600: Chad Houser on Setting Tangible Goals

Dallas native and Graduate of El Centro College, Chad Houser has over 20 years of experience in hospitality. After 17 years as a chef, Chad sold his partnership of Parigi Restaurant to devote his full attention to Café Momentum in 2012. Café Momentum is a Dallas-based restaurant and culinary training facility, that transforms young people’s lives by providing a positive environment in which at-risk youth who have spent time in juvenile facilities receive intensive mentoring, culinary, job and life-skill training enabling them to achieve their full potential.

Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra:

People that actually solve problems very rarely complain about them.

In this episode with Chad Houser, we discuss:

• Problem solving
• You are the only person who can make your life better
• Time management
• Fulfilling obligations
• The importance of mentors
• The NECESSITY of setting tangible goals
• Making mistakes and learning from them
• The importance of patience
• Finding a good partnership
• Realizing when an aspect of your company is not garnering the return it should be
• There are NO SHORTCUTS!
• Surrounding yourself with people that are greater than or equal to yourself
• The immense importance of GIVING BACK
• Food should be about camaraderie rather than making money
• Racial prejudice
• Subverting expectations
• Working a non-profit
• Rising to expectations
• Team work
• Scaling
• Not taking things for granted
• Exploring and accepting your own flaws

Today's sponsor:

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Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Perseverance
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Sour Patch Kids
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • If a staff member came in and was high, what would you do?
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Time management. Your time spent must be on YOUR time.
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Integrity
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Emotional intelligence.
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or do often enough?
   • Take the time to stop and smell the roses.
9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls and how has it influence operations?
   •  groupme, Microsoft Outlook calendar
10. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • Despite all of its flaws the world is beautiful
    • Embrace that we are all different
    • Our goal in life should be to leave this world a better place than we found it

Contact info:

Café Momentum website

Facebook: Café Momentum

Instagram: @viva_chato  @cafemomentum

Twitter: @viva_chato  @cafemomentum

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

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Huge thanks to Chad Houser for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

 

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