team-sam

Samuel D. Lindsley

Search & Consulting Executive

As a search and consulting executive, Sam brings his executive level experience in the hospitality industry and a depth of food and beverage knowledge that many of our clients have been seeking.

Sam was the chief operating officer of Michael Symon Restaurants (MSR), a Cleveland restaurant company with seven distinct concepts, 18 restaurants and annual sales over $35 million. In his 10 years with MSR, Sam wrote all standard operating procedures for the company and instituted best practices to ensure proper accountability and created a world-class service culture. This skill set allows Sam to effectively evaluate any Food Service Operation, provide necessary tools and staff training to elevate the service culture and establish best practices to ensure financial success.

Prior to his time with MSR, Sam spent nine years with Hospitality Restaurants in Cleveland where he was the general manager of the Blue Point Grille, as well as corporate wine trainer for the company. Sam’s club experience includes food and beverage director positions, at both, The Cleveland Athletic Club and The Country Club in Pepper Pike, OH. He also served in various positions at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Columbus, OH.

Sam is a past chairman of the Ohio Restaurant Association where he served on the board for eleven years. In addition, Sam is a member of the Court of Master Sommeliers and is a Certified Sommelier.

Phone: 216-509-2250

Resources & Insights from Sam…

When people choose to dine outside of their homes these days, they do so with the goal of seeking out more than just a meal. They’re craving an experience, a story on a plate, something they can share with their friends and family around the table in the moment, or even later, regaling them with details of “The Best Meal They’ve Ever Had.”

Over the past few years, the restaurant industry has undergone revisions and reshaping as customers eagerly ride the wave of innovative and evolving food trends. The restaurants and dining features offered by private clubs are included in that mix, attentive to what their members want to see on menus and what is going to keep them coming back to dine again and again…

On this episode of Let’s Talk Club Management, we’re joined by Sam Lindsley, Search & Consulting Executive, and Chris DeChillo, Hospitality Trainer & Leadership Coach with KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE. Sam and Chris discuss what club management professionals should do to establish and maintain service excellence year-round and what the keys are to cultivating a team that is passionate about delivering exceptional service.

As recruiters and consultants for the private club industry, we travel to clubs all over the country and hear the reoccurring theme about the difficulty of attracting and retaining employees.

Even as clubs continue to re-open post pandemic, attracting top talent is still the goal and to do so requires a paradigm shift away from traditional hiring methods.

Believe it or not, it’s a still a competitive labor market out there even with national unemployment numbers at all-time highs. There is no magic pill to solve the competitive market but there are ways to increase your success in attracting and retaining talent…