Success Story

Magnolia Pancake Haus Launches Training Program and Mission Statement to Maintain a Consistent Level of Excellence

The challenge for the management of this iconic San Antonio restaurant was to, so to speak, put its Magnolia Pancake Haus in order.

Magnolia's recent focus has been to develop training programs to build better team members and trainers, future team members, and managers. They set out to put a system in place so that all team members were on the same page, and to create a higher level of consistency in their food and guest service. They invested in training trainers, along with development of current team members. The effort has created greater understanding and clarity of what everyone's job and role is as a part of the team and company.

To assist with that mission, management rolled out a mission statement that reads, in part: "To create a dining experience so enjoyable the guest can't wait to come back." Then the training initiative was designed to focus on ways each position could contribute to achieving the mission.

Its mission has been a successful one as far as residents of San Antonio are concerned. The dream of founders Robert and Sheila Fleming was to create a restaurant that conveyed their passion for great food. Their Magnolia Pancake Haus' renowned breakfast is built around a recipe for the self-proclaimed "world's best" buttermilk pancakes and unique menu items made with the freshest ingredients.

Indeed, their breakfast has become a San Antonio attraction. As the company proclaims, "Our homemade syrups are delicately blended to create delectable toppings for our wide variety of pancakes, waffles and French toast. You'll notice the unique and wholesome flavor of our applewood bacon, ham, and Canadian bacon, all carefully selected to provide you with the finest meats available. Our pork sausage is custom-blended with no fillers or artificial ingredients. You will definitely appreciate the consistent flavor and freshness of our coffee, brewed using the latest technology."

The restaurant was so successful that it quickly outgrew its location, and in 2006 moved across the parking lot into what had been an old roller rink. Over time, loyal diners began asking when they could expect to see a second location. As its web site explains, "After fielding those questions and never having a specific answer, we finally found the perfect second location." Magnolia Halle, described as an "urban barn" with some old-school charm and a seating capacity of 300, opened in the summer of 2016. The location can accommodate any type of event.

Owner, Robert Flemming has been a long time RestaurantOwner.com member and his team has been using RO.com training and other resources for many years. In 2016, Robert and his Director of Operations attended a RestaurantOwner.com workshop on Culture, and decided that creating a mission statement and focusing on their culture was the next step. This initiative has been a huge success for them. We're told that "everyone has a better understanding of the roles they play, and we have more consistency in our service and a smoother flow of operations."

Management is convinced that focusing on the team approach has elevated the guest experience, creating more repeat guests. In the future, they plan on continually working on improving their training systems and processes, along with reducing employee turnover and increasing our guest counts.