Blending Tradition and Innovation with Sydney Grims

In today’s episode of "Follow Our Lead with Alaina Kearney," we are privileged to have Sydney Grims, Director of Business Development at Fearless Restaurants, join us. Sydney began working in the family business at age 12, and her early exposure to hospitality sparked her passion.

A distinguished alumna of Cornell's Hotel School, Sydney not only honed her skills but excelled academically, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a specialization in Real Estate Finance. Her career path took her to New York, where she worked with the Hillstone Restaurant Group and later as a Hospitality Director for a renowned finance mogul before returning to Philadelphia to play a pivotal role in her family's business.

 At Fearless Restaurants, Sydney has been at the forefront of strategic growth and real estate development, contributing to the expansion and success of over a dozen establishments with thousands of employees. 

Sydney’s journey at Fearless Restaurants highlights the delicate balance of honoring tradition while driving innovation. Joining her family’s business came with privilege, but it took dedication, industry knowledge, business acumen, and strong interpersonal skills to run and scale an operation as large as Fearless Restaurants.

Sydney's insights offer valuable lessons in nurturing relationships and adapting to change. Her approach reflects a leadership style that empowers, inspires, and transcends personal achievements.

Check out the podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. 

Learn more about Fearless Restaurants.
Learn more about Fearless Femmes.
Fearless Femmes Instagram: @FearlessFemmesPHL

Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara 

This episode was recorded in October 2023 before Fearless Restaurants announced three new ventures. Read about them here.

Watch the episode live on YouTube!

Transcript

Alaina Kearney (00:00:01):

Welcome to Follow Our Lead, the podcast that dives deep into the stories of leadership excellence and the people who define it. Today, I'm joined by Sydney Grims, Director of Business Development at Fearless Restaurants. Sydney began working in the family business at age 12, and her early exposure to hospitality sparked her passion. A proud graduate of Cornell's hotel school, Sydney amplified her skills, graduating magna cum laude with a focus on real estate finance. Her career path took her to New York where she excelled with the Hillstone Restaurant Group, and later as a hospitality director for a renowned finance mogul.

(00:00:38):

Returning to Philadelphia in 2017 to join her family, Sydney contributed significantly to Fearless Restaurants' growth leading projects like Louie Louie, White Dog Cafe Glen Mills, and Rosalie Wayne. Sydney now spearheads all strategic growth and real estate development for Fearless Restaurants, which operates over a dozen establishments and employs thousands. Join us as we dive into Sydney's story of tradition, innovation, and leadership in hospitality. This episode is sponsored by bars Barsz Gowie Amon & Fultz, a Pennsylvania based accounting firm specializing in tax, audit, and advisory services for businesses.

(00:01:16):

Well, Sydney, thank you so much for being on the podcast this morning. We're so excited to have you. I've read so many articles about you, listened to lots of podcasts, so this is really exciting to have you here today.

Sydney Grims (00:01:28):

Well, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here, and honestly, very honored. So thank you for having me.

Alaina Kearney (00:01:35):

Well, I just want to get started because I know your time is valuable. So I first want to talk about your career trajectory because it's not what people may think. So talk to us a little bit about how you got to where you are now as the director of business development of the Fearless Restaurants.

Sydney Grims (00:01:51):

Yeah. And I would say that everybody's path is very different. I grew up in the business. I knew that I wanted to do this since I was in literally lower school. So everybody's path is very different, but similar to many people. I did start at the bottom. I never try to pitch myself as an entrepreneur. At the end of the day, I'm not an entrepreneur. I would say that I am a entrepreneur light in that I work in a family business. I am opening businesses with my family. But at the end of the day, I have had a leg up, let's be honest. So I don't want to push that aside and not recognize the fact that I have been very blessed to be born into a family of restaurateurs.

(00:02:36):

My career started... Well, I guess I should start by saying that I am fourth generation. So my dad has restaurants. My grandfather had a restaurant, and my grandfather actually ran my great-grandfather's restaurant. And then my great-grandfather had a restaurant up in the Lackawanna Coal Mine region, and so did our other ancestors. And I've actually traced that back to ancestry.com. There was a place called John's Tavern up in Lackawanna, and it existed until the '40s or '50s. So it's been fun doing research on that.

(00:03:07):

But my interest really came from the fact that I would go to the restaurants on the weekends with my dad because both my parents worked. So as opposed to having a babysitter on the weekend, I would go and hang out at my dad's restaurant, literally play with the cigarette machine, I thought it was the coolest thing ever, and sit under his desk. And at the time, it was probably 1994 or 1995, and we had these portable televisions. They were handheld, little portable... Kind of like a portable radio, but had this little screen and it was like two inch by two inch. And I would just sit under his desk and watch cartoons or watch the news, and really just play hide and go seek. My parents would let me have friends over to the restaurant. So instead of having friends over to my house, I would have friends over to the restaurant and we would play.

(00:03:56):

My dad's restaurant that I spent the most time in was called Passarell and Bravo, and that was located where the Radnor Racquet Club is. Or Pomme in Radnor, which is now an event facility. And There's a really beautiful pond and creek there. And the swans that are actually there were the swans that I brought home with my dad back in 1995. They were the most vicious creatures, and they would always chase me around and bite me. But I just thought it was the coolest thing growing up basically in this little fairytale land of creeks and lizards and snakes, and playing with marzipan, and cookies in the bakery.

(00:04:25):

So it was a really interesting upbringing, and that really brought me to my interest and love for the restaurant business, which really was second nature. I apologize if you hear my dog snoring in the background. She's very loud.

Alaina Kearney (00:04:39):

Don't worry. You might hear mine too, so I can relate.

Sydney Grims (00:04:43):

So growing up, I really started working in the restaurants when I was 12. I remember my first job was checking coats at Moshulu, and really the rest is history. I always had a job, even if it was one or two days a week, starting at age 12, I started working. And I think that part of it was, honestly, because I just think my parents, again, worked on the weekends and they needed something to do with me. And I think another part of that was just wanting to have cash to do stuff with. And I remember getting my first $50 my first end of working and just thinking that was the coolest thing in the world. And I saved up money to buy myself a pair of sunglasses, and I still have that pair of sunglasses.

(00:05:24):

So I think I saw from a young age that money quite literally bought me freedom in a lot of ways. I could have a lot of freedom to buy what I wanted to buy. If I wanted to go to the movies on Friday night, I didn't necessarily have to finish my chores to do it, as horrible as that sounds. But I always had financial freedom to do what I wanted to do.

(00:05:48):

And that really brought me to waitressing through high school and into college. And when I was in college over the summers, I really waitressed and bartended and worked for a REIT called Hersha Hospitality, which is a REIT here in Philadelphia. Jay Shah, he's another Cornell alum, is the president of that firm. And I worked there for a summer and realized, hey, listen, I love the real estate thing, but I wanted to be in operations after college. And I moved to New York because that's where all my friends were, and I just was like, "Okay, if I'm going to be anywhere, I want to be in New York City." And worked in restaurants in New York. And then finally moved home after two crazy jobs in New York and now work in the family business for the past six and a half years. So it's pretty crazy. It's gone so fast.

