Experience Is the Best Teacher: Five Things My Father — and Hard Times — Have Taught Me About Leadership in the Restaurant Industry

I grew up learning the business from the best restaurateur I know — my father, T.J. Moran. He opened the first Ruth’s Chris franchise in 1975 and became one of the company’s largest U.S. franchisees. Throughout his career, which included owning and operating several more restaurant concepts and other service businesses, he spent decades leading his teams through many highs and lows. 

I’ve thought a lot about the lessons he taught me during the challenges of the past year, as well as countless other times when world events have shaken the hospitality industry to its core. Through financial recessions, terrorist attacks, global pandemics, and just the typical challenges we face in the course of daily business, there are many leadership lessons to be learned. Here are five I’ve come back to again and again. 

Never Take Advantage of the GuestAt Finally Restaurant Group, we take pride in becoming part of the community in exceptional small towns across the country. From Baton…