Ever wondered how serving in the military and law enforcement might influence one's approach to restaurant ownership? The answer lies in the inspiring journey of Ryan Walters a former police officer turned successful business owner. Ryan, the owner of Drifter's restaurant, reflects on how his previous background honed his leadership skills for the hospitality industry. His unique story takes us from his beginnings as an aspiring bartender to running his own thriving business.
Enliven your leadership style with insights from Ryan on fostering a positive team mentality in a typically high-turnover industry. His recipe for success is seasoned with positive energy, humility, and unfiltered honesty with customers. Explore the transformative power of leading by example, as he shares the invaluable lessons learned from his own mentor, our own Blind Bill!. This episode not only offers fresh perspectives on attaining success in the restaurant industry but also serves up motivation for any budding entrepreneur or those intrigued by journeys of profound personal growth. Tune in and let Ryan’s story inspire, motivate and enlighten your entrepreneurial spirit.
Ever wondered how serving in the military and law enforcement might influence one's approach to restaurant ownership? The answer lies in the inspiring journey of Ryan Walters a former police officer turned successful business owner. Ryan, the owner of Drifter's restaurant, reflects on how his previous background honed his leadership skills for the hospitality industry. His unique story takes us from his beginnings as an aspiring bartender to running his own thriving business.
Enliven your leadership style with insights from Ryan on fostering a positive team mentality in a typically high-turnover industry. His recipe for success is seasoned with positive energy, humility, and unfiltered honesty with customers. Explore the transformative power of leading by example, as he shares the invaluable lessons learned from his own mentor, our own Blind Bill!. This episode not only offers fresh perspectives on attaining success in the restaurant industry but also serves up motivation for any budding entrepreneur or those intrigued by journeys of profound personal growth. Tune in and let Ryan’s story inspire, motivate and enlighten your entrepreneurial spirit.
Hey, Barney Gen, Welcome to the Bar Ninja Podcast, where we talk about everything from trials and tribulations, from life behind the bar to tips and tricks to making a better bartender and a better drinker. Join your host, Bill Fortun, Kayla Rood and yours truly, Mike Garrison. Let's go have some fucking fun.
Ryan Walters:And we are going to start with Alright, let's talk about, because it was on my deck when you asked for the job at my house. Was that correct? I think it was your house. Yeah, went to my house. We'd been somewhere doing some kind of shenanigans. It wasn't just us, we had a group of people around, I think it was post shift of blind bills.
Ryan Walters:And we got off one. Oh, that's right, the restaurant was open and you can't ask them. You wanted to work there and I said, okay, fine, and I asked you to go make me a margarita at the house.
Ryan Walters:Yeah, so actually. So this was when you and our buddies prior to me working at your restaurant Correct the infamous Moosey's bartending moment that we met. So I came back from federal law enforcement at Iquanico and I needed something somewhere to go. You and I were already buddies, so you invited me over. We're just hanging out at your house bullshitting. You're like Ryan you've got what it takes to be a bartender, but tell me how to make a margarita. And you led with Podcast.
Ryan Walters:Not a good podcast, not a good podcast. Completely unaware of how a margarita actually should have been built. You know, I tell you what man, what they got about, where I was back then, coming from such a military defense contract law enforcement background to coming home to be closer to my daughter and honor that side of that agreement with my ex-wife, because that's what was important to your life as family. Always you said, ryan, you have the personality, but tell me how to make a margarita. I completely feel. But you said you got it anyway. So you stuck with me.
Ryan Walters:You gave me the opportunity and actually brought me to where, ultimately, we're about today, which, as we speak, we're sitting in your restaurant, drifter's, at beautiful Smith Mountain Lake, where you have went from, and it speaks volumes because dear friends love you to death. It's something we all learn in the industry, like there's a bond that goes beyond it and mentioning family and everything you're talking about, it's all like that. But knowing that you're personality, you're zest for life, your dedication to everything you've ever done, that you put into it, that's just how it accidentally began. That moment I'm sure you weren't thinking I'm going to have my own restaurant, your entrepreneur, your go-getter and everything. The thought might have been there, but it's amazing how the evolution can. It really explains how anyone can do anything If they put their mind to it. You can learn something new. You can go from wanting to good vodka and a margarita to have in arguably the best restaurant on the pond here. I appreciate it. Well, it's, it's. It's a well done.
