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
Brewing Up Customer Loyalty with Nick Newbill of 7 Brew Drive-thru Coffee
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Thanks, Nick!
Creating Five-Star Restaurant Guest Experiences
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 is sponsored by Ovation , an operations and guest recovery platform for multi-unit restaurants that gives all the answers without annoying guests with all the questions . Learn more at OvationUpcom . And today we have Nick Newbill on . Now here's one of the really cool things about Nick . He started off as a shift lead for 7 Brew Coffee , which now boasts over 200 locations as of today , 214 , as we were talking about before the show and he is now the marketing director . What a really cool journey . I'm excited to hear about it . Nick , welcome to Give an Ovation .
Speaker 2Yes , so happy to be here , glad to tell my story and also just to talk about the cool things that Seven Brew is all about , very excited . Thanks for having me .
Speaker 1Absolutely so . Talk to me about this journey Shift lead to marketing director . What a crazy last . What ?
Speaker 2It's been six , six , seven years now . Yeah , six years . I actually started in the stand in may of 2018 , so we're right starting in the stand .
Speaker 1I think that's something really important . You're not talking about an arena for people who aren't familiar with seven brood . You want to kind of explain a little bit about how it works . Yeah , totally .
Speaker 2we're about a 500 square foot box that has a drive-thru attached , so everything is completely drive-thru . There's not necessarily an interior seating space , but we do have some picnic tables on the outside at select locations . So we're all about efficiency , drive-thru service , very efficient service and just quality products .
Speaker 1Awesome . And so how did you ? What attracted you to the brand ? And then what attracted the brand to you ? Why did you keep moving up ?
Speaker 2That is a great question and , honestly , the first one popped up here in 2017 , rogers , arkansas , where actually I am from , so born and raised in the Northwest Arkansas area . I am from so born and raised in the Northwest Arkansas area and I was completely taken away by how much fun they looked like they were having and , honestly , just the product itself . When I went through my freshman year of college , I came out summer and was like , man , I need some money . So what better way to get some free caffeine and a little cash than working at a 7-Brew ? But there's a lot more than that to me . There was a lot of my friends had worked there , so I had a little bit of a personal experience . But , like I said again and again , it just looked like I was driving through and having the best time and they were all working . So I was like , if I can dance around , I can drink some caffeine and I can have a great time and get paid for it Like I will absolutely do it .
Speaker 2But it was a very competitive job market here because there was only one and Northwest Arkansas is a growing area . So it took about six weeks for me to actually get hired at the stand . Oh wow . And so finally , yes , I waited for a long while to get that position , but I finally drove to the stand . And so finally , yes , I waited for a long while to get that position , but I finally drove to the stand . I pulled up and I said give me the manager , I just want to talk to the manager . And he came out Actually , he was the assistant manager at the time and I said I will work here , I want to do this job , I will do it . Well , give me an opportunity . And so I wrote my name and my number on a receipt the back of someone's receipt and the rest is history . I had an interview that same week and I was hired the week after that .
Speaker 1That is awesome and you guys are doing some incredible stuff right now . Nick , I mean I love your whole concept on cultivating kindness and maybe talk a little bit about what does that mean and why was that something that you guys chose to focus on , kindness ?
Speaker 2Because don't you guys sell coffee ? Yeah , I mean , coffee is kind of a byproduct . What we really sell is a positive experience , and one of the things that we'll talk about today is what are the most important parts of that ? Guest experience , especially in a drive-thru , is very quick . How do you have some of those interactions ? And it's all about personalizing that experience and also just creating authentic and positive interactions .
Speaker 2From a drive-thru window perspective , you can be fast , you can sell quality products , but if you are having a less than ideal interaction at that window , then you have already lost , and so that is our primary focus . Every market that we go into , every community that we support , we want to be exactly that . Just stewards of the community want to hop in and help them out , and so one of the cool things that a lot of our franchisees are facilitating are a lot of community donations and organizations that they're protecting and helping out . Throughout their opening period as well , we'll actually have ribbon cuttings where they're coming on site and trying the product for the first time . So it's really a holistic approach . To say , from the customer in the drive-thru line to the community that we're entering , how do you create an experience that is better than what it was before , and that is the bread and butter of everything that we are .
