Hi, my name is Ben Siegel, I’m the owner of Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden. As our name implies, Banger’s is a sausage house and beer garden located on Rainey Street in Downtown Austin, Texas. We opened our doors in 2012, and we finished a large expansion on the lot adjacent to us at the end of 2018. We are now home to the largest draft beer system in the state of Texas with 202 individual lines, a beer cellar for aging beers, a pickling facility, a meat curing facility, a smokehouse and a small scale meat processing facility for whole animal butchery and fresh sausage production. The whole compound doubles as a live music and private event center with a standing room occupancy of 1,800 people. The space was designed to be flexible and can accommodate up to four, 300-person, parties simultaneously. Just a few months ago we had a team of 110 people and regularly served upwards of 10,000 customers a week in addition to hosting multiple private parties for hundreds of people at a time.

But that was all before the world, and in particular the restaurant industry, got rocked by a global pandemic. So, currently, I’m really just the owner of an incredible piece of real estate, some really cool buildings and the employer of a handful of amazing people who are trying to figure out what it means to be in the restaurant business right now.

Someday, we’ll all be telling our grandchildren the story of what happened during this time. Right now, we all have a choice about the part we play in that story. Do you want to be the person that hid from the dragon, hoping it would go away? Or do you want to be the person that picked up a sword and cut that dragon's head off?

Throughout my life I’ve tried to strike a delicate balance between realism and optimism. There is no doubt this pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for our industry, but I also firmly believe that adversity is the ultimate conduit for growth and opportunity. When looked at through that lens, it’s hard to imagine a better time, or a better opportunity, to do something amazing than this moment we find ourselves in, right now.

As described above, our space is incredibly well positioned to pivot to meet the challenges of this time. It’s massive and it’s mostly outdoors. The things we specialize in, sausage and beer, are timeless, affordable and comforting. We have large BOH facilities that allow our staff to distance themselves as they work. Our location, in the heart of downtown Austin Texas, has thousands of people who live and work within walking distance, and those are just the things That are low hanging fruit and easy to rattle off.

So, I’m on a mission to ensure we don’t squander all of the gifts we’ve been given. We have everything we need to look this pandemic in the eye and tell it to get f’%cked. There is a way to reimagine, not just Banger’s, but the whole restaurant industry, in a way that gives our guests, and our staff, a safe and wonderful experience. To create something that transcends this time and is not defined by it. We just need to work a little harder, stay open minded and be as flexible as possible until we figure out what that is.

Whether you are in the midst of a global pandemic or not, building a great company starts by building a great team. Prior to the pandemic we were deep in the process of reshaping our leadership team for the next chapter of our organization's growth. That process came to a screeching halt when the realities of this situation became, well, real. So now, more than two months after closing our doors, and as we contemplate what reopening Banger’s might look like, we are restarting the search to add two people to our leadership team, an Assistant General Manager and an Executive Chef. This ad is focused on the Executive Chef position.

While we are currently working on a plan to reopen our restaurant in a limited capacity in the short term, we need a BOH leader to help guide our restaurant operations through this time and into whatever comes next. Here is a working list (which is in no way complete) of the skills and knowledge needed for this position:

All applicants must...

Be a naturally optimistic and joyful person that emits positive energy and “fills the cup” of those around them

Be a world class chef that doesn’t think world class food needs to come with a pair of tweezers. Someone who believes something as humble as a sausage, executed

perfectly, can be as transformative as anything a 3 star michelin restaurant can deliver

Have held the title of Executive Chef, or something close to it, and truly excelled in that role

Have an ability to create and implement BOH systems and processes that allow for smooth operations, consistency, and quality control

Be a player/coach; someone who can zoom out and work ON the business but has not lost their drive and desire to work IN the business

Be a leader who is passionate about people, culture, building a great team, and helping managers grow into their roles

Be highly adaptable, open to change and willing to challenge long held beliefs in order to consider new possibilities and revenue streams

Be a realist, someone willing to accept the realities of our situation, and truly consider all possibilities to determine the best path forward

Thrive in a high volume, fast paced environment and be capable of managing many moving parts simultaneously

So, if you don’t think I’m crazy and if you think you are up for the challenge, then see below for next steps. But first, let’s have an open and honest conversation about compensation...

Pre-pandemic, this was a +/- $80k role depending on your level of experience. But, that was when our restaurant was doing +/-$10m a year serving around 10,000 customers a week. Currently I am serving zero customers a week, doing $0 in revenue and have lost approximately $1,000,000 since all of this began (we had a lot of event deposits we had to return and SX was obviously a big hit). So, while we are going to work hard to figure out a business model that works in this new reality, the truth is, it could take us some time to get back to those kinds of numbers or even a scenario where we break even. Our team is currently working on significantly reduced salaries and we would expect this position to start that way as well. So, what you will get paid during this transitional time will really come down to an honest conversation about what you need and what we can afford.

But, I also believe that money is only a small part of the compensation puzzle. In my experience, happiness at work really comes down to the opportunity to be a part of, and contribute to, a high functioning team. As the owner of Banger’s, I can promise you that building a high functioning leadership team is my highest priority. We are a company working hard to do things the right way. Your work will have purpose and meaning. The opportunities in front of us are endless. We are doing the hard work necessary to build a great organization from the ground up and that all starts with forming a great leadership team.

To help us achieve that goal we ask that you please click the link below and fill out a short survey. The survey was designed to help us gain a better understanding of your unique skill set to help us evaluate if it matches what we are looking for. So, if you feel like the above ad speaks to you, then the first step in the process is to click the link:

https://www.cultureindex.com/c/K6woFUMCmS

Lastly, since we believe this position will receive a high volume of applicants, but only those that are truly qualified will take the time to read all the way through an ad this long, the second step in the process is to please email Tony@BangersAustin.com a brief explanation as to why you feel you are the right person to fill this role, along with a specific food memory you have that set you on or defined your culinary journey.

Thank you for your time and interest.

All the best,

Ben Siegel