ABOUT US
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OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES
As human beings, we believe our country's founders got it right that all people are created equal. This planet is occupied by billions of people with thousands of cultural differences and we all have a commonality of having the same needs and desires as human beings. We believe in the Golden Rule -- which is to treat others as you wish to be treated.
As educators it's our duty to provide students with the best preparation, materials and instruction possible. We believe passing exams is important, and comprehending subject matter essential. We believe education is a two-way street and students have a duty to to devote their utmost attention to the knowledge being given them during instruction. As consultants we believe our experience and expertise can help guide our clients towards achieving successful results. We also believe we have a duty to tell our clients if we do not have the expertise to solve their problem, or if it is not possible to solve their problem. Other consultants may take on projects they know will fail just to get the account. Our philosophy is quite the opposite as we feel it is best to always under promise and over deliver. As restaurateurs we know know first hand the pressures of food cost increases, meeting payroll, rent increases, new competitors coming on line, and the agony of wrestling with regulatory octopuses while trying to get a new restaurant open. We view our mission in life as wanting to make it easier for restaurant owners, managers and employees to be successful. We also look to others for wisdom. Here are some quotes from people we admire: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." - Mark Twain "If anything is good for pounding humility into you permanently, it's the restaurant business."- Anthony Bourdain "Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."- Conrad Hilton EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS |
OUR TEAM
Nashville, Tennessee-based Restaurant Class is a restaurant services company founded by President & CEO Fred Pierson. Fred also owns the restaurant consulting firm, Restaurant CAT, Inc. From 1999 to 2007, he served as co-owner, president and COO of the Woodland Group, Inc., a 22-unit franchisee of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar in the Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky markets. Before moving to Tennessee from Florida, Fred managed up to 36 restaurants for another Applebee's franchise, Madison, Georgia-based, Apple South, Inc. Early in his career he held culinary and management positions at Hyatt House Hotels, Chef's International, Inc., Morrison, Inc. and a private yacht club.
He's received training at the Culinary Institute of America and has completed course work at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, Villanova, The University of Notre Dame, Georgia Institute of Technology's Darden Graduate School of Business and is an alumni of Georgetown University's Franchise Management program. A veteran of the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard Reserve, he has traveled to all seven continents and over 110 countries. He resides in Nashville with Ronna Rubin, his wife of 18 years, and their fur children rescues: Buddy, a golden retriever, and Izzy, a temperamental tabby. Restaurant Class employs Certified ServSafe® Trainers and registered Proctors for the following programs: ServSafe® Manager Certification, ServSafe® Food Handler, Servsafe Alcohol® training programs. Our Alcohol Awareness trainers are approved by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission to teach the approved course restaurant employees are required to take in order to apply for their mandatory ABC Server Permit. Restaurant Class also employs a Notary Public registered in Davidson County (Nashville) which comes in handy for those applying for their ABC permit or for clients that need legal or regulatory documents notarized. Our consultants have years of multi-unit restaurant management experience and know how to help management teams achieve better results by developing achievable action plans and modeling the way, which can go a long way in protecting your concept with our Brand and Franchise Compliance audits. Our food safety audits can cover restaurants, hotels and small food manufacturers - we have on-staff a Certified Food Safety HACCP Manager (CFSHM) and a Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) who is registered with the FDA. Our audits range in size from basic audits of a food truck to testing onsite at food plants for the presence of pathogens like E.coli O157:H7, Listeria, Salmonella or any of the "Big 8" allergens like eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy and dairy. We have consultants who are Certified Franchise Executives with years of experience as franchisees and can help you navigate through your FDD. Our consultants have written many business plans and can help you write yours so you will be ready to present to the SBA or whatever bank is financing your operation. We have an experienced publicist and marketing expert on staff who knows all the media contacts in the region and can assist in getting the word out about your brand. We also have many business partners that specialize in purchasing solutions, talent acquisition and payroll and benefits solutions. If we don't know how to do specific specialized tasks, the odds are we know the best in the business who do. Restaurant Class and/or its consultants are members in good standing of the following organizations: The Project Management Institute, The American Society for Quality, The American Culinary Federation, The James Beard Foundation and the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association 
Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY
Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena, CA
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