From Hard Rock to First Watch, Chris Tomasso’s Playbook for Building Brand Loyalty and Driving Growth

Chris shares his experience in marketing leadership at Hard Rock Café and Cracker Barrel, which led to him spearheading one of the fastest-growing full-service restaurants in the U.S. His story is a testament to the value of innovative leadership, effective branding, and employee well-being in creating a unique work-life balance within the competitive restaurant industry.

Key Takeaways:
• Chris discusses how his background as a former Chief Marketing Officer shaped his leadership style and brought the voice of the consumer into the boardroom.
• Chris shares how First Watch strategically adopted technology, from Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) to online waitlist management, without compromising the personal touch that defines the brand.
• Chris touches on First Watch’s "We Hear You" initiative, where leadership connects directly with employees to gather feedback, understand challenges, and continuously improve the work environment.
• First Watch has over 500 locations – Chris talks about the importance of tenure, employee engagement, and maintaining high operational standards.
• First Watch has unique operational hours (closing by mid-afternoon) foster a healthy work-life balance, helping attract and retain top talent in the industry.
• Chris recounts his iconic Y2K marketing campaign that "owned" Times Square, a move that made waves and even sparked unexpected interactions with rock legend Keith Richards.
• Chris reflects on the “everyone out of the pool” meetings— open forums for brainstorming strategies to influence creative problem-solving and flexibility within the leadership team.

Schatzy, Jimmy, and Chris jump into "Trivia Tuesday", "Hot or Not", and "Branded Quick-fire," where Chris shares his thoughts on hospitality trends, and the trio buzz around tech, operations, and leadership.

Restaurant Transformation , Hospitality Strategies , Brand Experience , Hospitality Insiders , Hospitality Stories , Hospitality trends , Success in hospitality , hospitality insights , hospitality success , hospitality , connecting players , funny food stories , hospitality insiders , success in hospitality , hospitality stories . hospitality podcast, Custom business solutions, restaurant technology, restaurant promotions, restaurant ownership, culinary topics, food customs

Episode Credits:

• Sponsored by: DirecTV
• Produced by: Branded Hospitality Media
• Hosted by: Michael Schatzberg, JImmy Frischling
• Producer: Julie Zucker
• Creative Director: Adam Levine
• Show Runner: Drewe Raimi
• Post Production: GrodMedia

www.thehospitalityhangout.com

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