Producers’ Pick | Jon Taffer: Host of “Bar Rescue”

I hope it's not going back to school routine/printed lunchbox and pantry and with a big selection of writing emails like vegetable lo mein and taken to the masala keep the family feel definitely always made with the high standards he trusts from whole foods market like banning 230+ ingredients from all food all the more reason to make the flavors of whole foods market part of your routine radio show like no other additional hundred thousand dollars in your body, what about but I will only do it if you put in 30,000 separately for $30,000 and I remodel you bar and I will think about is really the best day so I don't have the money so it's over. Trust you because you were the best concept of ever done. Wow that is some of the reality an important part of the magic bar rescue Israel try to help people specially come out of the pandemic do so much more different area be put through help from from bad politicians and bad policy. None. Now you gotta play the perfect game and John Travers there to help but he's also there in the game.

He's he's a long talk about now finally ready for action with tappers, tavern, opening up in Washington DC is going to be right next to the capital one arena when is opening day, John Tapper would bear Bryant incredibly always, this restaurant was supposed [November and that's an example of the supply-side issues that we patches go to your built things like an electrical box Brian which you should be able to go to a home by 8 to 10 weeks to get panels for lighting up all sorts of things. So getting this baby opens like a victory means a lot to us were incredibly excited BC is a great market so this is beginning to be more tappers, taverns, right all yes so so Alpharetta Georgia is been open now for almost 2 years BC open next week Austin Watertown just opened this week so we now have Boston, DC and Atlanta Is on the horizon in Las Vegas is on the rise and start working hard to build them and find franchisees and partners as quick as we kind of work, please. We have about 27 restaurants on the books now in various stages of development.

This would make choosing to seal the struggles people having even when they try to do everything right.

Getting help you mention supply chain. The prices inflation. What makes you want to get back in the game to this extreme what people still need to go out and if you look at the market and I'm a big believer in cause and consequence, and if you look at markets across the country. Some are down 25% sales to pretend that Mike levels summer ahead up to 30% in sales compared to pre-pandemic levels. The consequence from the cause of lockdowns in various political restrictions were placed on industries in very many markets successes coming to those who don't necessarily deserve it. The marketplace is so alive and in other markets, failure is coming to those who do deserve success because of the lockdowns and the consequences from all the causes related to the pandemic. We opened we need about 80 employees in Boston writing about 120 in DC and going to the hiring process is very, very interesting. In today's labor market. We staff both restaurants, 100%. It took us twice as long as normal.

We didn't interview as many as we would like to come up with the hundred or so for each restaurant but we did staff it effectively. But here's what was really interesting finding employees was a lot easier than finding management and were finding that management is just not readily available today. I'm not sure if they're looking to be entrepreneurs.

If everybody's looking for that next opportunity. I know the route finding management is very difficult today. I did not expect that Brian that is surprisingly right. Go.

I was asked how you staff and everybody says I everybody says any people got a little bit better in the summer. Biggest question John before we get to the concept of tappers tavern, which is fascinating is what do you think we did the people go in 2019 where they go. I'm talking about I go to places on the water in beach towns and having trouble and you know how much money you can make a lot of is off the book scheduled to clear all the tips you should make. So having said that, what is your theory steakhouse. Brian people make $1000 a night waiter struggling to find people and jobs you don't take him home with good income, no stress, you go home at the end of the day is finished.

It's frustrating to me. The other concern is the restaurant industry has always been a steppingstone for people in life. Young people coming to the end. It's a stepping stone to get to that next level of your career were not seeing that that steppingstone activity much anymore so it's a powerful change. Brian, I can't answer where they are. I scratch my head all the time of looking for them, how they survived, but clearly the future of any industry is good to be based upon human resources today almost as much, as any other resource also policies complete policy reviews of human policy reviews.

For example, in our corporate office offices in Las Vegas. We just implemented a flexible PTO policy.

We don't count PTO days anymore.

People need time off that you have it. As long as they work and stay on top.

Then we created a dog friendly office we we done all of this research is what is it take to retain employees in today's market and it's not income all quality-of-life issues that are driving people. It's a real shift Brian from just pre-pandemic levels. How much priorities have shifted for people is micro when hearing we talked about his book and people just wanted to work to his glory and work in.

Of course, the push towards trades as opposed to going to college get your art history degree.

Wonder which going to do with it so that it's the same story, but who's willing to work hard in the quietly quitting thing they had it to everyone was told to go home. Not everybody but move out if you were told to go home to work.

I'll pay you and they were frustrated.

Then I looked around and said why am I working so hard I did the job. I don't really feel fulfilled in that job. Why you know when I can stay in my employment is is extended invite my rent is forgiven on holding my loan is frozen for now so people said this is quality-of-life.

Why should I get involved in that rat race again when the financial pressures one can do what they want to do much more than what they have to do so concept with the with the tappers tavern you you you talk about what is your teaching look like and why and youth. You were talking to have a camera set up on your kitchen yet so we we started this as you know 45 years ago we look back, Trump was president.

Unemployment was incredibly low. We couldn't find employees. Restaurants couldn't sustain themselves in six-day people in the kitchen anymore blind the training was too much. We couldn't find the people, many of the employees we found were new American so there will language barriers and training. It was a nightmare for us.

Could we reinvent the kitchen so we look to computer technologies robotic technologies food preparation technologies. We selected sous vide as a food preparation technique is extremely high-quality Michelin five-star we take a great steak for example blindly sees that we put it in a special plastic bag and take that Caesar steak putting the water off hundred 35° that water often cooks the state to a perfect medium rare.

