The Journey of Fig & Olive Proves Restaurant Expansion is Possible in 2023

Welcome to the main course on Barbara Stigley of modern restaurant management. And today, we're going to talk about some exciting news about a restaurant that's expanding, which is really good news after what the restaurant in history has been through over the past few years. So, with me today is Alexis Blair, who's the CEO of Figgen Olive. So welcome, Alexis. First, you know, explain the fig and olive concept a little bit for us. Well, thank you so much for having me on stay barber. I really appreciate it. Figgan Olive is a French Mediterranean concept. We take inspiration from the from the rest of Mediterranean as well, though. So you'll find influence from Spain, Italy, even some Northern Africa, and even further east into the Mediterranean as well. We try to really inspire this lot of beef within our concept, so you'll find concept is all about the joy of living. It's exactly what we like to bring forth in everything that we do. So if if I'm you know, a guest and I walk in, how do you kind of create that experience of Juatovy for the guests? So it's we always say Fig and Olive is more than just great food and great cocktails. Obviously, that plays a huge role in inspiring for that. Inspiring that with our guests, but we really aim to bring forth that feeling through everything from the music, to the lighting, to some of the colors, and tech and even the plans that are selected throughout our restaurants. Everything we do is so intentional where the second you walk in our doors, you should feel immediately transported and really providing that so I know the menus vary based on location and based on all sorts of factors, but are there if you can say some of the I guess some of the menu dishes that might be your go to items or ones that are popular with guests. Absolutely. Well, that is a very difficult question if I had to say what some of my go tos were. I really tried to try something different. Every time I'm out of thick and olive, I can't say I have one favorite. But one of the dishes that has probably stood out most to me in my time that I've been here is our seafood Rusoto. It is out of this world. It really the second you take a bite, you feel like you are sitting on Neil, Moffee Coast. There's no other way to picture it. Chef Alogradi is our culinary director, and this is one of his signature dishes that he brought on when he came on as our culinary director. In twenty nineteen. And really just is one of those things we offer it as a flap du jour, so it's only available one day it's a little special, but it keeps people coming back each and every week. So can you fill us in a little bit on your background and how you came to Fighenol? Absolutely. So I I like most people to not set out immediately to enter into the restaurant industry. But I grew up around restaurants and with a love of pops Tolly that came from both of my parents. I set out to be a professional ballet dancer, what feels like many, Moon ago, and what do ballet dancers typically do to help pay the bills while they work in restaurants. And I caught what they call the hospitality bug. Worked my way up through the industry from there and have been so fortunate to have worked with some amazing restaurant groups and chefs along the way, groups like Catch Hospital was M Group when I was there, moving on to standard hotels and getting the opportunity to also help them open standard East village. And be a part of the opening team for Narcissa. And eventually came over to Figanalov, worked my way up through both operational and finance roles within the organization. And eventually, after many years became CEO of the company in twenty nineteen. So what is it about figuring all of that keeps you there and keeps you inspired to keep rowing and and staying there as as your career. Well, I was a fan of the concept before I even came on and having the opportunity to work side by side with the original founder, Laurent Hallaz. I really developed this deep respect and passion for the origins of the concept and the lifestyle of the French Riviera. Over the years, we've really grown this amazing company and team that has become my family. And to keep us growing and to keep wanting to expose to this thing that I really am our number one fan is, I couldn't ask for a better job. I really could it. That's what drives us every day. Now you have a number of locations that are based in the US and now you're expanding globally. So you can tell us a little bit about you know, why you're expanding globally and what your plans are. It's always kind of been our vision to make folk fig and olive a world renowned restaurant group. And a kind of takeaway for global expansion. We were finally able to really hit that key milestone in this past year with our opening in Qatar. And hopefully that paves the way for future global growth, but it's always been our dream was to have Fig and Olive via global name. So why the Middle East? Like, you know, a lot of people, you know, Canada, Mexico, because they're close and they could kind of really keep, you know, keep a close close contact with everything. But why the Middle East for that this first expansion? We looked for a really long time and evaluated many different markets. The reason that we specifically landed in Qatar in Doha, was a lot of it came down to timing being a key thing. We opened just ahead of the World Cup, where there was a lot of global visibility on this area. And Also, because of how our cuisine was able to translate into this market. Another layer to us is really finding the right partner. As you said, there can be challenges when you're really taking your brand and you're trusting it in somebody else to oversee the day to day of it, but also when you're doing it from afar, really having that right partnership is so crucial. But after doing a lot of research, really evaluating where we could take our cuisine and place it and what type of evolution would be required to really be sticky in each market. The Middle East provided a great opportunity. There's fantastic growth there. There is a really phenomenal culinary scene that is growing in these areas, and it became an excellent entry point for us into the international market. So, there are cultural differences and menu adaptations