Restaurants Reinvented - Episode 5 - Steph Hoppe
Jen Kern: [00:00:00] Hi, everyone. Welcome back to Restaurants Reinvented. Thank you so much for joining our show today. I'm Jen Kern, and today I'm joined with Steph Hoppe. I'm so excited to be with you today, Steph. Thanks for joining us.
[00:00:36] Steph Hoppe: [00:00:36] Hey, it's my pleasure. I'm excited too. This will be fun.
[00:00:39] Jen Kern: [00:00:39] Yes. So just to give our listeners a little background, I mean, I've had the pleasure of getting to know you through the dynamic and wonderful networker Tammy Yeah. Could you give our listeners a little background in terms of, your journey and where you started out and how you got into the hospitality industry and what you're up to today?
[00:01:00] Steph Hoppe: [00:01:00] Sure. Sure. Ironically, I guess if you really want to go to the very, very first time, I was 14 years old and I was a dishwasher at the Chrome Country Inn, in Algona, Iowa. One of the best jobs you could get when you're 14 and in Iowa. So that's, that's how I started my restaurant career. Then I was an actress for a period of time, a theater major.
[00:01:20] So I waited a lot of tables. But, my, my corporate side getting into the restaurant business was actually, I was temping at a temp agency. Temping at a temp, which is kind of funny, but a call came in for VI Corp restaurants, which was Village and in Baker square and they needed an admin who knew Excel and I didn't know Excel.
[00:01:40] So I learned Excel in the afternoon. And I started the next day and they hired me full time. And that's where the journey began back in Denver, Colorado working as a field marketing specialist and a marketing manager, and ran off to Chicago to MPD and did some research and really understand. You taught me the importance of all, how research can really fuel strategy, but I really liked being on the operator side.
[00:02:03] So I tooled back to Denver, to old Chicago and had some fun there, got interviewed by my husband, my future husband, and got the job. And then I. I call it a transformational moment is when Chili's called and they needed a Director of Beverage. And I told them, I wasn't a Director of Beverage. First mistake.
[00:02:21] Never say you're never something because you can be anything you want to be. And they said, no, actually we want somebody with marketing experience. I'm like, well, heck I got that and ended up getting the job and learning beverage operations and the beverage experience and partnering with vendors. It was, it was so much fun.
[00:02:38] It was such a blast. Chili's was so great. And then I moved into a role, another pivotal role as a Director of Food and Beverage Innovation. So helping build an innovation process and all it took because up until then predominantly we'd have a bunch of executives sitting around a table tasting foods.
[00:02:56] Yeah. Hmm. That tastes good. Let's let's let's roll. And not getting consumer input, not putting it through any sort of panels or web testing. None of that discipline had occurred even in a company as large as Chili's at the time, but they quickly pivoted and really implemented that. And I helped do that.
[00:03:13] And then I got a call from 7-11.
[00:03:16] Jen Kern: [00:03:16] Oh boy.
[00:03:16] Steph Hoppe: [00:03:16] And I'm like, Okay. And, and I'm like retail. Interesting. And then they said Slurpee and I go, Oh my God, Slurpee, who doesn't want a Slurpee? It's so fun. So I jumped over there. And a Slurpee was, it was just kind of quiet. It was, it was, it was just a little tired. It needed to be refreshed.
[00:03:37] And myself and Evan Brody, who's over now at One Diner, really smart company. He and I really took a look at the brand. And what did the consumers, what did the guests love about Slurpee and what did the guests love to do? And how do we really reactivate this brand? And we found that they loved gaming.
[00:03:55] They loved music. I mean, they just couldn't get enough music and gaming and action adventure. And so through all the research that we did talking to guests, doing dialogues and store visits, it was a Slurpee was part of the event. It wasn't the center. So then we started putting Slurpee to events that they would attend and did a battle of the bands where they could come on stage with train or be OB at the time.
[00:04:18] And then. Marvel. That was when the Marvel partnership started integrating Slurpee into iron man and iron man too, which was great fun. And it just really activated and Zynga at the time we brought the virtual into the and mortar. So the characters of Farmville and yeah, mafia Wars and all that, you'd come into seven 11 and buy a product.
