Great Place to Work: Bad to the Bone
Keeping your eye on the goal can be tricky, but it’s nothing a Daruma doll can’t help with. In fact, Daruma’s eyes are there to keep track of these goals. In Japanese culture, Daruma is a symbol of encouragement and perseverance. Its eyes are blank at first, but once a goal is set, one of them is coloured in. Actually, the lucky D only gets to see with both eyes when the set objective is achieved. After all, in a world full of opportunities you have to keep your eyes wide open not to miss your chance.
That’s how they roll at Bone Daddies. This Japanese soul food concept was built in 2012 on the notion of Daruma, backbone character, rock’n’roll spirit and a culture of giving a sh*t – easy as that. Five years later, Ross Shonhan, the founder, has proved: actually giving a damn about what you do pays off. Coming from a hands-on experience, he knew how it is to work for the business, but wanted to do things differently. And that’s where rock’n’roll comes in – it’s not just about the music. It’s a way to challenge the conventional and prove that the conformity is not always the way to go.
“Ross Shonhan has been a Head Chef in fine dining Japanese restaurants, but never wanted to create anything as high-end as that in terms of being too stuffy”. Obviously, this did not apply to quality. Each restaurant of the brand has its own individuality, yet all of them strive to provide memorable, standout Japanese-inspired food.
(Back)bone daddies
From one restaurant to eight soul food sanctuaries, the team grew rapidly. Even though people are the heart and soul of any business, Bone Daddies never stopped proving that they really do care about their people. The senior team has always thought of new ways to make their employees feel valued and rewarded.
Fran, a recently promoted Operations Manager, says: “I love working for Bone Daddies as it has allowed me to grow along with the company. I have been able to play a part in the company expansion and have been rewarded with development. The boundaries are never fixed and that’s why it’s an exciting place to work. It’s a no bullsh*t environment for people with ambition and drive”.
“With us, what you put in is what you get out and, ultimately, the sky’s the limit” – says Jacqui, Head of People, “and we mean it”. All you need to do is never fail to smile, have a real commitment to the hospitality industry, and, of course, love rock’n’roll. When your work can easily take up 48 hours of your week, as it does anywhere in hospitality, it’s important to enjoy what you do and give it your 100%. In saying that, at Bone Daddies they prefer to promote within, so with a hunger to learn you will be given the tools you need to grow.
And they rolled, reelin’ and rockin’
The vision for the business is to create an international group of Japanese inspired restaurants that create opportunities for their people. Focused on succession planning, they strive to support people in helping them grow the business. That goes along with regular team outings, trips to Alton Towers and go-karting, among other fun-having extravaganzas. Bone Daddies really shows that they’re a family business that cares about every part of their team’s lives.
If you feel it in your bones that you can live and breathe their values, go ahead and apply to join the team. Download JOB TODAY on IOS or Android and apply for one of the available jobs at Bone Daddies and get that Maki rolling.