Alaina Kearney (00:06:39):

I bet. And I think people might have the expectation that it's your family business, you just jumped right into it, and here you are. But you really started from the bottom. You worked your way up. This is something that, yes, it may have been in your blood, but you're a very hard worker in of itself. And you've really built your career and your brand and yourself from the very bottom and from the time you were little. So I think that's really unique and something you should be very proud of.

Sydney Grims (00:07:08):

Yeah, listen, again, I attribute that to my parents. My dad grew up in Springfield. My mom grew up in Huntington Valley. Both working middle class families. My dad did not have parents growing up. He was orphaned by the time he was 14. My mom grew up in a household where my grandfather sold high school class rings, and it was a big deal that he... It was really, at the end of the day, my parents really instilled in me, at a very young age, to work. And I think what was really important was that I was seeing a mother who was working as well.

(00:07:43):

So it wasn't the stereotypical... My parents weren't working 9:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday and weren't home for dinnertime. There were years where my dad really wasn't home until I was in high school at dinnertime. And I don't look at that and say, "Oh, geez, woe is me." I'm really grateful that my dad worked his ass off to get to where he was so that now he can be home and so that we have the privileges that we do. And that really is due to my parents' really hard work. And I think at the end of the day, if you know me, I'm constantly going, to my boyfriend's dismay, but we are constantly going, we're constantly doing things. We don't stop. And I think the same really has gone for work. Most of it's work.

Alaina Kearney (00:08:34):

I bet. I bet. Now I'm a Springfield girl myself. I was-

Sydney Grims (00:08:37):

Oh, you are?

Alaina Kearney (00:08:40):

I am. Grew up in Broomall, but then I moved to Springfield and that's where I live now. So I have a special place in my heart.

Sydney Grims (00:08:45):

Oh, no way.

Alaina Kearney (00:08:45):

Yes, special place in my heart for Springfield. What did you say?

Sydney Grims (00:08:50):

[inaudible 00:08:50]. He grew up right behind the [inaudible 00:08:52] Tavern. And Hemlock Lane is road that he grew up on. So right near Cardinal O'Hara.

Alaina Kearney (00:08:57):

Yes.

Sydney Grims (00:08:57):

Yeah.

Alaina Kearney (00:08:58):

All right. Well, my husband's an O'Hara grad.

Sydney Grims (00:09:00):

Aww. [inaudible 00:09:01].

Alaina Kearney (00:09:01):

See, it's a small world here in Delco. Okay. We all know each other.

Sydney Grims (00:09:04):

It sure is. It sure is. Philadelphia, I think that that's something that I really loved about Philadelphia is the fact that in general, people are, one, very willing to help each other when they hear they're from Philadelphia. And that's something that I did not have until I moved back here. And I think it's been one of my favorite things is people like you, just reaching out and saying, "Hey, I want to meet you. What's going on?" Via even Instagram. And that's to me, you should always be willing to meet people and embrace people from other backgrounds, et cetera.

Alaina Kearney (00:09:35):

I totally agree. So I want to jump back a little bit to your dad. So you had mentioned that he was orphaned by 14. That must've been incredibly difficult. So talk to us a little bit about your dad and how that experience or just growing up without parents and having to really pave the way for yourself without guidance. How did he manage to do that and how do you think that impacted him as he was growing his brands?

Sydney Grims (00:10:01):

Yeah, listen, I think that at the end of the day, we don't talk about it a lot. It's something that's very private to my family, and that's his story, it's not mine. But what I can say is my dad is one of the most resilient people that you'll meet due to his upbringing. Not everything was always peachy keen when I was growing up. The economic crisis hit 2008, 2009, and it was like, "Holy cow, how are you going to go to college?" So not everything is always how it seems to be. And that's I think a lot of the times what is remiss when we are looking at people's Instagrams. But I think what my dad has always taught me is you pick yourself up by your bootstraps when things are not necessarily going your way and you just plug forward, and you just got to have to stay positive. It's always about finding the silver lining. And I think that that is one of the best lessons that I have learned from him is when shit hits the fan, what can you learn from that?

(00:11:01):

And I certainly saw that through COVID, the two or three years that I've weathered this storm with the company. It's been remarkable to see everybody's resilience through this. And obviously we are far on the other side of that, but we are also seeing right now that there is an economic, we'll say blip, and slow down in the market, obviously purposely due to mortgage rates, and we're seeing the outcome after COVID.

Alaina Kearney (00:11:32):

Absolutely. So in terms of your day-to-day role within the company, how has that changed and evolved over time?

Sydney Grims (00:11:39):

I love that you asked me that because a lot of times people will think, "Oh, she opened Louis Louie, she's at Louis Louie, and that's what she does." And Louis Louie was a large part of my life back in 2018 when I joined the company. But I've been very, very lucky that we've continued to grow. And my role within the company with our growth has also shifted. So I actually am more of a nomad. My office is out of Haverford. I don't work in operations anymore. For about three years, I worked in facilities and maintenance and construction, and that's really where I would say was a area that I saw a lot of opportunity.

(00:12:18):

So I come from a background of corporate restaurants. It's what I did after upon graduation, and worked for a group called Hillstone, or Houston's, Restaurant Group for about four or five years up New York. And what I learned from them was how to build a system, how to write manuals, how to really make efficiencies. And I think I saw that through very simple things around service, i.e. when a server goes to drop a soda off at your table with a lemon on it, they're going to put the lemon at three o'clock because ergonomically, your body, we're going to assume that most people in the United States are right-handed. So ergonomically, we're going to use the lemon from the right side of our body to the left side of our body.

(00:13:04):

So little things like that is considered a system. But what I would say what I'm doing is on a larger scale of, looking over what software are we using, how are all of our software, how is it all communicating with each other? And then how can we build efficiencies among not only the software, but amongst HR practices, amongst service practices, amongst recipes. Every single thing I try to look at from a, how can we build efficiencies and how can we scale?

(00:13:33):

So when you say where can we find you on a daily basis, right now, my role has changed probably 10 times in the last seven years just due to the fact that I have created departments. I will hire somebody who is much more qualified and better at that department than I, and will move out of that department. And most recently, I moved out of doing all of our facilities and maintenance for three years. It was a department that never existed before. So if you can imagine over 10 restaurants, something at the restaurant, I would say on average, we have things breaking at the restaurant maybe five times a day because of just purely the volume, right? Somebody accidentally marks the pen on a piece of furniture. Now I have to go and get that reupholstered.

