Tips for Managing Multiple Restaurant Locations

This week on the LocalBites podcast, we hit rewind on one of our favourite episodes with John Pickerel, founder of Buckhorn BBQ Grill. From selling at farmer’s markets to eight brick and mortar locations, John has a lot of wisdom to share with our listeners. To stand out from the crowd, Buckhorn has focused on a unique cut of meat that has caused lines to wrap around the block. The key to the growth and success that Buckhorn BBQ Grill has seen is consistency and predictability. 

John knows that you can sell anything once, but to get repeat customers he focused on a great loyalty program that was collecting points for customers before Starbucks. As the years have gone on, Buckhorn has used the program to collect data that has helped the restaurant adapt and change. John has learned a lot as a seasoned restaurant owner, and the biggest is that nothing is more expensive than an empty chair especially in a new location. 

[00:00] Show intro
[00:35] Welcome to John: his background and restaurant
[01:27] What is Buckhorn’s speciality?
[03:22] Why tri-tip and how was the menu built around it?
[05:14] From one to eight locations
[06:50] How do you get repeat customers?
[09:28] What has changed in John’s loyalty programs?
[12:07] Using data to figure out growth
[14:38] Has the process of opening new locations gotten easier?
[16:15] The biggest challenges in eight locations
[18:46] From unknown to brand awareness
[21:19] One piece of advice who is about to start building a restaurant brand

[22:56] Wrapping it up