Ken Otto knows that to have a truly great company, one must lead by example.
“I am committed to being respectful of how we interact as a team and with our guests. I know that we are at our best when we celebrate each other’s uniqueness and provide a safe environment to offer positive feedback and to grow and thrive together,” says the CEO of Redberry Restaurants, which owns and operates almost 200 restaurants under the Burger King, Taco Bell, and Jersey Mike’s brands.
Otto was born in Winnipeg but moved to Mississauga at a young age.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Hotel and Food Administration from the University of Guelph.
“I knew I wanted to study business and my father was in the foodservice industry. He said there was a different type of program at the University of Guelph where you get your commerce degree but you’re going to learn a little bit about hotelling and running restaurants. And here I am in the restaurant business,” says Otto.
“The appeal was simply it was very dynamic. I thought very early on that the study of restaurants and hotels and food, there’s a lot of art and science to it. Hospitality in general. Travel. Hotels. Running restaurants. It just seemed to be way more interesting than maybe other industries. And lo and behold it is more interesting I think because it’s so dynamic and it’s always changing.
“It is a fascinating, dynamic, unpredictable, artful industry.”
Prior to joining Redberry, he worked with several iconic QSR and franchise restaurants (including Boston Pizza, Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, Montana’s and East Side Mario’s), which provided him with unique insight into what it takes to prosper in the vast Canadian landscape.
“Through my past experiences at Boston Pizza, Swiss Chalet and Harvey’s to name a few, I am able to offer a unique insight into what it takes to prosper in the vast Canadian landscape. I feel successful when people are excited to see the Redberry brand break ground; knowing we will bring quality jobs where people want to go to work each day, and a restaurant that provides consistent, speedy service with a smile. I also feel fulfilled when our employees feel valued and see that their opportunities with our company are truly limitless,” he says.
“Challenge number one (in today’s food industry) is how fast consumers expect their retail industry to change and how do running restaurants keep pace with the expectations of that change,” says Otto. “I compare us to other retail industries . . . In most retail sectors, the pace of change is measured by year and almost by season. And when you look at running Burger King or Taco Bell or running any kind of restaurant, consumers are expecting these industries to be perpetually evolving.
“And that is hard. When you’re evolving your menu, when you’re evolving technology, when you’re evolving your physical plant . . . If guests keep expecting you to change, what does change look like? People will often talk about labour and I get it. Labour’s been hard since I first went to school and that was over 40 years ago. And labour will always be hard. There’s inflation. There’s always going to be inflation. I get all that.
“But the biggest challenge I see in the industry that restaurateurs have to face is just how do I stay relevant in a world that is demanding change, sees change around other things they consume. That’s job number one.”
Otto says he wouldn’t describe himself as a “foodie.” He does enjoy food and he likes retail in general and the art of connecting a brand to consumers.
“What is intriguing and what interests me is that it is an art,” he explains. “And art comes in many forms. There’s high end restaurants and steakhouses and there’s the beauty of a Jersey Mike’s sub sandwich. All of it is great food. No different than a Whopper at Burger King or a Chalupa at Taco Bell. And you’ve got to connect that art with what people are looking for.”
He studies restaurant concepts throughout North America, perpetually reading about hot concepts making their way into the market. Otto tries to figure out why certain concepts work.
Is there a recipe for success in the food industry?
“There is. The first part of the recipe is understanding why guests connect with what you’re offering and staying true to that . . . And then there’s the art of consistency. I think that’s probably the hardest part of our industry and one where a lot of people get wrong. They may make one meal super awesome on Monday at lunch but that meal has to be super awesome seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, a million times a year. And that’s hard,” explains Otto.
“So how do I design my systems and my processes around delivering what the guests want consistently.
“The other thing is the art of hospitality. We call it the hospitality industry. Today, people have very high expectations of how they’re treated, how they’re acknowledged and of course they’re connecting with your brand differently. They could be connecting online, at a kiosk, on an app, in person, at the counter. I think great companies have a very welcoming approach to taking care of you. People want things fast, they want things that have value. But they want it in a way that kind of acknowledges that they came there and they want to feel good about their occasion. At Redberry we teach the importance of a smile. Yes, you have to be fast and your Whopper has to be hot, but you want to serve them with a sense of hospitality. That means a lot to people these days.”
Otto says he could talk about his leadership style and philosophy for days.
“I’ll tell you what wakes me up in the morning. I do believe I have an opportunity to bring a positive influence to people every day. I think leaders have a very wide reach and I have a responsibility to use that to help people out,” he says. “We have lots of people in our office here. We have 5,000 people that work at Redberry. My attitude matters. Doesn’t mean I have good days and bad days. Doesn’t mean that there are issues to be resolved and problems to fix.
“But all that can be done with a measure of respect and all that can be done with a measure of fairness and optimism . . . I love being curious about our industry and what makes things work. There are in this business a thousand moving parts. If all those parts could be understood, if all those parts could be made a little bit better. I want to teach people the art of curiosity and how that’s fun. You’re learning and you’re challenging yourself when you do that.
“We’re not splitting atoms here. I think we want to have a little bit of fun along the way and enjoy each other’s company. Make your eight or 10 hours in the restaurant or the office, and just make it a good day. I’ve always had great success in that. It brings out the best in people and I really believe it works.”
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