(00:14:14):

So we have, on average, about 3 to 400 work orders going on at one time, about 40 work orders per location. So I have turned that over, this department, very thankfully, over to somebody who has actually worked with us for 25 years. He's a master electrician and owned his own company. And he's come on with his team full time in our facilities maintenance department. And that really has been huge because they obviously know way more than I do about maintenance. I just drive around in a pickup truck acting like I know what I'm doing.

Alaina Kearney (00:14:44):

I don't believe that. Wow. I mean, you don't think about these little nuances. I would never think about any of the things you just said. You just don't realize how big of an operation all of this really is. It's a family business at its core, and I know that you all do a really good job trying to keep the culture in that way, where it doesn't feel corporate or it doesn't come off corporate. But it's very difficult to do that with so many people and so many restaurants, and so many little things happening all the time that you're responsible for.

Sydney Grims (00:15:19):

I think what's really cool, if you are somebody with ADD or ADHD, this is your playground. This is the best place to be. And I don't say that being funny or facetious. I was diagnosed with ADD when I was in high school. And what I love about the restaurant business is there are many people that are like me who are able to use their mind in so many different ways, have so many different departments to focus on. You're not just focusing on one thing i.e... Okay, even if you're a chef and you're cooking, you're not just a chef. You're dealing with HR, you're dealing with facilities and maintenance, you're dealing with accounting, you're dealing with human resources, you're dealing with hiring. There are so many facets of the business, and I think that that's something that-

Sydney Grims (00:16:03):

There are so many facets of the business. And I think that that's something that if you are somebody who leads a lot of stimulation, which I think a lot of people in our generation and Gen Z need, I think the restaurant business is for you. The restaurant business, I think, a lot of times, is overlooked as a business where, "Oh, I'm too good for that, or I have too much education for that." Well, put that aside. At the end of the day, this business is not for the faint of heart. And sure, if you want to go sit behind a desk, then go for it. But I think what is so awesome about the restaurant business is one, I'm never doing the same thing every day. I'm dealing with different crises. I'm also using my brain in so many different ways.

(00:16:41):

One of the things you touched on is we're not a corporate restaurant group. We will never be a corporate restaurant group. At the heart of who we are is we are a local family-owned restaurant group with artisanal concepts. Not even two White Dogs are alike. We might have the mushroom soup and the beet salad and the burger, but if you look at the menus from White Dog in Glen Mills over in Delaware County versus our White Dog in Wayne versus the White Dog in Haverford with soon to be the one in Chester Springs, all the menus will be different, all the decor is different, but the guiding principles are the same, which is we want to provide great food that is sustainable, seasonal, and local from local farmers to our neighborhoods. That's the goal.

PART 1 OF 4 ENDS [00:16:04]

Alaina Kearney (00:17:33):

And I think you do a great job of that. Because I'll tell you, when I think of Fearless Restaurants, I think of stylish, date night, amazing food, classy. I think of all of these great words to describe what you have built. I want to talk about your part in the look and feel of how we see the Fearless brand now.

Sydney Grims (00:17:51):

Oh, my gosh. Honestly, again, that's the coolest thing is my job is not just one thing. It's doing a million different things. Branding has been one of my favorite parts of this. Again, I don't have a background in branding, but the fact that I get to dip my toes in it, because I grew up in a family where real estate, design, both art interiors, graphic, has always been a large part of our lives. Am I a fine artist? No, I did not go to school for that. But the fact that I can exercise my brain in so many different ways is so fun.

(00:18:26):

Back when I joined the company, we branded it as Fearless Restaurants. At first, I was like, Fearless Restaurants? This is so lame. This sounds so doofy. But the more that I thought about it, the more I was like, you know what? This is my dad. Fearless is my dad. Growing up in a family where he had to just figure it out and just make it, that is who my father is as an entrepreneur, as somebody who has had to come back from literally having catastrophic failures personally, professionally, to looking at what we went through with the economic crises, and then looking at my favorite part about how fearless really just bakes into who we are is the Moshulu means fearless.

Alaina Kearney (00:19:13):

Interesting. I didn't know that.

Sydney Grims (00:19:15):

It's kind of just very ironic that the quite literal flagship, our busiest restaurant, means one who fears nothing in Seneca Native American. That really is why we are called Fearless is because of Moshulu. But I think even more so, it really is the ethos of who we are as a company that we desire to hire people who are fearless, who have an entrepreneurial spirit. There's not many businesses that you're going to go to that are going to say, "Yeah, we want you to be entrepreneurs. We want you to go out. We want you to make your own path."

(00:19:50):

We look at Fearless as, yeah, of course, we'd love for you to stay here forever. But we've had many people who come here, and it's even better when you ask somebody, okay, maybe there's a write-up in a magazine, "Oh, yeah. Guess what? Guess where they were trained? Oh, they came from White Dog Cafe or they came from Moshulu." That's really, to me, the bread and butter of what we want to stand for. Because at the end of the day, if people are saying, "Oh, yeah, I was brought up through that chain of command or that company," it just reflects so much better on you.

(00:20:23):

I think when it comes to the brand, I've really learned and had to unlearn a lot of really negative stuff from corporate restaurants, which is you're only a pawn, you're only a manager, you're only responsible to work on the floor, you don't have much say. And we say here at Fearless, "No, managers, we want to know your opinions. Do you like your benefits? Do you not like your benefits? What benefits do you want added? How can we make your lives easier? How can we give you more balance? What more do you want to learn? Okay, we ran a survey several years ago. Oh, you want to learn more about finances? Well, guess what? Now you have the entire control of the P&L and full transparency." I think it's important, at the end of the day, to listen to your employees and to see, what do they want to learn?

Alaina Kearney (00:21:09):

I think you're exactly right. I couldn't agree with you more. I think I've read multiple articles where you've mentioned staff who have been with you for 25-plus years. I think that's a real testament to the brand that you've built and the culture that you've developed. I mean, right now, we're hearing no matter where you look, everywhere, everyone, and every article is talking about how to build a better company culture, and what can you do to cultivate that? And it sounds like something that Fearless has been really good at over the years has been to develop and nurture your employees.

Sydney Grims (00:21:39):

And that's not me. That was not me that made that. That was Tamas Szene, who's the Director of Restaurant Operations; Pete Palladino, Director of Restaurant Operations in New Jersey; Zach Grainda, who's our Director of Culinary Operations in Philly; Jeff Alberti, Director of Culinary Operations in New Jersey; and my dad. They're people who have been with the company and have helped build the company.

(00:22:01):

I wasn't here from the beginning. I was alive during the beginning, and all those guys were like my big brothers because I was just running around the restaurants, like fooling around. But I lived it, and then it had to be taught to me again when I came back to the company. I never shied explaining that. That was not how I was retaught after graduating.