[00:04:39] And then you could get something that went back into the game. And that was the first time they did that. Matt was just very exciting. So it was, it was a Slurpee just flourished and we created Slurpee nation and I really enjoyed that. But then I had an opportunity to do a vice president gig at lone star, Texas land and cattle, and create a new concept as their new concept, a person for Firefly bar and grill, which was this really cool concept out in Raleigh.
[00:05:06] But then probably one of my favorite positions of all times, VP of it. Innovation and implementation at red Robin. And again, when you talk about transformation and innovation, I had a heart of the house operations reporting and BI I didn't know anything about operations, really. but I was going to run operations.
[00:05:26] And so I put on my non skids and I worked in the kitchens for three weeks. And to this day, I'd much rather work in the back of the house than the front of the house. It's just much more fun. But again, with Red Robin created a innovation process in that first year, and introduced a new burger category called the finest, which became a $50 million category for the brand, which was a what Denny Post wanted another very smart marketing woman.
[00:05:51] And you know, I think what I really learned there is the importance of maintaining focus as a brand, especially in casual dining, because we're so homogenous. And if you own...and Red Robin owned burger authority. And so when we create a menu essence, we maintained focus on burger authority and remixing American favorites.
[00:06:13] So that meant we said no. So ribs, steaks, no that required fork and knife handhelds. We innovated desserts around our appetizers, like our towering onion rings signature. We did cronuts, which were hot back in at that time and did a tower of cronuts or truffle fries. And just really, and we excelled at menu development and innovation, and it was a really well oiled machine and team.
[00:06:41] But then a CMO for Life Kitchen came on board and I loved the brand. I loved its purpose and I think even more so purpose brands are the future and it was about, living well, eating well, and it did. I would say apartment of me, myself and I, small team scrappy, 20 units had a small team, had supply chain and marketing and culinary, which is it's a little unusual, but when you're a small, you know, entrepreneurial, you just do it all and have fun.
[00:07:10] It works with again, really smart people and redevelop that brand. So that was focused on mindfulness and feed yourself. The original one was eat good, feel good, do good. Which is kind of talking at a consumer and you don't want to talk at a consumer. Your brand is a guide. Your consumer's your hero.
[00:07:28] So how do you make it about them? And then, Bar Louie called, which is one of my favorite spots in Chicago when I lived there back in the day and it's a bar, and it was fun and we create a new brand position about you straight up. Introduce the bullet bourbon burger, which was an adult only because, Hey, what are we?
[00:07:49] We're a bar. What do we sell the most of burgers? What liquor do we sell the most of? Bullet bourbon. It's not rocket science, put those all together. And you're sure to have something that really won and the buzzworthiness of we didn't cook out the alcohol. We added the alcohol after. So that truly was, there was a bite.
[00:08:06] So we got some great press around being a bar and having a 21 and over, you had to show an ID to get the burger, which was great fun. And then, back to 7-11, and most recently was working on with them on their digital transformation, which is fascinating. A contactless experience. You can go into a 7-11 and shop with your phone and never have to touch a register.
[00:08:25] You just scan and go. Delivery, the rewards program. It's just really amazing how 7-11 continues to reinvent themselves. And that's been my journey in a nutshell.
[00:08:38] Jen Kern: [00:08:38] That's awesome. So, wow. So much that you said there, I have all these questions popping up and particularly gravitating to the one about saying no and focus. So important. And yet also so difficult for us as marketers. Sometimes we get a lot of pressure from different departments to run, run this program, or run that program. The founders, the CEOs want to do, you know, a specific menu and whatnot.
[00:09:03] How do you really stick to your guns when it comes to saying no? And maintaining that focus on there's so much going on, you know, in the world of marketing within the food business?
[00:09:14] Steph Hoppe: [00:09:14] Yeah, especially if you're doing anything on the menu side, everybody knows food, everybody's an expert and they're just, children are an expert. Their spouses are experts. You have to be very respectful. But what I've found is one having a really defined menu strategy in essence, that says what you are and what you are...and what you are
[00:09:35] not. That you get alignment from the get, go at the senior level. Is one tool that helps because that, that it's right there in black and white. And it makes them say no much easier, because for instance, a gentleman's really passionate about getting steaks on the menu. No, it's not a handheld made a much easier conversation, facts and data. The why's.
