Podcasts about iron hill brewery

The annual National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago concluded Tuesday, and both editors spent the last four days walking the Show floor, sampling food and drinks from the thousands of exhibitors, recording podcasts and video interviews and attending events.Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, was on stage at the 2025 MenuMasters awards Saturday, handing out awards to this year's eight restaurant and chef recipients at a gala celebration held at Morgan Manufacturing. Michelin-starred chefs Dominque Crenn and Curtis Duffy were both honored, the former inducted into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame and the latter recognized as MenuMasters 2025 Innovator. Culinary directors from chains including Wendy's, Chili's, True Food Kitchen, Fuzzy's Taco Shop and Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant also received awards for menu innovation. And restaurateur and social media expert Alexandra Lourdes won for Digital Innovation.Pat Cobe, senior menu editor of Restaurant Business, also attended the event and was impressed how all the awardees acknowledged the importance of team collaboration to menu innovation. She also enjoyed a number of bites and sips on the Show floor. Standouts included the avocado toast bar at Avocados from Mexico, an everything bagel-seasoned brie from the California cheese booth and a pistachio latte made with pistachio milk at the Campbell's booth. Speaking of non-dairy milk, Pat tried fermented oat milk that is processed into 2-D printed sheets that simply have to be rehydrated. It's a high-tech, sustainable solution by  Milkadamia, a plant-based milk company.Bret and Pat were judges for the National Restaurant Show's Food and Beverage Innovation awards and had the pleasure of honoring the recipients on Monday, as they all came up to the Beverage Room stage for recognition and photo ops.This week's operator interview is with Kyle Knall, chef-owner of Birch in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Before moving to Milwaukee to be closer to family, Knall earned his culinary chops under celebrated chef Frank Stitt in Birmingham, Alabama, and at Gramercy Tavern in New York. Birch's casual vibe and inspired, locally sourced menu have turned it into a popular dining destination. Another restaurant is in the works in Milwaukee's Third Ward historic district. Listen to Knall's culinary journey, mission and plans for the future.

Fun in Lancaster CountyLancaster Central Market (Ann), located at 23 North Market Street in downtown Lancaster, is the oldest continuously operating farmer's market in the United States. It is open year-round on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and offers everything from local produce and meats to cheeses, crafts, and handmade items.Walking Tours of Downtown Lancaster (Tom): The visitor center near the Central Market offers guided walking tours that explore the area's architecture and history.First Friday (Dale), held in downtown Lancaster on the first Friday of each month, celebrates art, culture, and community. This vibrant event draws locals and visitors to explore the city's creative scene.Fulton Opera House (Ann), located at 12 North Prince Street in downtown Lancaster, is the oldest operating theater in the United States. Its Broadway-caliber shows have become an institution in the County, home to many other theater groups and venues.Gallery Row (Tom), located in the 100 block of North Prince Street, is a vibrant arts district that showcases the city's rich creative culture. Home to numerous art galleries, studios, and shops, it's a hub for local and regional artists.Long's Park Summer Music Series (Dale) offers free concerts on Sunday evenings from June through August in Long's Park, located on Harrisburg Pike next to Park City Center. This popular community event attracts several thousand music fans each week. The park is also a delightful place for walking.County Park (Ann) is located just outside downtown Lancaster. It is a massive park with wooded trails, picnic areas, covered bridges, and beautiful streams and rivers—a wonderful oasis in the city.Root's Country Market and Auction (Tom), located at 705 Graystone Road in Manheim, is open every Tuesday year-round and offers a similar collection of goods as the Green Dragon Market. It's a truly unique experience.Strasburg Railroad (Dale), located at 300 Gap Road in Strasburg, invites visitors to ride an antique steam engine through Lancaster County's picturesque farmland. It also features a museum of classic trains.Village Green Mini-Golf (Ann), located at 1444 Village Road in Strasburg, offers a family-friendly mini-golf experience in the heart of Lancaster County. Set in a picturesque rural location, the course features beautiful landscaping, colorful flowers, ponds, and whimsical decorations, making it a relaxing yet challenging spot for golfers of all ages.Adamstown (Tom), located north of Ephrata on Route 272, is known as the Antique Capital of the USA. It boasts a concentration of antique shops, malls, and markets, attracting collectors, dealers, and enthusiasts nationwide.BB's Grocery Outlet (Dale), located at 581 Camargo Road in Quarryville, offers deeply discounted groceries, bulk items, and household goods. It often features closeouts, overstock, or slightly damaged packaging—a quintessential Lancaster experience.The Corn Wagon (Ann), located at 2169 Millersville Road, is a legendary produce stand in the area. It's a local favorite because it offers the freshest fruits and vegetables at incredible prices. There are many fruit and vegetable stands throughout the County.Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area (Tom), located near Lebanon, PA, is famous for attracting over 100,000 migratory snow geese every spring, making it a must-see for bird watchers.Ice Cream Dairies (Dale): Pine View, Lapps, and Down on the Farm are a few of the top places for ice cream in the County.Kitchen Kettle Shops (Ann) is located in downtown Intercourse, PA, at the heart of the Amish "tourist" area. Here, visitors can see many Amish buggies and Mennonite visitors.Covered Bridges (Tom), Lancaster County is home to 29 covered bridges, one of the largest concentrations in the United States. These iconic structures are an essential part of the County's history and a popular attraction for visitors.Clinic for Special Children Auction (Dale), held at the Leola auction grounds, raises money for a clinic specializing in genetic diseases among the Amish. This event is supported by the Amish and Mennonite communities and offers a great way to experience their culture.Amish Farmland (Ann): The beautiful Amish and Mennonite farms in Lancaster County, particularly around Quarryville, Strasburg, Bird-In-Hand, Paradise, Intercourse, and Leola, showcase preserved farmland that remains a testament to traditional farming methods.One-Room Schoolhouse (Tom): Many one-room schoolhouses still operate throughout the Amish and Mennonite areas, especially near Strasburg.Amish Dinner (Ann): you can check the Internet to find Amish households that provide group Amish dinners in an Amish home.Mandros Market, located at the corner of Lemon and Charlotte Streets in Lancaster City, is known for its exceptional selection of Mediterranean and European imported goods. This Mom-and-Pop Store exudes old-world charm, drawing food lovers seeking authentic ingredients for cooking and entertaining.Hammond Pretzels, situated on South West End Avenue in Lancaster City, is a small, historic family-owned business that has been in the family for three generations. Embodying Lancaster's rich pretzel-making tradition, it's a must-visit for anyone who appreciates classic snacks.Cherry Hill Orchards, located at 400 Long Lane in New Danville, is a family-owned farm that grows its own produce. In season, the produce is sold to customers or available for pick-your-own. The farm also offers homemade baked goods and fresh apple cider.Lancaster Breweries, Lancaster, is home to several local breweries that serve exceptional beers and food. Check out popular spots like Iron Hill Brewery, Lancaster Brewing Company, Old Town Brewery, and Spring House Brewery.Amish Stand, located on Kendig Road in Willow Street, is open year-round. Offering eggs, baked goods, seasonal produce, and flowers, it's a great spot for fresh, locally grown items.Isaac's Restaurant, located in Strasburg and other locations across the County, is famous for its delicious sandwiches, all named after birds.Green Dragon Farmer's Market and Auction, located at 955 North State Street in Ephrata, is open every Friday year-round. The market offers a wide range of items, from local produce and meats to livestock, clothing, and home décor.The 300-Block Shops, located in the 300 block of North Queen Street in Lancaster City, features a variety of intriguing shops, including art galleries.Wheatland, located at 230 North President Avenue in Lancaster, is a historic mansion once the home of James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States. Built in 1828, this beautifully preserved Federal-style house offers visitors a glimpse into the mid-19th-century life of one of the most controversial U.S. presidents.Third Friday, like First Friday, but focused on Lancaster's music scene, highlights local musical talent in various venues across the city.Whoopie Pie Festival held every September at 240 Hartman Bridge Road in Ronks, celebrates the beloved Pennsylvania Dutch dessert—a soft, cake-like sandwich with creamy filling. The festival draws thousands of visitors each year.Turkey Hill Experience, located in Columbia, PA, offers museum tours where visitors can enjoy homemade beverages (teas and lemonade) and ice cream—known for allowing guests to create their own unique ice cream flavors.Dutch Apple Dinner Theater, located at 510 Centerville Road in Lancaster, offers a full buffet-style dinner paired with a stage show. It is open year-round.Wolf Sanctuary of PA, located at 465 Speedwell Forge Road in Lititz, is home to real wolves and offers a unique opportunity to observe these majestic creatures up close.The Jigger Shop, located at 202 Gettysburg Avenue in Mount Gretna, offers delicious snacks, ice cream, and musical events throughout the summer.Lititz Springs Park is a beautiful downtown park in the heart of Lititz. It is known for its old-fashioned Fourth of July festivities.The Hospice Auction, held on Labor Day Weekend at the Solanco Fair Grounds in Quarryville, features food prepared by the local Amish community and items like handmade quilts that are auctioned to raise funds for Hospice of Lancaster County.Good's Store, located at 334 West 4th Street in downtown Quarryville, is a Mennonite-owned store that sells almost everything. It functions as an actual "general store" in the traditional sense.Strasburg Scooters, located at 246 North Decatur Street in Strasburg, offers little motorized car rides through the stunning Amish countryside and past covered bridges.The National Clock and Watch Museum is located at 514 Poplar Street, Columbia, PA. This fascinating museum has a huge exhibit of clocks and watches covering the history of timekeeping.Northwest River Trail, Columbia to Falmouth, PA. This wonderful trail runs for miles along the Susquehanna River and offers incredible scenery.Susquehannock State Park is a scenic 224-acre park overlooking the Susquehanna River in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It offers stunning river views, especially from the Pinnacle Overlook, one of its most popular spots.American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Hwy E, is a premier live entertainment venue that opened in 1997. It is known for its high-quality, family-friendly shows and for hosting diverse performances, from live concerts to original musical productions.Sight & Sound Theatres, 300 Hartman Bridge Rd, Ronks, PA, is one of the country's most renowned live theater experiences. Known for its Bible-based, Broadway-style productions, the theater brings biblical stories to life with jaw-dropping sets, live animals, and unforgettable special effects.

