Laura Sorensen

Traditional full-service restaurants are facing a lot of pressure as fast-casual businesses eat up more of the broader restaurant market share across the country. It is important for those commentating on the market to understand the irreplacability of the customer experience. People are still dining out, but they are being more selective with their spending due to broader economic factors. Fast Casual, QSR, or Full Service, restaurants can't assume the guest dining experience is lessened because of the economy, as we have identified at Happy Joe's 🍕. If anything, service and the overall dining experience importance is heightened because of the economic impact on the dining guests. #RestaurantIndustry #FastCasual #Innovation

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ... Organizational growth is not just adding products, employees, or locations. It is also how you strategize, think, plan, and behave as leaders. #PeopleMakeTheDifference

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A decline in fast food consumption speaks to two forces, a desire for healthy alternatives and a general boredom with current market offerings. Restaurant consumers want inviting experiences. Seemingly more than anything they want to be able to customize their orders to their liking as we know firsthand at Happy Joe's 🍕. It's important that restaurants capture these traits, as many of them look to be primarily generational. #Restaurant #Leadership #ConsumerTrends #ServantLeadership

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Empowering a restaurant team is the only sure way to guarantee quality service across customer touchpoints. The reason I am so passionate about servant leadership, impact, and the associated processes, is because of improved customer outcomes. Leading with your heart is what leads to smiles on customers' faces. #Restaurant #Leadership #ServantLeadership

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This is a fantastic example of the restaurant industry giving back to serve the community that they are a part of. Servant Leadership underscores so many valuable leadership philosophies, and what makes these so successful is the lifelong lessons a whole team can take away. It's not about just doing what's best for your restaurant, it's about doing the right thing no matter what for the community you’re a part of which is built into our DNA at Happy Joe’s 🍕! #Restaurant #Leadership #ServantLeadership

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While inflation may have caused Americans to scale back spending in some areas, dining was not one of them as I can attest from our results at Happy Joe’s 🍕. Looking at this new restaurant data from the past 4 years, (thank you, Statista!) restaurant sales are continuing to increase alongside price changes. This may reveal even more positive news about the economic prospects of the restaurant industry going forward, especially if inflation slows down in ways many economists are forecasting. #RestaurantIndustry #Growth #Innovation

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One must be careful when looking at reports of restaurant job growth, as there are many factors that shape the industry as a whole. Keep in mind, this past year has demonstrated the recovery is not a given and is still a work in progress. Guest experience is just one differentiator on this road to recovery for our industry, meaning a slowing in job growth is likely a correction given the turnaround the industry has recently faced. Here at Happy Joe's Pizza we believe that there is no shortage of opportunity in our industry. But we continue to believe Guest experiences are the key differentiator given the state of the economy, inflation, and a tightening labor market. #Restaurant #Leadership #RestaurantIndustry

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Recently I had to order a large amount of chicken wings for a party I was hosting. My favorite tasting wings come from Wingstop Restaurants Inc., but I am also a fan of #TacoMac (pretty well-known in metro Atlanta). 🍗 🍗🍗 It was important that my order would be ready sharply at 6:30 pm. Reflecting on my experiences at both restaurants, while Wing Stop's chicken wings are superior in taste and quality, their customer service has always been a disappointing 1 out of 10. On the other hand, Taco Mac consistently delivers a solid product, with professional customer service that I'd rate an 8 or 9 on the same scale. I ultimately chose the brand I could #trust to get the job done. 🏆 Taco Mac earned my business that evening and as suspected, the order was completed precisely on time, with plenty of wet naps and blue cheese dressing. 🙌 Trust is HUGE in choosing who we give our business to. We all make this choice every day. Dunkin'​ or Starbucks? McDonald's or Burger King? Hulu or Netflix? RaceTrac or QuikTrip? The list goes on. ☕ 🍔 📺 🚗 This got me thinking about our clients at Tier4 Group and the many candidates I have had the privilege to work with over the years who keep sending business our way. These long-standing relationships happen because of trust. - Trust to get the job done 👏 - Trust to be treated professionally 👏 - Trust to solution through the challenges 👏 - Trust to only use ethical practices 👏 - Trust to be more than a slogan or elevator speech 👏 - Trust to treat all parties with dignity and respect 👏 I understand that every day, our clients and candidates have the freedom to choose from many options. So, when they choose Tier4 Group, it means the world to me, both as a recruiter and as a person. 😁 #Tier4Group #T4G #FlashThe4 #clients #candidates #recruiting #chickenwings

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