Author David Dressler Talks About Scaling TENDER GREENS — Restaurant Influencers (RI013)

After massive success building the purpose-driven restaurant chain Tender Greens, David Dressler found his own purpose — to help others do the same. Watch this interview with the author of “Ten Year Plan: How the Founders of Tender Greens Scaled Their Heart-Centered Brand” to learn about scaling a $100 million company, thoughtful approaches to business, and building heart-centered brands.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN on this episode of the Restaurant Influencers podcast? Let us know by leaving a YouTube comment below!

CHAPTERS:
[02:17] - David Dressler’s Story
[06:12] - Creating a 10 Year Plan
[19:38] - Lessons From Tender Greens
[22:44] - Advice for Entrepreneurs
[25:01] - Investment from Danny Meyer

David Dressler is a Restaurant Influencer —

David Dressler co-founded Tender Greens with Erik Oberholtzer and Matt Lyman in 2006. From the beginning they emphasized both margins and mission.

“Ten Year Plan: How the Founders of Tender Greens Scaled Their Heart-Centered Brand” was written by David Dressler and Erik Oberholtzer to help other entrepreneurs and business owners achieve their goals by finding a clear destination along an intentional path.

The scalable business model built for Tender Greens is a perfect case study for any industry to follow to learn how to grow an enduring business with a mission.

But first you’ve got to put in the time. 10 years to be exact.

“Our original business plan when we incorporated, we called our company 10-year plan, TYP Restaurant Group,” David Dressler shared on the Restaurant Influencers podcast, hosted by Shawn P. Walchef of https://calibbq.media. “It was always a plan that we’d be committed for the first ten years to work together, to put our guests first, to put the business first, and to just hit it out of the park.”

Now away from the day-to-day duties of active restaurant management, Dressler is a renowned advisor for the restaurant business and inspirational coach. He understands the importance of purpose-driven entrepreneurship. That was the foundation on which Tender Greens was built. And that foundation became the beginning of a $100 million brand that includes 30 stores.

• FOLLOW David Dressler on Social Media @davidtdressler

Fellow Hospitality Veteran and author Danny Meyer recommended the Ten Year Plan book for its valuable lessons about realizing a heartfelt dream told through the story of starting Tender Greens.

“Tender Greens helped pioneer the better-for-you fast casual restaurant sector, and while their road to success was inevitably bumpy, these founders prevailed, thanks to their collective vision, humanity, humility to learn and generosity to teach,” wrote the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group about the Ten Year Plan book.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN from this interview? Let us know in the comments. https://restaurantinfluencers.media

***

EPISODE LINKS:
• Quiet Advisory Coaching Services - https://www.quietadvisory.com/
• Ten Year Plan Book - https://www.tenyearplan.co/
• Connect with David Dressler - https://www.quietadvisory.com/contact

NOMINATE A RESTAURANT INFLUENCER — Do you know someone or a restaurant who is great on social media? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or sending the @calibbqmedia team a DM on social media.

SIGN-UP FOR SHOW UPDATES – https://restaurantinfluencers.media
SUBSCRIBE TO RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS PODCAST – https://link.chtbl.com/RIpodcast

ABOUT DAVID DRESSLER (@DAVIDTDRESSLER):
David began his hospitality career at age 6, working in a family-run hotel in the Adirondacks. After graduating from the Ecole Hôtelière, David built a career in luxury hospitality with Four Seasons hotels. Combining his professional experience with his personal style, he shaped and scaled Tender Greens’ distinctive heart-centered culture. After leading as Tender Greens President and Chief People Officer, David founded Quiet Advisory where he holistically coaches and advises purpose-driven entrepreneurs.
• David Dressler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidtdressler/

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS:
Welcome to the Restaurant Influencers podcast series, sponsored by Toast POS (@toasttab). Every week host Shawn P. Walchef (@shawnpwalchef) talks with leaders in restaurant and hospitality about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling and how to show up and engage where customers are spending time online.
The weekly digital series (audio, video, writing, images) is hosted by Cali BBQ Media Founder Shawn P. Walchef and presented by Entrepreneur Media (@entrepreneur), Yelp for Business (@yelp), and Cali BBQ Media (@calibbqmedia).

• Entrepreneur Media - https://entreprenuer.com
• Yelp for Business - https://biz.yelp.com
• Cali BBQ Media - https://calibbq.media