This week, Pat Cobe, senior menu editor at Restaurant Business, shared her take on Blank Street's summer matcha drinks and the escalating price of lobster rolls, while Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, recounted his visit to Philadelphia to dine at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant and Zahav, chef Michael Solomonov's Israeli restaurant. The guest on this week's Menu Talk is Dan Kluger, chef-partner of Greywind in New York. Chef Kluger got his start working with Danny Meyer at Union Square Café, then moved on to Tabla, where he was mentored by the late chef, Floyd Cardoz. He talks about how his experience at Tabla really molded his palate and management style.

Beer for expedited nose hair removal @ironhillbrewery @DelValBG #beer #podcast #radioshow #awardwinning #nopants #delawarevalleybluegrassfestival Co hosts : Good ol Boy Dave, Rev Mark, Good ol Boy Barger, Good ol Boy Sparky, and Good ol Gal Julieanna SUDS  Episode – A takeover episode featuring beer from Iron Hill Brewery in Exton, PA. This brewery has expanded to many taprooms and expansive distribution. We have a very diverse flight of beer to review/rate. It did drift into a partially clothing optional episode. Mass killing + 1 cat or just a yoga class? Sounds like something British. Barger finally located those missing nose hairs. We taste and rate the following beer from 1-5: All beer discussed in this episode from Iron Hill Brewery, Exton, PA 11:09    Dankonia New England-style IPA 7.2% ABV   SUDS-4 16:05    Kryptonic Haze– Imperial juicy IPA double dry hopped with Amarillo, Simcoe, Mosaic and Citra hops.  9% ABV   SUDS-4 25:23    The Grand Inquisitor 2022 Vintage – Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with whole vanilla beans 9.8% ABV   SUDS-4 39:39    Saint Malty of the Rum Barrel 2022-belgian style quad aged in rum barrels for a year. 11.5% ABV   SUDS-5 44:15    Jittery Monk Belgian-style tripel aged on Tally Ho Coffee Roaster's coffee beans in Dad's Hat Rye whiskey barrels 9% ABV   SUDS-4   info@sipssudsandsmokes.com X- @sipssudssmokes IG/FB - @sipssudsandsmokes Sips, Suds, & Smokes® is produced by One Tan Hand Productions using the power of beer, whiskey, and golf.  Available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, Podbean, and nearly anywhere you can find a podcast. Check out Good ol Boy Dave on 60 Second Reviews https://www.instagram.com/goodoleboydave/ Enjoying that cool new Outro Music, it's from Woods & Whitehead – Back Roads Download your copy here: https://amzn.to/2Xblorc The easiest way to find this award winning podcast on your phone is ask Alexa, Siri or Google, “Play Podcast , Sips, Suds, & Smokes”  Credits: TITLE: Maxwell Swing PERFORMED BY: Texas Gypsies COMPOSED BY: Steven R Curry (BMI) PUBLISHED BY: Alliance AudioSparx (BMI) COURTESY OF: AudioSparx   TITLE: Flapperjack PERFORMED BY: Texas Gypsies COMPOSED BY: Steven R Curry (BMI) PUBLISHED BY: Alliance AudioSparx (BMI) COURTESY OF: AudioSparx   TITLE: Back Roads PERFORMED BY: Woods & Whitehead COMPOSED BY: Terry Whitehead PUBLISHED BY: Terry Whitehead COURTESY OF: Terry Whitehead Post production services : Pro Podcast Solutions Advertising sales: Contact us directly Content hosting services:  Earshot, Radio4All, PodBean, RSS.com, Buzzsprout

Beer for expedited nose hair removal@ironhillbrewery @DelValBG #beer #podcast #radioshow #awardwinning #nopants #delawarevalleybluegrassfestival Co hosts : Good ol Boy Dave, Rev Mark, Good ol Boy Barger, Good ol Boy Sparky, and Good ol Gal Julieanna SUDS  Episode – A takeover episode featuring beer from Iron Hill Brewery in Exton, PA. This brewery has expanded to many taprooms and expansive distribution. We have a very diverse flight of beer to review/rate. It did drift into a partially clothing optional episode. Mass killing + 1 cat or just a yoga class? Sounds like something British. Barger finally located those missing nose hairs. We taste and rate the following beer from 1-5: All beer discussed in this episode from Iron Hill Brewery, Exton, PA11:09    Dankonia New England-style IPA 7.2% ABV   SUDS-416:05    Kryptonic Haze– Imperial juicy IPA double dry hopped with Amarillo, Simcoe, Mosaic and Citra hops.  9% ABV   SUDS-425:23    The Grand Inquisitor 2022 Vintage – Russian Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with whole vanilla beans 9.8% ABV   SUDS-439:39    Saint Malty of the Rum Barrel 2022-belgian style quad aged in rum barrels for a year. 11.5% ABV   SUDS-544:15    Jittery Monk Belgian-style tripel aged on Tally Ho Coffee Roaster's coffee beans in Dad's Hat Rye whiskey barrels 9% ABV   SUDS-4 info@sipssudsandsmokes.com X- @sipssudssmokes IG/FB - @sipssudsandsmokes Sips, Suds, & Smokes® is produced by One Tan Hand Productions using the power of beer, whiskey, and golf.  Available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, Podbean, and nearly anywhere you can find a podcast.Check out Good ol Boy Dave on 60 Second Reviewshttps://www.instagram.com/goodoleboydave/ Enjoying that cool new Outro Music, it's from Woods & Whitehead – Back Roads Download your copy here:https://amzn.to/2XblorcThe easiest way to find this award winning podcast on your phone is ask Alexa, Siri or Google, “Play Podcast , Sips, Suds, & Smokes” Credits:TITLE: Maxwell SwingPERFORMED BY: Texas GypsiesCOMPOSED BY: Steven R Curry (BMI)PUBLISHED BY: Alliance AudioSparx (BMI)COURTESY OF: AudioSparx TITLE: FlapperjackPERFORMED BY: Texas GypsiesCOMPOSED BY: Steven R Curry (BMI)PUBLISHED BY: Alliance AudioSparx (BMI)COURTESY OF: AudioSparx TITLE: Back RoadsPERFORMED BY: Woods & WhiteheadCOMPOSED BY: Terry WhiteheadPUBLISHED BY: Terry WhiteheadCOURTESY OF: Terry WhiteheadPost production services : Pro Podcast SolutionsAdvertising sales: Contact us directlyContent hosting services:  Earshot, Radio4All, PodBean, RSS.com, Buzzsprout

