The success of these building blocks allowed Wedo to drive the business forward-quickly and in a proven manner. “I’ve been in the restaurant industry a long time, so a lot of it was intuition, but we also researched what our guests expect and the changes were based on those insights,” Wedo says.
The strategy was three-pronged, involving changes to food delivery, hospitality, and décor. New management helped create a cultural shift, and the team began promoting a new vision for reinvesting in the business. Step two was to “inspire the minds and change the paths of everyone who serves our guests,” Wedo says. “I had to create an environment of hope, and show people there was something better coming.” “I inherited a business that had been through difficult times, and the people who work here had suffered,” he says. “My mission in life is reinvention and turnaround,” he says.Īt Ovation, Wedo’s first object was to make employees believe a revitalization was possible. He has spent nearly 25 years in the restaurant industry, including positions as chairman and CEO of New World Restaurant Group, which owns and operates seven major bagel brands in the United States, and as COO of Boston Market, which recently experienced its own turnaround. Wedo’s background had prepared him well for the job. The idea that our business could be a real and meaningful assistance to families at their core felt almost like a calling to me.” Where else can you do that? Second, the business focused on families, and I believe families today are struggling and need support. “First, there was an enormously powerful consumer value proposition: you can come into these restaurants and consume all you want of 75 different recipes made from scratch. “I spent a lot of time analyzing the situation prior to coming on board, and I connected with two very valuable truths,” Wedo says. Internally, there was confusion, lack of focus, and a general lack of faith in the long-term future of the enterprise. Guest counts were on a dangerous trajectory, and consumer sentiment about the brands was flagging. The company had just completed its second bankruptcy filing. As CEO, Wedo was inheriting the parent company of Ryan’s, HomeTown Buffet, Old Country Buffet, Country Buffet, Fire Mountain, and Tahoe Joe’s Famous Steakhouse, taking on responsibility for 18,000 employees serving 100 million guests a year in 342 locations across 37 states. “Moving forward requires disruption, requires a different way of thinking and acting-and leading.”Īt the time, Ovation Brands was in need of such direction. “It’s that classic definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results,” says Wedo, who joined Ovation Brands as CEO in December 2012.
Your heart will make the difference.”Īnthony Wedo is a man that embraces change, so when he had an opportunity to reexamine one of the most traditional and unchanged models in the restaurant business, he jumped at the chance. This business is very difficult and impossible to do as just an intellectual exercise. Career Advice: “You have to have passion.
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