Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1220124
you can increase your success if you increase labor costs, which might seem unfathomable for some. But when you look at the big picture and retention, and you also are looking at the cost of training and hiring and interviewing and all that other stuff, I think that by paying people more, retaining them, and making them a strong element of your business, it's a good business decision. How about yourself? Do you take a salary? I do take a salary. The first couple of years, that salary was zero, just to get the business going. My salary is $50,000, so I'm making just barely more than our managers. I don't want to haul more resources than that out of the business until I'm able to better compensate our employees. I don't have any food budget, because I eat all my meals in the restaurants. Being a small business owner is full of sacrifices, especially in the early years. If you believe in your project, you're willing to do what it takes to make it go with the belief that there are going to be payoffs along the way. Not just financial payoffs, but all sorts of human payoffs. 26 SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM Fancy Food Show Booth #1675 PACKED WITH PROTEIN, OMEGA 3'S, CALCIUM & VITAMINS SEASONPRODUCTS.COM on the go! on the go! the on o o o o n o n on n n on o n on o o o n o o on o o on o n on o o on o the the the the the go! go! go! go! go! S A R D I N E go! go! go! go! go! n the o o o o n n n n on o n on o on o o o o n o o on o n n n o n on o o on o n on o o on o the the the the the go! go! go! go! go! S A R D I N E S A L A D K I T M E D I T E R R A N E A N M E D I T E R R A N E A N PACKED WITH PROTEIN, OMEGA 3'S, CALCIUM & VITAMINS SEASONPRODUCTS.COM go! go! go! go! go! the go! the the the the go! go! go! go! go! M E D I T E R R A N E A N M E D I T E R R A N E A N M E D I T E R R A N E A N M E D I T E R R A N E A N M E D I T E R R A N E A N 1 SPOON 1 SARDINE EZ PEEL CAN 6 BROWN RICE CRACKERS KIT INCLUDES S W E E T & S P I C Y L E M O N V E G G I E S W E E T & S P I C Y 1 SPOON 1 SARDINE EZ PEEL CAN INCLUDES S W E E T & S P I C Y L E M O N V E G G I E INCLUDES L E M O N V E G G I E S K I N L E S S & B O N E L E S S Q&A How well are the managers paid at the restaurants? Our managers make in the vicinity of around $40,000 a year, some a little more. They get their health benefits, they get 10 paid vacation days a year, 10 paid sick days a year, and the other various perks that I already mentioned. We also try to keep our managers to a reasonable schedule of around 40 hours a week. I know $40,000 is below the median income for a city, and we want to continually do better and more. This year, I hope to take a leap so that we can better reward our employees, including our managers. How do you feel about the fact that a lot of restaurant associations have taken a stance against raising the minimum wage? I disagree with them. We're not members for that reason. I disagree with their philosophy. I think it's shortsighted, and it's looking at a narrow version of the bottom line for success when all you're thinking about is reducing labor costs. Sometimes PHOTO: THE LUNCH ROOM LLC