Quotes from Jon Taffer

I'm the type of employer who will hire based on personality, based on potential. If you put the resume before the personality, you're going to fail.

I don't want to hire people who have less of a commitment than I do.

The 'hottest bar in town,' to me, means high energy.

If you can't build a relationship with your customers, you're in big trouble. If you can remember the numbers from the reports and spreadsheets you spent hours poring over in your office, but you can't picture the faces of your customers - you're in big trouble.

Bar owners tend to be social rather than operators. Most bar owners do not manage their numbers. They do not have spreadsheets or reports to manage their budget, cost, or inventory. I would say 90% of independent bar owners do not even have a budget.

Honestly, if I could be anything, I'd love to be a small-business authority type of person.

Government employees make a good amount of money - income levels are very high in Washington, D.C. compared to other markets, so they are living in a bubble.

It's easy to be good when things are great; it's tough to be good when they're not.

Each 'Bar Rescue' is shot in real time. So the complete rescue is 5 days from my arrival to my departure. I do not see or meet anyone in advance.

If you have to signal a bartender to get a drink, then they're not looking at you, which is their problem. They're not doing their job. So don't feel rude when you signal a bartender. They're the ones who caused you to signal them. Go for it.

The simple things can be really powerful.

When I meet with people who are ineffective managers with failing businesses, I can't change what they do - I have to change the way they think.

If I'm your boss, and I truly want you to be successful... I'm inherently going to teach you. I'm inherently going to correct your mistakes. I'm inherently going to spend time with you. I'm inherently going to lead you.

Sometimes people go into my business because they like to drink, which - that's insane.

Society is causing us to talk less and interact more digitally. So, I'd be remiss if I didn't believe that businesses will have to follow that same path.

Bars are about experience and interaction; so often, the people make the bar.

Leadership is a trait; it's not a skill.

The gift of giving and paying it forward has always been traits I consider to be invaluable.

I've made stupid investments. I've made stupid decisions as an employee. I've made foolish decisions as a manager. I've gotten fired. I've lost businesses. I went through all of those things.

I've traveled the world, and as an America,n I get insulted when people say American businesses aren't respected overseas. Look at how our food and beverage companies do around the world. We are regarded as the best at this. A lot of what we do here is exportable, and I don't think there's anybody that does it better in the whole world.

Can I be cocky for a second? If I hit a home run 80 percent of the times, and you want to talk about the 20 times I miss swinging the bat, I'm okay with that.

The greatest gift of leadership is a boss who wants you to be successful.

If a candidate puts together a small business platform, I'll go out on the road for him. You know, I'll support him.

When you're on-stage, you're expected to perform in the bar business. You shake hands. You smile. You're all positive energy: you add to your environment. When you walk in the door to the back of the house, that's like a stage door. You're off-stage now.