858: Carol Lawrence Owner and President of Red Arrow Diner

With excitement allow me to introduce to you today’s guest, Carol Lawrence. Carol has over 30 years of experience managing and marketing various restaurants, including her own. She started at the age of 12 peeling potatoes. From there she worked her way up to the dishwasher, line cook, at Belmont Hall before making her way to the Weathervane Restaurant where she waitresses for two weeks before being offered the Dining Room Manager position. Carol bought her first restaurant in September 1987 when she was just 23 years old. Since this time, she has earned national exposure for the Red Arrow Diner through print, television, and radio media as well as expanded the brand to three locations across New Hampshire. Check out episode 827 with Bobby Marcotte as mentioned in today's episode. Check out Goldbelly as mentioned in today's episode! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me!  Connect with my past guest and a community of superfans. Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!) Favorite success quote or mantra: "Have a diner day." "Did I make it better today?" In this workshop with Carol Lawrence we will discuss: Being a first time restaurant owner Diner culture and history Hiring young people in this industry Trust and track Mentors Negotiating ownership terms Meals tax Operating a 24/7 restaurant Marketing Scaling Closing a restaurant Today's sponsor: 7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free. Talk To The Manager – Nowadays, most guests don't want to call you on the phone or give you their feedback face-to-face. With TalkToTheManager, guests can avoid making a scene by sending you comments and questions anonymously by text message, allowing you to respond and handle issues in real-time. It's easy to set up and simple to use for both staff and visitors. No software integration. No downloads, and no apps to install. Over 20,000 restaurants trust ChowNow (chownow.com/unstoppable) for their online ordering. With ChowNow, you'll take control of your online presence, connect with more local diners, and keep your hard-earned profits. Join the free ChowNow Marketplace to reach new customers without commissions. Want to go big? Put your restaurant in the spotlight with ChowNow Direct—a full suite of branded ordering and marketing tools, including your own app! For a limited time, Restaurant Unstoppable listeners save 30% on a ChowNow Direct annual plan.   Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Being present and listening with open ears What is your biggest weakness? Learning the numbers What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? What are your strengths and weakness? What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? COVID, menuing, price changing, and staff Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Open and honest and communication, love your job What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Ringing the virgin bell (making your guests feels special through events) What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc and Robert Anderson In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules by Stacy Perman GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  Name one service you've hired. Payroll - Trivantus If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be? Keep your history (record so you can remember) Listen to your gut Be open to feedback Contact info: Red Arrow Diner website Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post. Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Huge thanks to Carol Lawrence for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!   Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!