Seniormost Operating Executive, partnering with the Founder/CEO. Responsible for growth strategy and daily operations of this $100M restaurant company with over a 1,000 employees and 7 high-volume locations: six locations of The Smith (4 in New York City, 1 in Chicago, and 1 in DC) and a new pizza concept in Manhattan called Parla. 3 locations of the Smith are among the 100 busiest restaurants in America. Direct reports included VP of Operations, VP of Product Development/Executive Chef, and the Director of Human Resources.Major Responsibilities:Driving Profitability: drove new approach to labor and cost management, yielding year-over-year gains on every restaurant P+L in the company of 2 to 3 full percentage point increases to EBITDA per store.Strategic Planning: launched strategic planning process to guide company’s growth plan, elevate operating standards, and build a stronger culture of excellence across both the staff and Management corps.Elevate Recruiting: hired the organization’s first Director of Recruiting to increase the quality of management and culinary candidates. Initiated CTR’s first college recruiting function. Expand Training: hired an experienced Director of Learning & Development, partnering with the team to upgrade (and at times reinvent) all Standard Operating Procedures, Staff and Management training programs. Introduced automated learning system software from Opus.Culinary Systems: introduced new technologies including the Ecolab Prep-n-Print system of digital labelers for all perishable products across the kitchen, bar and dining room, to increase accuracy and organization and reduce waste. Launched the SafetyCulture “iAuditor” digital checklist tool, adding a level of tracking and accountability to kitchen and bar station setups, chef-driven DOH walkthroughs, and opening Manager checklists.Corporate Rebranding: instigated a complete rebrand of Corner Table to increase its visibility as a holding company of multiple brands.

IMPEL Advisors is a strategy consultancy serving emerging growth companies in the hospitality space. Our most prominent clients have been Ralph Lauren and MCR Hotels. Learn more at www.impeladvisors.com

Head of People: Strategic, operations-driven approach to HR, from culture building and leadership development. Provided quarterly compensation recommendations for over 200 managers.Restaurant Operations: Rotated daily between restaurant locations interacting with guests, coaching staff, and weighing in on menu/recipe development, decor, and design.Recruiting: Grew in-house management recruiting process that included visiting more than 50 college campuses and hiring between 75 and 100 Managers each year through a unique multi-stage evaluation process composed of video screens, multiple in person interviews, cognitive skills testing, and rigorous realistic job previews/stages. Personally interviewed every management candidate who reached the final round over 16 years.Management Training: Provided ongoing design and improvement for industry-leading 3-month rotational training program for Dining Room and Culinary Managers. Performance Planning: Designed and launched a proprietary company wide performance evaluation system for both staff and management. Leadership Development: Designed, hosted, and supervised multiple Management Leadership Conferences: 3-day events held at CIA’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley. Classes included Financial Management, Project/Construction Management, Restaurant Design, Cooking Basics, Wine Knowledge. Led seminars in Leadership, Culture, Service Standards, and Strategic Interviewing.Opening New Locations: Working closely with the Vice President of Operations, supervised the launching of live operations of many Hillstone properties including HIllstone Denver, the White House Tavern in Aspen, East Hampton Grill, and R+D Kitchen Park Cities. Closing of Locations: Lead Executive tasked with closing locations, including the delicate task of announcing closing to staff and management and handling all subsequent personnel challenges including separations, redeployment, and severance.

After starting the Digital Advertising Operations group from scratch in 1998, became co-head of division and built the team into a full-service ad design, programming, and traffic group totaling 19 people responsible for implementing unique sponsorships across the Sony family of websites.