(00:22:21):

I think at the end of the day, having positive culture in your workplace is imperative. Having connection is imperative. I understand people want to work from home. At the end of the day, though, I've worked from home for the past three days because I've been sick, and I will tell you, I'm craving that connection with my coworkers. Positivity begets positivity. I think that that's something that is crucial when working at Fearless. If you're a negative Nancy, we don't have a place for you.

Alaina Kearney (00:22:50):

I love it. I couldn't agree with you more. I really couldn't. You mentioned how some of the people that helped you kind of build the brand into what it was, or helped your dad kind of get it to where it is, are people that you've known for a long time and you've looked up to and consider big brothers. How have you been able to kind of earn the respect of people who are older and more seasoned than you in this industry? That must've been very hard.

Sydney Grims (00:23:16):

When I joined the company seven years ago, there was nobody my age at a corporate level because there was no corporate level. It was my dad; Kerrie Van Horn, who's our Director of Marketing; Jaimi Blackburn, our Director of PR. So two incredibly strong talented women, and then two, at the time, they weren't even directors, which was Zach and Tamas, and they'd been with the company for 20 -years. At that time, probably closer to 15 years.

(00:23:44):

But I would say that I had to earn respect through showing, not saying. I came in guns a blazing. Obviously, I have a very strong, opinionated personality, and it was something that I had to certainly learn how to take a backseat. That took time. It took time to absorb the culture, and I learned very quickly that in order to gain that respect, I obviously had to do.

(00:24:16):

I think I gained that respect through the opening of Louie Louie, and really through the opening of The Deck, which is on top of Moshulu, and showing them that we can brand this into something where Millennials are going to see and make this a really profitable business. I think the turning of the tide with Moshulu was really that first glimpse of showing people older than me, like, "Hey, listen, I can make it. I can build value here."

Alaina Kearney (00:24:43):

And you've certainly shown them, that's for sure. You've also spoken before about the quiet pressures of being a woman in the industry, and especially being the daughter of somebody who's a very successful business owner. How have you been able to deal with that type of stress on your shoulders? I'm sure it's not easy shoes to fill.

Sydney Grims (00:25:02):

Yeah, honestly, nobody. A gentleman named Ben Silver asked me this from Main Line Today a couple of weeks ago, in terms of, we just launched an event series called Fearless Femmes. It's really a networking group. It's an event series for women who have inspiring stories to tell. You can be a business owner, you can be in a C-suite level position, you can run a nonprofit, you could just be a regular person walking down the street that has gone through some sort of hardship.

(00:25:32):

I think what I've really learned from joining the business has been my dad has always been very quick to change, and that's been something that's been really important. If I did not have a parent who was allowing me to one, fail, two, to make changes, I would not be where I am now. So again, it was very interesting.

(00:26:02):

I was actually at this Fearless Femmes event a couple of weeks ago, and it was the launching event, and I overheard a woman say, "Well, she wouldn't have gotten there if it wasn't for her father." And I'm like, "Lady, I'm trying to just speak my truth here. And guess what? You're exactly right. I would not be here if it wasn't for my dad." I've never once said that I'm not privileged. I'm incredibly privileged. But you have to understand that in order to remain in this spot-

Alaina Kearney (00:26:27):

Absolutely. I see.

Sydney Grims (00:26:27):

... there is a lot of pressure. It comes from people like that who are constantly thinking, "Okay, well, she's just this young woman. She was given these opportunities." Absolutely, I was given these opportunities, but you have to rise to the occasion.

(00:26:45):

My dad is very quick. If you are not somebody who is adding value, you do not stick around. So there has been a tremendous amount of pressure to perform, not put on by my parents, put on by myself, because I want to make them proud, because they have given me so much, because they paid for my education. I always felt indebted in some ways of feeling like, hey, I owe it to them to carry on this legacy, the fact that it is a business that my parents worked so hard.

(00:27:19):

And I know that my dad will never retire because he loves this so much. This has been such a labor of love, not just for my dad, but also a great amount of sacrifice from my mom not having a spouse at home at night, not having a spouse home on the weekends. With all those sacrifices that I saw as a child, I really have felt, as an adult, that I need to really rise to the occasion and perform and to fill those shoes. My dad will tell me time and time again, "It's not your job to fill my shoes," but how can I not feel that way?

Alaina Kearney (00:27:54):

Exactly. I would feel the same exact way. I absolutely agree, especially, you're somebody who's a go-getter. And you want to do good, not only for him, for you, for everyone involved. You have a lot of lives that you're responsible for. You have, I forget how many, hundreds and hundreds of employees. That's a lot of people to be responsible for and a lot of stress to make sure that you're keeping up with a brand that can feed all of those mouths. That's a big responsibility to have.

Sydney Grims (00:28:19):

I think the realization of that really hit home during the pandemic. We laid off 1,200 employees, not once, not twice, but like four times. And many of those people couldn't qualify for unemployment. So I think that when you go through moments of that, to that magnitude, of course, you're going to feel pressured to perform and to make sure that everybody feels covered. Honestly, it's been a privilege to be able to just be in my role. It's a privilege.

Alaina Kearney (00:29:00):

Did you feel like along the way, you maybe doubted yourself or you've had a little imposter syndrome? And if you have, how do you think you've been able to kind of overcome that?

Sydney Grims (00:29:09):

Absolutely, absolutely. I think any time there are... I was in a family business forum, so a group of other family business kids across the country, and I think a lot of us felt that way. You're coming up, and you want to fill the shoes of your parents. But at the end of the day, I'm not 65 years old like my dad. I don't have the experience he does. Not to mention, I am female. And with that, I'm not here burning bras and beating on my chest, but there is a different territory that comes with that.

(00:29:40):

My father and I are very similar in a lot of ways. We're both very opinionated. We both lack patience and want things done yesterday. But what my dad has that I don't have is he's the owner of the company, so I have to move around that with a lot more tact and grace because at the end of the day, I haven't been with the company for 20 years. So absolutely, I've had imposter syndrome, because at the end of the day, quite literally, in my eyes, I am an imposter in a lot of ways, but I try every day to just learn something from each person that comes into the business.

(00:30:21):

I think that I have come a long way from where I was when I first joined the company, when I had very, very little tact to how I would speak to people, but that's one of my biggest opportunities. I work on the every single day, just different tactics of how to speak. What's my verbiage? What's my tone? My tone is my biggest opportunity, and I'm not bashful to say that. But imposter syndrome, absolutely, absolutely.

Alaina Kearney (00:30:54):

I want to talk, too, about your leadership style. Your leadership style has likely evolved, developed, grown over time and over experience in this business. How would you describe the way you lead?

Sydney Grims (00:31:08):

My dad gave me this great analogy when I first got out of college, and it was... I was really struggling. I was really struggling. I've said this multiple times in this interview, is I struggled so much as a young manager. I was still a young manager when I joined our company. I was 27 when I joined our company. For all intents and purposes, as a manager, that's very young.

