Ralph Kinder's Page

Fear is the great equalizer. Fear of failure. Fear of loss. Fear of the unknown. It makes the strong feel weak. It makes the timid petrified. It affects us all in some form or fashion. Not a single person is immune.



A great leader and the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, famously declared “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Those were far worse times than what we face today. The country was on the abyss of a financial and socioeconomic disaster… Continue

It happened again. I'm enjoying a nice meal with my wife at one of the nicer chain restaurants when the clamoring, stomping and shouting begins. This is not fine dining, I understand. However, this particular restaurant is trying to compete, albeit on a smaller scale, with The Cheesecake Factory. Rich decor, servers and managers alike in ties, black aprons, appropriately lit. I would guess that the average turn-key cost runs in the $2.8MM range with seating for approximately 250. Very good…

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My closest friends and numerous co-workers have heard me tell this story hundreds of times. I wish I could take credit for creating it, but the truth is, I am just not that clever. However, it is one of my absolute favorites and I thought you might get a little fun out of it and maybe even use it yourself in your restaurant. I told it often, maybe too often. I used it almost…

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