Management Takeover At Freddie’s Beach Bar

Freddie's Beach Bar in Rehoboth Beach is the second Freddie's location, with the first in Arlington, Virginia. Freddie Lutz, the owner, is a seasoned restauranteur with three restaurants under his belt. What could possibly go wrong that would require a management takeover?

Let us just say that Rehoboth Beach is not the easiest place to run a business. With seasonal demand that brings more than 6 million people to small-town Rehoboth and off-seasons with no more than 4,000 locals, you have to run a business differently. Just as customers come and go, so too do the staff. For a startup restaurant, this is a big no-no; however, it is nothing Lavel can't handle.

Putting the proper management and operational strategy in place is any business's biggest challenge, but this proved especially difficult in Rehoboth Beach. Lavel was hired after a series of managers failed to address common sense problems, putting Freddie in a precarious situation. Ultimately, Freddie chose Lavel because we are recognized for analytical problem-solving and developing creative solutions.

Lavel is most proud of the significant improvement in customer service and quality of product. With Lavel's unwavering commitment to product quality, we inspired the staff to perform at a higher level. Additionally, we emphasized people's role in facilitating a productive workplace and made the appropriate staffing decisions.

While much of Lavel's time was spent getting the house in order, we had time to institute a new menu, marketing program, and various technology solutions. Lavel ran a Buy 1 Get 1 Half Off Barbie themed menu which led to a notable increase in sales. With the Barbie Movie going viral, it only seemed fitting to run a Barbie-themed special. Freddie has been collecting Barbies since he was a kid and has placed them around the restaurant. Lavel found their technical expertise to be particularly important following various IT and Audio/Visual challenges.

In addition to marked improvements, Lavel was able to cut costs. Most notably, we reduced food waste by implementing an ordering system. Additionally, we significantly reduced payroll costs by implementing creative staffing solutions. For example, we altered roles and procedures. Furthermore, with a significant reduction in payroll expenditure, we did not lose any staff members.