(00:31:29):

He always said when you are a young manager, you have a toolbox. Everybody has their toolbox. And as you become a better manager, you add more tools to your toolbox. When you're a young manager, your only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer. You know how to beat people over the head with the hammer and to tell them, "This is what I want, and I want it done now." Like that style of management. As you get older, and you gain more experience, and you learn from mistakes, you start adding more tools. You add the wrench. I can adjust. I can add-

Sydney Grims (00:32:03):

I can adjust, I can add a screwdriver, but all of those little tools are all about adjustments, and making all these little millimeter movements. And so, I think that as I have grown older, my leadership style has grown to see that each problem is not solved with the same tool. I can use a different tool for maybe a personality that is more challenging. Maybe I need a different type of tool from my toolbox, for somebody that is older than me and I need to discipline them about a hygiene issue. Somebody comes into work and they're smelly, how do you deal with that kind of issue, versus I have a purveyor who is sending me crappy product? Or, I find out I have an employee who has been stealing money from me. So, there are all different types of tools that you need to use from your toolbox, and I would say when I categorize my leadership style, I don't necessarily... I think I still am a little bit tough.

(00:33:05):

And it's funny, when I was younger, I always used to say, I'm firm, but fair.

PART 2 OF 4 ENDS [00:32:04]

Alaina Kearney (00:33:09):

I love that.

Sydney Grims (00:33:10):

Because that's what I thought, that's what being a good manager was, was being firm, but fair. But I think being a good manager is someone who is able to listen, who's able to sit back, and say, you know what? Let me take a few minutes to think about that, and I'll get back to you. And it's okay to pause, it's okay to take that moment. And I think that that's something that I have always really struggled with, is, you know what? It's okay to use the wrench, it's okay to take a pause, it's okay to put the work down and come back to the work. And an example of that is I received a phone call today from a fabric company, and she's giving me leather, from, I think they're located in California.

(00:33:51):

And they needed to split 50 yards of fabric, so 150 feet of fabric, into three sections or four sections because they didn't have enough. Well, that really screws me up, because if I'm going to do a banquette, I'm now wasting probably several yards of fabric per now a bolt, as opposed to wasting maybe a couple yards at the end. So, that really does screw me, but all I said to her was, hey, you know what? Hey, listen, it's all good, this is not the end of the world. Sure, this is several... It could be a $1000 issue, but we don't need to... Nobody's going to die over this issue. Okay? This is not the worst thing in the world.

(00:34:33):

And I think that once you have some really crappy things happen to you, these very minuscule things become... Something that might've been such a big issue to me several years ago, becomes way less of an issue now. And all I said to her was, hey, listen, what do you think is fair? Do you think giving me a couple extra yards of fabric? Do you think that's fair? She was like, yeah, I think that's perfectly fair, she was like, thank you so much for being so understanding. I was like, listen, this is just burgers and fries. At the end of the day, what we do is burgers and fries, we're not curing cancer, I'm not a lawyer, we're just trying to make people have a good time.

Alaina Kearney (00:35:11):

And I love the way that you phrased it, you turned it back on her to make her have a voice in it, like, hey, what do you think is right here? And I love that you did that.

Sydney Grims (00:35:20):

Yeah. What do you think is fair? We'll do that with our guests sometimes. It's like, hey, listen, I'm really sorry you had a poor experience, how could I have made that better for you? Or how can we make this better moving forward? Because sometimes a guest might come back to you and say, you know what? It really upset me that you forgot that birthday candle for my husband's birthday, I really wanted that candle to come out. And you might say, hey, okay, I'll give you a gift card, come back. And they might not even want the gift card, they just want to be heard.

Alaina Kearney (00:35:49):

Exactly. Along the same vein here, what do you think is the best advice that you've ever received to help you reach the level of success you have? We've talked about some of this. We've talked about the toolbox, we've talked about how you've evolved and developed as a leader, but is there a single piece of advice you feel like that really sticks out to you?

Sydney Grims (00:36:08):

I think this is more of a metaphor, and I find it just very beautiful, and I get emotional talking about it, because it's really something that my dad says that I think is so meaningful to me. We don't do what we do so that we can eat another hamburger. I can only eat one hamburger a night, or I can only put on one pair of pants a day, and I joke, I joke my horse dresses better than I do. I wear Old Navy and Crocs. I used to wear all these beautiful, nice clothes, but you just start to realize really what's important in life. And I think that through working in a family business, you really realize what's important. And I think one of the best analogies is we don't do what we do and we don't grow because we need to make more money.

(00:37:02):

My dad's very content, we have a beautiful life. I have my parents, I have my siblings, we're blessed, we all have each other, and we're all very close. But we all do what we do because we want other people to have the opportunities that we've had. And we've had some really incredible people that work for our organization, who have not come from the blessed background that we have, that have really struggled to just live in the United States.

Alaina Kearney (00:37:34):

Absolutely.

Sydney Grims (00:37:34):

And provide for their family. And I have one woman who, she was back at home in Mexico, and she literally had, this guy came and attacked her in her house, and killed her mom, and this was only several months ago, this stuff happens.

Alaina Kearney (00:37:50):

Absolutely, it sure does.

Sydney Grims (00:37:52):

So, we opened more restaurants because we want those people to move up, and have more opportunity, and more chances, and to live the American dream. And the American dream is still very much alive, and it's... One of our directors, again, he's been with the company with my dad since he was... Literally, he came on a cruise ship to Philadelphia, he was working in the cruise industry. And him and his wife are not from the US. He was born in Hungary, his house had a dirt floor. He came as a server on a cruise ship, and he came over to Moshulu and saw how beautiful it was. He's now the director, he's our COO, has been with the company for 20 something years. He has a beautiful wife, two beautiful children, they go to Radnor Elementary, they live a very privileged life because of what their parents had to sacrifice, and how incredible and how hard they have worked, and that's really what Fearless is about.

(00:38:47):

It's about providing people chances to live better lives. He just did a beautiful renovation on his home in Radnor, and bought a condo in Ocean City a couple of years ago, that's what this is all about. It's not about just, oh, I can go, and go to this fancy restaurant. Who cares? It took me a really long time... It took me a really long time to realize that. I was very materialistic, I think, growing up, because I wasn't one of the haves, I was one of the have-nots. And I didn't have that stuff. My brother and sister grew up very differently than I did, I always say that. Again, I grew up very privileged, but at the end of the day, as you get older, now, being in my thirties, you realize, it doesn't matter that I'm wearing Crocs and Old Navy pants, doesn't really matter.

