EP 25: John Rivers - Building a Restaurant Empire on "Purpose"

Making the Cut with Chris Hill and Shawn Wenner

One of the great food traditions of the American South is BBQ, and virtually every state and region has its own variation. Since John Rivers was a child he'd been interested in the restaurant world, but it wasn't until he experienced some good Texas Brisket while in college that he truly found his passion. In this conversation, we talk with the founder of 4 Rivers Smokehouse, John Rivers, who went from running a billion dollar pharmaceutical company to leaving that industry and taking a leap of faith by following his passion for Brisket. He started his restaurant group 4 Rivers Smokehouse in an 1100 square foot space back in 2009 and they have since grown to 15 locations throughout the Southeast. John has many great lessons to share in this episode. In this Episode we discuss:

• What differentiates a great restaurant from just a good restaurant
• The importance of having a clear understanding of your purpose
• How to get started opening your first restaurant
• What to focus on in the early days of your restaurant
• How to grow and scale your company the right way
• How important it is to invest in your team if you want to grow and something unique John does with his managers
• How investing in your community is one of the best ways to market your company
• The best piece of advice John Rivers got from Dan Kathy of Chick-Fil-A on growing his business

Be sure to stop in one of their many locations throughout the Southeast to experience 4 Rivers Smokehouse in person: www.4rsmokehouse.com Many Thanks to Our Sponsor, Le Cordon Bleu Become part of a great tradition of culinary excellence! With over 120 years of teaching experience, Le Cordon Bleu is well-established as the global leader in culinary, wine and hospitality education. Learn from a team of classically trained teaching chefs with years of experience working in Michelin-star restaurants and the industry’s finest kitchens. Earn the most respected culinary qualifications and live a truly unique cultural experience in one of their 35 institutes around the world! Your culinary journey starts today. Apply now at www.cordonbleu.edu.