that you had to make. So can you talk a little bit about what you had to do to make it work there. Absolutely. So there's two really key things in this specific market that we had to work to avoid and adjust on one was not using any pork items. So, we were able to adjust and remove items like Teresa or prosciutto, which you'll find throughout our menu in the United States, and replace that with some beef alternatives that would be more adapt for that market, like a soju, or also the not using of alcohol. So as much as we were able to develop a really fantastic mocktail program, we also use alcohol in a lot of our cooking. Whether it be wine, whether it be a brandy make a sauce, so finding new and different ways to bring forward some similar flavors, and also make sure that the dishes still have the same depth and texture. We kinda got to rework some things and get a little creative in a lot of different ways. But at the end, we are able to come up with something that is just as good of a representation figure all this way. Define in the states. So what was that time frame for that whole process of kind of re figuring this out? So it happened over the course of a couple of years actually. So we kinda chose the location and entered into the partnership early on in twenty twenty and really took our time to go through a lot of research and development, and of course some other things happened in twenty twenty as well that prolonged the process a little bit. But, yeah, it was a very lengthy process, very well researched one, but it also gave us this opportunity to look at our brand in a whole new, fresh way. And continue that evolution. And there's things we took from that R and D process that we even introduced into our new menu like our steak shops league. We came up with this fantastic rubs, a dish we had specifically created for the Doha market, loved it so much. It's now entered onto our menu in the States as well, and is one of our stocks top sellers. You know, was that all kind of working with your current culinary director? Or did you kind of tap into people there as well to get kind of their local flavor to say? A little bit of both. So our culinary director, Stefan Elegarde took the lead on the R and D process, but we are very big on our research. And also, speaking with all the different states holders to understand what's really going to be best for the business at the end of the day? And what really are the guests going to be excited about? What's going to work for them? And so we spoke with people who were colleagues of ours who had developed restaurants there and adapted their menus. We spoke with our partners out there. It's really get an understanding. They're very experienced food and beverage operators. So we are fortunate where they brought a wealth of knowledge into this process as well. And then, of course, working with Sheple on very talented, we were able to develop something very exciting. You mentioned twenty twenty. So, you know, talking to any restaurant, we can't really avoid talking about the pandemic experience. So what was the pandemic experience like for figuring all of and now that you've had some kind of perspective on it, what kind of lessons have you learned? Absolutely. Yeah. I think it was such an interesting time. And in hindsight, you know, twenty twenty. Mhmm. No kinda does. You know, you you start to realize, you know, it it really was there was a a little bit of a silver lining to it. It really forced restaurants to do a lot of things that we needed to have been doing for quite some time. And you know, as an industry, it it caused us to really rethink how we do things, and and how we wanna approach things from a culture standpoint, our restaurants, from a benefit standpoint, our from a workforce standpoint. And that really has been such a beautiful thing. And I think anytime what we've seen for restaurants over history is There's this amazing resilience of restaurant workers. And rather than taking that time and just kind of being down about it, it always is this amazing time where will become innovative and these new disruptors start to emerge. So, the silver lining to what was a really tragic time is also we've come out of it with some very amazing products, some cool new ideas, and a refocus on how we want to approach things in the go forward. We took this as a time to really turn over every stone and and rediscover who we were. We went into the pandemic as a fifteen, sixteen year old restaurant group, and getting ready to go on this culinary evolution as we wanted to reintroduce ourselves to the market and make sure we're doing something exciting to entice our guests. And we're getting ready to start that at the beginning of twenty twenty when the pandemic first started. So we took this time to kind of refocus on our training efforts and rebuild all of our training programs, really find a whole new way to go about this and to go forward, and really figure out what we were good at doing. You know, what were the things that we were really good at doing and where do we need to evolve? So it it gave us a gift of time in a way to really double down on it. But like any restaurant group, they we did face, you know, the similar challenges and having to make some hard decisions to step away from certain restaurant that maybe we didn't see the same potential of in the future was a big part of that for us as well. But really refocus our efforts on our existing restaurants and focus on that growth from the go forward, it paved the way for us to do something really exciting like the global expansion we were just speaking of. Speaking about all that, you know, how did you handle staffing challenges and then supply chain and inflation, all of it kind of commingled to really make it difficult, particularly in in the type of restaurant that, you know, that you're looking to give, that kind of experience you're looking to give to the diner. So, you know, how you know, how challenging did you find that? I mean, you have a a really positive outlook, which is great because I think that probably you know, helps you more than anything to kind of get through it and and see that there's the light at the end of the tunnel. You know, but you know, how did you handle all of those things that were kind of being punched out yet all the time? You