In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Chris Westcott, CEO of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, a full-service operation with 21 locations across five states. Iron Hill has been offering craft beers and scratch cooking now for 27 years, but recently overhauled its menu with 30 new dishes as it refines its post-pandemic operation to better create a high-quality experience. Chris joined the podcast to talk about how Iron Hill is tapping into the potential of both its brewery and restaurant businesses and how it's building a base of loyal customers in each community it moves into. In this conversation, you'll find out why:Some of the most successful bar businesses are the ones that pair food and drink To combat the negative perception around chains, companies should give each location a distinct personality An executive's hands-on experience brings credibility to innovationYour menu shouldn't just meet the low bar set by your competitors Kids shouldn't be forgotten in your loyalty efforts By educating your guests on flavors and products, you can build trust and loyalty Your VIP guests should be able to take the brand home with themConsumers want hospitality, not service — don't confuse the two Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at sam.oches@informa.com.

On 12/11/22, Osiris this season celebrating Fall '97 to life—with a night of conversation and music. Here, you'll hear set of music in tribute to Fall '97, featuring Cal Kehoe (Pink Talking Fish), Chris Deangelis (The Machine / Kung Fu), Adrian Tramantano (Twiddle / Kung Fu), Jeremy Kaplan (Dogs In A Pile), Andrew Pfeiffer (FeelFree), and Daniel Keller. The setlist is below. Halley's Comet > Tweezer > Izabella, Tube, Wolfman's Brother > Boogie On Reggae Woman, Ghost, Johnny B. Goode > JamYou can see videos of the performance here: https://www.youtube.com/@OsirisMedia/videosTo listen to a conversation between Tom, RJ, Benjy, and Megan Glionna of HF Pod, please subscribe to our premium offering: http://www.OsirisPod.com/PremiumThanks to our sponsors at Iron Hill Brewery and Volume. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Brian has a beer with Mark Edelson, co-founder and owner of Iron Hill Brewery. Mark shares his entrepreneurial journey, and how it all started with his friend, and eventual partner, home brewing beer in 1989 as a hobby.From working for “the man” to becoming The Man, Mark walks us through the highs and lows of being a restaurant owner during the pandemic, with over 1600 employees to under 200 employees in 10 days. Listen in on Mark's experience working with private equity, the curse of being a midsize business, his favorite and not so favorite beers, and why it's so important to have your spouse on board before committing to the restaurant business. Key takeaways: - Opening a 2nd location is harder than opening your 20th - Entrepreneurs succeed by pure force of will - If you want to quit your day job to become an entrepreneur, make sure your family and support system are on board If you only have 10 minutes: 2:00 - Learn about the business, which just hit its 26th year! 6:00 - It all started with a home-brewing kit 11:40 - The challenges of working with a business partner 14:37 - The “iceberg” view of owning a restaurant 16:40 - The effects of the pandemic on the hospitality industry, plus the importance of pivoting, and taking care of your employees 22:00 - What happens when you're in the middle of construction on 4 new restaurants and a pandemic hits? 30:20 - The evolution of a business 36:00 - A round of rapid-fire beer questions Mark, thanks for joining us, it was a great show! Cheers!

My guest is Mark Edelson @ironhillbrewery They have a new beer box subscription that is awesome. Details on @madeinjerseyfest . News from @weldwerksbrewing @odellbrewing @south40brewingco @killsboro @muckrakerbeer Firestone Walker & more. Suds and Duds too. @njcraftbeer  @hoppedupnetwork @sjbeerscene @brewerystrong #metalforever #drinklocal #drinkcraftnotcrap #stouts #ipas #lagers #ales #sours #hops #pilsners #porters #gastropub #speakeasy  #growler #beer #jerseybeers #fcancer #smallbusinessowners #beerfestivals #beertours #music #savenjbeer #podcasts #crowlersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Legendary Brew Crew chop it up with educator, brewer, author, and historian, Mike Stein of Lost Lagers (www.lostlagers.com) a Washington D.C based beverage research firm. They talk about the history of beer in the United States and World and researching long forgotten beer styles and recipes. They also discuss the importance of African-Americans in beer. This episode features beer from Joyhound Beer Company, Human Robot, Mack Brewing, Imprint Beer Co, and Iron Hill Brewery. Grab a Brew and Join the Banter.

The three of us get together for another session of beer and video games! We sample Pink Drink from a new brewer called YAH BREW from Hummelstown, PA. We discuss a silly game called Panty Party for the Nintendo Switch, and have a good laugh about it. We then break into a very limited brew from Lovedrafts Brewing Co called The Gospels of Degeneration, a stock ale brewed with smoked pork bones and aged in three different barrels. We look back on the first year of Love Drafts and talk about our most memorable moments there. We end the episode with a solid IPA from Iron Hill Brewery simply called Citra. Sit back and crack open a cold one, and be ready for 2 hours of shenanigans with the Precisely cast. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/preciselypodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/preciselypodcast/support

My guest is Jan Chodkowski head brewer at Our Mutual Friend Brewing talking Saison and Smoked beers. New beers from Ross Brewing, Brooklyn Brewery, Lawson's Finest and Iron Hill Brewery. The 411 on Icarus Lagerfest in June. Kills Boro Pizza Party is back. Tap takeovers with Coastal Brew Works. Anniversary tap takeovers with Brix City. More details on the beer dinner in June with me, Paragon Tap and Table & Twin Elephant Brewing and so much more.  @njcraftbeer  @hoppedupnetwork@sjbeerscene#metalforever#drinklocal#drinkcraftnotcrap#stouts#ipas#lagers#ales#sours#hops#pilsners#porters#gastropub#speakeasy  #growler#beer#jerseybeers#fcancer#smallbusinessowners#beerfestivals#beertours#music#savenjbeer#podcasts#crowlers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guests are Mark Edelson and Chris Westcott from @ironhillbrewery talking 25 years in business and a lot more. News from @troegsbeer @stonebrewing @sixpoint too. New beers supporting #ukraine from @bolerosnort and Icarus Brewing. New ipa in the lineup year round from @societebrewing a banging new collab from @weldwerksbrewing @littlemanicecream & @odellbrewing Win $ from Peroni to go to Italy. The 411 on @b3showdown and @pintsfest and so much more.  @njcraftbeer  @hoppedupnetwork @sjbeerscene #metalforever #drinklocal #drinkcraftnotcrap #stouts #ipas #lagers #ales #sours #hops #pilsners #porters #gastropub #speakeasy  #growler #beer  #jerseybeers #fcancer #smallbusinessowners #beerfestivals #beertours #music #savenjbeer #podcasts #crowlers  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we talk to Mark Edelson (Founder & VP of Beer) and Peter Corbett (Head Brewer) from Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant. Mark walked us through their 25 year history from the first brewery and restaurant to their over twenty locations. We also talked about their focus on the importance of quality food and their success at medaling at GABF. Most recently winning gold for King's Gold, their American Pilsner.Subscribe to our YouTube ChannelFollow Chris on Instagram Like us on Facebook! Presented by Roasthouse Pub and Idiom Brewing Co.And supported by ACS - Brand My Beverage, Idiom Brewing Co., District East, and McClintock Distilling.

This week “The Legendary Brew Crew” chop it up about daylight savings time, Ryan Coogler's detainment in an Atlanta bank, Jussie Smollet's sentencing and retail breast milk. This episode features beer from Imprint Beer, Iron Hill Brewery, Smoketown Brewing and Crowns & Hops. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brewsingbanter/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brewsingbanter/support

Jeff Schaller is an artist in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. His work has been featured on the hit tv show Friends and can be seen at local watering holes in Pennsylvania like Iron Hill Brewery. Jeff's work is collected both nationally and internationally and it is also included in the Coca-Cola Museum and Lancaster Museum of Art. I had a fantastic chat with Jeff, talking about how he get started in the art world, his art work that was featured on the hit tv show Friends, visiting the set of Friends and hanging out with Courtney Cox, his favorite works, where you can purchase his art, visiting galleries all over the world and so much more! Check out his work here: https://www.jeffschaller.com/

This week Mark Edelson joins me from Iron Hill brewery to discuss how he makes operational decisions across his 19 Craft brewery locations. You can find show notes and additional episodes on my blog here.