Speaker 1Yeah , you might even say the beans and brew of everything at Truro right , exactly yes , the coffee and cold brew . Yeah , okay Now you led me down this path , so I'm going to ask you what do you think is one of the most important aspects of guest experience nowadays ?
Speaker 2Yeah , that's exactly what I would say . I kind of stole that answer right out from under you , but it's really having genuine connections and I will say there's a lot of other people in the QSR space that give you a script and tell you that there's one way to do it . But really , from a Sevenber perspective , we're kind of ripping that apart and putting it together backwards , because we want to give each and every one of our employees the tools to do their job confidently and effectively , but we want them to be able to allow their personality to shine . Every single human being in or outside of our drive-thru is completely unique , and one of the things that we pride ourselves on at Seven Brewery is creating one-of-a-kind experiences , and how better to do that than to allow that individual to show exactly who they are ?
Building Employee Authenticity and Customer Connection
Speaker 1I love that because , especially , we talk a lot about personalization when it comes to the guest , but what you're talking about , too , is the employees , like making sure that they feel like they can be themselves . And that word we hear I've been hearing that word so often authentic . And when you could be authentic . That is just so powerful and I think that is just awesome . And allowing your employees to be authentic , carrying that forward , I think , as a brand , to bring it down to the employees , because I think some brands get it . The employees are the brand . When you have a bad experience at a restaurant , people don't say I don't like the waiter at that restaurant . They say I don't like that restaurant , right , and so we need to remember that that is the materialization of the brand . Are your employees ? The food is like the end result of that all , but it comes down to the employees and having them be that extension of your brand right .
Speaker 2It starts with the entry-level employee . It doesn't matter where you come from . With the entry level employee , it doesn't matter where you come from , like , if you can't share that same experience from each and every seven brew across the nation , then we've lost . Taking care of them is the first step because as we do things , obviously I'm on the marketing side , so as we do things , you have to think how easily and effectively can a barista communicate this message for us ? So how do we put tools in place for the lowest of , or just any employee ? How do we give them tools to effectively communicate those things ? So , from your perspective , I love exactly what you're saying , because it starts with the employee each and every time .
Speaker 1Love that . And talking about the strategy of it , I love that . But what are some tactics that you've used to actually improve the guest experience ?
Speaker 2Great question . I love it , just because one of the biggest pieces of this is hiring the right team and appropriately training them . Of this is hiring the right team and appropriately training them . So one of the things obviously we're looking for a high energy , friendly individual , but also someone who takes initiative , and I think a lot of businesses share that . But how do you then give them the tools to effectively do everything that you want to facilitate from a state ?
Speaker 1level .
Speaker 2And I will say a huge shout out to our training team here in Northwest Arkansas . One of the things that each new franchisee does as they enter the system to open a new location . They actually have to send a portion of their team here to Northwest Arkansas , because what we built we absolutely believe in and until you walk in and experience that environment for the first time , it's hard to connect to . And we're also asking these individuals to replicate that same thing in markets across the United States . So how better to do that than to get them into the stands and allow them to experience that ? That's the biggest thing , because as we scale , consistency is going to be huge for us , especially with the experience that we're creating .
Speaker 2But I think another thing that we're heavily leaning into is loyalty , as most are in this day and age . But we actually have over 90% of the transactions in the Sevenverse system are connected to a loyalty account , so we have a huge buy-in there , which is very great . Who do you use for loyalty ? Actually , we use our point-of-sale system to help us create that loyalty program , got it , do you ?
Speaker 1mind sharing who it is .
Speaker 2Yeah it's Touchpoint , oh Touchpoint .
Speaker 2Touchpoint is their name yes , correct . And so they've really worked with us to create something . That's loyalty on steroids , if you will , because it's also about using that as a tool to personalize the experience for each and every customer , and you do that too . By as soon as I log Zach in , he's coming through the Fayetteville Arkansas stand where I am taking his order . He's ordering a Blondie , but the last three weeks he's ordered nothing but seven energy , which is our premium energy drink that we offer at each and every one of our stands .
Speaker 2That is something that you can easily call out , because we're giving the barista the tool to notice that and call that out , and what it creates is a more authentic conversation , because you're talking about some of the things that they're doing . On the other hand , too , we then are kind of amplifying . As that barista is typing in their order , we're amplifying their name across every iPad in that stand . So not only is the person outside taking their order , calling Zach by name , he's also going up to the machines and those individuals are coming out of the window to say hey to Zach as well , and what you've done is you've created an experience where they're leaving that drive-through and saying what did I just experience . And how do I experience that again ? And so that's exactly what we want to create .
