Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast with Zack Oates
Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast is your backstage pass to the minds of hospitality leaders, innovators, and operators who are redefining what it means to serve. Hosted by Zack Oates, founder of Ovation, each episode dives into real-world tactics and inspiring stories from restaurant pros who know how to create five-star guest experiences—both in-store and off-premise.
From fast casual to fine dining, catering to curbside, learn how to drive loyalty, empower your staff, and deliver hospitality that hits home. Whether you're a restaurant owner, operator, marketer, or tech partner, this podcast will leave you with practical insights and plenty of reasons to celebrate and Give an Ovation.
Give an Ovation: The Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast with Zack Oates
The Secret Ingredients to Creating Memorable Dining with Michael McHenry
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Tune in to this week's episode with Michael McHenry, the mastermind behind The McHenry Group, as he joins us to unravel the intricacies of curating dining experiences that linger after the last bite. Michael shares his creative journey, revealing the fusion of tradition and innovation that goes into each menu item's conception, ensuring that it not only delights the palate but also touches the soul.
On this episode, you'll learn from Michael about:
- Aspects of ambiance
- Making each location a destination
- Customer advocacy
- Tech and personal experience
- More!
Thanks, Michael!
Create Memorable Restaurant Concepts With McHenry
Speaker 1Welcome to another edition of Give an Ovation , the restaurant guest experience podcast , where I talk to industry experts to get their strategies and tactics you can use to create a five-star guest experience . This podcast , as always , is sponsored by Ovation , a two-question SMS-based real-time guest feedback platform that helps restaurants measure and improve their guest experience . Learn more at ovationupcom and today . This podcast is years in the making . This is with the one , the only , mr Michael McHenry . How are you , michael ?
Speaker 2Zach , my man , we're here . We finally made it , dude , we did it . We finally made it onto your platform and , dude , I can't wait to just man for one that shirt you're wearing , dude , I mean , you're just your personality , your smile , you're as bright as that shirt you're wearing right now , so I'm excited to get into it today .
Speaker 1Well , I got to say , Michael , you are a hair inspiration for me . I mean , like your hair is fire . I'm probably a little bit older than you , but your hair is looking fly man , so I got something to aspire to .
Speaker 2Bro , listen , as long as I have it , I'm celebrating it Because that hairline over time yours doesn't look like it , but mine's starting to creep back on me , so I'm going to celebrate it for as long as I have it . Man , no doubt , there we go .
Speaker 1And he's coming at us hot in his Mercedes AMG GT and so grateful that you're joining us here . Currently parked .
Speaker 2Currently parked however , that's true . That's a good thing .
Speaker 1And he tells me . He tells me it goes pretty fast . I've never been in it , but you know , looking forward to that we got to make that happen .
Speaker 1For those who don't know Michael McHenry , there may be a couple of people , but he he's the founder of the McHenry group , which has some incredible brands , like Sunday's Best , oakwood Fire Kitchen , peek-a-reek-a-barbecue , and decades of restaurant experience . And one of his claim to fame in my book is one of my top 10 favorite dishes of all time . Not like in a category , but , like you , you lump up every single dish that I've had in my entire life , and one of the top 10 dishes is from Oak , which is and you know what it is what would you guess it is ?
Speaker 2I bet it's going to be the . It's got to be the baked goat cheese .
Speaker 1It is the baked goat cheese .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , my goodness , that's like one one , that's one menu item we run here around . That will never take off . If we did , I think we'd get picketed and go out of business .
Speaker 1Yeah , I , I literally . I mean , if you are atheist , go to Oak . It's in Utah . Go to Oak , get the appetizer , the , the baked goat cheese and it . It will make you believe in God again . I mean it is , it , is that good .
Speaker 2Dude , I honestly , I've never heard it said better . And I , I honestly , dude , although I'm very God fearing I am I do believe in you . I believe in you and I believe in any of those that may ultimately take that on as a little bit of a bite of surprise , because I think it will get you believing in the higher power , because it's that good .
