The future owner of the governor’s restaurant talks about business and human resources

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Jeremy Barneys serves Diane and Donald Gagne at The Governor’s Restaurant in Lewiston on Tuesday. Andre Kane / Sun Journal

In this week’s Extra Buzz, Jason Clay, a newcomer and longtime employee of The Buyer’s Restaurant and Bakery Group in Maine, talks about the success and challenges of running a business. He bought the five restaurants from the Wadleigh family, who founded the Governor’s Restaurant in 1959. The sale will be effective from May 22.

Who will take your place/role?

We haven’t announced that yet, so it’s too early to comment, but we have a strong senior management team with a number of people contributing.

Are you planning any significant changes in any areas in the near future?

We have a time-tested brand, and I have been doing business for many years. Change is inevitable, but nothing major is on the horizon.

How are restaurants doing three years after the Covid-19 pandemic, and what have you changed or learned are you still doing?

We are blessed with loyal guests and great team members, and we are facing many of the challenges that all businesses are facing right now, including rising commodity costs, energy, supply chain issues and labor challenges. Returning to pre-pandemic performance, there are certainly fundamental changes in the business.

While we’ve done pickup and third-party delivery in the past, it looks like the business segment is here to stay.

There are things we can’t do without impressing our team, like serving our full breakfast menu all day. And we’ve gotten much better at working around staffing challenges and scaling our business to a level our team can handle on a given shift. Sometimes that means we can’t reserve the entire dining room, and most guests now understand that waiting a little longer for a table will give them a better experience.

Employee treatment is a challenge for most of the hospitality industry, so how big of a factor is it for the buyer?

Ultimately, our people are our greatest challenge and opportunity. We are fortunate to have a great core to build upon. We’ve invested heavily in retention over the past two years, offering competitive pay and additional opportunities for benefits. We will continue to do that, and try to add to our team.

We’re blessed to be in better shape than most people in our industry, but we’re always looking to hire people who want more opportunities. I am proud that all restaurant managers started with our company as servers, cooks, cashiers and took the opportunity to manage their own stores. The future is bright for our company and our people.

Governor’s Restaurant and Bakery locations are in Bangor, Ellsworth, Lewiston, Old Town, Presque Isles and Waterville.

Buzz provides instant updates on local business events. Do you have a Buzzable tip? Contact business secretary Christopher Wheelock at 689-2817 or [email protected]