On Monday morning at 7:30 AM, our entire management team came together for an all manager town hall hosted at the Manatee Community Foundation in Bradenton. We are so grateful to the Foundation for opening their doors to us and providing such a welcoming space for our gathering. Starting the day with a catered breakfast from Peaches set the tone, because sharing a meal always creates space for connection and conversation before diving into the day’s focus.
The heart of this town hall was about strengthening our team, both individually and collectively. To guide us through this work, we partnered with Game On Nation, a nationally recognized leader in performance training and team building. Steve Shenbaum, Game On’s founder, led us through a series of interactive exercises that had us laughing, moving, and sometimes stepping outside of our comfort zones.
Moments like these remind us why we come together. As managers, our daily focus is often on operations, schedules, and problem solving. Taking time to step back and engage in intentional team building helps us reconnect with each other and with the bigger picture. The exercises challenged us to think differently about how we communicate, to rely on each other in new ways, and to recognize the strengths that each person brings to the table.
A huge thank you goes to Steve Shenbaum and the Game On Nation team for their energy, creativity, and insight. Their facilitation gave us tools we can carry forward into our work, both in leading our teams and in supporting each other as leaders. We also want to extend appreciation to every manager who showed up ready to participate fully. Your engagement is what made the morning such a success.
We left the town hall with renewed energy and stronger connections. As we continue our work across all of our restaurants and concepts, we will carry these lessons with us, knowing that when we work together, communicate clearly, and support one another, we create not only stronger teams but also better experiences for our guests.
