People and culture
“In the end,” says Barnett, “it is the people that make the difference. We are a well-capitalized company, we work internationally, we have an array of sites that almost any restaurant company would give quite a lot to have.
“All that said, it doesn’t really mean much unless you have the right people in place to ensure that this — hot food hot, cold food cold, service with a smile — happens. People are the major and the most important challenge.”
In the restaurant industry, attracting employees isn’t the problem — keeping them is. So Barnett and his management team work to meet employees’ needs.
“There was a survey done a few years ago about what managers thought employees wanted from their job,” says Barnett. “Most managers think employees want a good paycheck and good benefits. When we asked employees what they wanted most out of their jobs, first of all, they wanted to believe that they had a fundamental impact on their career and on the organization in which they worked.
“We don’t pay lip service. We actually recognize and believe that people are our most important aspect. We listen to them.”
As CEO, Barnett ensures that he personally is paying attention to what his employees have to say. He holds annual roundtables with employees from all levels of the organization, which gives him the opportunity to ask questions and listen to employees’ comments and concerns.
In addition, Barnett holds regular meetings with the company’s managers and general managers to give them an opportunity to voice concerns and ideas, and to help them understand firsthand that they play an important role in the company. And one of the most vital roles that any Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. employee plays is in living and maintaining the company culture.
A company’s culture is not an object – it must be lived and breathed every day by a company’s employees in order to exist. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.’s culture is one of success and profitability, says Barnett. And these key elements are maintained through the 2,700 employees’ consistent demonstration of care and concern, not only for customers but also for other employees.
The culture of care and concern doesn’t exist by accident — it is a calculated development. All new Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. employees, whether they join as waitstaff or managers, go through an intensive training program that not only covers many of the vocational aspects of the job but also the company culture, with a distinct emphasis on care and concern.
In fact, all Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. employees must memorize a top 10 list covering the top 10 beliefs of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. And No. 1 on the list is this: “All employees will demonstrate care and concern for others, both guests and employees, at all times.” “What that means is that you treat people the way they’d like to be treated, whether they’re guests or employees,” says Barnett. “If our employees are having a good time and if our employees enjoy what they’re doing and they don’t feel rule-bound, then that will communicate itself to our guests, and the guests will have a good time and they’ll want to return.
“By putting an infrastructure in place that enables us to present a consistent experience time after time, in location after location, (our culture supports our brand). The experience has been consistent, and we have been able to exceed customers’ expectations on a regular basis, which is the key to success in this particular business. If we are able to exceed customers’ expectations, or at the very least meet them, then we will continue to build upon the brand’s integrity and the brand’s reputation.”
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.’s brand integrity and positive reputation are supported by cold, hard facts. The company has had positive same-store sales growth for 27 of the past 28 quarters, and average annual unit volumes are near $8 million.
In addition, revenue is expected to increase from $125 million in 2005 to a projected $150 million in 2006.
“We have spent an inordinate amount of time and resources to develop the brand Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.,” says Barnett. “Everything — hot food hot, cold food cold, (the) casual family atmosphere, food is the hero – all those elements come together to create the cocktail called Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and thus the brand. And that has led us to extraordinary success. The customers are voting with their feet.”
HOW TO REACH: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., 877-729-4867 or www.bubbagump.com