Alaina Kearney (00:39:44):

No, you're exactly right. And I think you've touched on a lot, especially in terms of giving people opportunities, and I think that is so important. And the American dream, just like you said, is very alive and well. Prior to my job working at Barsz Gowie, I had worked for a member of Congress, and I worked on all the immigration issues, so I've heard countless stories about how difficult it has been for many immigrants in our area to provide for themselves and to get opportunities and to move up. So, I think it's incredible that you're able to have a brand that really wants to make sure that people are given the chance, because there's so many diamonds in the rough, that just need that one shot to really express themselves and make it big. So, kudos to you for giving them that opportunity. But along that same vein, something else that I know is really important to you is networking, and how other people have really made a difference for you in your career, and how you've also been able to help them. I remember, I think it may have been in Suburban Warrior podcast, you had talked about a group that you had joined when you moved back from New York City to Philadelphia, where you were able to find like-minded people, but from all different walks of life, and how that group really impacted you when you came back to the city. So, how has networking in particular really impacted you, both on a personal and a professional level, and maybe also led you to this Fearless Femmes?

Sydney Grims (00:41:11):

I think you can not be afraid to... Just join something. You might hate it. And if you hate it, don't go back. But you need to push yourself to get out there and try something, experience life. You come home at the end of the day, we all work hard. Okay? Every single person. It's all relative, right?

Alaina Kearney (00:41:33):

Absolutely.

Sydney Grims (00:41:33):

But it's important to extend yourself. To be neighborly. To go out of your way, to just be a good human. And I think that when it comes to networking, you can network for selfish reasons, but I think at the end of the day, networking is more than that. To me, it's always more about the connection. What can I learn from this person? What can I do for this person? I took a meeting last week that, quite honestly, had... I was going to gain nothing out of this hour and a half conversation, nothing. But I knew it meant a lot to this other person, and I wanted to see if there was a way that I could help this other person. And at the end of the day, I was able to, just by one connection, they got a lead for a business deal. So, you never know how you could help somebody else and pay it forward, and I think that that was something that my mom always instilled in us as young kids, is paying it forward.

(00:42:39):

I remember there's, in the 90s or early 2000s, there was a movie that came out with, oh my gosh, Haley Joel Osment, and it was about paying it forward. And meeting somebody for coffee, you never know what door that opens. I answered a LinkedIn ad for a woman who reached out to me, from a "principal," she couldn't tell... A principal not being a principal of a school, principal being a billionaire of an estate. Who wanted to recruit me. And I had no interest in being somebody's butler, and that was what the job was for. It was being a butler or a nanny for a billionaire. No interest. I have an Ivy League education, my parents have spent their life savings sending me to school, and I'm going to go and be a nanny?

(00:43:29):

Nothing wrong with that, but at the same time, I'm the worst with kids, you don't want me taking care of your kids. But you never knew... I just felt like, okay, that was put in my life for a reason, that is a door that you don't know what happens from that, and guess what? They called me back six months later, they built a department for me, and made me a director at their company.

Alaina Kearney (00:43:49):

Amazing.

Sydney Grims (00:43:50):

So, you don't know what happens. Take that meeting, join that group that you were like, huh, maybe I should try that, or maybe there's some sort of softball league that you're like, huh, I'd rather go home on Thursday night, because I'm going to be tired at the end of the week. Well, you know what? You're not doing anything Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of that week, go and socialize. You might meet somebody in that group that, you might introduce them to their next husband or wife. You don't know. So, when it comes to networking, I obviously am obsessed with meeting people. I love meeting people, I love saying yes to things, I need to learn how to say no, this is my 2024 resolution.

(00:44:28):

All of my friends want to kill me because I say yes to too many things, and then I'm only with them for five minutes at each event. But you need to say yes, you need to try things, you don't need to overcommit yourself, I've learned that the hard way. Overcommitting is also the worst thing ever, because then you just come off as a flake. But you should have one networking thing on your calendar a month. And I'm not saying a coffee. Go to an event, where you're going to meet multiple people, and really go out of your way and extend yourself.

Alaina Kearney (00:45:03):

I agree with you. Somebody not too long ago gave me a really good piece of networking advice, and she said... I forget what I may have said to her to spark this. But I remember her saying, if you ever go to a networking event and you're feeling a little uncomfortable, or you're just going by yourself and you don't know anyone... It's very hard to walk into a room and not know anyone, and sometimes that happens depending on what event you're going to. She said, just look around and find somebody who's on their phone, or who's at the bar by themselves, or who's just alone, and go find them and go talk to them, because they might be in the very same situation that you are.

(00:45:36):

They could be waiting for somebody, and when that person comes back, they've now introduced you to the group that they were with, and then you can get in with that group. And I never looked at it like that, I always looked at it... It can be very intimidating, I always looked at it as, I love networking, I also love meeting new people, so this isn't something I really struggle with, but there have been times where I've been really intimidated, and I always think about her words of wisdom-

Sydney Grims (00:45:57):

I think that's great words of advice.

Alaina Kearney (00:45:59):

Yeah.

Sydney Grims (00:45:59):

And I also think networking does not mean that you need to go and do something in a group.

Alaina Kearney (00:46:03):

True.

Sydney Grims (00:46:04):

So, just to clarify, I want to go back on what I said.

Alaina Kearney (00:46:07):

Okay.

Sydney Grims (00:46:08):

Networking can be as simple as, you see somebody on LinkedIn that you think they just have an interesting background, or I had a gentleman reach out to me today, and he goes, hey, so-and-so told me that we're actually neighbors, we should grab coffee sometime. Great, that's networking. So, I probably do four to five networking something, coffee, lunch, a Zoom coffee, at least five times a week. But, but, that can be as short as 15 minutes. You're allowed to say to somebody, hey, listen, I have 15 minutes from 4:00 to 4:15 in my calendar, I'm to take a lunch break, let's just hop on a Zoom real quick, or let's hop on a phone call. That's networking. So, if you are somebody who's shy... I will say, I'm not shy, but I actually do have a lot of social anxiety, believe it or not, being in the restaurant business.

(00:47:04):

At the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is go and be in a room with 40 people. It's like, I hate it. But knowing that I don't like being in a room with a bunch of people, I'd rather go and grab coffee with people. Or I'd rather go and Zoom. Or I'll jump on the phone. And that's great, that's great. So, if you are somebody who's shy, or doesn't necessarily like to extend themselves, you can put yourself out there just by reaching out to somebody on LinkedIn, or Instagram, and saying, hey, listen, I see your story, I see what you're doing, it's something that I really am interested in. Or, hey, I know you live in my neck of the woods, I need a new friend, are you around to grab coffee? Or even if we can just Zoom, if you're really tired, that works too.

Alaina Kearney (00:47:46):

I love that. And for the people listening, you and I did not know each other before, I don't have any... We have some mutual connections, but I don't really have any connections that could introduce me to you, this was totally just something where I reached out to you out of the blue, so-

Sydney Grims (00:48:01):

You did. And I think you... Did you reach out a LinkedIn or on...

Alaina Kearney (00:48:03):

... out of the blue.

Sydney Grims (00:48:03):

You did. Did you reach out on LinkedIn or on Instagram?

