![\"Retail](\"https:\/\/dmsretail.com\/RetailNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RETAIL-ONLINE-TRAINING-728-X-90.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Ken Otto<\/strong> knows that to have a truly great company, one must lead by example.<\/p>\n \u201cI am committed to being respectful of how we interact as a team and with our guests. I know that we are at our best when we celebrate each other\u2019s uniqueness and provide a safe environment to offer positive feedback and to grow and thrive together,\u201d says the CEO of Redberry Restaurants<\/strong>, which owns and operates almost 200 restaurants under the Burger King, Taco Bell, and Jersey Mike\u2019s brands.<\/p>\n Otto was born in Winnipeg but moved to Mississauga at a young age.<\/p>\n He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Hotel and Food Administration from the University of Guelph.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew I wanted to study business and my father was in the foodservice industry. He said there was a different type of program at the University of Guelph where you get your commerce degree but you\u2019re going to learn a little bit about hotelling and running restaurants. And here I am in the restaurant business,\u201d says Otto.<\/p>\n \u201cThe appeal was simply it was very dynamic. I thought very early on that the study of restaurants and hotels and food, there\u2019s a lot of art and science to it. Hospitality in general. Travel. Hotels. Running restaurants. It just seemed to be way more interesting than maybe other industries. And lo and behold it is more interesting I think because it\u2019s so dynamic and it\u2019s always changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a fascinating, dynamic, unpredictable, artful industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to joining Redberry, he worked with several iconic QSR and franchise restaurants (including Boston Pizza, Swiss Chalet, Harvey\u2019s, Montana\u2019s and East Side Mario\u2019s), which provided him with unique insight into what it takes to prosper in the vast Canadian landscape.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough my past experiences at Boston Pizza, Swiss Chalet and Harvey\u2019s to name a few, I am able to offer a unique insight into what it takes to prosper in the vast Canadian landscape. I feel successful when people are excited to see the Redberry brand break ground; knowing we will bring quality jobs where people want to go to work each day, and a restaurant that provides consistent, speedy service with a smile. I also feel fulfilled when our employees feel valued and see that their opportunities with our company are truly limitless,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cChallenge number one (in today\u2019s food industry) is how fast consumers expect their retail industry to change and how do running restaurants keep pace with the expectations of that change,\u201d says Otto. \u201cI compare us to other retail industries . . . In most retail sectors, the pace of change is measured by year and almost by season. And when you look at running Burger King or Taco Bell or running any kind of restaurant, consumers are expecting these industries to be perpetually evolving.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that is hard. When you\u2019re evolving your menu, when you\u2019re evolving technology, when you\u2019re evolving your physical plant . . . If guests keep expecting you to change, what does change look like? People will often talk about labour and I get it. Labour\u2019s been hard since I first went to school and that was over 40 years ago. And labour will always be hard. There\u2019s inflation. There\u2019s always going to be inflation. I get all that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the biggest challenge I see in the industry that restaurateurs have to face is just how do I stay relevant in a world that is demanding change, sees change around other things they consume. That\u2019s job number one.\u201d<\/p>\n Otto says he wouldn\u2019t describe himself as a \u201cfoodie.\u201d He does enjoy food and he likes retail in general and the art of connecting a brand to consumers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is intriguing and what interests me is that it is an art,\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd art comes in many forms. There\u2019s high end restaurants and steakhouses and there\u2019s the beauty of a Jersey Mike\u2019s sub sandwich. All of it is great food. No different than a Whopper at Burger King or a Chalupa at Taco Bell. And you\u2019ve got to connect that art with what people are looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n He studies restaurant concepts throughout North America, perpetually reading about hot concepts making their way into the market. Otto tries to figure out why certain concepts work.\u00a0<\/p>\n Is there a recipe for success in the food industry?<\/p>\n \u201cThere is. The first part of the recipe is understanding why guests connect with what you\u2019re offering and staying true to that . . . And then there\u2019s the art of consistency. I think that\u2019s probably the hardest part of our industry and one where a lot of people get wrong. They may make one meal super awesome on Monday at lunch but that meal has to be super awesome seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, a million times a year. And that\u2019s hard,\u201d explains Otto.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo how do I design my systems and my processes around delivering what the guests want consistently.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe other thing is the art of hospitality. We call it the hospitality industry. Today, people have very high expectations of how they\u2019re treated, how they\u2019re acknowledged and of course they\u2019re connecting with your brand differently. They could be connecting online, at a kiosk, on an app, in person, at the counter. I think great companies have a very welcoming approach to taking care of you. People want things fast, they want things that have value. But they want it in a way that kind of acknowledges that they came there and they want to feel good about their occasion. At Redberry we teach the importance of a smile. Yes, you have to be fast and your Whopper has to be hot, but you want to serve them with a sense of hospitality. That means a lot to people these days.\u201d<\/p>\n Otto says he could talk about his leadership style and philosophy for days.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what wakes me up in the morning. I do believe I have an opportunity to bring a positive influence to people every day. I think leaders have a very wide reach and I have a responsibility to use that to help people out,\u201d he says. \u201cWe have lots of people in our office here. We have 5,000 people that work at Redberry. My attitude matters. Doesn\u2019t mean I have good days and bad days. Doesn\u2019t mean that there are issues to be resolved and problems to fix.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut all that can be done with a measure of respect and all that can be done with a measure of fairness and optimism . . . I love being curious about our industry and what makes things work. There are in this business a thousand moving parts. If all those parts could be understood, if all those parts could be made a little bit better. I want to teach people the art of curiosity and how that\u2019s fun. You\u2019re learning and you\u2019re challenging yourself when you do that.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not splitting atoms here. I think we want to have a little bit of fun along the way and enjoy each other\u2019s company. Make your eight or 10 hours in the restaurant or the office, and just make it a good day. I\u2019ve always had great success in that. It brings out the best in people and I really believe it works.\u201d<\/p>\n Related articles:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Ken](\"https:\/\/retailinsider.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/KEN-OTTO-3-800x1200.jpg\")
![\"Ken](\"https:\/\/retailinsider.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/KEN-OTTO-2-800x1200.jpg\")