Success Story

Timbers Bar and Grill Elevates their Culture and Implements Systems that Work

For George Anderson, the key to taking his Timbers Bar and Grill to the next level was implementing systems that worked.

"First and foremost, we turned over the management team and hired three people with many years of experience working in corporate chain restaurants," Anderson recounts. "They have a deeper understanding of what needs to be accomplished for a restaurant to be successful, and they understand the need for systems which are so lacking in some independent concepts."

The operation already had systems in place, Anderson continues, "but when only the owner has the understanding of their importance it makes it hard to move the needle."

Independent restaurants need to act and think like the chains to stay competitive, he reflects. "I'm not one for reinventing the wheel, so emulating some of their best practices is a no brainer. The benefit that we have as an independent is that when we have an issue that needs to be corrected - a new menu item we want to feature, or a great promotion we want to try - we can do it without going through the corporate bureaucracy. The problem that we don't have is not knowing the numbers, because we review them weekly and monthly, always doing weekly inventories and weekly P&L reviews. So, there are never any surprises."

Another great benefit was changing the culture of the restaurant, teaching the team the importance of standing out in "a sea of restaurants, and the journey to greatness. We empowered the staff, and went from being far back in the pack to being the number-one restaurant in our area on Trip Advisor by encouraging our guests to give us good, honest feedback, which we always take to heart."

Anderson tracks three key sales points - alcohol, appetizers and dessert - and posts them monthly, creating an air of competition amongst the service staff. "We tell our serving sales people that our guests come in the door with high expectations, and our job is to exceed them."

Anderson credits much of the progress he has made to the continual flow of information he receives from RestaurantOwner.com. "You guys touch on so many subjects that we, as owners, get constant positive reinforcement, whether it is the monthly magazine or the web site. The sharing of ideas is essential to all of us in the independent community, because at our core we all share the passion for service and hospitality and an understanding of how hard it can be in our business."

What he calls "the biggest RestaurantOwner.com benefit to me that can be broken down to dollars and cents" has been the Red Envelope promotion. "I have been in this business for many years, and only became aware of it through your company," Anderson relates. "I had been contemplating doing it, but finally pulled the trigger in 2016."

His staff did exactly what was suggested, handing out envelopes in December and having the guests return in January with their envelope unopened. Every envelope was a winner, with prizes ranging from a free soft drink up to a $250 gift card.

"January sales have historically been weak, as with most restaurants," Anderson explains, "so we had high hopes for improvement. The results were beyond expectations, with a sales increase of 18% and our highest January sales ever."