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“Keep curious. Become involved. Ask for assist.”
That is essential recommendation that Shawn Walchef’s grandfather Luben Walchef instilled in him lengthy earlier than Shawn based a burgeoning media empire from the again of his single-unit restaurant within the outskirts of San Diego.
The Cali BBQ Media founder believes that having a streamlined digital ecosystem and tech stack is essential for the success of any enterprise.
Simply as essential is Smartphone Storytelling; all enterprise homeowners have the ability to start out telling their very own story to the world on-line — utilizing simply their mobile phone.
In his intensive expertise as a restaurant proprietor and operator, Shawn Walchef has seen many companies use a patchwork of various instruments, software program platforms, and {hardware} for advertising, loyalty, level of sale, scheduling, again of the home, and many others. This ends in a disjointed and inefficient system that finally ends up costing them more money and wasted time.
As soon as his Cali BBQ restaurant firm began utilizing Toast as some extent of sale supplier in 2020, Shawn and Basic Supervisor Eric Olafsen realized that the revolutionary firm might function the heartbeat of their restaurant tech stack.
Toast additionally allowed them to simply combine different restaurant tech options and improve the general buyer expertise of consuming “Sluggish Meals Quick” from Cali BBQ (whether or not on-line or in-person). Sluggish Meals Quick is the slogan of Cali BBQ because of the pace and effectivity know-how like Toast helps present.
“As soon as we had Toast. Now I understand that our ecosystem, our digital ecosystem, can have this heartbeat. And as soon as it has a heartbeat, now I can go discover a resolution that Toast may not have,” explains Shawn Walchef to Will Eppard at Spark LA in 2023 about constructing a tech stack with Toast as the inspiration.
Walchef acknowledges that investing within the mandatory instruments for development might be difficult for enterprise homeowners. It requires stepping out of the 4 partitions of the enterprise and investing within the sources that can permit the enterprise to develop digitally.
He believes that connecting with different enterprise homeowners can also be key to studying and transferring any enterprise ahead.
Reside occasions (comparable to Spark by Toast and the Restaurant Transformation Tour by Restaurant365) and on-line communities present alternatives to study from others and keep updated on the newest traits and finest practices.
Shawn and his Cali BBQ Media workforce additionally host two stay Clubhouse meet-ups each Wednesday and Friday at 10am (PST) on the social audio app.
One of many classes that Walchef has discovered via his years within the trade is that sluggish and regular wins the race. Whereas it’s tempting to need speedy success and construct a unicorn enterprise, he emphasizes the worth of appreciating every day and taking a long-term strategy.
This philosophy applies not solely to constructing a profitable restaurant, but additionally to constructing a profitable media firm and household.
“I heard a quote the opposite day and I’ve repeated it just about every single day since I’ve heard it, and it is to cease praying for ‘as quick as attainable’ and begin praying for ‘so long as it takes you,'” says Shawn Walchef.
“A lot of what I’ve discovered is that, low and sluggish is how we construct our barbecue, how we construct our media, how I construct my household. It is appreciating in the future at a time.”
Shawn Walchef encourages restaurant homeowners to share their tales and join with others on-line every single day. The web and platforms like Spark LA have given companies the power to attach with folks all around the world, even when they don’t seem to be of their native market.
As he places it, “A rising tide lifts all leaderships. Your story issues. You created a enterprise. You created a restaurant. You satisfied so many individuals who informed you you could not do it.”
And Shawn is there that can assist you inform that story.
– Article by TJ Void of CaliBBQ Media
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