Ryan Walters:I tell you what, yeah, so, so go with that.
Ryan Walters:I tell people here all the time we meet a lot of people who are a seasonal restaurant. We meet a lot of people from different industries, different backgrounds of life, different states, and I never I told them all the time I never thought I'd be in the restaurant industry. You know, coming from the background, that I did to where I'm at now, you know, taught me so much and you know restaurant industry is so much more based on how you can interact with an individual, the impacts you can make on your team, the impacts your team can make on your guests, and it's really taught me a lot and you do. My prior experience actually helped out a lot into getting me to where I'm at today. But I'll tell you right now, like I did not think that I was going to be part of the restaurant industry, you gave me that opportunity to start out and be like I kind of fell in love with it, because I'm kind of doing the same thing from a completely different level and can you expand on that though?
Ryan Walters:Because you are, and I know what you mean, but when you're doing the same thing from a completely different level? We talked about it before how leadership is the key, because we have to manage the stress and we have to be that positive influence. So it's it's it's very unique from your perspective that you can truly compare the two.
Ryan Walters:So I think you know one thing we tell our team all the time is a lot of our team comes from background, of a restaurant experience and where the difference between management and leadership, and that's one thing I was able to bring to the table as far as where I came from, to bring it into this world today, and you know the military and all that kind of stuff in it is everything so structured right. So coming to the restaurant industry, it's a lot less structured. You've got a people who comfortable a lot of different backgrounds to where you know. You go to boot camp and you're going to be told what to do here, Like they can leave in a heartbeat without any kind of repercussions. They're going to find a new job in heartbeat. This taught me a lot more patience to deal with the people that actually probably need a whole lot more impact than they did in the military or the defense contract side of things.
Ryan Walters:And you know, honestly, it's really humbled me as a man and as an individual and as a father and as a fiance, to just understand, like humans in general, everybody needs help, everybody needs something in their life to just step forward, and I think that some of our biggest things we just ended our season a week and a half ago and biggest compliments ever come to me and Jacqueline and Lucas and some of our core leadership is you guys have no idea the impact you guys made on our life. So those people we don't care. We're not going to be mad at you if you leave. We have people that have gone to law school. We have people have gone on to be in our ends to people who are law enforcement officers. Now. That used to be leadership here and we will never hate on you. And all of a sudden we're going to their weddings here in the next few months.
Ryan Walters:Yeah.
Ryan Walters:Yeah, you know, it's like the people you meet and the impacts that you make are so key. I think here's the difference between management leadership. I think a lot of managers will be like, oh man, you're going to leave us, okay, whatever, dude, and then we'll just not worry about that person's future. Me and Jacqueline and our leadership team is much more worried about where you're going, for Like you could leave us tomorrow to say you have a much better opportunity. We're going to be clapping on the way out there. Yeah.
Ryan Walters:Hugs in a going away party and can't wait to see you again, to hear about your success and could see. Humility is a good point in this industry that you learn from so many different it takes. Last year, I think it was I was here and had a fantastic cheeseburger and I was like this is one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever had at the lake. It was absolutely amazing. You're like Bill, come with me for a second. And we ran to the back because you had a new guy that had kind of transitioned to grill, I believe, and I just did my thing. It's all about positive energy, it's about love and it's about and just gave my you know kind of at a boy and and then when I was leaving I kind of caught him at the fence when I was leaving and you could tell just that little bit of positive energy to him changed kind of where he was in the, in the, in the preparation and everything he was doing and the cooking and that at the moment.
Ryan Walters:So it's immensely stressful to lead such a big team, but it's also immensely rewarding. It's a big responsibility, especially when you actually when your mission is above the money side, we're about the experience side. You know, we really strive for our team to have a great experience to where they can translate that to the guests, obviously, but as owners, operators myself and Jacqueline, and then Lucas, who has really, after you, has trained me as bartender as well it is immensely personable and all those kind of things is where we can translate that to our team. That can translate that to the guests. Everybody's leaving with something positive when they walk through that door, whether it's our team or a guest, all like it. I think that's what makes this restaurant immensely successful. Yes, it comes with a lot of stress, but it comes with a lot of reward.
