This year has been the year for core values around here. One would think that New South Restaurant Group, a business that has been opening and operating restaurant and bar concepts for the past 37 years, would always have been an organization that eats, sleeps, and breathes, core values. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. In 2024 we have finally fully arrived.
I have always had core values— personal and professional. My problem, as a leader I wasn’t sharing those business core values with my leadership and team. It was akin to the captain of a ship, hopping on board with a bunch of sailors and crew and wandering through the Pacific for the past four decades. People were doing their assigned jobs and duties, but there was no course set and no true north.
Core values are a company’s true north.
These days we live and die by our core values. Everything we do in all our concepts goes back to a set of five values that we hold dear. They are our true north. We post our core values, we train our core values, and when we discipline, we criticize the performance not the person with our list of core values sitting on the table between the team leader and the team member. It’s been one of the biggest game changers in my 40+ year career in this business.
Core values are fundamental beliefs that guide a person’s decisions, actions, and interactions. In personal life, core values serve as a compass, helping individuals navigate challenges, make ethical choices, and maintain integrity. They shape one’s character, influence behavior, and define what is important in life. For instance, values like honesty, compassion, and perseverance can guide a person in building strong relationships, achieving personal goals, and leading a fulfilling life.
The personal core values I try to live by are: Excellence, Passion, Integrity, Positivity, and Respect. I fail often, but I know when stiving for perfection I’ll often reach excellence. They also make up our company’s tenets.
In contrast, core values in a restaurant context represent the foundational principles that drive our company’s culture, decision-making, and overall operations. While personal core values are deeply individual, business core values are collective and designed to unify New South Restaurant Group’s mission and vision. They establish a framework for how our team members should behave, how the restaurants interact with guests, and how our concepts approach growth and innovation.
The difference lies in the scope: personal core values guide individual actions, while restaurant core values shape the collective actions of the organization. I have always known that core values are vital to operating our restaurants efficiently and effectively— because they create consistency, align the team’s efforts, and build trust with stakeholders— I have just been a poor leader when communicating them. No longer. Today I know, my leadership team knows, and our team members are learning that restaurants grounded in strong core values are more likely to have a positive work environment, make sound decisions, keep team members happy and fulfilled, which, in turn, leads to long-term success.
The core values of New South Restaurant Group are: Hospitality, Quality, Consistency, Cleanliness, and Community.
HOSPITALITY in a full-service restaurant is the art of making every guest feel welcome, valued, and cared for. It goes beyond merely serving food; it’s about creating an experience where guests feel at home. True hospitality involves attentiveness, warmth, and genuine interaction. It’s the smile that greets customers at the door, the personalized recommendations, and the extra effort to accommodate special requests. In essence, hospitality is about building relationships and ensuring that each guest leaves with a memorable experience that makes them want to return.
Some people mistake service for hospitality. McDonald’s gives service. They take your order and hand your food. Hospitality is how we make our guests feel from the time they walk in the door to the time they leave. Our goal is to craft a warm, welcoming, healthy, safe, and exceptional experience for our guests, every time they choose to visit us.
QUALITY encompasses every aspect of the dining experience, from the freshness of the ingredients to the precision of the culinary techniques used. It’s reflected in the taste and presentation of every dish, the professionalism of the service team, and the ambiance of the restaurant. Quality means sourcing great ingredients, preparing them with care— from scratch— and delivering consistent excellence to every guest. A commitment to quality is what sets a restaurant apart, ensuring that every meal is a testament to the high standards upheld by the leadership team.
Bottom line: When we are hitting on all cylinders and nailing our core values daily it’s because we are not accepting mediocrity in anything we do or serve.
CONSISTENCY can never be overstated in the restaurant business. We must deliver the same high level of service, food quality, and overall experience to every guest, every time. Period. End of story. It’s about reliability and trust—guests need to know they can expect the same delicious food, cocktails, attentive service, and pleasant atmosphere no matter when they visit. Consistency is achieved through thorough training, standardized procedures, and a focus on detail. It’s essential for building guest loyalty, as they need to know that their experience will be just as enjoyable on this visit as it was the last.
Through consistency we strive for uniformity (in a good way) of speed, attentiveness, and politeness with all our guests.
CLEANLINESS is key in our restaurants as it directly impacts the health, safety, and overall experience of our guests. A clean environment is not only a basic expectation of guests but also a sign of professionalism and care. It involves maintaining spotless dining areas, restrooms, and kitchens, ensuring that every aspect of the restaurant is hygienic and welcoming. Cleanliness also extends to the appearance of the staff and the presentation of the food. In a full-service restaurant, upholding high standards of cleanliness also builds trust with our guests and is essential for compliance with health regulations.
COMMUNITY is one thing we have nailed from day one. We believe to the deepest recesses of our hearts that community involvement and connection is vital for our restaurants to foster relationships, build brand loyalty, and enhance our reputation in our neighborhood and in our town. When the hand of our community reaches out, we always do our best to take it as we enthusiastically serve our community in every way possible.
For someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes the restaurant business it’s a joy-filled moment when I am achieving my personal core values at the same time my restaurants are hitting on all of theirs. That is what our team strives for daily. Are we there 100% of the time. No. Not yet. Am I there hitting on all my personal core values 100% of the time. Not even close. But I wake up trying. And that is the key. To keep moving ever forward and to get at least one percent better each day.
Onward.
Crab Bread with Tomato Basil Concasse
1 Tbl butter
2 Tbl green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup diced red peppers
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl flour
1/3 cup hot chicken stock
2 TBSP sherry
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbl hot sauce
1/2 pound cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1/2 pound Fresh lump crab meat
2 Tbl parsley, chopped
1French Baguette, 16-20 inches in length
Preheat oven to 375.
Melt the first tablespoon of butter in a small sauté pan over a medium heat. Add in the green onions, peppers, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a small sauté pan over a low heat. Stir in the flour to form a roux. Cook the roux for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, being careful not to burn the roux.
Whisk the hot stock, sherry and lemon juice into the roux mixture. Cook for 3-4 more minutes and remove from heat.
Place the softened cream cheese into an electric mixing bowl, and using the paddle attachment, beat it for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula, and then add the thickened stock mixture, peppers and onions and Swiss cheese. Blend until smooth.
Next gently fold in the crab and parsley using a rubber spatula.
Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and spread the crab mixture evenly over the bread.
Place the two halves on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for twenty minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and allow cool for 3-4 minutes. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut 2” wide slices. Arrange slices on a serving dish and top each piece with a teaspoon of the tomato concasse mixture.
Tomato Basil Concasse
1 1/2 cups Fresh Ripe Tomatoes, seeds removed, very small dice
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 TBSP freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
Combine all ingredients.
Yield: 8 servings
(Robert St. John is a chef, restauranteur and published cookbook author who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss.)