PART 3 OF 4 ENDS [00:48:04]

Alaina Kearney (00:48:04):

No, I emailed you actually.

Sydney Grims (00:48:05):

You emailed me. Okay.

Alaina Kearney (00:48:05):

I did.

Sydney Grims (00:48:07):

But to me, reaching out on Instagram is completely appropriate. I'm cool with that. Again, I said yes because you just never know. You never know. You never know what door it opens.

Alaina Kearney (00:48:20):

I totally agree. And I think for me, one of the things that is hard when I ask podcast guests, a lot of them I know or I have some connection to and that's how I get them, but I also have reached out to people cold like I did with you. But sometimes that fear of rejection, like the person's going to say no, can be very overwhelming.

Sydney Grims (00:48:37):

Yeah. Who cares? Who cares?

Alaina Kearney (00:48:39):

I know. I love that. Okay.

Sydney Grims (00:48:39):

The worst thing somebody says is no. Who cares? I mean, if somebody's a jerk, yeah, I'm going to lose sleep because I'm a type A freak, but worst thing somebody says is no. And that's not new information. Everybody knows that. It's just about internalizing it and being comfortable taking that chance.

Alaina Kearney (00:48:58):

Somebody needs to go through your Instagram messages, because I saw you have 26,000 followers. I'm not quite sure how you can keep up with that, because I have, I don't even know, in the hundreds and I feel like that's more than enough for me.

Sydney Grims (00:49:10):

Because I'm neurotic and I love my phone. Ask my significant other, "How much is Sydney on her phone?", or ask my siblings. My sister is going to probably listen to this and laugh. I think I'm on my phone, my screen time averages, I think, 14 to 16 hours a day.

Alaina Kearney (00:49:27):

I can understand that.

Sydney Grims (00:49:28):

It's pathetic. It's literally, it's so pathetic.

Alaina Kearney (00:49:31):

But it's hard because you have your personal life, you have your work life. It's difficult. You have everything, and there's so many different channels between you got Teams, email, Instagram, LinkedIn. It's hard to keep up with all of it, text. It's just overwhelming.

Sydney Grims (00:49:45):

Listen, as I said, I'm attention deficit, so the more stimulation you can give me, the more I will be addicted. I'm like, give me TikTok. Give me Instagram. Give me it all. Give me it all.

Alaina Kearney (00:49:58):

Yes, I'm here for that. I'm here for that. Our last question in this little portion of what we've been talking about, I want to go back to the Fearless Femmes, which is your latest venture. Talk to us a little bit more about that and what made you decide to go down that avenue.

Sydney Grims (00:50:12):

Honestly, this is something I'm so excited about. I've been doing women's networking events for six years. I have never branded it, anything for us, and it's just been these one-off events. We throw them once a quarter. They've been great, and we've done them in coordination with other people's networking groups. Us having now our own group that we can say, "Hey, listen, this is our event series," is something for me that I'm like, "Okay, it's real." But really, the real reason why I do this is because of moments like this where I get to meet really just wonderful people, and I have met some of my best friends through moments like this.

(00:50:57):

There is a woman named Shelby Wildgust Brandt. She ran a networking group called Naked Networking and sadly, it no longer exists because she's busier than me. She is a wild woman. And we joke, our relationship has come to just sending memes back and forth to each other about us being unavailable for each other. But I would still consider her one of my closest friends, because we met through just hosting a networking event together and it was just this very kismet, "I've known you forever, but I don't know you at all" moments. And Fearless Femmes is, I would say, a reignited version of the networking events that I used to throw. These are really focused again on inspiring stories, women who are in different positions both professionally, personally, who have a story to share and that are, most importantly, from our community.

(00:51:57):

I felt like, we have four restaurants in the Wayne area, or three restaurants, I guess right now. Why don't I know every single woman that owns a business on North Wayne Avenue? I live here. I grew up here. Why don't I know every single woman? So one of my goals from this is really to know local business women, women in business, women who are dining at our restaurants, and really just to create a neighborhood community around people who are passionate about meeting one another. Sure, they are women-focused. But let me tell you, what I have found has been that women crave stuff like this. Whether in business or not, women crave connection and they are, at the end of the day, they're the ones that are typically making the social plans.

(00:52:48):

And I am obviously raised by a very strong mother who was in business for a very long time, so I have a spot in my heart for other women, one, who have left the workplace, women who own their businesses, women who are in positions of power in their workplace and are just sharing really interesting stories. And one of those stories is going to be shared at our next event on October 23rd, which will be with the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator. The Philadelphia Fashion Incubator was actually co-founded by my aunt. Her name is Melissa Ludwig Rauschert. She was the Senior Vice President of Macy's. The Philadelphia Fashion Incubator is featuring a woman, well, many women with incredible products, but one in particular that I got to know, and you can check out my Instagram for this, her name is Jeanette Limas. She came from the Dominican, went to Parsons, and ended up dropping out of Parsons working for Donna Karen. Donna Karen brought her on full-time and she ended up making it to a finalist of Making the Cut, to Gunn and Heidi's Klum's show. And so we're going to be featuring her line of clothing, and you'll get to meet the other local designers in the area. Fearless Femmes are fun events locally, not a lot of commitment, not a big financial commitment. It's really like you buy a ticket that covers some light bites and a beverage, and you get to meet some really interesting people locally that are within your neighborhood.

Alaina Kearney (00:54:20):

I love it. Now that, I will say, October 23rd is my birthday. I have a very big birthday coming up.

Sydney Grims (00:54:24):

[inaudible 00:54:25]!

Alaina Kearney (00:54:26):

But I did see that and I was like, "You know what?" I said to my husband, I'm like, "Would you mind if right after dinner, I just popped over?"

Sydney Grims (00:54:33):

What did I say? You're not allowed to overschedule yourself. Absolutely not. You're not coming on your birthday, but you will come to the one after that, absolutely.

Alaina Kearney (00:54:39):

I need to go, because I will tell you, I joined a women's networking group and I'll talk to you about it after. But a great women's networking group, mostly women in this area, mostly Mainline women, an excellent group. I think there's about 500 of them that are in this group, but they don't all go at the same time. But we typically have lunch once a month, and it has been such a great experience for me just to grow and develop, not only for our business, but just for me personally. And there are so many women in there that I feel like are mentors who are friends, that I would never get that somewhere else. There's something really powerful about that. So I'm so excited you're doing that, because I know from the women's networking groups I'm in, it's just amazing. So, super excited for you. But I have one last, all right, I have two fun questions and then we'll [inaudible 00:55:24].

Sydney Grims (00:55:24):

I love your questions. Keep them coming.

Alaina Kearney (00:55:26):

All right. First, is there any book, podcast, life event that really changed your perspective or impacted how you lead?

Sydney Grims (00:55:33):

Let's come back to it. Ask me the next one and I'm going to stew on that one.

