Greg Dollarhyde on Growing Big and Staying Cool at Veggie Grill
Today I’m tackling one of the biggest challenges that business leaders face: how do you grow from a small, cool company into a large, cool one? When you’re small, it’s relatively easy to cultivate a vital company culture and establish a differentiated niche brand — but as you add more people, products, and/or places, it’s difficult to maintain a strong culture and brand. I call it the growth pitfall.
So I’ve invited to talk with me today someone who’s navigated around the growth pitfall many times, Greg Dollarhyde. Greg is currently the CEO of Veggie Grill, an 18-unit West-Coast chain of fast casual restaurants. The newest location just opened in San Diego! Before Veggie Grille, Greg headed up eight other restaurant companies included Baja Fresh, Zoe’s Kitchen, and TGIFriday’s. So he knows a thing or two about restaurants and about nurturing a sustainable brand culture that allows you to grow big and stay cool.
Listen to this interview here Greg talk about:
- employee commitment, then compliance — not the other way around
- people support what they help create
- being clear about how people in the organization are going to treat each other
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other interviews:
- Randy Garutti on the Secrets of Shake Shack’s Success
- Jeff Kelley on Sanuk’s Cult-Like Following
- Don Fox on Firing Up Firehouse Subs