know, listen, this is a challenging industry. We don't get to it because we don't love a challenge. You know, we are a team of problem solvers, and we really put a high emphasis on being strategic at all times. And As we face some of these different things, it's always taken this really head on approach, you know, if it's the supply chain issues, what can we do, what can we get, how do we work with our vendors and really staying on top of this reengineering. We're still making sure we're providing that ingredient driven cuisine that's gonna speak to the DNA of Figk and Olive. And having a team to really be able to workshop that with and really stay on top of it, and really embracing that process, I think, was part of it. Training has been our biggest asset throughout from a retention standpoint to how do we now take team members who don't have such experience. We all know the talent pool has dwindled throughout the pandemic. And we have now people who are coming up in the industry who don't have you know, the years and years to depth of experience that maybe we had for existing training. So how do we do that? How do we build that and do we really engage them and and really get their buy in in this process? And that's given us that opportunity to really double down on our trading efforts, which is a passion of mine and a passion I share with my entire team. So we had actually a lot of fun with this at the same time. But it's really just staying head on with it, making sure we're adjusting our operations, really being in tune with the performance of our team, what days can we operate, what services make the most sense, how many menu items can we have and when can we start to expand that menu based on our team, based on supply chain, So really having a pulse on every aspect of the business and a team that understands all of that, it has been crucial for us. That level of alignment and being has allowed us to be able to adjust quickly and pivot when needed, and just tackle things as they come our way in ways you can stay ahead of the game. So you kind of took a look at your training handbook and kind of reworked things and and figured out how how to engage with your new workers? Exactly. So not even just a handbook. You know, everything from how you know, I think there's so much training is such a a great conversation because it's not or it's not linear. And it's not just meant for new hires. And how do we leverage virtual trainings against in person hands on training against utilizing these handbooks, and and what do you give somebody in their first five days versus their first ten, thirty, forty, getting all the way up to five or ten years has been a really big part of that, and making sure that that follow-up is there, and that we're also engaging people in a way that they learn best. And providing those different opportunities. And not just saying, you know, here's your new hire, handbook, and and your training in your service manual, but really, how are we making sure that you you understand this, that you're embracing it, and that it's sticky. That is really something that you're to take and that you can have the confidence to take into that guest experience. So, what role does technology play in your day to day operations? Technology's always a a great thing for us. I think it it's one that we really wanna make sure we balance because we believe very much so in that ech4 hospitality and that human interaction. So, finding ways where our guests are still getting that amazing experience in hospitality and technology is facilitating it versus becoming a barrier. And I think when you get into certain segments of the industry, this is where you'll get a lot of operators. You'll get very afraid of that. But we found ways to use it to make our teams more knowledgeable to move more swiftly. We've done everything for QR code contactless payments to different things with our reservation systems and transitioning over to resi. How we are approaching even just our time management and our LMS platform through Paycom and how we're rolling out some of our training materials from there and using that for mass messaging for our teams. As well as, you know, the Restaurant three sixty five. So, there's all these different systems that we're very lucky to have some of the best in class systems available to us. And how we're leveraging that has been crucial to us being able to move quickly and also navigate a lot of these things that a restaurant industry has faced. So one of the things that I think every restaurant that's growing kinda struggles with is, you know, you you can't be there all the time. You're not going to be in the Middle East every day making sure everything's done the right way. So kind of how do you kind of balance that quality control with all of the expansion. Yeah. So this is something that's always been really important. To me, as as well as, I think, everybodyconfig in all of this. We have this uncompromised commitment our quality. And how we monitor that, and it's, you know, a lot of it is using data. It really is. It's using that data, whether that be you know, our guest feedback and really looking at our consumer insights from our reviews and looking for those trends, identifying those trends, really looking at all of our sales mix. So it's both that balance of quantitative and qualitative data that we're trying to evaluate to make sure that we can stay on top of that. But you know, everything from virtual line checks, getting on the phone with a chef over video and making sure we're going through as we're rolling out a new menu item. Ensure that everything looks as it should and understands that. And it comes back to that training aspect as well. Not just training in the new hire process, but keeping that ongoing development helps make sure that that message is carried through as consistently as possible. Otherwise, you get that game of telephone. Somebody learns that habit, teaches that to somebody else, teaches that to somebody else, that by the time it trickles down to the guest, it's maybe fifty percent of what you intended it to be. So, it's something that we use a lot of technology and a lot of different data to make sure that we're managing as closely as possible outside of being able to physically be in the restaurants. Right. So where do