We recently connected with Doug Hofeling and have shared our conversation below.

Doug, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

The restaurant industry is notorious for having extremely narrow profit margins, and at the best of times it can be a real struggle to stay in the black. When Covid hit, many business owners saw their profits evaporate and their costs skyrocket because of supply chain issues. While many were able to take advantage of PPP loans and other programs, many simply could not cope with such a calamity. Some laid off workers, dipped into their savings, or were forced to close. A lot of restaurants, bars, and hotels have not fully recovered even still.

With so much arrayed against a new owner/operator, I saw an opportunity to work with people entering the industry to plan, layout, and execute new operations without the rookie mistakes and structural errors that hinder so many operations.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are many books on management, especially hospitality that are worth a look. The classics such as How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, and Setting the Table by Danny Meyer come to mind. However there is one book that I have put to good use nearly every day of my career, and that is Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler.

So much of running a business and managing a team comes down to communicating effectively, and this book is the most concise and useful book on that subject that I have read.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I began working on a brewery project in late 2019 that was going to be a marquis business for the town we were in. We secured funding, designed the brewery, and broke ground when Covid hit. It was too late to back out or put the project on hold, and since we were brand new, there was little to no PPP or other government resources to rely on. Our only option was to mask up, and lean in. It was by far the most challenging opening I had ever been through for the myriad reasons we are all trying to forget. With lockdowns, outbreaks, and supply chain issues, there were days that it seemed like we were not going to make it. However as the leader of the project, I had to convey an air of confidence and calm, even when I was terrified and doubting. Especially then.

Through it all, we managed to open very close to our original projected date, and the community responded. It was messy, harrowing, and challenging, and I’m extremely proud of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.makeyouropeningday.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-hofeling-a24397239/

Image Credits
Doug Hofeling