We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vince Lanni. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vince below.

Alright, Vince thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

A restaurant came to me with a desire to grow. They’ve been open for a few years, and doing well, but stuck, They didn’t feel like they were getting ahead, only keeping up. They want to work ON the business not IN the business. They want growth,

After just a couple months of collecting and analyzing their data and processes, as well as conversations on challenges and steps to overcoming them, they are projected to save over 100,000 in the next year.
That pays to hire another manager PLUS some upgrades & marketing! And they’re just scratching the surface. All we helped them do was make adjustments in their inventory & ordering guides, introduced them to our network of resources, and provided tools for tracking & forecasting costs, sales, & labor.
Now we’re focusing on team management, hiring/training, & guest retention, as well as streamlining operations & workflows to drive more sales! They’re well on their way to growing their business in only a couple months of working with us.
Our next step is low cost, high reward marketing strategies that will grow the business now that we’re building a solid foundation with them.
A sigh of relief from the owners, as they can see their dreams have turned into tangible goals sooner than they imagined!

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.

For well over a decade I’ve been a leader in bars & restaurants, mostly in Nashville TN. I was often recruited throughout my career to help improve business by providing quality leadership and streamlining work processes to increase profits.
I first started my journey in this industry as a server, and fell in love with the business and being “in service” to others. I love to help people. Through my career I’m proud to have helped hundreds of hospitality professionals. This lead me to think “how can I help more people?” It was from that question that my consulting business was born. The best way to help more people is to expand my reach and share the tools, strategies, and mindset that has worked for me to help others in the bar & restaurant industry!
I’ve found that every business can benefit in some way from my consulting or leadership support programs. One bar saw an increase in sales of $400,000 over a 6 month period. Another saved close to $100,000 in net profit in their first year. Another business owner was able to systemize and delegate in their business with improved lead practices and is now able to work ON the business rather than IN the business. They just took a month long vacation because of the systems they created.
For any restaurant business at any stage in development, that is looking to streamline processes, trim waste, increase sales, and free up time for better life balance or to work on growth & expansion, our consulting services may be the perfect way to achieve those goals!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My mindset & approach to leadership is what has helped build my reputation within my market. There are many great leaders in this industry, and there are many with a lot to learn. What I found through my career is that there isn’t any leadership support. They teach managers how to operate the shift, do inventory, etc. But they aren’t teaching the necessary people skills, the intangibles of leadership that make a team and a business more successful. I’m very proud of the reputation I’ve created by consistently serving my teams well, and going above and beyond for them.

Any advice for managing a team?

You work for them, they don’t work for you. This servant leadership has given me the most success throughout my career. I lead with my 3 F’s of leadership, that is outlined in detail in my leadership training course. Those 3 F’s of Leadership are Fun, Firm, and Fair. I set a good example for the team, I show up for them, and I an proactive in decision making and forecasting. Communication is such a high priority and has been a key factor in boosting morale everywhere I’ve gone. I encourage y’all to reach out to me and discuss morale in your business, the higher the morale, the higher the productivity. Your team deserves the best from you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.serveupstrategies.com
• Instagram: @vince.lanni
• Linkedin: Vince Lanni