David Hawthorne
Chief People Officer
Anchor Point Management Group, LLC
Episode 365
Restaurants aren't dead-ends: Uncover the real career growth and leadership opportunities
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleDecember 27, 2024 · 10:08
Thesis
“The restaurant industry, often mischaracterized as a dead-end, actually provides substantial and proven long-term career growth, leadership development, and lucrative opportunities for employees, underpinned by robust internal development and continuous bench planning.”
Show notes
Restaurant managers running fast food operations can earn $100,000 in total compensation. The company owner started frying taco shells at Taco Bell. The brand president started as a restaurant manager. That's not an exception at Anchor Point Management Group—it's the point.
David Hawthorne, CPO at Anchor Point (the franchise group behind 282 Taco Bell and Buffalo Wild Wings locations), has spent 20+ years pushing back on one of the most persistent myths in American business: that frontline restaurant work is a dead end. His rebuttal isn't abstract—it's systematic. Every four weeks, managers at every level sit down with their own managers to discuss where their team members are in their development, creating a continuous succession conversation that runs from shift leader all the way to the executive team.
What makes this work in a franchise environment—where royalties consume 4–5% of revenue and budgets are lean—is creative leverage of what already exists: franchisor development programs, books, webinars, mentorship, and a culture of ownership over one's own career trajectory. Hawthorne's advice to young leaders is direct: stop comparing yourself to peers and set your own goals. The path from crew member to CPO is available. It just requires someone to take it seriously.
- Why the restaurant industry is a serious career path—and how to change the narrative in your recruiting and retention strategy
- The four-week bench planning cadence that runs from manager to executive team and keeps succession a living practice
- How to build quality development programs on a franchise budget without expensive proprietary tools
- Navigating 100%+ industry turnover: why internal development is the only sustainable answer
- The comparison trap in frontline career development—and how to redirect it toward individual goal ownership
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What you'll take away
- 1Proactively dispel negative myths about frontline jobs (e.g., fast food) by showcasing real-world career progression and competitive compensation.
- 2Implement a consistent and frequent bench and succession planning process (e.g., every four weeks) across all departments, not just operations.
- 3Leverage existing franchisor development programs while also encouraging external learning opportunities like books, webinars, and mentorship.
- 4Foster a culture where employees take personal ownership of their career development, setting individual goals rather than comparing themselves to others.
- 5Develop creative, low-cost HR strategies that maximize existing knowledge and systems to provide quality development and training within lean financial operations.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Challenges the notion that HR is a planned career path, stating most people 'just kind of fall into it'.
- •Directly refutes the popular joke and stereotype that 'fast food is a dead end', highlighting it as a lucrative and viable long-term career.
- •Expresses skepticism about significant generational differences in the workplace, suggesting that critiques of 'young leaders' are historically consistent.
In David's words
“I tell people all the time, I don't think people kind of grow up saying, I want to be in HR one day. They just kind of fall into it.”
This quote challenges the perception of HR as a deliberately chosen career path, suggesting a more organic entry for many.
“The owner of our company, Tom Cook started out frying taco shells at a Taco Bell. Now he owns 282 of them, you know, so it's something our brand president started out in as a restaurant manager. We've got directors of operations who started out as team members.”
These examples powerfully illustrate the significant growth and upward mobility possible within the restaurant industry.
“Every 4 weeks, our managers sit down and talk to their managers about their team... it goes all the way up to the executive level. Every 4 weeks, we're talking about where people are.”
This highlights a highly structured, frequent, and deeply embedded succession planning process that is core to their organizational DNA.
“there are restaurant managers out there running fast food restaurants that make $100,000 a year in total compensation. So, I mean, it is a lucrative business to be in... But I do my best to dispel that myth that, you know, fast food is a dead end.”
This quote directly counters a widespread negative stereotype about fast-food careers by revealing surprising earning potential and career viability.
“I do like to impress upon people, though, to really take your career into your own hands. Don't wait for somebody to hand something to you and don't worry about what other people are doing.”
This advice emphasizes personal accountability and proactive career management as key to achieving individual professional goals.
The problems this episode addresses
- •High industry-average turnover (over 100% in restaurants) necessitates robust internal development and retention strategies.
- •Negative public perception of frontline roles (e.g., fast food as a 'dead end') hinders talent attraction and retention.
- •Franchise operations face significant financial constraints due to royalty payments (4-5% of revenue), limiting budgets for HR programs.
- •The challenge of developing quality, impactful training, mentoring, and development programs with limited financial resources.
- •Employees' tendency to compare their career progress to peers can lead to dissatisfaction, underscoring a need for individual goal-setting focus.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
You're the chief people officer for Pacific Bells
In the Elevator With Taco Bell's HR Chief
HR supports strategic leadership and skill acquisition in fast-paced restaurant industry
How HR Supports Strategic Leadership and Skill Acquisitions
David, what role does bench and succession planning play in managing 12,500 employees
David, What Role Does Bench and Success Planning Play in Restaurants
How can HR promote the restaurant industry as a long-term career path
Employment Strategy: Fast Food Restaurants
HR strategies align with franchise operations, and how do you navigate them
How Do Franchise HR Strategies Impact Franchise Operations?
David, any parting advice you'd like to share with our audience
Built by People: David
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
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