Speaker 1each and every time someone drives through , I love that , because you know what is it ? The sweetest sound is someone's name , right ?
Speaker 2I mean exactly yeah .
Speaker 1And when you can , when you can personalize it like that , I think that's beautiful , because you know , we have this model that I often talk about , where the the to get someone in the door or , in your case , in the drive-through line , you've got to be convenient , which is my expectation , needs to exceed my effort .
Speaker 1And then when you layer up , then it's about consistency , and you have to have the same experience every time . If I go one time and the drink is great , another time it's horrible , another time it's okay , I don't know what to expect and that consistency is going to crush you . But then the highest level this is where you get lifelong fans , where you get like build a generational brand . That's around connection . And when you can , when you can connect with people on a one-to-one basis and make sure that they know that they are important uh , that's that's where magic happens , and every single brand that has been phenomenal has either been so convenient that they didn't really , and so consistent they didn't really need the connection , which is like you can count them on one hand how many brands have done that ? Or they've done a phenomenal job at building connection with their people and then with their guests , and I think that's obviously the track that you guys are going , which is really exciting .
Speaker 2Yeah , exactly , and almost just taking it that one step further . You know how do we create that our CEO always calls out . How do you become the norm of cheers ? You know we , everybody wants that . You walk in , you feel at home , you know the people that you're conversing with . It's completely different and in the same way that that , we're creating a relationship that supports that customer . A lot of times it goes both ways .
Speaker 2I met some amazing individuals at my time in Fayetteville , arkansas , working at Suburban , just because you put yourself in a position where you're connecting with hundreds of people a day and whether it's a good day , a great day or the worst day , you're there for them , and whether it's a good day , a great day or the worst day , you're there for them and they consistently come to you to have that experience , to have those conversations and , to your point , once you build connection , the rest is out the door . I had some of the most amazing relationships and even still , after being out of the stand for years , I still get Christmas cards from some of them , which I absolutely love , and that's just kind of a testament to what we're creating from the brand level all the way down to each and every store that we've opened .
Speaker 1Love that . And , speaking of people , obviously there's so many amazing individuals in this industry , in your career . Who's someone that you've looked up to ? Who's someone that deserves an ovation in the restaurant industry or food , and ? Bed industry , we should say I love this question .
Speaker 2I think we're still . We still have a little bit of that startup mentality . We're always constantly looking to others for some of the best practices or things that they're thinking about differently . But I think one that we constantly , from a marketing perspective , look at is crumble cookie . That we constantly , from a marketing perspective , look at is crumble cookie . The business model , the marketing , the content every piece of it just fits together so perfectly . You have an experience that's amazing . Everyone's taking care of you , and I mean just forcing people also to come like their lto menu is very interesting . I think forcing people to go to their social media pages to understand what they can get each week is an insane engagement builder . But I think the thing that our team applauds the most is just the consistent , amazing and creative content . Every time I look at their social media pages , I'm mouthwatering by the end of it . So I would say if I had to give an ovation to anyone , it would absolutely be Crumble Cookie .
Speaker 1Okay . Well , jason , that's to you . Man , you're just down the street from me , so I'm going to come by and interview you on the podcast yes , next up , anyway . So , nick , where can people go to learn more about you ? Or Seven Brew , where can people go ?
Speaker 2to learn more about you or Seven Brew ? Yeah , visit sevenbrewcom to stay up to date on all of the events , activities and different things that Seven Brew is facilitating each and every day , or visit our social media pages at Seven Brew Coffee .
Speaker 1Awesome . Well , nick , for serving up kindness and connection one cup at a
Celebrating Gratitude and Innovation in Business
Speaker 1time . Today's ovation goes to you . Thank you so much for joining us on Give an Ovation . Thank you so much for having me . It's been a joy . Glad you're with us today . And thank you . Thank you to the risk takers , the troublemakers , the crazies who are keeping this world clothed and fed . You're the ones who deserve an ovation Again . This podcast was sponsored by Ovation . To see how we can help you grow your business , go to OvationUpcom . Don't forget to subscribe and , as always , remember to give someone in your life an ovation today .