\nWhile working in a restaurant wasn\u2019t John Banquil\u2019s first job, once he started in hospitality, it became his career. He, like many before him, happened into the business, taking a position at a Scottsdale, Arizona, cafe simply because a friend worked there. And, also like many before him, once Banquil got a taste of restaurant life, he was hungry for more. A series of positions at restaurants in the area followed, but he credits a stint at Seasons Rotisserie and Grill in Scottsdale, Arizona, as the one that sealed his fate. \u201cI just fell in love with all aspects of fine dining,\u201d Banquil says. A once-picky eater, he credits that restaurant with broadening his palate, and, also, for sparking his appreciation for and knowledge of wine. \u201cThe wine reps would come in and teach me anything and everything they knew about wine. I was just a sponge, absorbing it all!\u201d he notes.<\/span><\/p>\n
Banquil was a college student, but as his knowledge grew and he took a position at The Bamboo Club, he jettisoned his formal studies at university to immerse himself in all aspects of hospitality. Learning the ins and outs of operations and management, \u201cIt was very much like business school, and that real-life experience made all the difference for me,\u201d he says. After moving on from The Bamboo Club, he ultimately landed at <\/span>Ling & Louie\u2019s Asian Bar and Grill<\/span><\/a> when his resume caught the eye of a former Bamboo Club colleague who\u2019d landed at the group. \u201cI came on as an assistant general manager and worked my way up through the company, becoming the general manager within a couple of months,\u201d Banquil states.<\/span><\/p>\n Even with his extensive experience in management within the company, Banquil admits, \u201cWe weren\u2019t as profitable that first year as we\u2019d been in previous years.\u201d However, he wasn\u2019t discouraged, he says, because \u201cI realized we were investing a lot more back into the restaurant to improve operations \u2013 new equipment and so on.\u201d The restaurant began gaining greater support in the community and continued to make progress \u2013 until the pandemic struck. Fortunately, Ling & Louie\u2019s Asian cuisine travels really well, so, he says, \u201cIt was a pretty natural transition\u201d to focus on takeout and delivery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Without having to lay off any staffers, Ling & Louie\u2019s was able to stay afloat until the restaurant was able to open their dining room at fifty-percent capacity. Still, it wasn\u2019t enough, and Banquil started thinking, \u201cThere\u2019s no other way to increase sales under the current conditions unless we can corner another market.\u201d And so he doubled down on takeout and delivery with <\/span>Ghost Street Asian Taqueria<\/span><\/a>, which serves Asian-inspired street tacos. True to its name, it is what people have come to call a ghost kitchen. \u201cIt\u2019s a virtual restaurant. The only way you can order is online.\u201d He leaned into his talented corporate chef Greg Smith to come up with a menu that used ingredients that they already had in-house and the concept launched in September 2020. \u201cWe\u2019ve been on a steady incline in terms of sales for several months now and a lot of that has been because of the revenue we\u2019re generating from Ghost Street,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n The newest member of the brand\u2019s family is <\/span>Ling\u2019s Wok Shop<\/span><\/a>, which opened its doors in the fall of 2021. If you\u2019re thinking someone might have to be an uber-optimist to open a restaurant during a pandemic, you\u2019re correct. But the decision was born out of logic and numbers. Banquil says, \u201cBy operating at a fifty-percent capacity during the pandemic, we realized we could take the Ling & Louie\u2019s model and simplify it a bit but with a smaller footprint and delivery and takeout baked in from the beginning.\u201d After his real-estate broker found a space in an area chock full of thriving businesses in addition to robust residential housing, the hybrid that is Ling\u2019s Work Shop was born. It operates as a fast-casual restaurant during the day and transitions to a full-service eatery in the late afternoons and evenings, including happy hour.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While it has been a success since opening its doors, launching Ling\u2019s was not without its challenges. Supply-chain issues due to the pandemic led to long delays, missed deadlines, and issues with staff recruitment. There was a lot of hurry-up-and-wait during the hiring process because the opening date kept shifting. Banquil was cognizant of how frustrating the experience could have been, so he relied on steady communication with new hires and also allowed them to pick up shifts at his other restaurants so that people could earn a paycheck. How did he keep the faith \u2013 and his cool \u2013 throughout such uncertain times? He laughs, \u201cA lot of it was crying in bed at night. And bourbon!