Ryan Walters:And you know I was taught at an early age from Kevin Happen and champs and the crew and everyone I've worked over the years. I could go into all of it. But wow, boys, you know, yeah, the crew, all of which will be on the Ninja Mike soon. We're gonna get Lucas on the Ninja Mike soon, jacqueline will be on, ryan and I are just starting this out on the road session that we're doing here.
Ryan Walters:You know it has been and you know this from working at the restaurant with me and even from when we first met at Moosey's. It humbles me every single day because our guests, when they leave, they're leaving on such a high, they are so happy they had such a great experience. That's goosebumps. That's what we love to do and training our team to do that with us. I mean, we have people that have started as teenagers hosting and in the dish pit and all these other different facets of the restaurant industry, and then they work their way up to more of a service standpoint and all of a sudden you're seeing that glow on their face at the end of the shift. You know where people really truly enjoy to be able to just go out, have some drinks, have some snacks, have some great food and have some laughs and walk away smiling, hugging.
Ryan Walters:it's a lot of love, you know, I think that one thing that we do great here, based on what you're saying is, the most valuable people we have are the people that are able to move into different areas. I swear the most difficult positions of this restaurant is the host stand and the expo window. So we have several people and actually this season, more than any other season, we've had servers who are back there doing dishes on a regular basis.
Ryan Walters:We have people jumping in in every position to make sure everybody walks out of here as much as we can with the biggest smile on our face and just feeling like this camaraderie with each other and you know, it's so beautiful to watch. As long as we can sit back and guide them through the process and make them understand the importance of the camaraderie and teamwork and jumping in where you can, they will get so much more out of this experience than just being a server and just being host. Just being host oh yeah, man, because man, there's like so many things that is. Another thing I say at every interview is that the service industry will teach you a whole lot more than probably any other industry. This will translate to any other job you do, whether you wanna be a lawyer, whether you wanna be a leader in military, whether you want to any service, any industry altogether. You're gonna learn something out of this industry because it starts with teamwork, starts with cross training, stress management, team mentality, multitasking.
Ryan Walters:Multitasking, and I've I mean recruiters over the years that have set across the wood for me at multiple places, and I'm talking law enforcement, government, fortune 500 companies. They love apartheid, they love people that have been in the restaurant industry because they know of all those points, the stress management that Might have started with that. Yeah, and I mean, you know it's a absolute amazing thing and I just wanna bring up it was the first time I was here this year and I don't know their names, but whoever was on point at the hostess station busy, busy, energy boom, just happy. Oh, my goodness, yes, we got you and I was doing the typical bill thing. So I was managing a group that had to go and we went from five at the bar but two other people came in that joined us, so we're seven. So I went to the host's stand to say, hey, we're gonna take a table as soon as it comes, open it almost feels like you're working again.
Ryan Walters:Yeah, well, I love it, though, and people that know me know when I'm in the environment I automatically click into. You know everybody's always like. You know bill's working, but I'm just trying to help the and granted, we're family, so here. But you know me, I'm like that everywhere I go.
Ryan Walters:That shows a lot of respect to understanding the people around you from the host's stand at the bar and they recognize it and the team that you're at the host station because I went from, you know it was two locals from the lake that are regulars, that are well known, and then my five crew which was somewhere visiting, and then we're trying to get to a table that everybody's busy and of course you know it's Herden Cat, so I'm getting everybody going so.
Ryan Walters:I'm just going back and forth, and they were so cause they didn't know me. None of those people know me. You know there's no oh, it's Bill. It was a oh. It's just so nice that you're helping, and na na, na, na, na na.
Ryan Walters:And we finally get to the table and everybody sat down in order and appetizers, and I'm still shaking hands, kissing babies and doing the whole thing, and it was just the absolute positive energy that flowed all the way through the room, all the way out to the waterline. And this hour that you know and this is not an extended period of time that was just us in our transition. It wasn't a long wait at all. It just took, you know, 45 minutes to an hour to get everyone where they needed to go, with people showing up 25 minutes after we got here. Nothing but positive energy, nothing but that energy to where? When you're walking away, and when I was leaving, I was talking to one of my friends who was down from DC, who's been in the restaurant industry, and he had no idea of our connection. He's like this place is running like they're always supposed to run, and I'm like, well, you know these family.