Speaker 1Well , and here's the thing , I just sorry , I just need to like talk about this dish for a second , but like literally the first time I had it it brought tears to my eyes . It's art , it's just so beautiful . And to me goat cheese kind of tastes a little bit like grandma's attic , Like it tastes like I'm kind of licking one of the boxes up there .
Speaker 2It's a little bit of a nasty musk .
Speaker 1But that goat cheese app is just what you have done with . That is miraculous . So anyway , on behalf of the world , thank you yeah .
Speaker 2Well , well , compliments to our wonderful chefs and the culinaryians that put it together .
Speaker 2You know my big vision and concept and concept reality and creation is like .
Speaker 2I really want to find those wonderful elements and opportunities that we can take something like a baked goat cheese with our oak bread out of the wood fire oven and dip it into the goat cheese and stir up a great conversation and connect through those bites . And it's so fun to work with these culinaryians because we never quite know what's going to come to the table . What we just know is I want to enrich in those moments and the baked goat cheese is just one of those like you hit a staple and you just stick with it . And each of the brands that I've ever been a part of , whether I was hired to take it to some form of scale or greater performance , or I ultimately incubated it together with my partners and my friends , and you know every one of those menus has a glowing staple to it . If not , you know one , two , maybe three , sometimes even more , but at least one to two and that will be forever on the oak menu . I mean it is our ultimate staple .
Speaker 1We just had on David Dottie , who owns Lehigh Bakery , and they're really they're famous . Their staple is their square glazed donuts , and like there is not a better like just when you talk about a glazed doughnut , I mean , that is just 11 out of 10 . But again , yes , they have other stuff that's good , but like your staple , what you're known for . And when you look at your concepts , though , michael , like this is the thing that I want to ask you how do you come up with these concepts ? Because all of your restaurants are so unique and so different , and you do fine dining and you do , you do fast , casual and you do , you know , like your Sunday's best . It is such a memorable experience there and like not only is the food good , but but that is a place where the sizzle matches the steak , and so how do you come up with such a variety of concepts ? What's the ? What are some of the common threads that you've used to make them successful ?
Speaker 2Well , well , I love , zach , that you're bringing this up because it gives me such a chance on , I believe , a platform that's so broadly known in our industry in so many ways and you're such a voice for industry , and so I appreciate this wonderful question because I'm not romantic about just building another concept .
Creating Guest-Centric Concepts and Celebratory Spaces
Speaker 2You know there are concept tours and you know , whether boutique or large scale companies in the industry that you know they're always looking for the next idea . They're always looking for like what's , what's next , what's next , what's next ? And and I'm just different , Like I look at where there are opportunities in the marketplace . But I truly I came in this business from the guest perspective , like I wasn't , like I wasn't a server or a busser or like a line cook , or , you know , I didn't go to culinary school . I'm not , like you know , I'm not obsessed with wine or cheese , I'm obsessed with people Interesting , and so when you look at my concepts , I build them with the guests in mind always . I don't build them with my menu , I don't build them with my pro forma , I don't build them with my obsession with cheese , like I mentioned before , or my love for anthropology or the design of space . I do it with Zach in mind every single time and I'm like I really believe that right now , what this neighborhood needs more than anything is a place of celebration . We're coming out of the pandemic . It's Sunday's best . Everyone's been kind of locked in their homes . They're running for the hills . They felt very captive good , bad or ugly , whatever their reasons may be and everybody's validated in how they feel .
Speaker 2I knew it was time to celebrate and with Sunday's best , what I wanted you to capture in that essence was like when you pop a bottle of champagne or Martinelli's , whoever it is , whatever you're doing , but you pop that bottle of champagne , you hear that cork pop off , the fizz hits the top , those bubbles start to roll over and everyone's just excited . It's very rare you ever see somebody cheers or pop a bottle of champagne and people go . You know the kind of excitement . And I wanted that very essence of like pouring out the champagne while it's running over the bottle right into the glass . And I thought in my mind like what's more like connective and greater , what's more normal than pancakes and what's more celebratory than champagne ? And if I put it into a space that makes everybody who walks through the door , no matter who they are , feel beautiful . I think we're gonna win .
