Yes is the Answer! What is the Question? - How Faith In People and a Culture Of Hospitality Built A Modern American Restaurant Company

"One of the best business memoirs of all time ..." - Forbes

Cameron Mitchell’s “dish room to board room story” began when he was 16-years-old and started working as a dishwasher at a local Columbus, Ohio steakhouse. Two years later, when Mitchell was working as a line cook during a chaotic shift change, he had an epiphany. He realized he loved the restaurant business and set out to make it his lifelong career and knew he wanted to be the president of a restaurant company one day.

That evening he put pen to paper to map out his career goals, waking his mother in the middle of the night to share them with her. Those goals – to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA), to become an executive chef by age 23, to be a restaurant general manager by age 24, and ultimately to be president of a company by the age of 35 – eventually were the benchmarks that would set the course of his restaurant industry career.

In 2008, Mitchell’s prominence in the industry increased exponentially when he guided the sale of two of his most popular concepts – Mitchell’s Fish Market and Mitchell’s Steakhouse, a total of 22 restaurants – to Ruth’s Hospitality Group for $92 million. To this day, CMR remains independent and privately held recognizing nearly $200 million in annual revenue from its 34 restaurants and catering division. This book tells the story of Mitchell's rapid rise, his rags to riches story and lessons that any entrepreneur or anyone can learn from it.

List of contents

Table of Content

Prologue: Down and Out in Columbus, Ohio

Chapter One: The Triangle of Hospitality

Chapter Two: My Kitchen MBA

Chapter Three: First Restaurant

Chapter Four: Good is the Enemy of Great

Chapter Five: The First Big Expansion

Chapter Six: Hiring and Keeping Great People—the CMR Difference

Chapter Seven: We All Have More Than One Family

Chapter Eight: New Markets, Same Culture—the Second Expansion

Chapter Nine: Opening The Pearl—Lifecycle of a Restaurant Concept

Chapter Ten: The Big Sale

Chapter Eleven: To New York City—and Beyond

Chapter Twelve: Faith in People-- Insights from a Lifetime Dedicated to Radical Hospitality

About the author

Cameron Mitchell graduated from the Culinary Institute of America when he was 22 years old and has grown 13 different restaurant concepts, including Mitchell’s Fish Market and Mitchell’s Steakhouse, a total of 22 restaurants that were sold to Ruth’s Hospitality Group for $92 million. To this day, CMR remains independent and privately held recognizing nearly $200 million in annual revenue from its 34 restaurants and catering division. Mitchell has built CMR around the philosophy, "The answer is yes. What is the question?" and by making a Raving Fan out of every guest who walks into the door of a CMR concept. It’s a simple statement that serves as the backbone of how the company identifies itself as "great people delivering genuine hospitality."

Summary

"One of the best business memoirs of all time ..." - Forbes

Cameron Mitchell’s “dish room to board room story” began when he was 16-years-old and started working as a dishwasher at a local Columbus, Ohio steakhouse. Two years later, when Mitchell was working as a line cook during a chaotic shift change, he had an epiphany. He realized he loved the restaurant business and set out to make it his lifelong career and knew he wanted to be the president of a restaurant company one day.

That evening he put pen to paper to map out his career goals, waking his mother in the middle of the night to share them with her. Those goals – to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA), to become an executive chef by age 23, to be a restaurant general manager by age 24, and ultimately to be president of a company by the age of 35 – eventually were the benchmarks that would set the course of his restaurant industry career.

In 2008, Mitchell’s prominence in the industry increased exponentially when he guided the sale of two of his most popular concepts – Mitchell’s Fish Market and Mitchell’s Steakhouse, a total of 22 restaurants – to Ruth’s Hospitality Group for $92 million. To this day, CMR remains independent and privately held recognizing nearly $200 million in annual revenue from its 34 restaurants and catering division. This book tells the story of Mitchell's rapid rise, his rags to riches story and lessons that any entrepreneur or anyone can learn from it.

Foreword

• First book from founder of Cameron Mitchell Restaurant group, a $200 million independently held group of 34 restaurants



• Author has been recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, as a Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration and as one of 50 New Taste Makers by Nation’s Restaurant News.



• Author famously sold his previous restaurant concept and 22 locations to Ruth's Chris Steakhouses for $92 million



• Book will be supported by national media tour and coincide with 25th anniversary celebration of restaurant group



• Author will be actively selling books promoting books in over 30 restaurant locations across the country and host many launch events and promotional activities.

Product details

• Authors: Cameron Mitchell, Mitchell Cameron
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.11.2018
• EAN: 9781940858715
• ISBN: 978-1-940858-71-5
• No. of pages: 260
• Dimensions: 159 mm x 237 mm x 20 mm
• Weight: 469 g
• Subjects: Guides > Law, job, finance; Social sciences, law, business > Business > General, dictionaries; Hospitality