Grubhub's Marnie Kain on Rethinking Value in Food Delivery

Leaders in Hospitality Week 4 There are leaders who grow restaurants… and then there are leaders who grow people, systems, and culture at scale. Matthew Licciardello is a clear example of what it means to build a career and a leadership style through the ranks of hospitality. Before stepping into his role with Yardbird Group, Matt built a foundation that spans nearly three decades in the industry. His journey includes leadership roles across some of the most recognizable brands in hospitality: TGI Fridays (Director of Operations) Red Robin (Regional Director of Operations) Live! Hospitality & Entertainment (Vice President of Operations) SPB Hospitality (Senior Vice President of Operations, overseeing multiple national brands) He also brought his leadership to Rosa Mexicano Restaurants as Chief Operating Officer, continuing a track record defined by operational excellence, team development, and brand growth . That kind of path matters. Because leaders like Matt don’t just “arrive” at the top, they’ve lived every level of the business. They understand what it takes to execute on the floor, lead from the middle, and scale from the top. What stands out most is the consistency in his career: A focus on people. A commitment to operational discipline. An ability to take complex, multi-unit organizations and align them around a shared standard of excellence. In hospitality, growth is easy to chase, but hard to sustain. That’s where leadership separates itself. Under leaders like Matt, brands don’t just expand, they stay relevant, consistent, and culturally grounded as they do it. Because at the end of the day, great hospitality isn’t built on concepts alone… It’s built on leadership that people believe in. #Hospitality #Leadership #Operations #Restaurants #Culture #Growth #TeamDevelopment #LeadersinHospitality

Bonus season is coming… and with it usually comes a little movement in the market. This is the time of year when a lot of people start reflecting on the year behind them and what they want next. Some receive their bonus and feel energized to keep building where they are. Others quietly start thinking about new opportunities. It’s just part of the natural cycle we see every year. In the food & beverage world, though, even one unexpected departure can create a ripple effect, especially when it comes to strong leadership or specialized technical talent. It can be a good moment for leaders to step back and ask a few simple questions: • Where could we be vulnerable if someone leaves? • Do we have enough bench strength across the team? • Are we set up with the right leadership for the growth ahead? Sometimes the best approach isn’t waiting until there’s a gap, it’s simply knowing where the talent is and having a plan if you need to move quickly. Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate to build relationships with some incredible people across the food & beverage industry, from commercial leadership to operations, FSQ, R&D, finance, and supply chain. If you’re thinking about retention, succession planning, or just want a pulse on the talent landscape, I’m always happy to connect and share what I’m seeing in the market. Sometimes a quick conversation is all it takes to stay ahead of things.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned leading operations at Crab Bagz: Growth doesn’t always come from ads — it comes from relationships and execution. We partnered with a local food creator, created a strong guest experience, and turned that moment into real traffic and momentum. The result: increased visibility, higher customer flow, and stronger engagement. The takeaway: Don’t just run the business — create reasons for people to show up. #Leadership #OperationsLeadership #MarketingStrategy #Hospitality

Turnover Isn’t Just a Staffing Problem. It’s a leadership pipeline problem. Restaurant operators know: • External hiring is unpredictable • Retention impacts culture • Development drives stability Elevate was built specifically to strengthen leadership pipelines inside restaurant organizations. Tuition-free. Career-aligned. Operationally practical. Explore how it works. https://lnkd.in/guBFCwgB

✨ Leading with Humility: Meet Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Leadership in the restaurant industry requires resilience, adaptability, and a deep respect for the people who make the business work every day. For Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, that leadership philosophy can be summed up in one word: Humility. At the helm of one of the most recognized barbecue brands in the country, Laura’s perspective on leadership, growth, and culture reflects both tradition and evolution. When we asked Laura to share a few insights into her leadership approach, here’s what she had to say: 📈 What Growth Means: Evolving. 🌊 Burnout Prevention: Oceanside mojitos. Sometimes the best reset comes from stepping away, taking a breath, and recharging. 💡 The Myth-Buster: That I personally like everything on the menu. 🔥 The Hill I’ll Die On: Smoked barbecue is the best barbecue. 📊 My Non-Negotiable: What gets measured, gets managed. 🧩 Leadership in One Word: Humility. 🎵 Walk-Up Song: “We Are Family” – Sister Sledge. Laura’s leadership style reflects a balance of accountability, perspective, and appreciation for the teams behind the brand. 🎤 Over to you: What’s one leadership value that guides how you lead your team? #WomenInLeadership #RestaurantIndustry #FranchiseLeadership #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Dickey’sBarbecue Cherryh Cansler

Busy services don’t break teams. Unclear leadership does. The real culture of a restaurant appears when the pressure hits. Not the culture written in manuals. The one that appears during a busy Saturday night. Restaurant managers influence that environment more than anyone. Tone, communication style, and decision-making during service determine how the team reacts to stress. When leadership stays calm and structured, the team follows that rhythm. When leadership becomes reactive, pressure spreads through the building. What leadership habit helps you keep your team stable during peak service? #RestaurantManager #ServiceLeadership #HospitalityCulture #TeamLeadership #FrontOfHouse

One of the things I’ve learned leading retail teams over the years is that great stores are built by great people. When leaders invest time in developing their teams, supporting employees, and building a strong culture, performance tends to follow naturally. I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had leading large teams and mentoring future leaders, and I’m always interested in learning from others who are passionate about building strong teams in retail operations.

Early in my career at Chick-fil-A Corporate Support Center , I learned a lesson about talent selection that never left me. You cannot train someone to care about people. You must select people who already do. For more than thirty years, I had the privilege of selecting Chick-fil-A Restaurants franchisees and support center staff members who would shape the culture and experience of Chick-fil-A restaurants. Much of what I learned about selecting talent came from watching leaders like Truett Cathy and Jimmy Collins . They understood something many leaders overlook. Every selection decision is a culture decision. The people you invite onto your team will influence how customers feel, how teammates are treated, and what kind of organization you ultimately become. As I prepare to speak on talent selection at the Convene Conference in May, I have been reflecting on the questions I learned to ask before making a selection. I shared five of them in the graphic below. Now I would love to hear from you. What is one question you always ask yourself before selecting someone for your team? #leadership #talentselection #culture

These are great questions along with Dee Ann Turner® ‘s statement “The people you invite onto your team will influence how customers feel, how teammates are treated, and what kind of organization you ultimately become.” I’m grateful for the strides Marksmen General Contractors ®️ takes to develop a dynamic culture by inviting value-focused men and women who care for and influence each other, our trade partners, and our clients!

Every week I send out our restaurant update for the team in our Blog the Pretzel Bread Times. KPIs. Wine Club numbers. Operational focuses. Shout-outs. Random restaurant chaos. To get people to actually read it… I usually attach a ridiculous video. This week’s theme: “Why you so obsessed with me?” 😅 Because apparently the best way to get a restaurant team to read important information… is by embarrassing yourself on the internet first. Leadership lesson of the week: If you want engagement from your team, sometimes you have to be the content.