Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 40

D OM I N A T O R S
PERSONAL
Key accomplishments: 1) We deliver food to our Costa Vida restaurants
each day from the central kitchen. I set up the restaurants and kitchen to
bring back the food that was left over and slated for waste from the night
before. Each week I have the kitchen make 300 pounds of seven-layer burrito. We change the flavor each week. We then deliver and feed about 500
less fortunate folks at our Salt Lake City Rescue Missions. On the street,
“Costa Vida Thursdays” is the word! 2) Wonderful profitability increases for a
26-year-old company. Like scooping up money with a butterfly net! 3) Building the first central kitchen for Costa Vida Mexican Grills and having successes
in costs and consistency.
Biggest mistake: Hand wrote my resignation on a paper napkin at a
table with my new supervisor when I was young. If I had taken a more mature avenue, I may have had a faster career path to upper leadership.
Smartest mistake: I thought that P&L labor percentages were awkward
to predict at Subway, so I invented a SPAH (Sales Per Artist Hour) to have all
units on the same playing field. At first, I thought, “Oh no!” It turned out to
be a significant way to maximize labor.
How do you spend a typical day? Setting the Operational Vision!
What is the right thing to do now, forward, and 2 years forward?
Work week: Depends on goals. Opening new units, coaching management teams, P&L reviews, planning, motivating new leaders and recognizing
their strengths to allow them to improve our company better than I could.
Focus daily on relationships and company vision.
Favorite fun activities: Date night, kids’ sports and living their successes, surfing, snowboarding, personal journal update writing, and you won’t
believe this (my wife will concur) I love cleaning house.
Exercise/workout: Weights! My knees are shot from surfing all day as
a kid and high school and college basketball. Lifting weights is magic for my
body and attitude.
Favorite tech toys: A good PC. A great smartphone is right up there too.
What are you reading? I am a heavy magazine reader: QSR, Salt
Lake, Surfer, Snowboarder, Restaurant News, iD (Ideas & Discoveries), theology. I love the Internet for fast reads and topics. I started 50 Shades of Grey,
but I just got bored! Please do not tell my mom!
Do you have a favorite quote/advice? “Reach higher.”
Best advice you ever got: When it came to restaurants, Vern O. Curtis
from the 1980s who led Denny’s and its subsidiaries as the CEO: “Location,
Location, Location, for restaurant success!”
Formative influences/events: I believe family members, your
spouse, educating events, and spiritual experiences drive how we influence ourselves and others. These have all been helpful throughout my life
experiences.
How do you balance life and work? I feel balance is everything.
Family time, healthy outlook, work duties, husband honey-do lists, spiritual
experiences, helping our community. There is probably more, but balance is
key to loving your life.

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue IV, 2012

tions,” is fitting for a guy who grew up surfing every day in Southern
California and whose parents owned a consumer marketing company
that rated restaurant quality and service.
Bruce joined Abundant Brands in 2008 after serving as director of operations at ARG Restaurant group, which operated Arby’s
restaurants in 6Ɩf