We then take that stay can we finish it in the special Combi ovens that secure the outside flawlessly and finish off the steak and when when you're when you need it. It's as delicious as anything you've ever had, but for me I can do it with less people in a more controlled environment to create greater consistency should Brian. There's no stove in our kitchen traditional stove in our kitchen.

There are traditional hoods or fire control systems in our kitchen. Everything is computerized. As you can possibly be. The result is really great quality.

I can't wait till I can get you into the DC right to try it yourself.

You get there actually were go to Boston when it opened up in New York working on New York. That's probably a good year year and 1/2 out by the time we get it done, but the final point is Brian.

The kitchen is air-conditioned, so when you look at how I retain kitchen staff while in their condition. Kitchen nice and cool. That's one step forward. They don't have the depth of prep and all the things that other kitchens have done in the commissary kitchens, we find that we created one the most appealing kitchen jobs in the country, then because it's it's it's a snowball effect ticket times or six minutes instead of 12. Our servers on the pressure.

Everybody just seems to have a better energy level and a better dynamic when is less stress on everyone from production standpoint, it's interesting to watch that dynamic change for people but it's fun and and the whole point of the restaurant. This is when customer when employees are having fun. Customers will be successfully bear to go there like you preparing to tappers tavern that will neatly guarantee success and I work on that absolutely work on that you keep away with news is still in New York or New Jersey guy so you can catch up to him and to look at those taxes now your opinion John on the state of our economy. Now people caught up into two consecutive quarters of negative growth. That's how would you deal with you you in the real economy doing with people in the biggest sports bar in the nicest steakhouse, all needing help. What you sense is going on in this country of volatility. People are scared everyone you talk to feels that this is just tipping point that will rat right now and in the next 90 days. Either we can start and show a little better. I think you can get a lot worse and and people have no confidence, no certainty if you will. A lot of people I know are getting into that pause mode again bright sunlight when the pandemic started with people so you know what I'm not doing anything right now I'm not investing about this… About opening a ship tight right now and that characterization that pause scares me. That's a lot over the past few years back into that thing is nobody going to a commercial strip mall.

Whatever it is a homebuilding you got to get that loan unless you have a lot of money to pay cash for that building of that property when they are to get a cut a deal he has signed at least now the interest rates are up and look at restaurant to restaurant costs four times more to build in a retail store because of all the equipment and electrical systems all about the restaurant when you have to buy that level of equipment blind in the kitchen. Kaushik $700,000 solution. In the past is been to lease the equipment or otherwise financed equipment that's so expensive today.

That's not a viable option to change it to be more expensive again in a couple weeks, though some of the fears of uncertainty that were facing right now so I think there's an uneasiness record country that stems from a lack of confidence and I don't think people believe in leadership and if they don't believe in leadership than they Believe in the results or consequences of leadership. So that's what it stems from lunchbox and pantry selection of thanks to Melanie, the family can definitely always naming the high standards he transferred in 1930+ ingredients are nothing other than think the flavors of whole foods market routine college did you have to get along well and I work my butt off to pay it off looking this morning. If I could pull a second on that on the financing so I could qualify for $10,000 in free money but I can't get a second 30 years in which a reaction to this is very unfair.

If you look at our economy and tax programs over the years. There are groups that have been targeted in the past, business groups and things like that for various types of relief but typically those types of investments are made because those individuals are investing in the economy or investing in equipment during vesting in the creation of jobs etc. I find this incredibly unfair and I find it personally as a way to placate the supporters of his political supporters in academia is a large supporter of this policy and the party drives this policy and I think you know that the money moves from one pocket to another in the same pair of pants.

That's interesting and I will say this for you personally to colleges. I want to go to Syracuse and why you I looked at the numbers, even with the loan I can afford it when someone else that I could tell I you and I could afford it and it worked out so everybody I know deal with that.

Yeah I got in I get enough money, it's you know whatever it is that's a high rent. So if you get it to George Rush University and you get 82,000 hour billing for middle-class family. You not going to should watch University evening and if if you take a bunch of loans you have to know what you're getting into. Now were going to the fundamentals of that deal at St. don't worry about it when you feel the 17-year-old go mom, dad, don't worry about it when I get forgiven $22 billion in college endowments and you think you suck college endowments or leveraging hedge funds right there. Short selling stocks using every financial tool that they have to grow these endowments, they created an industry of managing college endowments and all those endowments were created, Brian. When college loans were started years ago and colleges realize okay this is government money. We can apply tuition. This is been caused by the whole premise of college loans college loans increase college tuition to the level that they have $22 billion in endowments and their charging these obscene prices to go to college every year.

I think the solution should be there. I say some type of regulation upon college admissions. They shouldn't be able to build endowments about level on the backs of Stein's who were borrowing money to go there.

I mean, some of them don't have the Harvard Yale endowments that the Stanford site getting and other ones they should be somehow justifying their price. I think with Mitch Daniels who was former OMB Dir. and Gov. of Indiana had headed up Purdue in the first he said is I will not increase tuition any cut other places.

A lot of it was administration and he was able to keep the price down to make it possible for a kid from Indiana, especially to go so we just saw the world's problems are, we see the world an opportunity solve the problems. I would see if they take you up on every all the solution to offer John Tapper. Also, I think the power of conflict, though watch bar rescue and then of course if you're in Washington.

If you're in Boston. If you're in Maryland go see Tapper's Tavern and go ahead one nation I will show you great format. I don't miss it every week. Well done. Thank you so much John Tapper, an unsolicited complement. I will pay you later. Thank you Michelle. Just subscribe and listen to the federal prosecutor and four term US Congressman from South Carolina brings you a one-of-a-kind punch list