Restaurateurs 'turn up the heat' at LA Women Business Leaders Conference

As part of the annual programming for the Louisiana Women Business Leaders Conference and hosted by the Nicholls State University Center for Women in Government (LCWG), three Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) members participated in the panel “Culinary: Turn Up the Heat,” on Sept. 19, 2014.

Anna Tusa, co-owner of The Crazy Lobster and member of the LCWG, invited LRA VP of Communications Wendy Waren to moderate the panel. She recruited panelists Ti Adelaide Martin of Commander’s Palace to join her along with Restaurant Specialist Dianne Sclafani of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. The four decided to focus the panel on the important role women play in the restaurant industry and professional development as it relates to women.

“There is no glass ceiling in our industry,” said Waren. “Fifty percent of all restaurant owners are women and from 1997 to 2007, the number of women-owned restaurants jumped by 50 percent. That’s remarkable evidence to the ever-growing opportunities that women can create for themselves.”

 

Other indicators, specifically as it relates to women are 70 percent of wait staff are women and these positions are among the highest-paying occupations in the industry. Forty-five percent of foodservice managers are women and 58 percent of foodservice supervisors are women, compared to 38 percent in other industries and 43 percent in retail.

“One of the things I do to develop the women coming up in my company is bring them to conferences just like this one,” said Tusa. “The majority of the managers I employ are women. Having them attend sessions like this one helps them expand their thinking to consider what it takes to be better business leaders and better people in their personal lives, too.”

Questions to the panelists ranged from their professional affiliations and how they have benefited professionally to the best of advice they receive from a mentor.

“My mother Ella Brennan is my mentor and she is a great example of one,” said Martin. “She has always encouraged me to be the best woman, in personal and business relations, that I can be. She’s also been a mentor to legendary New Orleans chefs who began in the kitchen at Commander’s Palace before taking that next step in their careers.”

A mentor can be a parent, co-worker, teacher or a boss, and in an ideal world, everyone would have a mentor and be a mentor. Some of the most successful business leaders often attribute their position to having a mentor’s support, coaching and encouragement.

“I try to be accessible to my staff,” added Martin. “Many times, just listening to someone while they are working through a challenge or situation can make all the difference in their development. Then bringing to their attention something they might not have considered or sharing a similar experience may be just the inspiration they need to move through to a higher level of engagement and thinking.”

According to The 2014 State of Women-Owned Business Report, Louisiana ranks 12 (70.9%) in the U.S. by growth in number of women-owned firms between 1997-2014. Louisiana ranks fifth in the nation of growth in women-owned firm revenues with 143.8%. 

Grow your business: NOLA Restaurateur Boot Camp, March 22

Looking to strengthen your restaurant’s presence in New Orleans? Propeller Incubator is hosting a half day Restaurateur Boot Camp workshop, Saturday, March 22, 2014 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The workshop will cover key management concepts such as branding, financial wellness and strategy. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Participants will benefit from the experience and expertise shared by industry leaders as well as meet local organizations that can help them grow and prosper.

The agenda features Dianne Sclafani of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center who will present on the topic “Financial Food for Thought.” Sclafani will discuss budget, cash flow, profit and loss and keeping a pulse on the business.

Six breakout sessions will follow covering a range of topics from: Starting a Business in the Food and Beverage Industry; How to Access Capital, From Kitchen to Shelf, Secret Ingredient: Web Presence; Build a Recipe for Success and Maximizing Marketing Dollars.

During lunch, attendees will hear from panelists on starting, sustaining and growing your foodservice business specifically addressing customer service, quality control, leadership and staff training and advice for individuals just starting out.

To RSVP for the Restaurateur Boot Camp, please click here. 

LRA shares industry trends at America's Small Business Development Conference

Steve Pettus,
Managing Partner of
Dickie Brennan & Co.
will discuss trends
in the restaurant
industry affecting his
three French Quarter
restaurants.

This week, more than 1,000 consultants from America's Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) are convening in New Orleans to learn more about the challenges and opportunities facing business. As a partner with the Louisiana SBDC, the Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) regularly relies on the knowledge base of these state-funded offices to provide further support to its members. 

The Gotta Come Back Restaurant Experience: Trends and Tools Used by Successful Restaurateurs panel, led by LSBDC Restaurant Specialist Dianne Sclafani, will also feature speakers such as Wendy Waren, LRA VP of Communications, Steve Pettus, Managing Partner for Dickie Brennan and Co. and Jay Nix, owner of Parkway Tavern and Bakery in New Orleans. 

“It was extremely important to me that the restaurant industry be part of the conference program,” said Sclafani. “I’ve been working with restaurants for years on developing business plans, identifying funding sources for opening or expansion and assisting them in addressing trends in the industry head on to help them become more profitable.”  

Wendy Waren, LRA VP of
Communications will
discuss three trends and
the impact on restaurants.

The discussion will focus on trends that are challenging restaurants including meeting the customer expectations, expansion into multiple products and services, and how technology will continue to shape the way restaurants operate both internally and externally. To meet these new demands, restaurateurs will need to change some of their operational activities in the areas of marketing, operations, finance and human resources. 

“Meeting these demands takes time, which is limited for the restaurateur,” said Waren. “Often times, it may result in the need to hire an interactive service business, but in independent restaurateurs may mean using family and existing staff to meet this demands or having the owner maintain these aspects in addition to other tasks.”

Waren said that the three biggest trends impacting the restaurant industry today and in the future are rising food costs, attracting millennial diners and the increase in the use of technology by consumers.

Business Recovery Centers opening for Isaac victims

The Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) has many members that were impacted by Hurricane Isaac’s vicious flooding and massive power outages. We are pleased to share that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the La. Dept. of Economic Development (LED) and the La. Small Business Development Centers (LSBDCs) are opening three centers to assist with storm related impacts to business owners. Additional centers will come on line in the next few days.

Centers are opening beginning Sept. 7
to assist businesses impact by
Hurricane Isaac.

“Some of our member restaurants were located in the areas most impacted by Hurricane Isaac,” said Stan Harris, LRA President/CEO. “These centers will provide much needed resources for the restaurant owners in areas like Manchac, Madisonville, Mandeville, LaPlace, Slidell and in Plaquemines Parish who sustained significant damage from the storm as they work to recover losses and rebuild their businesses.”  

Centers are located in Plaquemines, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. John and St. Tammany Parishes. Specialists from the SBA and LSBDCs will be available to meet individually with each business owners. SBA customer service representatives will be available to meet individually with each business owner to explain how an SBA disaster loan can help finance their recovery.