[00:09:58] Why why, why should this be on the menu or not? Here's why it should not be because it dilutes brand equity and really having a conversation and having data. I mean, even more now in this day and age, data drives everything, consumer data. What does your guest want? It's not about us as a customer.
[00:10:18] It's not us as an executive. It's really about what does your guest want and how can you anticipate what that guest needs?
[00:10:26] Jen Kern: [00:10:26] Amen sister.
[00:10:27] Steph Hoppe: [00:10:27] Whoo.
[00:10:29] Jen Kern: [00:10:29] I mean, you bring up a good point. It's certainly hard to get the data right now and all the data and the full picture of the guests. How have you done that successfully?
[00:10:38] Steph Hoppe: [00:10:38] You know, it's interesting because I would say that there's two extremes. One, some brands just don't have the tools to access the data they need. When there's these larger brands that I've worked with that had so much data, you got into analysis paralysis. So much data that it's not actionable. We had a lot of data, but no insights. And so it's a balance. And with the tools that are out there now, you can get so much data about your guests...down to the individual level. There's a lot of companies out there that can mine data and provide dashboards because the danger you get is if you have a tool that gives you so much data, but it's not something that can be digestible or communicated or acted upon.
[00:11:23] It's worthless. And so that's when you start talking about tech stacks and data lakes and all these fancy words, it's really simply put, have all your ducks in a row...folks. What are the most important things you need to know about your customer? Are they satisfied? Reputation management... there's tools out there so that you can scour the web across TripAdvisor, Google, Yelp, because they matter.
[00:11:50] The ratings really matter. And there's tools out there that help you do that. And social media and keeping engaged there. What's the sentiment, there's all these pieces that are key critical. And then of course, there's your segmentation and how to innovate and how to target. And how do you find the fewest amount of partners that integrate to maximize your effectiveness?
[00:12:12] Jen Kern: [00:12:12] Yeah, that's what I was just going to say. As you were talking, I'm like but there's so much tech out there in the restaurant space right now. I mean, we're obviously a tech company, but, they're just, you know, just the competitors in our own niche are in the thousands and then you go like a little bit niche over and there another thousand.
[00:12:29] And then, you know, you went, you mentioned sentiment and then, you know, there's how many that do sentiment. And then there's some that do sentiment with the social and some that don't and some of them provide the data and some that don't. So again, back to your point of focus and, you know, and the role of technology.
[00:12:47] It's a lot. And, I'm wondering how you could potentially advise our listeners or provide some recommendations around your role in the past, selecting the right technologies or maybe failing and not selecting the right technologies? And what, one of the other things I see is a lot of times the marketing folks aren't even involved in the technology decision.
[00:13:07] Steph Hoppe: [00:13:07] Luckily in my experience, we've had marketing involved in the tech discussions, but...it used to be your best friend was operations and that's still true, but now you have another best friend and it's called your tech partners. You're IT. And we start talking about how things are evolving, especially in this current day and age, when we're having innovation occur at the speed of light, because of COVID. That technology, marketing and operations need to come together into just one vessel.
[00:13:39] It's just one integration. And everybody has to work hand in hand because ultimately, I don't believe in a marketing tech stack at your company. So what technology does your company have? So that strategically as a company, what data do you need at what time to do the job that you need to do, or create the strategies and validate the strategies that you need.
[00:14:01] And so it's really bringing the right people together. Cause I am by no means a tech expert. Hire people that are smarter than you. To do those things because things change fast and there's certain consultants out there too, that it's at times it's good to bring someone with an outside perspective that really focuses because we all have full time jobs.
[00:14:21] And by the way, if we have to analyze all of our POS systems and our customer integration systems and our inventory systems, et cetera, it's really sometimes very good to reach out to a third party who really specializes in bringing all those together. It used to be so much more fun and easy, you know, you just put something on the menu and then you ran a FSI in the newspaper with a picture, and then you had a radio ad and it took weeks to get things going.
[00:14:49] Not minutes.
[00:14:51] Jen Kern: [00:14:51] Okay.
[00:14:52] Steph Hoppe: [00:14:52] it's it's it's just, marketing's just changed so much.
[00:14:57] It's it's it's it's it's fascinating.
[00:15:00] Jen Kern: [00:15:00] Right.