Speaker 2And so when you talk about Sunday's best , specifically , like to me , I wanted to create a space where I could give people permission to celebrate again during the time when we lost two years of it . And what I didn't know , zach , is that the neighborhood would just show up like hand over fist , year after year . We're two years in now . We just had a record breaking weekend . It wasn't Mother's Day , it wasn't Easter , like it was literally just last weekend , and I stand back in that and what I realized is the food is awesome , the environment is totally kick ass and the team is just remarkable . But what it really is , and what I believe it to be , is that when people walk through the door at Sunday's best , they just feel welcomed and they feel beautiful , they feel seen . And when you can give somebody that , you can really change how someone feels through food , that's a big deal .
Speaker 2And the McHenry group that's just what we do , whether it's hot honey pepperonis in a neighborhood bistro like Oak , where we said , hey , let's reintroduce what it means to be a true neighborhood restaurant , cause that was the time .
Speaker 2If you're familiar with Draper , utah and 123rd South , you have every QSR and every fast casual on the planet Earth is there and it's one of their best locations . Right , they have some of their greatest AUVs on that street and it became so commercialized , which I appreciate so much of that industry . I mean , I cut my teeth for 10 years in fast casual encounter service . I've owned and operated , built and sold or scaled and sold in that vertical . But I also knew that , like , that neighborhood needed a neighborhood bistro and the time when we kind of went away from that , we re-entered the market in a way that was like this is how it should be the chef lives in the neighborhood , the kids that are working , the host stand go to the local high school and there's the menu items that are approachable . And so that's really how we do it and why we do it , like I'm here for the people . Just so happens that food and beverage and beautiful spaces are the connector to that .
Speaker 1I think that is such a great concept because if you start , if you start with the guests and not their taste buds , but with their heart , right , what are they wanting to feel , what are they wanting to be , what are they wanting to connect with ? And here's the thing so many other restaurants they start with the convenience factor , then they build up to consistency , then they build up to connection . You flip that totally on its head and you're saying , nah , let's start with connection and let's make sure that we're consistent . And you know what , it doesn't have to necessarily be that convenient . When you kind of start that way , right Cause , like for me , for example , getting yeah , it's value creation . Your oak location , for example , it isn't . For me it's not the most convenient to get to , it's not right off the freeway .
Speaker 2It's classy real estate at an A demographic . Yeah , it's like you've got to take three . You can take like three left or right turns or something to even get into the parking lot .
Speaker 1Exactly right , and so you do . You have to take that left turn and then you take that right turn and you kind of like loop around a little bit Like it's not necessarily apparent .
Speaker 1You're not getting the foot traffic coming by , I don't think you know , it's like you've got like across the street , there's like a math place , but like you go there , you go to a Michael McHenry restaurant because that is the entertainment , that's the experience you're going for . Thank you , it's not coming out of your grocery budget , this is coming out of your entertainment budget .
Speaker 2You know Totally but it's interesting , Zach , as you say it as well beautifully said is those kind of those layers are very much like the very traditional and high proof of concept and successful architecture and how to build a business inside of our vertical . I actually did that . You know , I had the wonderful opportunity to be on the founding team at Costa Vita when I was just a kid , and that's exactly how I joined the organization and worked through the layers and we built that business very much in the framework that you had just shared . And you know , 20 years later , they're having their most relevant years . Right now it's wild to see what they've been able to do .
Speaker 2But when we first started it was like , well , everybody knows this cafe , real place that smothers burritos and serves tomatillo ranch and sweet pork . They're like what are you going to do that differentiates ? And we're like we're going to bring lifestyle , we're going to bring Baja energy , we're going to bring a different level of service , environment and experience . And I was building this new muscle that I start with today at 19 and 20 years old in the business when I had no idea I was actually building that muscle . I was just listening to my smart founders and the leaders . I'd never even managed the business before , let alone like have the opportunity to have such responsibility at scale at that point .
