28-39_BRAVO16V2-B2B-MIDDLE and MICHAEL:Document 3
9/12/16
2:22 PM
Page 9
setting the table | liz baldwin
we work for the field
I
n a few weeks, we will be winding up another fiscal year. It will be the 29th time we’ve done this, and each year-end seems to arrive a little sooner. I remember my father saying, “Wait until you’re my age, it’s Christmas every other week!” We all experience some of this as we age, but in our almost 30 years as the premier food service provider to toptier business and education clientele, the pace has increased. Though it may seem impossible, I am as excited to come to work each day as I was in 1987. The passionate vision of our CEO burns as brightly as it did in those early days when he reminds us, “There is still so much to do!” Exhausting? Nope, exhilarating. This is the engine that has driven Bon Appétit from day one.
Appétit. We sought people who were not afraid of hard work, because working in this business is simply not for the faint of heart. Over the past year we have sold and opened a record amount of new business. I have a unique perspective on how our folks view selling and opening business, as operators across the country share with me their challenges and concerns. In each case, our teams express a similar view: while the team efforts at each sales presentation or in opening newly awarded business are always extraordinary, everyone feels that we can further improve our performance. Although we are basically old pros at this, no one ever seems to view it that way. Each participant checks and rechecks every detail, bringing their A-game, hitting new creative heights, bringing unique vision. Yet, our teams still ask, “Did we give it our very best? Could we have done more?”
We have never rested on our laurels. We prepare for each presentation like it’s our first and our survival depends upon it.
We are a more than billion-dollar company now. Though it has taken decades of hard work and a clear sense of purpose to get here, we could not have done this without attracting and retaining talented people wanting to be part of something special. We sought people who understood that while we take the work seriously, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. We sought people who were open to what we do (and why we do it), but who also brought new ideas that enhanced Bon 36 | BRAVO
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All of this has led me to conclude that we have never rested on our laurels. We prepare for each presentation like it’s our first and our survival depends upon it. Our teams are still anxious about each new proposal; there are no jaunty “we’ve got this” attitudes. After 29 years, we still feel completely challenged by