[00:15:01] Steph Hoppe: [00:15:01] And kind of, kind of scary.
[00:15:02]Jen Kern: [00:15:02] sure. But I mean, for those of us who love a challenge,
[00:15:06] Steph Hoppe: [00:15:06] well, yeah,
[00:15:07] Jen Kern: [00:15:07] wonderful.
[00:15:09] But the point that I'd love the phrase, you said, it's no longer the more about the marketing tech stack. Let's talk about the company's tech stack. As marketers, again, we get a little bit too, you know, hyper-focused staring at our nasal sometimes, right?
[00:15:23] What's the marketing tech stack? What's your marketing stack, which Mark? No, what's the company tech stack? If we can help reframe and get our marketing teams thinking about the company stack and how we're integrating there, we definitely could move towards that innovation and transformation a lot
[00:15:38] Steph Hoppe: [00:15:38] Absolutely because it's the integration that always trips people up. Do the systems talk together? Do the systems work together and even with one system coming in with your current systems, because a lot of the restaurant companies have archaic systems and now's the time to really get out a piece of white paper.
[00:15:59] And really do the math of, do you throw out, do you just throw out the baby with the bath water? It might be okay right now with the new technology that's out there versus the old archaic systems to really become much more flexible in this new world that we're right arriving into where it's real time data and it's moving fast and AI is freaky, but it is here and it's only going to get faster.
[00:16:21] Jen Kern: [00:16:21] Let's talk about this new world. I mean, obviously, it's, it's a pretty difficult and stressful time right now that we're all living in, personally, professionally, you know, in the restaurant business, outside of the restaurant business, globally, socially, there's, there's just, there's so much going on.
[00:16:37] And, you talked about the innovation and the transformation that restaurants need to do. And one of the reasons we call this podcast Restaurants Reinvented is because I believe that now is a time that we really need to be doubling down and reinventing ourselves as people and as companies. And there's no better time than the present.
[00:16:56] Right. how do you help to drive that process? The whole reinvention transformation and innovation process...it's got to happen. How do you drive that as, as the head of marketing?
[00:17:08] Steph Hoppe: [00:17:08] Well first, you know, you have to really understand where the consumers head is at. Where your guest is, is right now to your point, they're scared. And some are more scared than others. There's been a data essentials of biz has been doing webinars every Friday, sharing some really good data about consumer sentiment, regarding coming out and even going into a restaurant and how they feel about delivery and how they feel about takeout and pick up and all these different aspects that restaurants have to start looking at. In this day and age when socializing is just not happening, like it used to.
[00:17:47] And that's not going to change anytime soon. There's a certain amount of population that until a vaccine is there, they're not going to return to your store. So now is the time it's, you know, necessity is the mother of invention, such an old term, but it is so true. With this pandemic, we are forced to change.
[00:18:05] If you do not change, you will not survive. And survival is what worries people the most. So first of all, you need to make sure your restaurants are safe and that your guests know that they're safe. And you can't overcommunicate that inside the four walls outside the four walls. I mean, I'm here in Texas and we just closed down bars again because of the surge, which is disheartening for business, but we all need to stay safe, cleaning the hands masks, contactless.
[00:18:34] I mean, restaurants who are not using technology are going to be forced to use technology and actually it's for the good. So the silver lining around this horrible horrible event is we are creating in some ways, a more convenient, seamless experience for some people in the restaurant space. I don't have to touch a thing.
[00:18:57] I can put everything on my phone. And QR code. Boom. I can order. I can leave and go. If I want to come in, I have my own little table, socially distance, quite a ways. And by the way of people think that they're, they've been too close. They won't come back to the restaurant - 80%. It was...said a study.
[00:19:17] So when you're bringing people back in the importance of, again, it's that safety, but once they feel safe, so you have innovation around, how do you keep contact with safety? How do you communicate? But then there's innovation. Don't forget people still like to eat and drink. You know, we still like to have fun and try new things.
[00:19:35] And so I think the danger is people are going to put a stop on some of the food and beverage innovation, some of the product innovation in for it because of the experience. I think there's a balance because ultimately once you get to point B and people are feeling more secure, they're going to want something new. People like to try new things, but it has to be safe. And so, you know, we've just accelerated what needed to happen because being in retail and restaurants, retail is usually further ahead from a technology standpoint and a data standpoint than traditionally restaurants are. And so this is forcing the restaurants to really think differently. And really changed the way they approach things.
