Last night, my leadership team gathered for our 37th annual Christmas dinner—a tradition I cherish. It’s a moment to pause, reflect, and thank the incredible hard-working and dedicated people who make everything we do possible. This tradition brings together our leadership team, C-Suite, admin staff, and their significant others for an evening of barbecue ribs and ribeye steaks at Donanelle’s, my favorite dive joint that’s become sacred to our team.
This dinner is where I hand out Christmas bonuses and share my gratitude each year. It’s the prelude to our big annual celebration—the Christmas party for the entire team. That event brings together all 150 team members and their plus-ones for great food, an open bar, a DJ, and dancing. But last night was different.
Last night was about reflecting on a year of transformation.
In the early days, I hosted the leadership dinners at home. I cooked for our small management team and thanked them around my dining room table. Bonuses were modest, and I often skipped mine to make sure the team was taken care of. Over time, we added significant others, brought in kitchen staff to help, and eventually moved to a restaurant. In 2004, we settled at Donanelle’s, and it’s been our spot ever since. The team wouldn’t let us move it now if we tried.
Back then, the challenges were simpler. I juggled it all—branding, menu development, marketing, culture, systems, finances, and training. It worked for a while, but as we grew, my shortcomings became clear.
We’ve weathered tight times—breaking even, scraping small profits, or taking losses—before, during, and after COVID. Looking back, those struggles came down to one thing: my failure to lead effectively. I didn’t build the right team. By trying to do too much, I often did far less.
That approach doesn’t scale. I spent too much time outside my skill set, which pulled me away from where I’m at my best—imaging, branding, marketing, design, menu development, and knowing what the market wants.
The turning point came when I surrounded myself with the right people.
Today, we have a stellar leadership team. Our COO runs systems, management, and culture with precision. Our CFO and CIO handle inventory, forecasting, budgeting, and financials better than I ever could. Our Chief Culinary Officer leads food development, training, and team building with passion and expertise.
They’re far more effective than I ever was alone. Their leadership—alongside our restaurant and office team leaders—ripples through the company, impacting all 400 team members. Building this team took time, but the results speak for themselves.
This year, we hit record sales and profits. More importantly, our culture is thriving again. We’ve got the right people in the right seats. For years, we were blessed to hire A+ candidates. Post-COVID, we were hiring warm bodies, and managing warm bodies is a whole different game. It wasn’t easy.
In 2020, we re-concepted our fine-dining restaurant—a COVID casualty—into a Tex-Mex spot. On opening night, we were 25 people short. We made it work, but it exposed cracks in our foundation. Cracks I’d created by not prioritizing leadership and culture sooner.
Last night, the transformation was clear. Our mission— “We give our guests exceptional experiences through fanatical, wall-to-wall hospitality”— is no longer just a statement; it’s a daily focus. I always believed in it, but I hadn’t communicated it well. The same goes for our core values: hospitality, quality, consistency, cleanliness, and community.Today, they’re not just words—they’re the heartbeat of everything we do.
This cultural rebirth didn’t happen overnight. It took our leadership team, restaurant managers, and every team member who bought into the vision.
Something reignited in me over the past two years. I feel like that 26-year-old again—the one who opened a restaurant on a shoestring budget, lived in a one-room garage apartment until he was 30, worked 90-hour weeks, and paid himself $250 a week just to keep the doors open. I loved every minute of it. Back then, it was the bricks, mortar, and equipment that mattered most.
Now I understand: the team isn’t part of the restaurant. They ARE the restaurant.
Early on, I thought our purpose was simple: prioritize (in order) customers, co-workers, and community. That was in the customer-is-always-right days of the 1980s and 1990s. But a few years ago, I flipped that script. Our purpose shifted to: “We exist to support our team, delight our guests, and serve our community.” Put the team first, and they’ll take care of the guests. It’s a simple truth that’s transformed everything.
We asked ourselves, “What do we need to do to become the best place to work in the restaurant industry in our region?” And we reverse-engineered it from there.
Last night, as I looked around the room, I saw more than a leadership team. I saw people who believed in me when I didn’t always lead them well. I saw a group of individuals who carried us through tough times and helped us come out stronger.
I’ve learned that all business problems are people problems. Conversely, all business successes are people successes. This year’s achievements are a direct result of the incredible team I’m blessed to work alongside every day.
Our next chapter is about growth. We’re expanding, and to do that, we are building our bench. But I have no doubt we’ll rise to the challenge; thanks to the team we’ve built.
To my team: thank you for making us who we are—and who we’ll become.
Onward.
Hoisin Glazed Chicken Wings
1 gallon water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbl kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbl crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 Tbl fresh ginger, minced
3# fresh chicken wings
2 jars hoisin sauce (7-oz each)
1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbl fresh jalapenos, small dice
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbl fresh lime juice
1 Tbl Hot sauce
In a large stock pot, combine the water, soy sauce, sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, vinegar and ginger. Bring this mixture to a simmer, and allow it to cook for 10 minutes. Place the chicken wings into the simmering mixture. Once the water returns to simmer, cook the wings for 20 minutes.
Using a large colander, strain and discard the liquid. Allow the chicken wings to cool in the refrigerator for one hour. This step may be done 1-2 days in advance.
Preheat oven to 250
Line a large baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, sugar, water, jalapeños, garlic, lime juice and hot sauce. Remove half of this mixture for later use.
Toss the pre-cooked wings in the mixing bowl, coating them well with the sauce. Arrange them on the foil lined baking sheet, and cover them completely with another sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and place the remaining sauce in to a large mixing bowl. Gently place the wings in the bowl, and toss them with the sauce. Return the wings to the baking sheet. Turn the oven up to 275 and return the wings to the oven, uncovered. Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve.
Yield: Eight to ten servings
(Robert St. John is a chef, restauranteur and published cookbook author who lives in Hattiesburg, Miss.)
