful custom dishes to please regulars. Managers get to know customers‘ tastes, and they often descend upon tables, bringing flavourful specialties accompanied by wines from Spain, Portugal, and vineyards around the world. At Barcelona, life is all about authentic cuisine, exceptional service and a good time. But delivering this unique dining experience requires a unique approach to restaurant management. Barcelona Restaurant Group gives employees the freedom and control they need to impress customers. The company begins by recruiting self-confident individuals who can take complete ownership over the establishment and its success. When Andy coaches new recruits, he instructs, ―This is your restaurant-when customers walk in the door, I don‘t want them looking for me, I want them looking for you.‖ This straight-talking restaurateur is adamant that his staff be mature and willing to take responsible for their work and success: ―Some of our best managers come from highly regulated large restaurant companies where they were told how to answer a phone call and how to set a table and how to greet a guest. We don‘t do that; we attempt to hire grownups.‖ The enormous trust Barcelona places in workers is evident during the weekly staff meetings. Andy routinely mixes it u with employees, and the dialogues get feisty at times. ―I can be difficult to work for,‖ the owner says candidly. ―I‘m interested in having other people‘s opinion thrown at me. I like managers who talk back, and I like people who self-start.‖ Scott Lawson, Barcelona‘s chief operating officer (COO), shares Andy‘s approach and he underscores that Barcelona‘s success depends on the mature initiative of employees: ―We give basic guidelines as to what our philosophy is and what our beliefs are, but we have to trust them to work within those confines and make the right choice.‖ In refusing to micromanage employees‘ behaviour, Barcelona takes risks that other dining establishments would rather avoid. Scott insisted such risks are intentional and beneficial: ―They might not always make the choice that I would make, but sometimes they make a better one. To give them a correct answer to every question is impossible, and it doesn‘t work. In fact, you‘re actually limiting your ability to get better.‖ DLM1043 INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT While Barcelona‘s leaders care about the wait staff, they make it clear that employees must care about the clientele. ―We‘re here for the customer experience,‖ Andy says. ―Everything else is secondary to that.‖ Scott agrees, and he adds that Barcelona‘s insistence on service excellence leads to high satisfaction among employees. ―If we can empower them to make the guests happy, they‘re going to make money, the vibe in the restaurant is going to be a ton of fun, everybody‘s going to enjoy the shift, and they‘re going to be proud of what they‘ve done. And they are happy, because that‘s a by-product.‖ Discussion Questions 1. In what ways is Barcelona‘s management approach consistent with modern developments in management thinking? 2. In what ways does Barcelona‘s management approach run counter to contemporary developments in management thinking? 3. What aspects of restaurant work are especially challenging to wait staff, and how does Barcelona‘s approach to management help employees overcome the downsides of the job?
Barcelona Restaurant Group
When Andy Pfize was in college, he took a road trip to New Orleans that would change his
life. The sights and sounds of the Big Easy was thrilling to the nineteen-year old student, but
it was the smells and tastes of the city restaurants that captured his imaginations. While
discussing the city‘s eclectic dinning with locals, a chef challenged Andy to go to France to
discover what cooking is all about.
Decades after heeding the chef‘s words, Andy is himself a renowned chef and the co-owner
of Barcelona Restaurant Group, a collection of seven wine and tapas bars in Connecticut and
Atlanta, Georgia.
Barcelona Restaurant Group prides itself on being ―anti-chain‖. When customers dine at any
of the Andy‘s Spanish cuisine restaurants, they experience the local colour and personal
touch of a neighbourhood eatery in Milan, Rio de Janeiro or SoHo. The wait staff is
personable, and the head chef is known for cooking up flavourful custom dishes to please
regulars. Managers get to know customers‘ tastes, and they often descend upon tables,
bringing flavourful specialties accompanied by wines from Spain, Portugal, and vineyards
around the world.
At Barcelona, life is all about authentic cuisine, exceptional service and a good time. But
delivering this unique dining experience requires a unique approach to restaurant
management. Barcelona Restaurant Group gives employees the freedom and control they
need to impress customers.
The company begins by recruiting self-confident individuals who can take complete
ownership over the establishment and its success. When Andy coaches new recruits, he
instructs, ―This is your restaurant-when customers walk in the door, I don‘t want them
looking for me, I want them looking for you.‖ This straight-talking restaurateur is adamant
that his staff be mature and willing to take responsible for their work and success: ―Some of
our best managers come from highly regulated large restaurant companies where they were
told how to answer a phone call and how to set a table and how to greet a guest. We don‘t do
that; we attempt to hire grownups.‖
The enormous trust Barcelona places in workers is evident during the weekly staff meetings.
Andy routinely mixes it u with employees, and the dialogues get feisty at times. ―I can be
difficult to work for,‖ the owner says candidly. ―I‘m interested in having other people‘s
opinion thrown at me. I like managers who talk back, and I like people who self-start.‖
Scott Lawson, Barcelona‘s chief operating officer (COO), shares Andy‘s approach and he
underscores that Barcelona‘s success depends on the mature initiative of employees: ―We
give basic guidelines as to what our philosophy is and what our beliefs are, but we have to
trust them to work within those confines and make the right choice.‖
In refusing to micromanage employees‘ behaviour, Barcelona takes risks that other dining
establishments would rather avoid. Scott insisted such risks are intentional and beneficial:
―They might not always make the choice that I would make, but sometimes they make a
better one. To give them a correct answer to every question is impossible, and it doesn‘t
work. In fact, you‘re actually limiting your ability to get better.‖
DLM1043 INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT
While Barcelona‘s leaders care about the wait staff, they make it clear that employees must
care about the clientele. ―We‘re here for the customer experience,‖ Andy says. ―Everything
else is secondary to that.‖
Scott agrees, and he adds that Barcelona‘s insistence on service excellence leads to high
satisfaction among employees. ―If we can empower them to make the guests happy, they‘re
going to make money, the vibe in the restaurant is going to be a ton of fun, everybody‘s going
to enjoy the shift, and they‘re going to be proud of what they‘ve done. And they are happy,
because that‘s a by-product.‖
Discussion Questions
1. In what ways is Barcelona‘s management approach consistent with modern developments
in management thinking?
2. In what ways does Barcelona‘s management approach run counter to contemporary
developments in management thinking?
3. What aspects of restaurant work are especially challenging to wait staff, and how does
Barcelona‘s approach to management help employees overcome the downsides of the job?
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