This week Mark Edelson joins me from Iron Hill brewery to discuss how he makes operational decisions across his 19 Craft brewery locations. You can find show notes and additional episodes on my blog here.

Food prices continue to soar. Workplace immigration oversight is changing. And Iron Hill Brewery has a new CEO.

DZ is back with Henny & Petrone and we bring you the 2021 SEC season preview. Special thanks to our friends at Iron Hill Brewery for the delicious libations this episode. Cheers! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

On this episode of Might Be Brews we celebrate IPA day with just about everyone from Iron Hill Brewery. We talk to brewers, a production manager, a sales manger and an intern! We talk about the brewing awards as well as the brewery history, present and future.

This week “The Legendary Brew Crew” bring Dennis Guy, Founder of First Sip Brew Box and Host of The Daily Sip to the virtual happy hour. They talk about how the business got started, how they collaborate with breweries and other small businesses, new ventures and how they navigated the rocky landscape during the Covid shutdown. There are also a few Dad Jokes sprinkled throughout the conversation. This episode features beers from Tattered Flag Brewery, Wilmington Brew Works, Iron Hill Brewery, Peabody Heights Brewery, Alewerks Brewing and Left Hand Brewing. Grab a Drink and Pull up a Chair. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brewsingbanter/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/brewsingbanter/support

Today we welcome in Iron Hill's Assistant Production Brewer and First-Ever Yuengling Women in Brewing Scholarship recipient, Avery Hookey. We discuss the new production facility in Exton, PA and her unique path to arriving in the beer industry. We hit on their Pink Boots collab "Girls Just Want to Saison" and we delve into her love of musical instruments, animals and a connection to the Whiplash Movie. Enjoy! Follow on IG @ironhilltaphouse and @avery.luna

While other 90s brewpubs have disappeared, Iron Hill Brewery only gets stronger Do you remember the brewpub boom of the 1990s?  It seemed like there was one on every corner.  John Harvard's and Hops were a couple favorites in Atlanta, and Sundays on the patio of Atlanta Beer Garten listening to 99x's Resurrection Sunday still conjures very fond memories.  All of those brewpubs are long gone, along with many others founded during the 90s boom.  Beating the odds, Mark Edelson's Iron Hill Brewery is still going strong, and getting stronger. Edelson joined us on the show this week to talk about what gave his brewpub staying power over the years and what's in store for the future.  We talk about his days as a member of the board at the Brewers Association alongside the likes of Mitch Steele, Ken Grossman, Peter Bouckaert, and Mr. Charlie Papazian.  He tells us about the challenges of defining a "craft brewery" and shares his thoughts on the biggest challenges today's brewers face. Iron Hill has the impressive distinction of winning medals at the Great American Beer Festival for 20+ consecutive years included being named Best Brewpub.  As the brewery approaches their 25th anniversary this November Edelson has plans for some big beers, he reveals the "big one" on the show this week.  We chat about their new production brewery in Exton, PA and their entry into the distribution market, as well as recent events at their newest pub right here in Atlanta.  Oh, and some chatter about cave-aged beers and cheeses. The Beer List Iron Hill Brewery Homestead Farmhouse Ale Dankonia NEIPA Partake Blonde (Another dive into our #DoctorsOrders NA beer series) Craft Beer News Sam Adams is Buying A Beer For People Who Post Vaccination Proof on Social Media Busch Wants to Put Your Pup To Work as Its Official Dog Brew Taster 100% Cave-Aged, Spontaneously-Fermented Beer Collaboration Being Released More Great Brewpubs The Cannon Brewpub with Brewmaster Charles McLendon | Ep. 220 Wrecking Bar Brewpub | Ep. 123 LOVE THE SHOW?  PLEASE SUPPORT US ON PATREON!

Episode Thirty-Nine: Atlanta Etiquette featuring Anthony Driver @killandbecool On this episode I share the Atlanta Basics from defining the Metro Atlanta Area, Atlanta Highways and More. Here is a dope spot around Atlanta to check out ✔️ Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant 3535 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30326 https://www.ironhillbrewery.com/buckhead-ga |

In this week's podcast, Jefferson, the Craft Beer Guy,  goes behind the scenes at Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant  Newark, Delaware to explore the 16 oz Hipster IPA...take a listen and then pick up a 4 pack this weekend.

This week the “Legendary Brew Crew” bring Barb Barker aka SirenofStout, TV personality and VP and Editor of Fermanta: Women’s Craft Collective and Shannon Harris aka TheBrewBrotha, Owner and Brewer of Urban Jungle Brewing to the social distancing virtual happy hour. They talk how they got into craft beer and their personal missions in the industry. This episode features beer from Iron Hill Brewery, The Answer, Trillium Brewing, The Bruery and Sun Lab Brewing. Grab a Drink and Pull up a Chair. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brewsingbanter/message

This week “The Legendary Brew Crew” talk about the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, the Jacob Blake shooting, the 57th Anniversary of the March on Washington, the NBA protest and the DNC and RNC Conventions. In this episode they feature beers from Tree House Brewing, Legends Brewing, Iron Hill Brewery, Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, and Solace Brewing. Grab a Drink and Pull Up a Chair! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brewsingbanter/message

We enjoy a taste of Philly-infused flavor with the "Philly Special" from Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant. The team discusses the history of Philly, the pop culture significance of Rocky Balboa, Soul Music from the heart of Philadelphia, and the ever-important Philly Cheesesteak. This is one of the better east-coast IPAs we've had on the show. In fact, we would put it toe-to-toe with any of the best east coast IPAs we've reviewed. If you're looking for a beer Ben Franklin would approve of, you should start here.