Alaina Kearney (00:55:37):

All right. We're going to come back to it. All right. Now, this is a fun one because this is just for me personally, because I just need to know this. I want to know your best celebrity restaurant run-in story.

Sydney Grims (00:55:45):

Oh.

Alaina Kearney (00:55:47):

We've had a very in-depth conversation. I feel like we should end on a light note.

Sydney Grims (00:55:51):

I like that. Okay. Well, this wasn't... Okay, I did not sign an NDA, so I'm allowed to say this.

Alaina Kearney (00:55:57):

Okay.

Sydney Grims (00:55:58):

My last job that I worked at, I actually was helped. Essentially, I did all the hospitality for this billionaire and we were throwing this event at his estate in the Hamptons. He had 18 homes on this property and we would bring in The Roots, was our house band. So every year, The Roots would come and perform. So you'd think, "Okay, it's the house band. Oh, wow. Whatever." No. This was, again, the house band. They were not the headliners. So I would say my favorite story was probably the fact that I was getting together all of the food, because I would have to get these people's cottages ready, and I'm walking into this cottage, literally putting more trash bags in and just setting up the very odd requests that some of these celebrities have. And I'm not going to go into details of what they request, because I don't want to have the Illuminati come after me.

Alaina Kearney (00:56:58):

Right.

Sydney Grims (00:57:00):

Quite literally. But I go in to refresh the trash can liners in this one cottage, and as I'm leaving, Pharrell just pops up off the couch and I'm like, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," totally starstruck. And I was like, "Oh, Mr. Pharrell, I'm so sorry." He had just come in from a red eye from LA and he was passed out on the couch. But I was like, "I'm so sorry," and he was like, "No, no, Miss. It's all good," whatever, whatever. He's like, "But I really could use a cheeseburger right now," and I was like, "Not a problem. I got it. Okay, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye," and I'm walking out of the room totally starstruck. And he gave me his number so that I could give him his cheeseburger and have the people bring over, so to this day, I still have Pharrell's number in my phone.

Alaina Kearney (00:57:42):

Oh. See, okay. Now, this is the difference between you and I, because if that happened to me, I would've walked out of that room, I would've been like, "I have no idea what he asked for and I don't know. I wrote down his number wrong." That is exactly what would've happened to me. I can already see it now, and the anxiety and the sweat and all of it.

Sydney Grims (00:57:58):

Oh my gosh, waking Pharrell up.

Alaina Kearney (00:58:00):

I know exactly how that would go if that were me.

Sydney Grims (00:58:02):

Waking Pharrell up from his nap, yeah, that was probably my highest of highs and my lowest of lows.

Alaina Kearney (00:58:07):

That is amazing. That is amazing. I hope that was the best burger you were able to come up with in your entire life.

Sydney Grims (00:58:16):

And piece of advice-turning moment in leadership, I don't have some revolutionary moment. I would say that when it comes to books that I think that I can recommend, that if you are not in hospitality, I would recommend. Because if you're in hospitality, you know these books. But Unreasonable Hospitality, which was published a year ago, I would suggest that. And it will tell you, really, I would just say things from a restaurateur's perspective and how you can apply them to your life in your current roles. Because many people who are listening to this are obviously not going to be in the restaurant business, so I would recommend Unreasonable Hospitality.

Alaina Kearney (00:59:04):

Okay. I love that. We're going to definitely add that to our list. We have a staffer in our office who loves listening to these podcasts and she said, "Alaina, I really think that we should start a firm library or some sort of something we can have where all these guests put in a podcast or a book or something that really was influential to them that we could share with other people," so that's what we're doing in our office. Actually, it was so cute.

Sydney Grims (00:59:28):

I think it's a great idea.

Alaina Kearney (00:59:29):

Isn't that awesome? She actually bought herself, it was really kind, she bought herself the first couple books and I saw them on her desk and I'm like, "What is this?" She's like, "Well, I bought all the books that the people have recommended on the podcast," and I was like, "Oh my gosh! Why didn't you tell me?"

Sydney Grims (00:59:41):

Oh, that's so cute!

Alaina Kearney (00:59:42):

So now we have a little firm library, so I appreciate this and we will certainly add that to ours.

Sydney Grims (00:59:46):

Unreasonable Hospitality, I feel like people not in the restaurant business love reading about the restaurant business, watching shows. The Bear, I know was very popular for a lot of people. I personally cannot stand doing anything restaurant-related when I get home from work, so I highly recommend Unreasonable Hospitality. Will Guidara, who was the co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, wrote the book and he's currently touring, so he'd be a great person. He's a big mentor in the hospitality industry and just has great words of advice and is a fellow Cornell Hotelee, so I have lots of respect for him, and this was actually our Fearless Restaurants book of the year.

Alaina Kearney (01:00:27):

Oh, wow.

Sydney Grims (01:00:28):

We did a book this past year and it was Unreasonable Hospitality.

Alaina Kearney (01:00:32):

All right, so we got to go check it out then. Sydney, it has been so awesome to have you on our podcast.

Sydney Grims (01:00:37):

Oh, me too.

Alaina Kearney (01:00:39):

I've learned so much from you.

Sydney Grims (01:00:40):

Thank you so much.

Alaina Kearney (01:00:40):

Everybody listening will too. We're going to link everything we talked about. We're going to link all the Fearless Restaurants. We're going to link the next Fearless Femmes event. We're going to link the book, and anything else I can think of, we are going to put in the notes of this show. Thank you again so much. We so appreciate it.

Sydney Grims (01:00:56):

Thank you so much.

Alaina Kearney (01:00:57):

And we will be at Autograph for a holiday party this year.

Sydney Grims (01:00:59):

Yay! Cannot wait. Thank you so much. To find us, you can just go to fearlessrestaurants.com. My Instagram is @SydneyGrims, and then Fearless Femmes is @FearlessFemmesPHL. Thank you so much for having me.

Alaina Kearney (01:01:15):

Thanks, Sydney. Talk soon.

Sydney Grims (01:01:16):

Such an honor. Thank you.

Alaina Kearney (01:01:17):

All right. Thanks.

Sydney Grims (01:01:18):

Bye.

Alaina Kearney (01:01:18):

Bye.

(01:01:20):

Sydney's journey at Fearless Restaurants highlights the delicate balance of honoring tradition while driving innovation. Joining her family's business came with privilege, but it took dedication, industry knowledge, business acute, and strong, interpersonal skills to run and scale an operation as large as Fearless Restaurants. Sydney's insights offer valuable lessons in nurturing relationships and adapting to change. Her approach reflects a leadership style that empowers, inspires, and transcends personal achievements. Leadership is not just about the position, but about the impact we make and the legacy we leave. Join us next time as we continue to explore the principles of leadership with those who have lived it. Until next time.

PART 4 OF 4 ENDS [01:02:10]