Ryan Walters:we go way back. It's amazing, it's. I can't go on and on enough about how amazing you are doing here From your standpoint too.
Ryan Walters:You know, walking to the restaurant, what you described it's hard to break away from it. So once you start getting into it what you see the process, what you see the systems it's almost like natural for you to just get yourself involved. Yeah, it's a beauty to watch when it's running smoothly. So I really appreciate that.
Ryan Walters:Oh, I love it. It's just very sincere and it doesn't matter where I am. I could be in Turkskeko, I could be at Blacksburg, I could be at West Virginia.
Ryan Walters:I could be anywhere, and when I'm in the middle of an operation with amazing energy, I'm always like, well, I'm kind of clocked in now, you know, and I'm enjoying myself. But I'm so excited and proud of the feeling that I'm watching the staff enjoy and that's one of the key things that we really like to focus on it with Bar Ninja and the Nigerian Empire is that the new bartender's coming up, the new server's coming up, but everybody in the kitchen, everybody at that host's stand, it's all part of enjoying your job. The money's great and that's always gonna be there for you, but there's so much fun to have and so much to learn to take with you moving forward. It's an absolute, it's a blessing to be able to do what we do.
Ryan Walters:Back to the humility side too. Man, I tell people all the time it's a team that makes it happen. The team is absolutely outstanding that we have. Obviously, you know, it does start from the top, but they really do support everything in the process to make this place operate the way it does. Yeah, I'm beyond blessed.
Ryan Walters:I know and I guarantee that I know it's happened to you, it's happened to all of us. We lead from the top, we lead by example. Everybody has bad moments. Everybody has. We all have challenges.
Ryan Walters:There have been plenty of times and this is why I'm sure this is happening. This is happening, this is stacked and all of a sudden this is staff. Oh, my goodness, we're out of this. But we're not supposed to be out. And all of a sudden you interact with anybody on the staff one of the servers, somebody behind the woods, somebody in the back of the house and they're energized and they're happening and they're rolling and you know they're busy but they're just enjoying it and that gives us the energy and the kick to kind of bring us back into the focus. You know, that's that team mentality of the family, like we feed off of each other, we understand each other. You know, whenever I see anybody kind of going negative because something's happened, because it stacks doesn't matter if it's behind the wood or on the line or wherever it is you give them that positive energy and all of a sudden it's and you're back up and you're rocking and rolling and you're just getting done and enjoying it.
Ryan Walters:So Well, that's why yeah, I mentioned I mentioned going back to my experience. I think that led me to the personal side, the leadership side. But I will say one of the biggest things that you taught me have blind bills. You gave me probably more than I probably could have handled at that time, but it taught me a lot.
Ryan Walters:This is go back to systems is I was bartending, I was taking tables, I was taking orders. I used to challenge myself as like, okay, I got a table of five. Right now I'm gonna see how many things I can, I can remember on this one right here. But you know, if you're always honest with the customer, maybe I remembered four out of those five orders I could always get back like man, I suck. Well, that is so true. Did you go back and you allowed me to handle the bar, the tables? I had to go run my food for a ton of time, give side sauces, seating. There's like a whole realm of things that I learned from your restaurant. That translated to where I'm at today too. That's why I always call you my mentor. You know going forward. You know like we started this podcast. Now you told me we do started with like how do you make a margarita, but it's come a long way, man, and I really appreciate you for that process too.
Ryan Walters:Well, we're going to. We're going to switch on the face later, so I want you to prepare yourself for that Touching on the. You know you're remembering stuff, but you forgot something. You can always be honest with a customer. I think a lot of people don't realize this and there are certain realms Gordon Ramsay doesn't want to hear this. The five star doesn't want to hear this. But you got a five top and seat, four wanted fries and you brought a macaroni salad and you're like I'm just going to be honest with you. I was trying to remember everything and I kind of forgot that Some of you, right back with your fries, they would rather hear the honesty and you admitting that. You're like I mean, I'm kind of a dumbass. I made my mistake. You know that it's. I don't like the use the word self deprecation because I think it's a little too much of a negative connotation, but it really is just the truth. That's all it is. It's like it is a.
