Under The Grill

After university he spent time working in marketing for large companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Davenport, and Foster’s, learning all he could through those experiences, always with one goal in mind, to have his own business. "By choice or by chance I’ve always walked a path that would hopefully lead me there."

He left Foster’s towards the end of September 2003 ready to open his first Grill’d, only to find a prospective lease fall through at the last minute. "I was in no-man’s land for a little while which was probably, and only in retrospect, the best thing that happened," Crowe says. "I developed the business plan a little bit further, and when we did start our operations it was operationally-focussed and we knew what we stood for, we knew what the brand represented, and employing the right people was a lot easier."

Talking to Crowe about the business, it’s difficult for him to not mention how important his team is. He’s full of praise for his two business partners, and the rest of the crew. "If we’re sincere about growing this thing, and we’re sincere about making it a success, then the only way to get there will be to develop our people," he says. A new joint venture structure will soon see ambitious employees co-funded by the company to open their own Grill’d franchise. "So we can actually bring people through the ranks, and they can choose to be business owners in their own right." Treating staff with respect and empowering them with responsibilities, even the younger staff coming in for a casual shift, is where the future of the business lies he says. It’s something SME owners don’t pay enough attention to, he warns. "Too often we ask for loyalty but we don’t even try to earn it."

A new development plan has just been created, focusing on two key areas—the financial and organisational sides of the business, which looks to develop and motivate staff and bring out their best. At present, team leaders have a budget to reward staff with time out, and the company hosts a party for all team members once a year. "So, if we can respect our guys, show them a good time, recognise that work’s supposed to be fun or can be fun, then we actually will have a culture that is unique and hard to copy."

He admits entering the food industry is a challenge, especially when there are some major players on the scene. While he’d like to see the Grill’d brand perform on an international stage—"if I could write my own ticket, then I’d love to take Grill’d overseas and position it as an Australian brand in the US market"—the business doesn’t look at the McDonald’s and Hungry Jacks of this world as their competitors. "They represent a lot of things that we do not." Instead it’s the world of the cafes and small businesses such as Thai restaurants, noodle places, and contemporary Australian food providers that Grill’d sees as friendly competition. "All of us have a unique point of difference in our product. Put us together and we become a destination for convenience food."