At the Table with Plate: Lettuce Entertain You - Fostering a Culture of Growth, Innovation and Caring

In our recent At the Table with Plate webinar, Plate’s publisher Jerry White had the unique opportunity to lead a timely conversation with the family behind Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the iconic restaurant group. Founder and chairman Rich Melman, wife Martha Melman, and their children and executive team members RJ Melman, Jerrod Melman and Molly Melman all shared their insights and perspectives. From being resilient and flexible, to forging partnerships with chefs, to instilling confidence in their staff, to simply caring, there’s a lot that goes into making LEYE work so seamlessly. More than anything, it’s about investing in people. “The job of any leader is to make other people successful,” says Rich. And it’s clear: regardless of which LEYE concept you visit, you can see the Melmans foster a culture of caring that people want to be part of, whether they’re dining or growing their careers. As Rich says, “[c]aring is a big part of our whole culture.” The takeaways from this engaging conversation marking their 50th anniversary are as much about learning from the past as they are about preparing for the future. You can catch the full conversation above.