Speaker 2And it's a bit of our cheat code . Like everything we do , from hiring to our culture , to our development , to our guest engagement , to our menu creation , to our restaurant design , to our concept creation is all rooted at our guest obsession . And if you don't get it , you just don't fit on our brand , you just don't fit within our org . Our org is guest obsessed , period , that's it . And if you're not , we may appreciate you . You may be a radically talented culinary and or a highly efficient restaurant manager , but if you don't get the obsession and share in the obsession with the guests , you just don't make it in our culture .
Speaker 1And speaking of that whole concept of guest experience , what do you think is the most important aspect of guest experience nowadays ? How you make them feel .
Speaker 2Because that translates feeling creates essence , essence creates opportunity . When Zach walks in and he walks into one of our restaurants and all of a sudden you're walking off the curb , you walk in and you're like dude , this isn't like a strip mall in the middle of Drapers . This was like dairy farmers and Mormons , not like colonarians in this neighborhood bistro , and they've got like a sophisticated wine list and great offerings and the decor is awesome . We wanted to kind of like step out of the norm into a new experience . So it starts for us at the front door but you sit down to that goat cheese and you walk into that environment and the team serves you
Advocacy and Humanizing the Customer Experience
Speaker 2. There's a feeling that creates and that feeling , selfishly for us , creates advocacy .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2And that advocacy . Nothing ignites advocacy greater than feeling period . I'll argue that . I'll proof that to anyone , any day , all day long . I don't . You can say whatever you wanna say about how awesome the chicken sandwich tastes , but I'm gonna tell you right now it's when they eat that sandwich and they're like woof , it's warming my belly , like I get this feeling of just Nashville , like get this feeling of just texture and excitement and flavor . It's still a feeling .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2It's not like a moment , it's a feeling , and the feelings , believe it or not , are what are easiest for people to articulate , Although it oftentimes we're go . Oh , I have a challenge sharing my feeling , not when you appreciate it , not when you love it , right .
Speaker 1Cause you know that , you know that happiness , you know that love and listen . People wanna share love . So let's say , michael , that we're sitting down with a group of people who they've got maybe 10 , 20 , 30 locations , and maybe they didn't start with this pizzazz , right ? They're not the personification of champagne on corking , totally yeah . What are some things that you would recommend to them , some pieces of advice that you would give them , to put that in kind of after the fact .
Speaker 2Well , the beautiful thing is is I've actually been there , right , I've been at that level of scale . You know , like some of my resume and my past is , I mean , my first 10 years in the business , I was on emerging , like I was in emerging brands and emerging brands only . So it was like from incubation or ideation , incubation , launch to market , then scale and ultimately sell in many ways . And so multi-unit is really where I cut my teeth , so all the things that I talk about are bottled up and work at scale , right , and so , like , one of the big things that I would say that I have to remind myself as we take anything to a bigger scale is that we always look for opportunities to continue to greater humanize the experience . Right , I love efficiencies , I love platforms , I love the advancement in cooking I mean , geez , conveyor belts and impingement and POS advances .
Speaker 2There's so much technology , even bots now , and I look at these large brands that are investing in bots and other bits , which in many ways , I really appreciate , so long as they take and reallocate some of that that like gained cost or margin , and they invest it in a way that they can greater humanize the experience . So it's like , if we're able to remove some that are directly guest facing . We drive some efficiencies through greater technology platform innovation in our kitchens . Does that allow us one to two more people that can humanize even a greater service experience in our dining rooms or at our registers ? That to me is like one of the biggest North stars that people can point to at scale , which is like what can we do ? We're driving efficiencies , we're driving viability , we're increasing profitability or maybe we're fighting the trenches to get our brand of 25 to 32 , to a greater economic value .
