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Situated within the coronary heart of Portland, Maine, Sur Lie is a James Beard Award-nominated tapas restaurant with a menu spearheaded by chef Mimi Weissenborn, a lately introduced contestant on Bravo’s High Chef.
Whereas Weissenborn takes the helm within the kitchen, proprietor and James Beard Award semifinalist Krista Cole works behind the scenes to make sure a clean service night time after night time. She first opened the restaurant out of her love for tapas and wine pairings, filling a niche she could not discover in Portland. Then, Weissenborn got here alongside and adjusted the sport. Now, their distinctive dynamic is a key part to their success at Sur Lie.
“[We’re] this unbelievable dynamic duo,” Cole says. “I am very data-oriented, organized and environment friendly, and she or he’s the good, inventive mind that comes up with the menu, which is why folks come into Sur Lie as effectively. We now have a very good relationship that approach. As ladies within the business making an attempt to interrupt down boundaries, we deal with what we’re each actually good at and how one can complement one another.”
Collectively, the pair has crafted modern menus and an much more spectacular tapas service. One buyer, Mike C., visited the restaurant on a post-holiday journey and nonetheless remembers his server’s title right this moment.
“Service makes the meal, and it could actually break the meal,” Mike says. “Meg — as a result of I do bear in mind her title — she was actually nice, tremendous pleasant, good and informal however skilled. The service that we acquired was attentive however not overbearing. I am not searching for them to return up and verify on me each second, however I additionally do not need to have to go searching once I want them. That is service: studying that data, that have, that know-when-to and when-not-to.”
Cole says she is not positive if the sixth sense for distinctive service may be taught, however she encourages her staff to develop satisfaction of their work. She notices a transparent enchancment in service when servers deal with their work as a craft and really feel empowered so as to add their very own private contact.
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It additionally helps to have a passionate chef operating the present. “I feel crucial factor, too, is [Mimi is] an incredible chief, and that, to me, speaks greater than being an incredible chef as a result of when you may lead a staff of individuals and actually encourage in our business, then that interprets into the visitor expertise,” Cole says.
Constructing a dream staff does not occur by mistake. Cole makes use of two hiring techniques to search out staff who present promise. First, she opinions the applicant’s resumé and researches their earlier workplaces to grasp their previous work cultures and see if they might be a pure match at Sur Lie. Second, she asks in regards to the applicant’s favourite office and why, gaining perception into their values and cultural contributions.
From hiring to stock, Cole does all of it, emphasizing the significance of group to remain on high of every little thing. Earlier than changing into a restaurateur, Cole labored as a healthcare supervisor and studied entrepreneurship, gaining experience in staff and organizational construction that also serves her right this moment.
“Having techniques and processes in place is tremendous essential to offering high quality and consistency,” she says. “[That translates into] having your staff actually engaged within the work they’re doing and having the ability to maintain folks accountable. It needs to be a well-oiled machine, and there needs to be very clear expectations and a method of doing issues.”
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With such techniques and expectations in place, Cole is ready to shield her restricted time. She owns and runs two different eateries in Maine along with Sur Lie. One thing so simple as creating an Amazon order request kind or getting ready a gathering agenda saves her treasured time and ensures she addresses each subject along with her staff.
Studying buyer opinions is all the time an merchandise on Cole’s to-do listing and a vital part of Sur Lie’s well-oiled machine. She appreciates anybody who takes the time to offer suggestions, however she actually takes it to coronary heart when it comes from a neighborhood resident.
When she first took over the restaurant Collect, she invested within the model by hiring specialists and sourcing native substances, leading to larger menu costs. “[We were] listening to from the neighborhood that it was getting too costly,” Cole says. “We positively took that suggestions severely since you’re not a vacation spot restaurant in a small city. Normally, you are supported by your neighborhood and the locals. In order that was one thing that we shifted and tried to make slightly extra approachable for folks, particularly in a family-oriented neighborhood.”
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From beginning in healthcare to proudly owning three eating places, Cole continues to steer her entrepreneurial journey with these key classes:
- Decide up transferable expertise alongside the best way. The entrepreneurial journey is commonly a winding street, however expertise from different industries can show invaluable in the long term.
- Hearken to locals. Group is the driving power behind all native companies. Be sure to hearken to locals and worth their opinions to foster long-term loyalty.
- Get a great learn available on the market. Decide if there is a gap available in the market what you are promoting can fill and assess how one can differentiate your self from rivals.
- Service is a craft. Service leaves an enduring impression, good or unhealthy. Encourage your staff to convey their very own aptitude to customer support and take satisfaction of their craft.
- Shield your time. Set clear expectations together with your staff on when and the way you are out there. Whether or not it is a kind for stock requests or an agenda merchandise for the all-hands assembly, having a system in place will allow you to work smarter, not more durable.
- Rent to boost your tradition. If you happen to do not spend money on your workers’s careers, they will not spend money on the client expertise. Acknowledge their worth and the way it aligns together with your firm tradition.
Hearken to the episode under to listen to immediately from Cole and Mike C., and subscribe to Behind the Overview for extra from new enterprise homeowners and reviewers each Thursday.
Editorial contributions by Erin Palmero and Kristi Lindahl
