Jesse Durham, Avanti Restaurant Solutions
Jesse Durham is an account executive with Avanti Restaurant Solutions in Roseville, Calif. He started with the company more than two years ago as an account manager. Prior to that, he served as a vice president of operations for a regional chain in California, which had seven taquerias, two full-service restaurants, four food trucks and its own distribution center.
Q: You’ve spent a lot of time in kitchens in an operational role. What has your experience taught you about making kitchens more efficient?
A: A lot of what I’ve learned has come from fast-casual restaurants and understanding that footsteps are time and time is money. A 10-second difference in one order is 20 seconds in the next and 30 seconds in the next. The speed of service is what brings them back. If you can minimize the steps taken, that allows you to produce food faster. Those seconds are a difference-maker.
Q: Are there some best practices that established chains have that can benefit emerging chains? Or vice versa?
A: A lot of emerging chains have a hodgepodge of equipment. They add things as the need arises and they’re not focused on how that piece of equipment fits into the flow of the operation. Some layouts are just thrown together. But established brands have their operations in the kitchen down to a T. That operational flow from point A to Z is one movement. On the other side of that, when you’re so stuck in your ways, you can’t see outside of the box. Some more established chains may be resistant to innovations and ideas that are new to the market and may help them. We’re not reinventing the wheel, but we can add a spoke or two to make it better.
Q: What’s the key to making sure a chain’s new locations open on time?
A: That’s the million-dollar question. A lot of it is the communication and coordination that goes into it. You have conversations with the general contractor and make sure all parties are aligned. You need lead time to talk and get ahead of that right away. Things happen but you need to set realistic expectations and coordinate and communicate throughout the process. I always say to my team that the two things people remember most are what happened and what did you do about it. We strive to have an answer and solution in place, and that must be communicated immediately.
Q: What’s your approach to researching and vetting new equipment solutions?
A: For the majority of my clients, I try to get a day in their operations. I want to spend time in their kitchen for an hour or two to see what they’re using and why they’re using it. It’s easy to see where the bottleneck in the kitchen is. I want to ID that bottleneck and to have conversations to let them know what brands and innovations are out there to help address that challenge. I want to put together a feasibility study that helps address their challenge. That’s where my brain goes and how my brain runs through it.
DSR 3-2-1
Jesse Durham, Avanti Jesse Durham, sits down with Jason Wange, Foodservice Powerplant Network, to talk about being named an FE&S DSR of the Month.
Find more episodes of DSR 3-2-1 here.
Foodservice Equipment & Supplies Presents DSR 3-2-1 is sponsored by Salvajor.