Employee engagement is not happiness or even job satisfaction. It is the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its goals. It means they care about the work.  And when someone cares about the work they do and the company they work for, a safety culture can prosper.  For the episode, Engaging Safety, Peter speaks with Lorraine Serva, the leader of the Human Resource Team at Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurants about the different techniques and tools they use to help keep employees engaged in safety across their 16 locations.  They talk mascots, Learning Management Systems, Micro Learning, contests, and committees as they explore how Iron Hill engages employees in safety.  No matter how big or small the company, Lorraine shows us how leveraging branding, technology, data collection, and commitment can help create and sustain a culture of safety.  Want to get engaged?  Check it out at the MEMIC Safety Experts Podcast.   Peter Koch:  Hello there, listeners, and welcome to the MEMIC Safety Experts podcast. There have been countless articles, books and even TED Talks created about employee engagement. Some talk about importance of engagement and how employees are engaged. Employees will actively work towards the betterment of the company and themselves. Many, however, express the cost of disengaged employees and how these employees can break down culture and drain productivity. They all pause at a possible connection between a successful business and how that business engages its employees. Today, we're going to look at how one company uses employee engagement to help manage workplace safety in multiple locations across different states. But before we get there, let's define engaged versus disengage, because that'll help us a little bit as we start to think about what we can do to engage employees and what truly does a disengaged employee, how does that a disengaged employee affect us? So, employee engagement, by definition is not really happiness or satisfaction with a job. Employee engagement is really an emotional commitment that the employee has to its organization or their organization and its goals. So, it means that they really care about the work that they're doing and the company that they're working for. So, this emotional commitment means that that engage employee cares about the work in their company. And when they care, they can put in what is termed discretionary effort. They'll go the extra mile and put in some extra effort regardless of who is watching or without the guarantee of recognition or even compensation for the individual effort. So overall, that engaged employee will have the will have the drive to do more just because. So, they're totally engaged, and that disengaged employee will not, they won't have that emotional connection. And actually, many employees are not really engaged in their work and they're just there for the paycheck and they're going to only do what they have to do so that they can stay employed. And then on the other side of the scale, you have disengaged employees that really almost actively work against the company. They're not going to go the extra mile they might be they might even work to break down culture and to even make productivity less. So, with that, I wanted to introduce today who I'm speaking with on the phone. So today we're going to talk with Lorraine Serva with Iron Hill Brewing. And Lorraine leads up the human resource team at Iron Hill Brewery in restaurants. It's a regional company with sixteen hundred employees across, I think 20 locations now in Pennsylvania, Georgia, South Carolina, Delaware and even New Jersey. They have a pretty diverse set of exposures, cultures and tasks. So, Lorraine, welcome to the podcast. Lorraine Serva: Thank you. I'm glad to be here. Peter & Lorraine: Excellent. So that I hit it, right? Do we 20 locations now? Yeah. So tell me a little bit. Lorraine Serva: Yeah. We currently have 16 locations. We've announced four more for next year. So that's where you got the 20. And so, by the end of next year, we'll end up with about 2,000 employees. Peter Koch: Wow. That's huge. And you are relatively new, 25 years, I think, since the starting of it. Somewhere around there. Lorraine Serva: Exactly 23 years yup. Peter Koch: 23 years. And you're looking for to almost 2,000 employees in 2020. That sets a pretty gigantic run up. That's a lot of a lot of a lot of success there. That's a lot of success. Lorraine Serva: You know, we're really pleased with how it's going. Peter Koch: Fantastic. So, I'm thinking about employee engagement today. Obviously, that was we're here to talk about and employee safety since MEMIC as a workplace safety company. That's really where it's tying in. So, can you tell me some more about Iron Hill Brewery and how safety became really an integral part of its operation across the company? Lorraine Serva: Yeah, that's a great question. So, at Iron Hill Brewery and restaurants, we when I started, there were eight locations and there was a safety committee that met once a month and did absolutely nothing, nothing ever got accomplished. And in fact, one of the most engaged members quit the month after I started because he was like, this committee's going nowhere. Nothing is getting accomplished. And I'm like, but it will, it will, I promise you, will get on track. But he was gone. So, yeah, I know. It was so sad. And so, the first thing I did was actually set some goals for the committee and bring those goals to the leadership team so that there was visibility on what we were trying to accomplish. And so, I got some agreement from the director of operations specifically, and she agreed that safety was important and agreed to some of the things that we wanted to accomplish. And then, you know, over time, basically, I worked it into various different things, being in human resources. I worked it into performance appraisals, job descriptions. I got the leadership team to agree to put it as part of the manager's goals. So, the managers had quarterly goals. And based in three areas based on our core values: people, profit, product. And the people goal was based on two things safety and employee relations. So like surveys of employees and originally it was only employee surveys. But I got them to add the safety piece. So, a chunk of the managers quarterly bonus was based on achieving safety goals. And these were things more like time loss, right? So, there was a sliding scale. So, if you had zero-time loss and zero modified duty days, then you could get the maximum bonus. And it was a slight sliding scale from there to a certain point where there was no bonus. So, once it became part of their actual compensation, managers became much, much more interested in safety. So, I think that was a huge piece of getting it into the culture. Peter Koch: Sure. So, what gets inspected really gets expected. So, as you start to look at those safety goals, that's a really great way. And it's really interesting that you started right at the safety committee and saw that that was going to be a good tool or could be a good tool. And unfortunately, had that most engaged member leave. I've had that experience happened before and actually had been I was that engaged member at one point in time that left because the committee or the organization that I was volunteering for at that point time was wasn't functioning. But again, because I felt I wanted to be engaged, but I couldn't be engaged. And so you took some great steps by having goals, making it visible, getting it, getting commitment from the C-suite, from the executive team to actually make it important for that safety committee and then integrated it, it sounds like, across all aspects of our safety goals, across all aspects of the company. Lorraine Serva: Yeah. And you know, from that point, we've certainly done a lot more to integrate it into the company, but that's kind of where I started. Peter Koch: Yeah. And I think a lot of companies actually start there as well. So, they have they see an opportunity whether that might be coming from the human resource side like you started or might be operations. And you have someone with vision that sees safety as a means to become more productive and a better company. And they develop the safety committee. They write some goals; they do some things. They might even get some commitments. But it kind of falls flat. They might spike for a little while. They do really well for a year or two and then it falls flat again and then right back into the injury patterns that they've had in the past. So, what are some of the things that you've done that has been able to maintain that engagement of the supervisor and the manager and then also the engagement of the employee to maintain safety throughout their workday and throughout the year? Lorraine Serva: Yeah, that's a great question. One of the things that I do with the managers is make sure they understand the importance of safety in dollars and cents, because sometimes that's what speaks to the manager. So, in Delaware, we can get a discount for having a safe workplace and same thing in Pennsylvania for having the Certified Safety Committee. We can get discounts on workers comp. And so those dollars directly impact our business and managers can understand that. And then as far as establishing a safety culture in the business, we there's so many things that we've done. But one of the things that I'm really proud of is we have a safety mascot. And for years, I was trying to find someone with drawing skills who would understand the vision and create a safety mascot for me because I don't have the skills. And so, I tried to explain it to them. I'm like, it's got to be like Yogi Bear, like, you know, Yogi Bear belongs in the woods and he cares about fires in the woods because he's a bear in the woods. You know, it took it all just makes sense. Whereas sometimes people would come up with they'll be like, oh, we could have Slippy the Seal because their slips, trips and falls in restaurants.  