We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sean Palani. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sean below.
Alright, Sean thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you ever experienced an industry-wide U-Turn? Tell us about it?
COVID hit our industry harder than most and a lot of business owners had to relearn how to run their business. They had to pivot and focus heavily on take-out/to-go. They had to dig deep within and take a good look at their culture to hopefully retain and attract staff who jumped ship to other industries where it was safer, kinder, less stressful to work and who also offered benefits, and quality of life; two things that were most uncommon in this field. They had to condense menus, raise prices, and find ways to bring back old diners and entice new ones. Running and opening restaurants during COVID times just might be one of the most challenging times yet, Many agree that the “art of hospitality” may be lost due to lack of passiona, excitement and opportunities that keep me in this industry for over thirty-five years. Todays menu offers up both pessimism and optimism with a side of hope and uncertainty.
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 literally ate my way into this industry, or, maybe it was right place, right time. A friend and I were visiting another friend at a local diner and were enjoying burgers and shakes when my buddy, standing to our sides at the counter, gave his notice to his boss due to baseball commitments. His boss told him to find him someone. I pulled on my buddie’s apron string, he turned, and I pointed to myself. Intros were made and I started as a busboy the following Saturday and never looked back.
As a restaurant (and small business) consultant, I want to connect with your business. From your virtual footprint, to your online presence with social media and website, to your online reviews, I am looking to ensure that your brand is being pulled through in the way it was intended to. Secret shops can do wonders for business owners, as it puts a another set of highly trained eyes on your business, finding opportunities that most might not see on a daily basis. Of equal importance, is the community engagement, Is your business aligned with the community, or are you just opening your doors, waiting for patrons to come in and buy something.
Aside from my consulting, I am also the proud co-founder of The Atlanta Guys Dinner Group, a diverse and inclusive group guys who get together once a month to break bread and give back. Just like we select a different restaurant to dine at and support each month, we also select and support a different non-profit/charity/cause each month, as well. We just celebrated our 53rd (official) partnership dinner June 14th, 2002. We support causes that look to impact and support those in our community who need our help most. We have an active roster of over one hundred men, and average about thirty guys at each dinner with three to four of the guys being their first time to a dinner.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Gaining new clients can come in many forms, but fortunately for me, mine or ours, come from word-of-mouth and and good ol’ gorilla marketing.
Your name is your brand. What do you represent? I still, to this day, am very passionate about the restaurant industry and everything about it. I live and breath hospitality. I think about it 25 hours a day. Your passion and experience are your passport to unlimited business opportunities. A genuine desire to help others succeed, is a must. I carry business cards at all times; not to sell anything, but to find six degrees of separation (which is quite easy to do in this industry), to connect with others in this “framily”, to learn about others and a genuine care to want to help others.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Passion!! My passion for everything about the industry, My passion to meet, support, and connect others who share the same passion as I.
Successfully running multi-million dollar operations (with a great team, of course), all done with a smile has helped a bit, too.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: seanpalani and agdgsean_palani
- Facebook: seanpalani
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-palani-6707b325/