Leadership training, promoting from within and employee recognition are several keynotes for House of Blues' food and beverage operations.

Conducting House of Blues’ complex food and drink operations is no easy task, but Head of Food and Beverage Joe Marcus and his team strike an impressive chord, according to COO Dolf Berle.

The House of Blues’ food and drink operations are “somewhat analogous to a busy airport or aircraft carrier in terms of managing the logistics and operation of so many different offerings under one roof,” Berle says. “The typical House of Blues has 300 employees and has more than 40,000 square feet of space.”

Marcus was the first House of Blues employee in 1992 and is the “visionary” behind the House of Blues’ restaurant and food and beverage operations, Berle says. He oversees House of Blues’ midscale restaurants, its upscale Foundation Rooms, catered parties for 25 to 1,700 people, as well as food and drink for more than 5,000 concerts a year.

House of Blues currently has 10 locations in major cities across the United States. The company also has nine amphitheaters and books hundreds of shows on a promoter basis into other venues.

But the talent isn’t limited to the stage; it’s also behind the scenes, according to Berle. Marcus’ team includes executive chefs, such as Senior Director of Food and Beverage Sam McCord, who is the head of the menu and culinary side of the business, “and a tremendous group of very dedicated people in kitchens across the country,” Berle states.

“Joe and his team have invested heavily in leadership training for all of our chefs, and we believe our turnover in our kitchens to be among the lowest in the industry,” Berle says.

He estimates the company has only 50 percent turnover among hourly employees. “The way we have accomplished this is through dedication to training and emphasis on a culture which prides itself on diversity, inclusiveness and dedication to high standards, and the importance of fun in the workplace,” Berle says.

The company’s crew-recognition “hearts” program helps, Marcus says. Team members vote on their peers and earn different colored pins that symbolize levels of excellence. Once they earn a certain amount of pins, they receive a jacket with a purple House of Blues logo that “symbolizes dedication, willingness, personal development and team atmosphere,” Marcus explains. “For the average prep cook, it’s something to have an embroidered jacket. It elevates them with pride and appreciation.”

House of Blues also rewards employees by promoting them internally, Marcus notes. “It keeps us fresh and keeps people interested,” he says. “We have a program with a developmental checklist that allows them to move from stages, learn skills and better themselves.”

Marcus says the company’s founder Isaac Tigress looked at House of Blues as a “stepping stone, a place to grow, step up your career, gain more knowledge and use it to further your career.”

Employees can stay in their positions if they choose to, but also move up the ranks, he says. For example, a bartender became the general manager, a sous chef became a manager, and dishwashers who have been with the company 12 years have become supervisors and lead-line cooks. “We have a track record of internal development, setting clear expectations and making it a fun environment,” Marcus says.

Employees are also encouraged to ask questions, he says. “It’s OK to say ‘I don’t know,’ because there is a right way, a wrong way and a House of Blues way,” Marcus states. “Not everything perfectly aligns, so it’s OK to ask questions and why. We have a huge open-door policy in the kitchen to ask questions and challenge things and stay true to the level of quality we insist upon.”

House of Blues has brought in several teachers and coaches to help improve leadership. Berle says it gives the chefs “a better understanding of who they are and how to deal with people.

“It’s not the days of years gone by with yelling, screaming chefs,” Berle says. “These are the people who need to develop teams and harness their energy and get the ball rolling forward.”

Marcus says the chefs are allowed to be creative and House of Blues often tailors its menu to complement events, whether it offers wine tastings or Buffalo wings during a Buffalo Bills football game. For example, when Dolly Parton performed in its New Orleans location, House of Blues served her favorite menu in the Foundation Room.

“What’s important is [that] what our members want is what they get,” Marcus says. “When you are a member of the Foundation Room, you dictate what you want. Dolly was on tour and wanted Southern home cooking and specialties, and she had the feast of a lifetime in New Orleans.”

Berle is upbeat about the company’s future. In July, Live Nation announced plans to acquire House of Blues for $350 million. The transaction is pending and expected to go through in early to mid-2007. “We are very excited about joining forces with them and believe it will accelerate our growth domestically and also internationally,” he states.

House of Blues has leases signed for three more locations, and more in the works, he says. “We anticipate building between three and five House of Blues clubs per year,” Berle says. “We believe that we can build up to 30 in the United States alone.”  FAD