you anticipate Figgenolv will be in five years? Are you looking to expand, looking for growth opportunities that make sense? Is it, you know, like a very targeted kind of growth and where would you think to go next? Absolutely. We like anyone have pretty big aspirations for our company in in five years, there's a couple of key things that we are hoping to see and what we're kind of building toward today and and headed down the road map on that direction. And we do wanna continue our international extension through our licensing deals. We think that that is a smart way to continue to enter new markets. And what's great about figuring all of it is it has this great presence. But it only works in certain tripling markets. So, what's key for us on the other side is to start to develop and expand our portfolio and diversify. So not just having a fig and all, but introducing potentially a secondary concept that's going to allow us to enter into some markets that maybe a fig and all today wouldn't necessarily work it's gonna give us greater opportunity for expansion, but also help mitigate financial risks in the future. Should, you know, there be a singular effect that would ever happen to do. So it's not necessarily any particular geographic. It's more trying to make things that make sense for the portfolio at large. Correct. So now somebody who takes a look at your career and says, I wanna do what she does. You know, and, you know, it sounds crazy, but maybe we all have to be a little bit crazy to be in the restaurant industry, you know, to nobody who hasn't been in it doesn't realize how difficult it is and how challenging it is, but how rewarding it can also be. You know, so what kind of advice would you give to someone you know, who sees it and kind of wants to follow a similar path? Like I don't tell anybody, be a sponge, you know, just take every opportunity you have to learn a new side of this business. I find a lot of people become very stuck in one track. I'm a front of house operator. I am a chef. I am a controller. I am finance. So, you can really open yourself up. And if you wanna propel your career very quickly, take the opportunity to learn everything and anything. And never be afraid of getting your hands dirty. Be gritty, be bold, but really be as fun, observe, take your time, and embrace every new experience that you have the opportunity to. Coucher is the one thing that I will say. I was so fortunate throughout my entire career to have worked for different groups and different people who really gave me that opportunity. And just taking a hold of it and embracing it for everything that it was is exactly why I'm oriented. Let's talk a little bit about other kinds of subjects. So mocktails, you guys had to figure that out, but it was kind of you know, a trend that was happening here in the US where there was a lot of excitement and a lot of really tasty things going on. So the fact that it was something that was on trend here kind of help you in producing then use that made sense and that worked in the Middle East? Absolutely. We were already starting to expand our zero ABB program in the States and we took some of those things and also added them to the menu there. But we kinda took on an even different challenge because back to kind of having that strength and that uncompromised commitment to Fig and Olive in our DNA and our standards, we didn't wanna just add any mocktail. We wanted to make sure that they spoke to our cocktail program in ways. So really trying to get a similar flavor profile with each of our mocktails was very into us. So as we were going through that development process, we thought, okay, our number one seller is our Rosalini. So, how can we take those flavors in a mocktail? And we've got the fig and all. How do we now take the flavors that are in that cocktail and translate that into a mock? Tail without alcohol. So it's a really fun exercise to go through in using new products and different syrups and different styles of prep. We were able to come up with something that still spoke to the same flavors and same profiles that you'll find even in our complementary. So for the restaurant industry in a whole, you know, what do you see as you know key challenges that they're facing right now? So I think continuing, you know, the two face this labor shortage and the training aspect of things is a is a really big one. The consumer not so much price sensitivity, but I think consumer expectation. Are are a big one right now that they're higher than they ever happen, and that's how they should be. But when you're facing on the other side of it, supply chain issues, labor outages and all of these other things, it becomes that much harder to exceed those. Those challenges are probably not going to go away. They're things that we're gonna continue to have to be strategic on and find new in different ways to continue to deliver a high level of guessing experience. So you talked a little bit about this before, but I guess I wanted to crystallize your thoughts on it. How do you think the pandemic has made fine dining evolve? I think it's encouraged all of us to be okay with breaking the mold a little bit. And I always tell rota, fake and all, we're not necessarily fine dining, you know, and we and we don't want to be. You know, that's not what we're aiming for. We are a fine dining quality, but in a very excessive simple and playful atmosphere. We really want to make sure that we're taking away some of that stigma that comes with what people think when they think about dining. But I think it's opened us up to that. It's allowed it to be more playful. It's allowed it to also deliver something to a whole new generation of people who maybe weren't interested been fine dining before, because they think of it as like their parents fine dining, you know. That was, that was what my parents knew. And that was that, that very stiff style. So, finding a way to make it a bit more playful, opening up new ingredients, finding different approach to service that truthfully, I think, allows the guests to respect it and embrace it so much more, because now they're they're relaxed. They're they open themselves up to the experience. And they really do start to embrace it a whole new way that I I don't think they ever have. Perfect. Thank you so much. This was great.