[00:20:17] It's turning our models upside down, and that's the time you have permission to change. So those menu items that some people really loved, but you also wanted to to ditch them. You have permission, it's a pandemic. We can do anything we want to do. Good news, bad news pandemic. So, that was a time if you're making, wanting to make changes and you need to make changes, make them because people are kind. They understand people want the restaurant industry to succeed. People care about your wait staff, your cooks. People really care. And so how do you take that caring and transform your concept into what they need now, given the current circumstances and anticipating what they're going to need in the future.
[00:21:02] So really being forefront of what's next, really keeping your eye ahead of the game is really important.
[00:21:10] Jen Kern: [00:21:10] And you brought up brand. I mean, you've been talking about brand a lot and I think we both share a passion and affinity for brand. And there was one such study that I saw recently...70% of marketers said they believed their position is viewed as more valuable now after, you know, during the pandemic, because the company is valuing the role of brand more today.
[00:21:34] And I think that's pretty cool. Like I think it's true that brand has all of a sudden become a priority. In our minds, it's always been the most important.
[00:21:43] Steph Hoppe: [00:21:43] Most important.
[00:21:43] Of course it's number one. No really.
[00:21:46] Jen Kern: [00:21:46] But now everyone is saying like, Oh, okay. When you're really forced to take a step back and you can't go inside of a restaurant. And the only touch you have is with the content that the restaurant is putting out. Content is brand brand is content, right?
[00:21:59] So from a brand perspective, walk me through some of the things that you've done there to, to innovate and really get outside the box and be creative with your brand.
[00:22:12] Steph Hoppe: [00:22:12] Oh, gosh. So it's heartening to hear that brand is now becoming more and more important because a lot of times brands were considered fluff. It's just that brand thing. But now, brands with purpose, I mean, people believe authentic, purposeful brands, they believe in them. And so understanding your purpose is really important.
[00:22:40] It was interesting with Life Kitchen when we did the work, that it was perceived more as a medicinal brand, because of all the care we took in the ingredients. The banned list of ingredients was stronger than Whole Foods, tougher than Whole Foods. We had higher standards than Whole Foods on the quality of our ingredients.
[00:22:58] So we were a highly trusted brand. And I think that that really remains true. Is the authenticity, going back to your earlier question, what fun things have I done outside of the box for branding? A cup of the cause actually let's talk about that. That was back with 7-11. And because it ties into the purpose conversation as well, is we partnered with celebrities to develop a coffee cup that we would sell and donate a portion of the proceeds.
[00:23:26] So over the course of the year, we donated over $2 million to different charities partnered with Nicole Richie, Jennifer Hudson, Will Ferrell, Snoop Dogg, which was a blast. But really trying to get some heart into the 7-11 brand of caring about the communities, borrowing equity from the celebrities as well, and helping them promote their causes.
[00:23:50] So that it was a win for the brand. It was a win for 7-11, and it was a win for the charities. And we garnered a huge amount of, of, of PR support. And the program was amazing. It was a bugger to execute when you're changing out cups every 60 days or so in 7,000 stores, It was quite the operation, but, it was really out of the box. No one had ever done it. But, you know, it's. It's it's, doesn't have to be the big moments. It's just little moments too - surprise and delighting your guests.
[00:24:21] In this day and age, little touches you could put in your to go packaging since so much...is takeout. I'd be really focusing on how to surprise and delight in that, to go packaging that makes them want to come back, especially those folks that aren't going to come inside the four walls where you don't have that interaction to really engage.
[00:24:39] How do you put something in that home experience that reminds them of who you are as a brand?
[00:24:45] Jen Kern: [00:24:45] So talking about the current pandemic and COVID, it really has put just so much strain and stress on restaurants, which brands do you see that are really killing it right now and doing a fantastic job at that?
[00:24:59] Steph Hoppe: [00:24:59] I tell you what, Chick-fil-A is an amazing brand hands down, but even during this time, they've made it so easy to do curbside. To do the drive thru, to have pickup and they've even invented a chicken parm meals meal kits. Chick-fil-A invented a meal kit that you can take home and feed your family.
