Outback

Outback Steakhouse in Knoxville, TN, who recently assumed the new position of Joint-venture partner, and who will now be overseeing 12 restaurants located between Huntington, WV, and Pittsburgh, Is profiled as part of Nation's Restaurant News' NOR 50 General Managers Orchestrating Success feature. Throughout his years at the Knoxville property, Stanton Increased sales by a whopping 133% to $4. 3 million dollars. While Stanton rewards his employees financially, he also is keen on showering them with the respect they deserve.He notes that one of the most blissful aspects of his Job is to attach his staff evolve, slowly working their way through the ranks of the restaurant world. Joint-venture partner raises the stakes, ropes in customers, lassoes $4. 3 million in sales Since 1995 Tim Stanton has spent much of his time at the bustling Outback Steakhouse In Knoxville, Teen. He has watched sales grow, led a staff that Is alert and happy and enjoyed the unwavering support of his family. No w things are about to get even better.View Image – Stanton, who recently was made Joint-venture partner, soon will oversee 12 restaurant locations as well as four more that still are under construction. This month Stanton assumed the new position of Joint-venture partner. Instead of overseeing one Outback in Tennessee, the 43-year-old now will watch over 12 restaurants located between Huntington, W. Va. , and Pittsburgh, as well as four that are under construction. â€Å"This Is It,† Stanton says. â€Å"This Is my best tour of duty. All the rest were stepping stones. At Outback those with generalization responsibilities are not known as general managers. Instead, they are called managing partners and have partial ownership of their restaurants. As a result, managing partners have a personal stake in the success of their operations. For Stanton, who served as managing partner of the Knoxville restaurant for nine years, It was that vested Interest that motivated him to generate sales aggressively. â€Å"It's an ownership,† Stanton says. â€Å"l made a commitment to generate sales. Without sales, there are no profits.Without profits, there Is no business. It's the perfect triangle. Ten percent of the bottom line is profit. † Throughout his years at the property, he increased sales by a whopping 133 percent to $4. 3 million dollars. Colleagues are in awe of the accomplishment. He took a store that was in a good place and increased sales,† says Sheer Monnet, who worked alongside Stanton in Knoxville, helping to manage the front-of-the-house as well as tend bar. â€Å"His bosses weren't seeing those results in other stores, and so they said, ‘Maybe you can show us how to do it. † As a Joint-venture partner, Stanton will work hand in hand with managing partners, guiding them through operational challenges and keeping Outback's mission fresh and alive. His new home base will be Pittsburgh, and his hours, often 70 to 75 h ours weekly while he is in Knoxville, are likely to get longer. You goat do what you goat do,† he says of his managing-partner days. â€Å"If I needed to be in early, I came in early. If I needed to work late, I worked late. † In Knoxville, Stanton managed a staff of 70, with more men in the kitchen and more women in the front-of-the-house.As Joint-venture partner, Stanton will oversee 840 people, and that number is likely to grow because building the Outback brand within his new territory will be one of his mandates. But Joe Roberto doesn't foresee any problems. Station's supervisor for a year and a half, Roberto is a Nashville, Teen. -based Joint-venture partner who worked directly above Stanton and now shares similar responsibilities for a different regional market. â€Å"He's incredibly driven and extremely motivated,† Roberto says of Stanton. â€Å"He's detail-oriented and passionate about food quality. He's demanding but fair. † View Image – T he in Knoxville, Teen. Has been the site of many community fund- raisers and has contributed to such organizations as The Heart Association, The Lupus Foundation and Race for the Cure. As Monnet recalls, Stanton was an inspiring boss. â€Å"He's an extreme perfectionist,† she says. â€Å"He sets his expectations high and knows what needs to be done. † Stanton is no stranger to the restaurant industry. The Illinois native actually went to school for coal-mining technology, mistakenly thinking that's how he wanted to spend for mom-and-pop establishments and fast-food chains, and decided he needed to become a part of it.To escape the cold Midwestern winters, Stanton became area manager of the Long John Silver's franchise market in the Southeast. He also worked for eight and a half years as a Chili's general manager and credits that company with teaching him the importance of fresh food. When he learned about the opportunities at Outback, he made the leap. Based in Tampa, Flat. , Outback now has 825 namesake steakhouses as well as several other full-service concepts. View Image – Stanton says he rewards his financially and also is keen on showering them with the respect they deserve.Monnet says the fact that Stanton was such a dedicated managing partner made the Knoxville Outback feel more like a comfortable home than an impersonal and stuffy business. She says Station's own family was very involved with the dynamics of the restaurant. It was not uncommon to see his wife helping out with the books. His sons and daughters also worked there at different times. L would love to Just slow my kids down from growing up,† says Stanton, a self- described family man who has been married for 21 years and has four children.While Stanton rewards his employees financially, he also is keen on showering them with the respect they deserve. He notes that one of the most blissful aspects of his job is to watch his staff evolve, slowly working their way thr ough the ranks of the restaurant world. â€Å"There is someone who came on board with me who went from [being] server to bartender to key employee,† he notes. â€Å"Someone else also came on board as a server, hen started working in the back on salads, then went on to become key employee and then manager. Some people are not focused on life yet but have that fire in them. For his employees Stanton likes to keep it simple, believing that it is the little things that keep everyone happy. He's the kind of guy who might let someone take the day off or, for a more morale-boosting team event, rent a movie theater out for a fun afternoon flick. He says the most important thing he has learned along the way is that communication is vital. He always listens and also encourages his staff to get involved. And he does so not Just in the restaurant. An avid community leader, Station's generous spirit reaches out to his own backyard.Under his leadership the Knoxville Outback has been the s ite of many community fund-raisers for grade schools and churches and has contributed to such diverse causes as The Heart Association, The Lupus Foundation and Race for the Cure. Once, around Halloween, local children were encouraged to pick pumpkins, decorate them and bring them to the Knoxville Outback to display them so that customers could vote on their favorites. Despite his stellar accomplishments, Stanton maintains that he is doing nothing less Han acting upon his commitment to Outback. We have to be committed and set the bar high,† he says. â€Å"We have to be ready and take care of the guests as a group goal. You need great food and great people. It's a team. Some people are exceptional in themselves. Surround yourself with great people, instill pride in them and give them something they can take pride in. † Sidebar Tim Stanton Outback Steakhouse Outback Steakhouse Inc. Concept type: casual Steakhouse Company location: Tampa, Flat. Unit location: 330 N. Peters Road, Knoxville, Teen. No. Of years with company: 9 years, 6 months Age: 43 Hometown: Carbondale, Ill.Personal: married, four children, ages 9 to 21 Most rewarding part of your Job: seeing the people I work with grow with the company work with. Tip for otter general managers: Surround yourself with great people. What the boss says: â€Å"I've known Tim Stanton for eight years,† says Ben Novel, vice president of operations for Outback Steakhouse. â€Å"He Joined Outback in 1994, and since then he's been up there, winning Proprietor of the Year six times. â€Å"During his tenure Tim became a managing partner and grew sales from $3. 2 million to $4. 3 million. It's a spectacular thing. He's a developer of people.