And I'm like, okay, but what if seals have to do with restaurants? And so, it was just really difficult to actually help someone understand what I was looking for. And a couple years ago, I had an intern in human resources who happened to be an artist on the side. And I told him the vision. And somehow this part-time intern understood what I was looking for. And drew me a knife that is a chef. And I named him Eighty-Six. Because in the restaurant industry, when you when something comes off the menu, you Eighty-Six, you get rid of it. So, we went to Eighty-Six all unsafe behaviors, Eighty-Six all accidents. So, his name is Eighty-Six and he's a knife, which in the restaurant industry, our top three injuries are cuts, burns and slips, trips, falls. So that's, you know, one of our top three. And of course, we're kitchen. So, the knife makes sense. And he's in a little chef coat. So, you immediately when you look at him, you know, you already understand some things about what we're trying to accomplish from a safety perspective. But this mascot, he does a lot of things for us. One is that safety can be very preachy. Please don't do that. Please wear this. Please do. You know, it can be preachy. And it also tends to be very obvious things. You need to wear your non-slip shoes. You need to wear your cut glove. You need to you know; it tends to be obvious things that people know that you're trying to remind them of all the time. Well, because he's a cartoon character. This is a life he can be super goofy and say things that would just people would roll their eyes if I kept seeing them to them. But this little knife can say them, and he can be super goofy and deliver these messages and people actually look forward to him. One person actually asked me about getting a tattoo. I don't know if she ever did, but she asked me whether I'd be okay with her tattooing Eighty-Six. I'm like, yes, that's amazing. I was. You know that. That's when you kind of know you have a buy in, and people look forward to stories and they read up on what his latest antics are. And so, it's more of a fun kind of aspect. And so, yes, I'm reminding them of safety things, but in a fun kind of way. Peter Koch: Oh, that's great. So, what a fantastic idea. What made you come up with that in the first place? Like, how did you ever get to the point where you're thinking, I need a safety mascot? I mean, in the midst of all of the challenges, that you have in H.R. How did you. What drove you to safety mascot? Like, what was that thing for you? Lorraine Serva: Yeah, I really wanted something that would perpetuate the culture and it had to be something fun. You know, I have a very young population being in the restaurant industry and so I wanted it to be something fun. But I wanted the message to always be out there. And I also wanted them to be able to recognize whenever they saw a poster, a flyer, that it was immediately just looking at it. It was safety. And so, safety is always top of mind. And even if they don't read the poster, they saw that it was a safety poster, which I'm thinking subconsciously probably reminds them to do something safe, to do something unsafe in the workplace. Peter Koch: That's right. So, you've effectively branded safety for Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurants with Eighty-Six. That's fantastic. So anytime you see it, it's almost like a company logo that you would see that immediately brings to mind for something or someone a memory or a thought or a message that the brand is carrying. That's awesome. So that encompasses Eighty-Six sort of embodies the safety process that you have for Iron Hill. That's great. Lorraine Serva: And he could be over the top around safety. Right. So, you know, some of his messages you like. I just love safety. And he goes through a whole list of safety. I love safety goggles. I love safety gloves that, you know, he could just be super goofy and just mentioned all of the PPE. And normally, you know what? You're not going to make a list of PPE that your employees need to remember to wear. But he can be super goofy and remind people, you know, and waste it to wear this. Peter Koch: Yeah, sort of takes that. Like you said before, safety can be very preachy. It can almost be condescending in some ways, especially when you have someone who's worked for you for quite a while or like you said, in a younger population who know everything to remind them of something so simple. It can be repetitive, it can be can feel like your mom or dad is talking to you. So that always goes right over very well. So, this is a great way to really get that message ingrained into the culture there. Lorraine Serva: He is so, you know, now I have Eighty-Six on mugs, I have him on different things so that again, it keeps perpetuating through the organization and I now have it. I'm on a second artist because my intern didn't stay with me forever. And so, kind of like, you know, Mickey Mouse went through different designer's drawers. I now have a different artist for Eighty-Six, but she does a great job. And so, I'll send her an idea of the safety committee comes up with ideas of things that messages that we might want to send out and I will send out to her and she'll draw something up. So, you know, and every recent example was we wanted to remind employees not to try to catch glasses as they were falling. So, we had her draw Eighty-Six as Elsa in Let It Go. You know the movie. She's beautiful. Yes. And you know, you can just hear him singing Let it go, whatever to let the glass go. So, again, you know, just this fun, goofy way of communicating the message. Peter Koch: Oh, it's fantastic. So, the safety committee helps to come up with the messages for Eighty-Six and then those messages get placed in posters. And how else do people get to see Eighty-Six around the different look restaurant locations besides posters? Lorraine Serva: Yeah, so the safety committee is always looking at trends. And so, when they see a trend of accidents, that's typically when they want a message to go out to the different restaurants to remind them of something or they see a particularly bad accident. And so, they want to remind everyone not to have that particular type of accident. And so that's how they kind of come up with the ideas. And, Eighty-Six is in orientation, Eighty-Six is in our safety class that all new hires have to take. There’re posters of Eighty-Six. Eighty-Six is in our learning management system. So, you know, there's legacy's on mugs. So, he's just in various spots. Peter Koch: Great. What a great idea. And it sounds like he's being very successful for you and in perpetuating the safety message out there as well. So, I imagine that where you're going to you're going to continue him. You have any plans for having like an 87 or an 89? Lorraine Serva: No, just an, Eighty-Six. Peter Koch: An Eighty-Six. Nice work. Lorraine Serva: Yeah, just an Eighty-Six. But yeah, I mean, I even got stickers of him so that we could put him in different places and even cut him out and put him on a pole so people could take pictures. Just takes I mean. Yeah. Kind of that flat Stanley idea, you know, Eighty-Six could travel around and see what was going on. But yeah, he kind of makes cameo appearances and. Yeah. They just have fun with him. Peter Koch:  What a great idea. It's a fantastic idea. And again, sort of in that throve employee engagement, making sure part of engaging employees is to get them interested in all aspects of their job and understand the importance of it. And it sounds like Eighty-Six is there to be able to help with the education and the repetitiveness and get the message out about safety for all your employees. That's excellent. Lorraine Serva: Exactly right. Peter Koch: So. Can you talk a little bit more about the safety committee itself? And aside from looking at trends and identifying places to be able to pull from to get a message out. What else do they do to help perpetuate the message and how is it formed is it is there a safety committee at each of the locations? Or is it a safety committee for the company overall? Lorraine Serva: Yeah. Right now, we're small enough that we have a safety committee for the entire company. And we tend to do a couple meetings each quarter that are by phone and then at least one that's in person. Now, of course, our really remote locations still have to call in. But at least they get to see each other on an ongoing basis. So, they get to know each other and perhaps have a friend to call if they're having a particular issue in their location. They have someone they can call. Hey, what have you done about this? And, you know, how would I solve this safety issue? So, yes, they meet on a monthly basis and the hours their time is actually comes out of the human resources budget. So, their pay for being at the committee is actually charged to my team instead of to the restaurant. So, there's like no reason not to send your safety committee member because HR is taking care of the cost. So, you know, very low barrier to entry here for managers. You just have to pick someone and send them to the committee. And then there's lots of incentives for the safety committee member because again, we know that they're going to be they're going to have some tasks to do in all this. So, they get a dollar more per hour while they're doing safety committee work. They have to do quarterly inspections in their restaurants. They have to follow up on any open safety issues. They're kind of the face of safety in their location. Sometimes they'll be the ones that do the safety drawing. I don't think I mentioned this yet, but we have every month in every single location. We do a safety drawing and we have these. Thanks for working safely cards that anyone can give out when they find someone doing something safe. So, if I catch you cutting a box away from yourself instead of towards yourself to open it, if I catch you getting a ladder instead of standing on a chair. The safety committee help me publish 101 reasons to give out a thanks for working safely card. Peter Koch: Oh, nice Lorraine Serva: So that managers. Yeah. So, managers would have no excuse not to come out. Thanks for working safely cards. So, they're put in the bucket in the box and we do a drawing every single month in every single location for a prize. And it might be a $25 visa gift card, or it might be a coveted Iron Hill hat, or it might be, you know, any kind of small gift that they can win. And then, of course, Safety Month, we do hundred cash in every location. Somebody in every location wins one hundred dollars during safety month. Peter Koch: And those are all proactive. They're doing something safety. It's not reactive, like, oh, you didn't have injuries. So, we're gonna do a drawing, but it is actually for rewards for doing something safe. I think that's a really great way to incentivize people or to remind people that safety is important. And, you know, we will reward you for doing those things if we see it. Lorraine Serva: Yeah, I'm trying to keep safety is part of the ongoing everyday conversation. And so, you see, my message is if you're trying to reward people for their safe behaviors and of course every employee wants to know that they're doing a good job. And I would say that the kitchen is harder to reward than the front of the house. The front of the house has contested all the time. Whoever sells the most, whatever, you know, participates in a contest. It's a lot easier for contests in the front of the House. But the safety works really well for a contest for the kitchen. And so, you know, for that reason, it can be popular with the chefs. Peter Koch: Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And there's so many opportunities, too, to be able to reward somebody for doing something safely because there are so many shortcuts that you can take in the kitchen. That's where I started my well, I guess my work. I worked all through college and in food service and restaurants. And I learned the hard way that there's a lot of different shortcuts that you really shouldn't take. But many people do, because if you're not looking for it or if no one's watching, you might as well do the more productive thing. So, keeping that safety message that in that ongoing everyday conversation by being able to say, hey, atta boy, I watched you make a good choice today. That's a fantastic way to help people really remember that safety should be the first thing that they think about. And that's always productivity. Lorraine Serva: Yeah. And you know, the safety committee, I'm always telling them you don't want to be the safety police like you want to create the safety culture in your restaurant. You want to perpetuate safety. You want to talk about safety, but you don't want to be the safety police. So even when they're doing their quarterly inspections, I want them to invite the department head. So, if you're if you're inspecting the