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| (Photo: Jennifer Bennett and Zazie co-owners Mario Rojas, Megan Cornelius, and Francisco Romero) |
Jennifer Bennett is on a mission to prove that restaurants can offer good jobs with benefits and even long-term careers for staff. One of her insights -- that people will live up to whatever expectations we have of them, so we might as well expect the best -- is applicable to so many settings.
My family has been going to Zazie for as long as I can remember. (Check out the photo of toddler me enjoying a piece of toast with jam at Zazie). When I was old enough to understand just how differently Zazie does business compared to other restaurants, I loved Zazie even more. Read on to learn about Jennifer and what led her to change the way restaurants do business. And if you are ever in San Francisco, please do patronize this wonderful Cole Valley eatery and say hi to the new owners for me.
When did you first start working in restaurants? When did you decide it would become not just a job but a career?
My stepmother owned a restaurant in Nashville called Laurell's. I started working for her during my freshman year at The University of the South (Sewanee), where I was studying English Lit. I worked there all through college and for a few years after college, then I got a job as an assistant editor for a publishing company and HATED it... going to work before the sun rose and getting home after it set, all that office/ water cooler talk. I missed the rush of the restaurant business and the intense family feeling that restaurant folks have, so I went back to restaurants. At the time I thought it was a failure, but in hindsight- obviously not. I often try to tell young servers that truth now- this CAN be a real job. It doesn't have to be the thing you do while you wait for your real career to start.
How did you end up working at Zazie… and owning it?
I wanted to find a place where I could work primarily days instead of nights, and to learn other aspects of the restaurant business (ordering/ payroll/ accounting/ advertising) that I had never experienced. I also needed to get off my feet... back/ knee issues. I found the ad for a GM on Craigslist and went to interview with Catherine Opoix, the previous owner. I became GM in 2000 and when she decided to retire in 2005 I bought it from her.
How did your early experiences as a restaurant worker shape your feelings and ideas about how restaurants should be run? Do you have any anecdotes to share? Was there any particularly terrible experience or powerful epiphany/moment that made you realize things had to change?
The fact that I have WORKED most of the jobs in a restaurant (dishwasher/ prep/ pantry/ desserts/ line/ expo/ busser/ barback/ server/ bartender/ host) makes me a much more empathetic boss than most restaurant owners. I wanted to be the kind of boss I rarely had- helpful, aware, listening, present. Epiphany moments... yes. I stole some wine from Le Colonial (the place I worked before Zazie) and was caught and fired. I remember being so bitter, thinking I was taking what was OWED to me. They treated staff as disposable; I worked full time for 4 years and the owners never knew my name and would frequently ask me if I was new. None of the owners had ever worked in restaurants and they thought the staff were dumb, disposable, and dishonest. I became all those things because that's what they told me I was. As owner at Zazie, I wanted to change that (all too common) dynamic, so I treated my staff like they were honest, creative, and valuable- and they became just that!
What are some of the ways in which Zazie treats its workers differently and how does this approach benefit the business?
Our staff are treated like adults, with "real jobs." They have a 401(k) with 4% employer match, fully funded health & dental insurance, two weeks paid vacation, 2 weeks paid sick leave, paternity/ maternity paid leave. Zazie's staff makes between $30- $65/ hour. Our labor costs are much higher than most restaurants, but our food cost/ loss is much lower, so our profits end up higher. More mature, long-term staff waste less food, make less mistakes, are less likely to steal, and can handle bigger sections. Taking tips out of the equation was also a huge benefit, equalizing the front-of-house” and back-of-house pay and turning the tables on an industry where the guest pays the server instead of the restaurant paying the server. When the guest pays the server, that person doesn't work in the best interest of the restaurant, but rather in the best interest of the individual guest- which is often at odds with the restaurant's needs. For instance- you have a demanding guest who wants a very particular/ difficult menu change. In a tipped system, the server will accept the crazy request, throw the kitchen under the bus, screw up all the other orders in line... to get a tip. In an un-tipped system, the server can safely explain that we don't do that, and not risk his/ her income.
How do others in the restaurant industry respond when you tell them about Zazie’s approach? Has their response evolved over time? What will it take for others to follow your example?
This question makes me sad. Pretty much universally, other restauranteurs say, "Yeah, but I don't have your staff. My staff are lazy/ ungrateful/ dishonest." I always answer, "Do you think I just luckily hired the 38 BEST PEOPLE IN SF? Or do you think, maybe, they became this way because of how I treat them?" I'm not sure what it will take to make owners understand. Better figure that out before I start my consulting business!
How and when did you decide to give others the opportunity to own a part of Zazie? Did the new owners ever imagine they’d have the opportunity to own the restaurant where they worked?
I always knew I wanted to sell to my staff; I couldn't imagine putting 17 years into building this community to have some stranger come along and treat them like disposable idiots. The hard part was choosing who to sell it to, because it needed to be multiple owners, since I was funding the loan. I couldn't put all those eggs in one basket. And no, I doubt they thought they'd ever own the place; it was a LOT of money, and none of them could have qualified for that loan if I hadn't funded it.
How did Zazie make it through the pandemic when so many other restaurants failed? Is the restaurant out of danger yet?
We pivoted HARD. Opened the market, switched to online ordering for take-out, did an auction for future events. The first two months were absolutely brutal; I was burning through 65k/ week keeping everyone paid (at 75% of their normal income) and fully insured. I sold my life insurance policy, maxed out my HELOCs, and took 100k out of my 401k. The other new owners (only owners for 3 months at this point!!) each took 50k out of their 401k as well. Then the PPP came through about 6 days before I was going to run out of funds and stop paying people & cancel our insurance. I've never been so grateful. And yes, we are out of danger now- the two PPP programs and the RRF (Restaurant Rejuvenation Fund) absolutely saved us. I'm so grateful to American taxpayers for this fact.
Think back to when you were 17. What did you want to be when you grew up?
Ha! Let's see, that was a long time ago. I wanted to be a hostess of some type- meaning, run a B&B, run a vacation tour company, that sort of thing. I loved the rituals of dining out- that was always what I wanted for my birthdays, to go to a fancy restaurant. I've always enjoyed making people happy- classic "adult child of an alcoholic," or so I'm told, but I don't think it's such a bad thing.
If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give to your 17-year old self? Is that the same advice you would give me now?
I would say pay attention to your natural skills; the things that come naturally to you that others struggle to do. I was always a people pleaser- I liked to rub shoulders, braid hair, make cupcakes for the neighbors, pick flowers for my mom. I assumed I needed to find a "real job" with 9-5 hours and all that, but that didn't suit me at all. I think it's vital to listen to yourself, pay attention to what makes you smile and feel good about your day's work. There are so many ways to make a living now! You don't have to be a doctor, lawyer, or teacher to have a "career." And yes, that's the advice I'd give you. Now, mind you- especially when you're young- the thing you love might not make you much money. I'm thinking art/ music/pottery, whatever. It's totally legit to do another thing that pays your bills while pursuing the thing you love also. But respect that "other thing" (especially if it's waiting tables), because it allows you to do what you love.
Thank you, Jennifer!
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| (Photo: Future blogger Elena eating jam on toast at Zazie) |
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(Photo: Jennifer and Zazie's amazing kitchen staff) |
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