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As with any restaurant, obstacles remain. Banquil is not immune to the impact of the labor shortage. He says, \u201cThe restaurant industry is in desperate need of an overhaul in terms of how we treat our staff, and while we can\u2019t turn the whole industry on its head overnight, we can work on culture and treat our staff as the most important piece of our business.\u201d He starts by hiring great people \u2013 and then actively cultivating that greatness. \u201cAll you have to do is give people an opportunity to shine and create an environment in which they can be themselves. Whatever position someone holds, we, as management, have to be there for them and treat them with respect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He backs that philosophy up by hiring managers who are actively engaged and want to work side by side with all staffers. \u201cI don\u2019t want managers to be point-and-tell-people-what-to-do managers. I want managers to show people what to do. They need to be out there helping people all the time, helping bus tables, getting their hands dirty. Some of our managers even act as part-time cooks,\u201d he shares. \u201cI have no bones against walking into one of our kitchens and helping to cook or wash dishes. We\u2019re here to be working managers, not stand-there-with- folded-arms-telling-people-what-they\u2019re-doing-wrong managers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n On the heels of opening two new concepts in roughly a year\u2019s time, he doesn\u2019t have his official growth plan etched in stone, but he hopes to open a brick-and-mortar Ghost Street in the future. As for restaurant industry vendors looking to bend his ear to sell their wares and services to his current or future establishments, his advice is to be mindful of how restaurateurs operate. \u201cDon\u2019t show up at 12:15 on a Friday afternoon when we\u2019re in the middle of the lunch rush,\u201d he says. Rather, drop by during off-peak hours. And focus on building relationships. \u201cRestaurants are a people business \u2013 that drives everything. Develop a relationship with a manager and remember to be respectful of their time. Even when I don\u2019t have time to talk, I\u2019ll tell someone to shoot me an email and if what they\u2019re pitching will help us achieve our goals, I\u2019ll call them and set up a meeting,\u201d notes Banquil.<\/span><\/p>\n About Brizo Data, Inc.:<\/b>\u00a0Brizo Data helps the foodservice industry by providing the strategic data you need to win in your market. We empower restaurant vendors and restauranteurs with better data for Business Intelligence, Market Research, and Competitive Analysis. Brizo monitors the online footprint of every food serving establishment in the US and Canada \u2013 from social media presence, online reviews, menu items, market composition, and even technological choices.<\/p>\n “John Banquil rose through the ranks of restaurants, performing virtually every job imaginable. Find out how his passion and tenacity led him to become a successful restaurateur with multiple concepts.” While working in a restaurant wasn\u2019t John Banquil\u2019s first job, once he started in hospitality, it became his career. He, like many before him, happened […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bfm"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/brizodata.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Brizo-Restaurants-John-Banquil-Ling-Louies-Entree-Group-Shots-3.jpg\")
More advancement followed, including stints as the group\u2019s regional manager (The group’s parent company had previously operated franchise locations of Ruth\u2019s Chris Steak House and Romano\u2019s Macaroni Grill restaurants in Hawaii in addition to Ling & Louie’s current locations in the continental U.S. in <\/span>Scottsdale<\/span><\/a>, Arizona, <\/span>Chandler<\/span><\/a>, Arizona, <\/span>Dallas<\/span><\/a>, Texas, and <\/span>Merdian<\/span><\/a>, Idaho) and, later, director of brand development, overseeing marketing and digital media. He left the company for another opportunity in 2018, right around the time the group\u2019s owner was pondering retirement. Knowing Banquil was a steadfast steward of the brand, \u201cThe owner approached me about buying Ling & Louie\u2019s and running it as my own restaurant,\u201d he says. The deal, which allowed Banquil to finance the buy-out with a working loan from the owner, was finalized in 2019. \u201cThe owner made it very easy and he said, \u2018We know this is your dream. We want to help you achieve that dream.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/brizodata.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Brizo-Restaurants-John-Banquil-Ghost-Street-Wokin-Hot-Carne-Asada-Tacos.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/brizodata.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Brizo-Restaurants-John-Banquil-Lings-Wok-Shop-Cocktail-Group.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nFor more information, questions or to set up a free trial contact\u00a0cheers@brizodata.com<\/a>\u00a0or click here \u2018Get Started for FREE<\/a>\u2019 .<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"