kitchen, invite the chefs to do the inspection with you. So, you're not doing it to him. You're doing it with him. And oftentimes, if you do the inspection with the chef, he will correct things as you go through the kitchen. Anything you find, he'll start assigning to you. Hey, could you help me with this? And, you know, he'll solve a lot of the issues as you're going through the inspection. So, again, I think it's all about creating a positive less of the punitive. More of the positive so that people are thinking positively of safety. Peter Koch: Yeah that great, great ideas. So, one safety committee for the entire company, you have representatives from the different locations they meet quarterly, sometimes by phone. Lorraine Serva: They meet monthly. Peter Koch: Monthly. Excuse me, they meet monthly and then they're doing workplace inspections. And you're looking for them to really set the safety culture at within their location or at least help perpetuate the safety culture within their locations. Lorraine Serva: Yeah the best ones, I would say, come to be known as the safety person, and everyone knows they are and everyone knows they love safety and, you know, they kind of get a real persona around being the safety person in their in their restaurant and have fun with it. Some of the others, I think, are a little more low key. And really, it's more the manager's responsibility. But they can still they can still help with communicating about safety and they could give out those prizes, the monthly prizes, do the drawing. So, there's various ways they could help. Peter Koch: Excellent. So, with all the employees and I know from a hospitality standpoint there you have a fairly robust hiring process because you don't always have the same people in the same position all the time. You have people coming and going. How do you integrate safety into your hiring process and what do you do for ongoing education as that person continues their career with Iron Hill? Lorraine Serva: So, when someone is hired, we do have some required safety classes that they need to take. And one of them right now is in person. So, it is an hour-long class. Kind of a general overview of safety and that's taught by the human resources team out in each location. And that covers, you know, kind of like I say more of a broad view, but there's a pretty big focus on back injury prevention for all the lifting and slips, trips and falls and that kind of thing that might be in a in a restaurant. And then they also have a bunch of online classes our learning management system. We have created a bunch of short mobile learning classes that can be taken on your smartphone and with our population in restaurants. There's typically about maybe three computers and a hundred people in a restaurant. So, I can't have computer-based classes for employees to take. And then one human resource business partner currently has eight locations, eight hundred employees. So, we have to have other ways for the message to get to get out there for them to get training. So, we developed these short and sweet mobile classes on various topics for safety. And then I got the regional team to agree to the required classes. And so, the safety classes are in the required classes that all employees have to take. And this is an interesting, an interesting tidbit, and that is that I think that these classes kind of show our culture a little bit where I told you it's very young and fun. And one of the classes is called The Vomit class. And people are like can you change the name, but it's very memorable. So, have you taken The Vomit class. It's actually it's you know; it's actually cleaning up bodily fluids and spills. And you can think in a restaurant you might have people throwing up or whatever. So that's The Vomit class. And we also have a class called Yuck, Wash Your Hands, since washing hands is so important in the restaurant industry. But these some of these classes are five minutes. It's just really how to wash your hands, you know, the importance of it and how to do it correctly. And some of them are 10 minutes or less, but they're very short and sweet with just one focus. The main thing that we want them to learn about that particular topic. Peter Koch: And video based, and you can access it by phone. And so, it's incredibly accessible to all the employees. Whoever has a phone and everyone, it's ubiquitous today. Everyone has a phone. You can pull it right up online, watch the class or watch the series of classes. Do they have a set amount of time in order to complete the required classes or do they get to do it as they wish? Lorraine Serva: Yes, so we might set it up saying, you know, there's certain classes that have to be completed within 30 days or first 60 days or first 90 days. So that is set up in the learning management system. Peter Koch: Great. You can take that learning process and key it in to what they need to know right off the bat and what they need to know as they get more familiar with their jobs and their tasks and maybe even set it up. So, before they get assigned to a particular task that has a particular exposure, they would have to go and take that particular class. That's such a powerful tool for you. Lorraine Serva:  Yes, exactly. So, the learning management system is set up to assign certain classes to certain positions. So, if you are promoted, then the learning management system knows you have a new title and it might, oh, you need the ladder safety class because of your new positions. You need the driving safety class because of your new position. So, yes, it is smart enough to assign classes and there's certain classes that have to be repeated like forklift. That class has to be repeated. And of course. Learning management system can track that. And let us know when they're coming due for taking that class again. Peter Koch: For the repeat class. Great. Or bloodborne pathogens, which might be an every year class or in other annual training. That's fantastic, too. So, and all of your employees are keyed into the learning management system or is that just for your supervisor and manager level? Lorraine Serva: All employees. There are some different classes for managers than there are for hourly, but it's for all employees. Peter Koch: That's great. And so, it's a combination of courses that you developed yourself within your team and other content that you've brought in from outside sources, or is it all created internally? Lorraine Serva: So almost all of it is created internally, occasionally in the learning management system, we can put instructor lead classes in there and actually MEMIC teaches some safety classes for us. The forklift class that I mentioned is one taught by MEMIC or confined spaces, is taught by our MEMIC consultants. And so, we can track those in the LMS. But they don't actually take them through. They don't take them online; they take them in person. Peter Koch: Gotcha. So, it's a way to track their attendance at those classes that there might be instructor led. So great, LMS. It's one of the things that I'm pretty near and dear to my heart. We do a lot of work with learning management systems, and I'm glad to see that you've used it in such an integrated way within your training, especially on the safety side. But I imagine there's more and there there's probably leadership classes in there as well as someone moves up to be a supervisor or manager, there's other whether it's H.R. related or promotional related stuff that they would have to take. Fantastic. Lorraine Serva: Yes. There’re all sorts of classes in there. You know, there's over a hundred classes in there. Yes. Peter Koch: All right. So, it is we were looking at other stuff, too. We talked about the management system, the we talked about micro learning with the courses, the really short courses that you have. What are some other ways that that you promote engaging employees in safety, using technology these days? I mean, you talked about the LMS and the ability to take a class on a smartphone, but are there other ways that you use technology to engage employees in the safety effort? Lorraine Serva: Yeah, absolutely. So one of the fun things that I've done is in the back injury prevention class that you can take online, because since we have people all different shifts, sometimes they can't take the in-person class, they need to take it online and in order to see whether they actually learned what I wanted them to learn. I have them send me a video of them lifting something in the correct way. And so randomly I'll video, you know, could be on a Saturday, could be at 10 o'clock at night. Whatever. I'll get a random video. I'll look at it. And it is one of my new employees demonstrating how to properly lift. So that's how put spoke. But it's a great way for me to check and see if they actually learned it. And I can then respond back and say, okay, well, here's what I would tweak. Here's what I would do slightly differently. Or Great job. You did it perfectly. You know, so that that's a cool way to use technology. Peter Koch: That's totally cool. Yeah, it is. That's totally cool. So just with the back safety or are there other there are other topics that you use that that same video feedback loop to engage the employees. Lorraine Serva: Yeah, another one that I'm thinking of, it's not a safety class. We do beer tasters and they have to sell the beer tasters to the guests. And so, they tape themselves doing a beer taster conversation with the guest and they can send it to the brewer for the brewer to see whether they actually understand and are explaining the beers correctly. So, yeah, we can use it in different ways. Peter Koch: Yeah, that's so many implications. That's fantastic on that. Lorraine Serva: Another thing that we have done is before I had the learning management system, I would use QR codes and put stickers of QR codes in various places for people to see, for example. I had a QR code in the brewery and if you scanned it, it would pull up the entire lock out, tag out or Confined Spaces program so that right there in the buggy, then I have to have a huge book. They could just pull up the information that they might need. Another example is the stickers on the forklift trucks, and if you scan the sticker, it tells you who are the actual certified people to drive that forklift so that we don't just have random people driving the forklift. So QR codes is one way that I offer that I've used for training or for information. Peter Koch: Yeah, that's another fantastic way to engage. And again, leveraging the technology that everyone has and looking at the age of your staff and how they will interact. We've had this conversation multiple times that MEMIC like how do people consume information? And there's it's no longer just through the through writing. Like many people won't sit down and read something that you even hand them in a class. But if you put a video in there, they're gonna watch the video or if you put it onto an audio, they're gonna do the audio if there is a way for them to pull it up on their phone. Using technology, they're more likely to read through something on their screen if it's done in small bullets and in a consumable chunk than if you hand them the entire book on lock out, tag out or confined spaces or trying to go through a directory of people to figure out who the forklift trainer or who the certified forklift operators are. That's a great way to leverage technology. That's the first time I've actually