Ajay Singh has witnessed teachers, physicists, and chemical engineers moonlight as servers at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse. Given the nature of the 12-unit brand’s training program, the notion doesn’t surprise him. He’s visited locations years later where the staff hasn’t changed much. It’s not that Johnny’s doesn’t battle attrition, it’s simply the order in which Johnny’s picks its labor battles that differs from most. “The first thing they hear from us it that you’re going to be required to be tested on this food and beverages and steps of ...

Looking to develop your staff into leaders? Johnny's Italian SteakhouseTara Jacobsen, Managing Director of Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse of East Peoria, IL, started at the company 13 years ago, when she was 20 years old. Tara began as a server and quickly worked her way up to running the entire restaurant just 6 years after she was initially hired. Tara is a direct representation of Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse’s focus on retaining talent and growing and developing from within the company. Below are four tips that Tara and her team use to both retain and develop ...

Kevin and Karen Urick are touring the Quad-Cities one meal at a time for the column Dinner for Two. The Geneseo couple love everything about food. They grow food, travel the world for food, enjoy eating all styles of food and look forward to sharing their passion with readers! The column will appear periodically in the Your Food section. If you know of a place you want them to review, email them at [email protected]. -- Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, 1300 River Drive, Moline. 309-736-0100, johnnysitaliansteakhouse.com/moline/ A great steak is the ...

Mike Whalen scales his childhood passion into franchising and more

Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse has taken a unique approach to developing employee camaraderie. The Moline, Ill.-based casual-dining chain partnered with the Iowa National Guard on a training program last spring that consisted of hands-on workshops and talks from service members on teamwork and leadership. “We wanted to do something different besides a lecture-and-learn series,” Ajay Singh, vice president of business development at Johnny’s, told Nation’s Restaurant News. The chain currently has 11 units, with six in development. Last April, the Iowa ...

Though secondary and tertiary markets are wonderful places in which to live, work and raise a family, they don’t always have the full panoply of dining options seen in their big town brethren. Conventional thinking states it’s because there aren’t enough people to service more upscale dining options. But that’s simply not true. That’s why Chambers of Commerce throughout the country are increasingly seeking to bring more upscale restaurants to their markets. It’s because they realize there is lots of untapped potential for these restaurants to thrive, ...