[00:25:23] Jen Kern: [00:25:23] Yeah.
[00:25:24] Steph Hoppe: [00:25:24] A fast food meal kit. I mean, that to me is brilliant innovation taking a consumer insight and really activating it with products they currently had. So I was like, wow, they really nailed it. And on that chicken note, raising canes, I think, cause another one that has done an amazing job and really won. First, they came out with a message of safety first and foremost, and Todd has been very passionate about no team member left behind.
[00:25:51] And his authenticity and caring of his team and the industry keeps coming through in their messaging. The masks, doing deliveries for, you know, frontline workers and just all their community enactment. I mean, they are the role model for community engagement. And at this time something like that really speaks and they've just, they just nailed it on all cylinders.
[00:26:18] And on more on the casual plus side, Front Burner, which has a myriad of concepts. They've really done a great job from a branding standpoint. Each of the brands is very unique from an, Ida Claire, a Haywire, Whiskey Cake of creating to go experiences and again, meals and drinks.
[00:26:37] That people can take home. So really understanding what their core brand is about. Each to go packaging is just a little bit different. It's not generic. It's really tailored towards the brand and really delivering a different experience depending on what concept you go to. Jack Gibbons and team are just really smart that way.
[00:26:56] And I think those are some folks that for different reasons have really done a great job during this very, very challenging time.
[00:27:04] Jen Kern: [00:27:04] Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you're definitely right. Singing, the song that I love to hear, which is the Chick-fil-A song. And, I was there the other day and I had actually never used their app. And I mean, the experience was absolutely flawless from beginning to end.
[00:27:20] Steph Hoppe: [00:27:20] Right. I mean, seriously, and that's not easy. Apps are just a bugger to do and they just, wow. They just really did it well.
[00:27:28] Jen Kern: [00:27:28] Yeah. I mean, from the parking spot to the, the time and the speed of it, all the friendliness. The follow-up, the thank you for trusting us during this time. I mean, it was the messaging and the process. The whole thing was just amazing. I was, I was actually quite blown away,
[00:27:44] Steph Hoppe: [00:27:44] Jen, you just said something that sparks something. Thank you. You're right. Chick-Fil-A said a heartfelt thank you. When you went through the drive through at Kane's, they're thankfulness was so genuine. And so heartfelt, it just made you feel good going there. And I think as marketers, we get so wrapped up in all these fancy things and this, when quite honestly the power of a thank you, you know, just don't forget about the power things.
[00:28:14] Jen Kern: [00:28:14] Yeah, let's not overlook the obvious,
[00:28:15] Steph Hoppe: [00:28:15] right?
[00:28:16] Yeah. It's right there in front of your face.
[00:28:18] Jen Kern: [00:28:18] Yeah. I remember years ago when someone was speaking at a conference and said, marketers, you all need to get out from behind your desks and get out in the field with, with, you know, sales and customers. You know, if you're spending, you know, 90% of your day behind a desk, you're missing the whole point.
[00:28:35] And I was like, oh wow. You know, as a B2B tech marketer, I wasn't spending that much time out on the field. So, I think it's important to always remember that, you know, you know, looking at your consumers, your guests straight in the eye, right.
[00:28:48] Steph Hoppe: [00:28:48] Right.
[00:28:48] Jen Kern: [00:28:48] Super valuable. So, you know, early on stuff you talked about...
[00:28:53] you're amazing diverse journey. You know, you've woven this really cool fabric together. Some, some time spent, you know, at a convenience stores most recently, as well as full service and fast casual. When you look back, what are your biggest... I don't want to say your highs and lows, but maybe what are your highs and lows? What was like one of the things that stands out to you the most it's like, wow, I'm so glad I did that.
[00:29:17] And then maybe what it was a mistake or failure or something that kind of went awry that you've learned from?
[00:29:24] Steph Hoppe: [00:29:24] Let's start with, with the lows. I was at MyCorp Corp restaurants and it was about to get promoted to director when I had a position offered to me to move to Chicago with, NPD, which is a wonderful group. And I took the job because my head said, I want to be a VP someday. So I want to learn strategies across all segments, QSR and casual, et cetera, and really go into different restaurant concepts and see how they build their strategies.
