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Growing from one restaurant to nine teaches you that what worked at one location might not work at another. In this episode of The Pre-Shift Podcast, we sit down with Sam Aguilar, Brand President of Oak & Stone Restaurants, to discuss what it actually takes to scale a multi-unit concept without losing your culture along the way. Sam shares how Oak & Stone built a communication system that cascades from his weekly one-on-ones all the way down to the pre-shift, plus why he tracks two labor metrics. Whether you're opening your second location or your ninth, Sam's approach to scheduling, people development, and labor productivity offers practical takeaways for restaurants looking to grow.

Key Takeaways

• Two Numbers, Not One: Hear why Sam tracks checks per labor hour alongside sales per labor hour — and how rising prices can dilute what's really happening on the floor.
• The Hardest Jump Isn't Zero to One: Discover why going from one location to two was Sam's toughest stretch, and why the processes that worked for a single-unit operator had to be rebuilt from scratch.
• A Cascade That Doesn't Break: Learn how Sam's communication flows from his weekly one-on-ones down through area leads, GMs, and managers, ending in a daily pre-shift built around exactly three things.
• Systems Over Memory: Find out why Sam pushes leaders toward PAR-based ordering and documented standards instead of letting critical knowledge live in one person's head.
• The Tap Guide Role: Understand how Oak & Stone staffs and measures the person responsible for guiding guests through a 50-tap self-pour wall, and how that role became a real career path.
• Feedback Is a Gift, Even for Your Best People: Hear Sam's case for spending five minutes and a cup of coffee recognizing high performers, who often get overlooked simply because they're not the ones causing problems.
• Hiring Is Everything: Discover why Sam calls people selection the single most important decision a growing operator makes, since it creates almost every problem and solves almost every problem down the line.

Resources

• Connect with Sam Aguilar on LinkedIn 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-aguilar-75b05667/
• Oak & Stone 🍺 https://oakandstone.com/

Chapters

00:00 Meet Sam Aguilar
00:51 Career Path to President
02:02 Oak and Stone Growth Story
04:01 Hardest Jump One to Two
07:51 Scheduling for New Volume
09:39 Leading Multi Unit Teams
10:34 Meeting Waterfall Culture
14:00 Systems Not Tribal Knowledge
15:54 Labor Metrics That Matter
18:15 Tap Guide Self Pour Wall
21:32 Scaling Past Seven Units
25:45 Developing Leaders Internally
31:39 Texas Expansion Playbook
34:58 Franchising and Partner Fit
36:18 Advice and Favorite Menu Items
40:27 Key Takeaways and Wrap

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About Us
7shifts is a restaurant platform that helps operators and managers hire, train, schedule, pay and retain their restaurant teams. With an easy-to-use platform and industry-specific solutions, 7shifts saves time, reduces errors, and helps keep costs in check for over 55,000 restaurants.