We were lucky to catch up with Monica Rothgery recently and have shared our conversation below.
Monica, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
It is a bitter cold Chicago night in 1993. I find myself sitting on the floor of my Taco Bell dining room cold, frustrated and lost. I’m struggling hard. I have trouble with staffing and meeting labor costs. My turnover is high, and sales are low. My biggest problem? Managing food cost.
The Rocky and Bullwinkle promotion starts tomorrow, and I have to post the POP which is strewn all over the floor. In addition to the register toppers and window clings, Corporate has sent a 6 foot Rocky and Bullwinkle standee and I cannot get the damn standee to “stand.” To make matters worse, it is the end of the period and I’ve missed my food coast targets, again.
“Come on Monica. You are a smart, talented woman. You have a Bachelor of Science. You were a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. Surely you can put together a damn Rocky and Bullwinkle standee.” Over and over, I try. I think about the 2.4% on the COS report. Failure punches me in the gut. I sink to the floor, and they come, gently at first and then without pause: the tears of fatigue and frustration. “I can’t do this.” As the tears fall, I tell myself, “I quit. I quit for real this time. And if I don’t quit, if I somehow survive. I swear I will make it my life’s work to make it easier for anyone who leads a restaurant.
That was over thirty years ago. Somehow, with some help, I learned how to lead and manage a restaurant. After many interviews, I did get promoted and then, I spent the next three decades fulfilling my promise: to love and support leaders and to help them realize they are so much more than “managers.” They have the power to change lives and ultimately change the world.
In 2023 I retired from my corporate career and decided to continue my passion to support frontline leaders starting with writing my book “Lessons from the Drive-Thru, Real life Wisdom for Frontline Leaders.” Today I travel the country speaking to organizations about the power of frontline leaders to change lives and grow businesses.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I started my career as a struggling Restaurant General Manager for a Taco Bell. Confused, frustrated, and exhausted, I couldn’t understand how to make my team care about customers, or even want to show up for work. Turnover was high and morale was low. I missed sales goals, turnover targets, and profit. I often quit only to return the next day and try again.
Over time I began to discover the secret to achieving great results and building a great team. I found out that when I focused on the team, instead of myself, things got easier. I had less stress. The team had more fun, and the customers got better service.
After four years as a restaurant manager, I was promoted to work in the Training Department at the Taco Bell Headquarters. My career continued to progress with roles in Human Resources and Operations in Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell, but I never forgot where I started: as a restaurant manager. The greatest challenge of my career was leading Operations for KFC Thailand. There I discovered that the principle of great leadership transcend language and culture. I found that great leaders embrace who they are and figure out what is theirs to do. They make their mark on the lives of others and ultimately become the leader that no one ever leaves.
In 2018, I became the first woman to be the Chief Operations Officer for KFC, leading 4000 restaurants across the United States. I was also the first LGBTQ leader to be promoted to the C-Suite at Yum! Brands, one of the largest restaurant companies in the world.
My life’s work is helping leaders do what is theirs to do and realize their potential to change lives, starting with their own. I uses the power of story to entertain and empower leaders around the world.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
The foundation of my message is a lesson that I was taught by my mentor and former Yum! CEO Greg Creed, “the customer experience will never exceed your team member experience.”
The key to creating a customer experience is engaging with your team members as individuals. Know their kid’s names and their pet’s names. Understand why they are working and what is stressing them out. Find ways to help them, not in their job but in their life.
One manager gave me a beautiful example. One of her team members was starring in the high school musical. She attended opening night right beside her team member’s parents. That team member will know her parents were there but she will never forget that her manager took the time to support her on opening night.
This kind of care and support creates loyalty and once they know that we care about them, they will care about us.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
The best way to help more clients is to add value, add value, add value. I deliver impactful programs that challenge individuals and organizations to re-think how they empower their frontline. I offer the best experience to my clients because my #1 source of new clients is referrals. I do everything I can to make it easy to work with me. When I get to the event, I give as much time and energy to the client and their teams. And, I ask them, “is there someone you know whom I could help?” And I get more names! I also look to expand my support through coaching and consulting.
The second way is to write a book. Lessons from the Drive-Thru has offered readers and leaders an insight into my message. A book is a powerful tool to show your expertise and get clients excited to work with you.
Image Credits
The images are mine to use