[00:29:52] What I didn't take into account. And my gut was like, no, you really shouldn't do that. And I didn't know why. Until I moved to Chicago and I got there and, didn't really love Chicago. And I really missed being part of a restaurant team. And I was more on the sales side and the sales side just was not for me.
[00:30:13] And so building presentations, but I mean, I went through research boot camp, so that was invaluable. So there's, I always say some of the hardest lessons give you some of the most valuable insights. And so that one, I learned a ton about data. It was really hard personally, just really in a role that I was just miserable in. So, but then I ended up getting a chance to go back to Colorado and do the Chili's, the old Chicago gig. And so it all worked out just fine. So. That that was it now. And the other one that was really interesting on the other side is I was a little scared going into Red Robin, especially with the, operations piece, our QA eco lab, all that stuff.
[00:31:02] It's it's just something I hadn't really focused on deeply as a marketer. And here it was, I had a team of 26 people, and I loved it. I loved it. I didn't realize it Nico machine and doing Nico onto the grill and doing all this fun stuff in the back. And I mastered that bun toaster, like nobody's business.
[00:31:24] The only thing I didn't want to do, I don't want to cut anything cause I'm accident prone. And I once put a knife through my hand, cutting an avocado. So no knives, but I loved it. I love the operations side. Yeah. And that passion of all the cooks and the team members back there and got to know the area directors.
[00:31:39] And to this day, I still keep in touch with a lot of those folks. Cause they were just really good people and we had such a good time and that was that's one of my best memories.
[00:31:49] Jen Kern: [00:31:49] Well, that's such a great perspective because you know, we, we can talk about highs and lows, but I know that you and I both believe everything's a learning experience, right. Everything happens, you know, somewhat for a reason and takes us to the next thing. But listening to that still small voice, you talked about, you know, you had a little bit of a red flag, but it was worth the trade off to get the title. As I continue to mature in my career, it's like, you know, take, take that red flag to heart. Like it usually means something.
[00:32:16] Steph Hoppe: [00:32:16] Oh, yeah. Now I listened to that little voice. Now that that little voice starts going. I'm like, okay, take a step back here and take a step back. Yep. The voice is talking. Let's take a pause. I learned. Okay.
[00:32:32] Jen Kern: [00:32:32] Well, let's talk about today and, what you're up to today. I know that, you've got some pretty cool stuff going on. Most interesting to me is that you became yoga certified.
[00:32:42] Steph Hoppe: [00:32:42] Yeah. Just talk about transformation. You know, I did, I, got my certification to teach hot yoga here at Sunstone in Texas and or any studio, but Sunstone, my stone and I loved, I was, it was the perfect time. Because things are just quiet here during a pandemic. So you might as well build a new skill if you're housebound. So, got my certification and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I've been up in front of a board of directors and was less nervous than I was taking teacher testing for yoga, which is kind of ironic. And yoga is all about, you know, being present and relaxed and breathing. But I think what I, I I'm so thankful for is that principles of yoga.
[00:33:22] If we had more yoga in the boardroom and in our corporations, we'd be much more efficient. Yoga is about listening, being present, empathy. Things that go a long way, because so many times when you're in a meeting, you're thinking about what you're going to say next, or versus really being present that you miss some things at times, and the collaboration could be so much higher. Especially when everybody's really aligned around the goal of being the best person or being your best self, whatever that is today. And so there's some things I think that'll translate well, you know, in the corporate world as well as the yoga world. So I, I, I love yoga as a hobby and a practice, but I think it has real world application in the business sector.
[00:34:10] Jen Kern: [00:34:10] Yeah, that'd be cool. I'd love the yoga in the boardroom.
[00:34:14] Steph Hoppe: [00:34:14] Now down dog, everybody in the middle of the meeting probably wouldn't be appropriate, but breathing don't forget to breathe. And actually I've coached many, many, people that have worked for me that especially when they get tense or stressed, it's like, you know what? The power of breath take a moment and just breathe because everything's going to be fine.
[00:34:33] It's not life or death. At least in the companies I've been, I haven't worked in health care. We can fix this. It, it can be fixed. We just have to take a step back and figure this out.
[00:34:46] Jen Kern: [00:34:46] And what's the next ideal gig would you say for her Steph Hoppe?