Speaker 2I can promise you this , from someone who has managed that large business , to someone who's literally left that large business to get a 67 seat restaurant in the suburbs and went back just to the basics of just like . Focus in on how people feel and how do I create a more humanizing experience in this commercialized and innovative market , in the environment where everybody wants to push on the advancements of smart tech ? I love it . At the same time , I think it's a beautiful tool . So I would just say humanize , baby . I love it . Humanize where you know you can .
Speaker 1Speaking of different humans . Who's someone that you follow , who's someone that we should ? That deserves an ovation . Someone that we should be following in the industry Dude , by the way , I do- .
Speaker 2I love the fact that I'm on here with you because , Zach , I'm such a fan of you . Dude , I've been a fan of your energy for , geez , how many years has it been ? Like four or five or something .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah .
Speaker 2At this point , like four or five , just understanding , like just the evolution of my own brands and my own growth during this time , and so again , I appreciate you so much , dude . There's really a couple people that come to my mind when I think about this . One is my culinary partner , my thought partner , one of my closest friends , chef Tyler Stokes . He came from fine dining . He owns Provisions in Milk Creek , which is like one of Utah's number one spots for dinner . I mean , the dude is just literally a wizard , but he understands- Provisions is phenomenal , yeah , provisions .
Speaker 2And so Tyler Stokes is such a stud . The other dude that I feel like is again just another up-and-coming , yet wonderful talent is Lane Montoya . He goes by Lefty and he just recently opened Ogden River Brewery there in Ogden on the river . And that's another dude , and he has Wimpen Fritz Tacos as well . Have you ever met him before ? No , lefty , no , that dude , he deserves an ovation as well because he's just so unique . Like the dude , just like he started his whole business on the back of a food truck . Now he owns like a 12,000 square foot brewery . He's got brick and mortar , he's got food truck . He grew up in Rose Park , he grew up in a boxing gym . He spends a ton of his time developing young talents and kind of interesting . He owns a brewery , owns bars , owns restaurants and he's completely sober , no way , which is also really cool . So he spends a lot of time in the NA space , which is like the non-alcoholic breweries .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah .
Speaker 2I'm a huge athletic fan . Yeah , yeah , yeah . So you've got like those component , or those two guys Chef Tyler Stokes of Provisions and Lefty Lane Montoya of Ogden Brewery and Wimpen Fritz Tacos . Those dudes are studs .
Speaker 1Yeah , awesome . Well , I'm going to be checking them out . And then Michael , where could people go to learn more about the McHenry group ?
Speaker 2Dude . Well , the best place to find us is on Instagram , right , just at Michael McHenry . That's my own personal handle . That is a platform that I actually manage on my own . If I'm DMing you or messaging you , liking a photo of yours or engaging with you in the comments , that's 100% me , and so that's a great place . You can also follow the McHenry group on Instagram , at theMcHenry group , and you can follow us at theMcHenrygroupcom as well , and you can see all the stuff that we have moving , whether that's our existing brands and experiences , whether that's in our entertainment side and the division , the stuff that we're doing . We run a lot of private events . We host a lot of interesting parties . In fact , we have our prom party coming up here in just a couple of months with New Year's Eve . We always throw a prom New Year's Eve party .
Speaker 2That's cool so that's coming up here soon and we open that up to the public . So , yeah , instagram and web are the best places
Dining Rooms and Guest Feedback
Speaker 2. And then , of course , in our dining rooms . You can catch me during peaks at any of our dining rooms that typically rotate to the kind of the busiest locations on the busiest days , and please say hello to me in the dining room .
Speaker 1Hey , that's true . He has served me my goat cheese app before so well , michael , for giving me hope for both the future of guest experience and my hair . Today's Ovation goes to you . Thank you for joining us and giving Ovation .
Speaker 2Much love brother . Thank you so much .
Speaker 1Thanks for joining us today . If you liked this episode , leave us a review on Apple Podcast or your favorite place to listen . We're all about feedback here , and this episode was sponsored by Ovation , a two-question , sms-based actionable guest feedback platform built for multi-unit restaurants . If you'd like to learn how we can help you measure and create a better guest experience , visit us at ovationupcom .