Ryan Walters:it is a gift to be able to handle certain tables, but I'll tell you what. One of the biggest things I've learned is being honest with the table and what I'll do it from an operator, you know, going to talk on the tables. When something's messed up with one of the servers or something's about something kitchen is going down, getting on their level, just kneeling down and saying, hey, I'm really sorry about this, like how can we fix this? There's always an opportunity to change a bad experience into a good one. It only takes very little to make that happen, as long as you know how to do it and the foundation is honesty.
Ryan Walters:Like, literally, it is the okay. Accidentally it didn't get rang in, that's just how it went down. It's being made right now, but how about I bring you out of? You know, little appetizers? You know you, just you. Just I'm here to help and I'm going to be completely honest with you and you know we're just going to move on.
Ryan Walters:There's been a lot of times that I've been for my table with something messed up an appetizer or a burger and I will go back to the kitchen and make it on the fly and personally deliver that with gloves on and say here you guys go, apologize, for it is still on me.
Ryan Walters:Are you listening? America? That is a huge thing, that is a big deal.
Ryan Walters:Those, little things right there make a huge difference. When you talk about returning customers, you want that return customer to return guests. How many?
Ryan Walters:owner operators and I know there are plenty of you out there. But how many owner operators go into the kitchen, wash their hands, put the gloves on, put it together, bring to the table as fast as possible, just, and this way you're not interrupting the service of your guys. Your team is doing, you're just, you're, you're fixing the problem yourself and you're also showing that ridiculously high level of customers.
Ryan Walters:Not that stars matter, but that turns it one star to a five star. Oh, a hundred percent, yeah, I also. It also helps him leave happy. I mean, you know, our menu is not cheap, so I don't want anybody walking out of here unsatisfied. And sometimes it's unavoidable. You got that one percent. You can't make everybody happy, you just cannot make everybody happy.
Ryan Walters:You know, I think that we do a pretty good job here and we got Lucas and Jacqueline on the backend not actually, no, not the backend, the front end that actually had to make this happen, because her, myself and Lucas are floating between front of the house, back of the house, between all the servers, talking to people, building relationships. This is why this place works. And then you also have to deal with, you know, the gas stop the minute, parking. There's a slew of complications and challenges that constantly evolving, all the time.
Ryan Walters:And you just have to roll with it. If you know how to roll with it, man, you're going to make it work, and some people just won't be okay with it. You know you. Sometimes you just have to brush it off. You can't let it like sit on your shoulder too long.
Ryan Walters:One percent of your people give you 99% of your problems and you just Is that a biggie song? Do don't drop rhymes right now, but you know it's you were always going to have we could talk about. You know the carrots and all that crap. But that negativity within our industry and within our flow is not the stuff that keeps us awake at night, it's not the stuff that affects our team, it's the positive always outweighs the negative. And when you're prepared in training and you know you cross train you have everybody that knows what they can do. I mean, and literally talking, you know, as a you know I've been an operations manager over resort with my tie off in the dish pit for two hours and I learned that from one of my mentors who once walked up and you know you're always willing to get your hands dirty and you're always willing to do anything and that really trends sends across your staff, because you train them that way and you lead by example.
Ryan Walters:And it's just a beautiful thing. We lead by example all day.
Ryan Walters:That's what I was talking about.
Ryan Walters:All day, every day.
Ryan Walters:We have servers just floating back to the dish pit because they know they need help back there. I mean we have a small kitchen, a big front of the house. So you know, yeah, it's tiny kitchen, we love it. We have a lot of food out of that kitchen. So you know, I love the team mentality when our servers are in front of the house is willing to step back and be able to help them out. I mean, the relationships that are cultivated here that I've seen over the past four seasons is incredible, man.
Ryan Walters:It's really great. Yeah, well beyond happy for you, proud of you. You know we could go on and on about just the love for each other and the respect, because it is just mind blowing to me. I mean it's I don't say it lightly and I say it to others, you know I know everyone around the pond, but your brand, your operation, I mean it is just the best at the lake. It's just, it's from hard work, it's from dedication, it's from love, it's just amazing. It really is. Thank you so much.
Bill Thornton:Thanks for listening to this episode of the Bar Ninja Podcast. Please be sure to subscribe to us on our favorite podcast player Enjoy the Bar Ninja Nation that has over 7000 bartenders in it by going to wwwbarninjacom and you can enter your email till next time. See you then.