[00:34:51] Steph Hoppe: [00:34:51] You know, I love to build or reinvent, I'm a passionate innovator. That's what I love to do. Innovate innovation and transformation are my thing. I don't mind change. In fact, I thrive. I love change.
[00:35:05] We're constantly evolving. And developing a new concept and doing things of that sort of now, especially in the restaurant space, how do we reinvent the restaurant experience? What other channels should restaurants be thinking about? What other partnerships, retail partnerships, what other opportunities are out there that, like you said, outside of the box. There's a really cool company retail company here in Dallas called Neighborhood Goods and they they're bringing the virtual online brands into the four walls, but they also have a restaurant in the middle of it. So there's opportunities potentially for brands that have traditionally been self-standing to say, Hey, maybe we should start partnering with retailers the food halls of the world have started that. I mean, there's, there's what's next.
[00:35:51] And that's what I want to be a part of. Really, really helping the restaurant industry survive and then innovate and think of new ways and really understand consumer because it's about that consumer. And also making sure that wherever you go, what's the purpose. There's always a higher purpose. And as a marketer, I think that's going to be more and more important in this world of AI.
[00:36:14] In this world of technology, I was in a webinar with Salesforce and Oracle, and they really said here, AI is to help humanize the brand experience. The irony is all this technology is we're trying to humanize the experience. Don't forget the humanness of this experience.
[00:36:36] Jen Kern: [00:36:36] Yeah, absolutely. And so, as we, as we sort of start to wrap here for the restaurant marketers that may be earlier in their careers, what advice do you have for them?
[00:36:49] Steph Hoppe: [00:36:49] I would say. You can do anything you want to do. You just have to learn it at times, going back to my days where it was a director of beverage at Chili's and I wasn't a director of beverage at all. And I said, I wasn't, you can, you can be and just really take, find a mentor, really find someone you admire and trust.
[00:37:10] And use them because I know I love mentoring. It's a passion I have. The best part of my career has seen people who have worked for me as a admin, as a manager who are now directors and vice presidents. That is amazing. That is satisfaction. Like no other, so, and be...be collaborative. There's enough to go around - collaborate.
[00:37:35] And when you help others be successful, you become even more successful. And so in this day and age, and by the way, sometimes it takes time. You can't be successful overnight, necessarily. There's some startups that definitely are, but really it's a journey and enjoy the journey because you learn so much on the way and so enjoy your way there because once you're there, you're going to create another goal.
[00:37:56] So enjoy each and every day.
[00:37:59] Jen Kern: [00:37:59] Yes, absolutely. And then let's look into Steph's crystal ball. Where do you see restaurants in one year from now?
[00:38:08] Steph Hoppe: [00:38:08] I see fewer. I think the restaurants that are smart that are really looking at technology, really taking this seriously, they are going to be around. I saw that Brinker started doing wing delivery. So they're thinking of different ways, those that are thinking of different ways to use their four walls, really throwing out what they know and really looking at what don't they know, those are the ones that are going to succeed.
[00:38:34] The ones that go get a white paper out and forget about the past and really say what's the future. And then with that future, what can we currently utilize? Whether it's facilities, menu, guest, and what do we need to cut out or expand? And those that think that way and think big, short term and longterm, because there's a short term game in the long term, don't get so stuck in short term that you don't think out one or two years in advance because this, this is going to change.
[00:39:04] We will get back to you to a new novel economy, so that, so to speak, I've heard that term. It's just new and different. It's never going to be the same. So you, really have to think in a way that is forward thinking versus what has worked in the past.
[00:39:18] Jen Kern: [00:39:18] Well Steph. It's been such a pleasure. Definitely all my pleasure to talk with you today and thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with our listeners. Just as a very last thing, if you want to let our listeners know how they can reach you, follow you on the social medias.
[00:39:35] Steph Hoppe: [00:39:35] Sure. I'm on LinkedIn, of course. And you can reach me and, and please do feel free to reach out to me on email it's Steph S T E P H at hoppepartners, H O P P E partners.com. Happy to help always. This has been fun.
[00:39:53] Jen Kern: [00:39:53] Thank you Steph. Thanks so much again. You have a great
[00:39:56] Steph Hoppe: [00:39:56] I will - you take your girl.
[00:39:58] Jen Kern: [00:39:58] Thank you.