When Kristen Winters stepped in to lead the turnaround of a previously failed Rock N’ Roll Sushi franchise in Clarksville, Tennessee, here’s what she noticed first: undisciplined ordering, a lack of community engagement with local marketing, and a general lack of restaurant upkeep. Those are the three main areas she set out to improve with structured leadership and intentional culture-building.
When addressing undisciplined ordering, Winters initially sought to understand the root cause of the issue. “When you are running a restaurant, it’s easy to delegate ordering to someone else and lose track of what you have on your shelves,” Winters says. “The best way to stick to a budget is having a good understanding of how to utilize your PMIX (product mix) to create an average so you can reduce guesstimating your orders.”
When it comes to local marketing engagement, Winters notes the importance of building collaborative relationships, which she credits as a “big part of our rebrand—especially in a market like ours, where we don’t have tourist seasons or main attractions that are bringing people to our community.”
Restaurant upkeep is another crucial factor. “A big part of our identity is the aesthetic,” she says. “They say that you eat with your eyes first. But a first impression for a business starts the moment the guest arrives at the location, before they open the front door.”
Over the past year, Winters has also learned the value of networking with her fellow business owners in her community. “Growing together and everyone succeeding is the only way to make economic growth,” she adds.
FSR recently sat down with Winters to find out how she led the restaurant’s successful comeback by prioritizing workplace culture, disciplined operations, and early community engagement—even before profitability was fully restored.
In what ways did you prioritize workplace culture and community engagement?
One way that we have prioritized workplace culture is by putting ourselves in a position where we are not having to hire out of necessity. This allows me to take my time with my interview process, and ensure that not only does my team come with specific qualifications regarding the job but they also don’t have conflicting personalities. We have built a strong team that not only is passionate about the restaurant but genuinely cares for each other on and off the clock.
One of the ways we give back to that community is by sponsoring local events, by donating food. When you think of donations, everyone’s first thought is monetary. For us, we like to show up with food. I like to joke around that it was made with love, but honestly for us it is.
How did you manage that financial pressure while staying committed to a long-term cultural vision?
I am grateful to be a part of Rock N’ Roll Sushi, a corporation with other like minded individuals. Being in a franchise it’s given me the opportunity to build relationships and friendships with people who also feel the same pressure. I think having their support on some of the hardest days has really helped me manage the stress and strain while continuing to build the cultural aspect.
How did you translate the Rock N’ Roll Sushi brand into a specific local workplace culture that your team actually bought into?
Honestly, this is the first company I’ve worked for where I got to come as I am. I don’t have to hide my tattoos, or take out my piercings. I am not overlooked for being a woman, or not fitting the corporate mold. I have made some of my best friends in Rock N’ Roll Sushi. I have met some of my biggest supporters—people who have helped shape me as a chef, business owner, and friend.
I try to make sure that I pass that along to my team: letting them be their own individuals and celebrating the things that make them different. By being the mentor that I needed growing up in the industry, and showing them that you don’t have to change your individuality to reach their goals.
Can you share a specific example of how your focus on team cohesion directly improved a measurable operational metric, such as ticket times, food waste, or guest satisfaction scores?
Since we have taken over, we have raised our Google rating to a 4.4. That is a direct result of our team cohesion, from our back-of-house staff working together to improve the quality to our front-of-house staff, working together to ensure our guests have the experience they deserve. A restaurant has so many working parts, one weak link is all it takes to hinder operations.
Many operators wait until they are “in the black” to invest in local marketing or charity; why was it vital for you to engage with the Clarksville community so early in the turnaround process?
I wanted to establish it as part of our rebrand. Being a franchise, I wanted to make sure that our community understands that you can be a part of a corporation and still be a part of the community. At the end of the day, I am a locally owned business. I was born here, I started and grew my career here. My roots are here.
How do you balance the strict operational standards of a national franchise system with the need to create a “local” feel that resonates with your specific market?
It is easy to balance because I am an owner-operator for a company that shares my operational standards. We have a phenomenal corporate chef, Josh Patrick, who will talk with us about our insight and opinions, and what works for our specific market and what doesn’t.
At the end of the day, my team and I are our connection to the community, and Rock N’ Roll gives me the freedom to support our local initiatives that are important to who I am as a person.
For other franchise owners navigating a turnaround or an emerging market, what is the one “non-negotiable” leadership habit you believe is required to drive long-term unit performance?
Effective communication and workplace culture. One of the last things you want to take on when dealing with everything else a takeover requires is staff turnover. Personally, we would not be where we are if my staff hadn’t stayed and grown with me and the business.
What else is important for FSR readers to know? Anything else you’d add?
If you have the capacity, and the opportunity to, make sure you network for yourself. I would not have survived this past year without all of the support I’ve had from other business owners who understand exactly what I am experiencing and going through.