heard them being done, specially within the hospitality side of things. It's been done in manufacturing more from a quality control standpoint, but certainly not on the hospitality side. Fantastic use of technology on that. Lorraine Serva: So, another thing that we've put into the learning management system is our SDS binder. So, all employees have access to the learning management system 24/7 via their phone. No matter where they are. And so instead of having to find the binder, update the binder. Is it current? Has someone removed anything from the binder? We can anytime we update the binder, we do it online and immediately it's accessible to all 20 locations wherever they are. Peter Koch: Wow. Lorraine Serva: So SDS binder online. Peter Koch: Yeah. Now can they. Sorry, I might be asking too much of the system, but are they able to scan like the barcode on the chemical that they're using to actually pull up the SDS sheet or do they still have to search by like chemical name or manufacturer name? Lorraine Serva: Hashtag new goals. That sounds awesome. Can’t do it today. Peter Koch: Cool. Lorraine Serva: Another technology that we use is I auditor and I'm not sure if you're familiar with that, but that also is available on smartphones and we use that for audits in the restaurants. The thing that I like about it is we can set up the audit. We can take pictures. So, if they're in the restaurant doing an audit and they see something that they think might be wrong or they know what's wrong. Either way, they can take a picture of it and it'll be incorporated into the audit. We also could include pictures in the audit of something that we want. So, for example, we have the map of each locations, fire extinguishers are embedded into our audit so they can look that up and see if they're fire extinguishers are present. And, you know, good. What I like is when they finish the audit and upload it, you know, I have again, I'm soon to have 20 locations. I can just scan down the audit. And in red is anything that was a problem. So, if they said that it was on task, you know that there was not a problem. It's in green if it's in red. I can go right to it and their regional manager can go right to it. And their general manager can go right to it. So, anyone can really easily see where any of the problems came up in the inspection and know what to work on. Peter Koch: Oh, fantastic. And it can roll up for all for all locations. And then the like you said, each individual location can see their own piece. And I imagine that it would also it'll also track, or you can set goals for when abatements should be completed in the auditing process as well. Lorraine Serva: That is correct. Yes. So, and that's part of what the safety committee does this track, whether or not it's been abated. Peter Koch: Ok, great. So, the safety committee that's part of their job is to not only do the audits, but then track to make sure that the audits have been done because it might not be their responsibility to actually fix the problem that they found. It might be the manager or the supervisor or it might be something larger like it might be a capital improvement that has to happen in order to make the fix permanent. Lorraine Serva: Yes, exactly right. Yeah. And so, we also give them a list of who to escalate to. So, if it's a kitchen issue and you're not getting traction, escalate your general manager. If you're not getting traction with your GM, go to your regional manager. You're not getting traction with that person, coach. You know, we keep going up the line. And I am I'm in that list where if they are not getting traction, they can escalate to me. Peter Koch: Wow, so this is really integrated across all aspects to really keep, keep, keep safety at the forefront, starting with starting with Eighty-Six and getting the message out there and in a fun way to keep it perpetuated through giving, giving people or your safety committee the tools to do audits to make sure that things are the way they're supposed to be from a facility standpoint. And then also the training that you've incorporated through the learning management system. So really trying to hit employees at all those different touch points so that they're never, never without a resource or never without a tool for safety there. You've talked about so many different tools that as an employee, it be fantastic to be able to have access to that. If I find a problem of frame, if I am confused. I know from my own personal experience as I talk to employees across the board some of the challenges that they have, you ask. So why did you do that? How come you stood on the chairs that have going to get the stool? Well, I didn't know where it was, or I didn't have access to this or I didn't have that. And it really seems that you have put together a system that provides a lot of information right at the tip of the employee's fingers or the manager's fingers of the supervisor’s fingers that they use, kind of remove that excuse. So now is just doing what they're supposed to do. Not finding out what they're supposed to do. That's great. Really great. Lorraine Serva: Yeah. You know, to your point, we in orientation and I've done all new orientations when we open a restaurant and so we're hiring 130 people. I do all their orientations to get them started. And, you know, I think it's powerful when I say, look, as the head of human resources, I'm telling you, I want you to take the time to go find that ladder. I know it's quicker and we have it on a slide that we show. Do you think people doing things wrong, like standing on a metal ladder, in water, doing electric work? Peter Koch: Sure. Lorraine Serva: You know, it's a different thing. People doing crazy things unlike. Okay. Do you think these people don't know that this is dangerous? Do you think they're just, you know, stupid people? Do you think. And they're like, no what? What do you think it is? It's because they're just trying to get the job done in a hurry. You know, they just want to get it done. And this was the closest thing to that. They didn't know where the other ladder was. They just grabbed this one or whatever. And so, we ask them, please don't do that. Your you know, your safety is worth more than that. And we're allowing you to be safe. We're asking you to be safe. We're asking you to take that extra time to find the item you need to work safely. Peter Koch: So, you're not only giving them permission to put safety first, but you're giving them the tools to do that as well. You're giving them not just permission. You're giving them in order to do that. Pretty much like this is this is something that you feel very, or the company feels very strongly about. Which is an important thing. Lorraine Serva: Again, lines, really well with our culture. Peter Koch: Yeah, yeah, that's fantastic. So, talking about culture. Do you find that you have to tweak the message at all for cultural differences across the board if you have locations across numerous different states? I would imagine that there's some cultural differences within those just within those locations, whether it be in a state itself or across state lines. Lorraine Serva: Yeah, there certainly are differences. It seems like each restaurant has its own culture based on the management team. And yeah. So, I think they're definitely are differences. Some are really into safety. And you know want all the bells and whistles. Others just want it to be fine. There are different messages. Some are more concerned about something because they've seen a particular type of accident before. So, they're really, really concerned about burns, but not as concerned about cuts. I don't know. So, yes, definitely see differences across different locations. And, you know, we tried it. We tried to change it up. So even when we do, safety contests will often oftentimes give them a choice. And like we did a couple of months ago; we had a contest of dice where we bought dice given to the restaurants and had them roll the dice. And if they got a five, they won. So, five see fingers because it was reminding them to wear their cut gloves. So, they rolled a 5, 4, 5 safe fingers. Then they got in, they got something small and then they got it to a bigger drawing for a much bigger prize. And some of the restaurants were all into it and they wanted their people to win. They wanted that big prize. There's a first, second, third prize, you know, and they wanted their people to win those prizes. And then other restaurants were like. Not so much, but like I'm thinking of this other restaurant where what he wanted was, he just wanted me to purchase these people cut gloves. Look, it's I don't want to use this out of my own budget, my own restaurant budget. I just want the cut gloves. Okay, great. If you're if you're gonna use them, then you don't need a contest to use them. All you want is the gloves. Done. You know. That's easy. Peter Koch: Perfect. Lorraine Serva: So, yeah, I do see different things in different locations. Peter Koch: Yeah. And you're able to support the different needs and make sure that you can support the culture within that different area. So still you're not looking at it from a perspective. Peter Koch: So, you're talking about culture and the differences, the different based on the management style or the employees that are there and how you end up. You will support whatever initiative that particular manager wants or has, regardless of the I guess the contest or the effort that's being made across the company. But the focus has to be as like if they're gonna if they want to be safe, you're going to support them in being safe. They don't need to always follow the system. I guess then not the system. That's not the right word. But they don't always need to follow the… they don't need to take the program that you're putting out there for that particular time. If they see they could use it in a different way, you'll support them in that way, too. Lorraine Serva: You know, I think that it works best when the manager believes in whatever it is that we're rolling out. And so, if they want to individualize it so that it works for them, that's great. So, I had one chef who all she wanted was she wanted those lottery scratch off cards like the dollar scratch off card. Peter Koch: Yeah. Yeah. Lorraine Serva: And so. Yes. So instead of spending money on, I don't know whatever else I was offering at the time, I'm like, absolutely, I'll buy you a stack of these cards and you can just hand them out when you catch people doing things safe. Done. If that's you know, if that's what she thinks will work and she wants to use. That's great. Right. And then, you know, might have been too much effort for her to do the rolled the dice thing, whatever. She just wanted to pass out scratch off card. So that that's great. Now we have a recent one. Oh, go ahead. Peter Koch: No, that's fine. Keep going. Lorraine Serva: A recent one that I rolled and I think two restaurant only two restaurants took me up on it was we're trying to get the cooks to wear their cut gloves every single time they're doing something where they could injure their hand. So, whether it's the mandolin, the slicer, the knife, whatever to where you're cut glove and it's harder than you would think because for some reason cooks I don't know the culture, whatever, they don't like wearing cut gloves. Peter Koch: They do not, no they don’t. Lorraine Serva: Maybe, some strange reason. They do not. So, we've been working on that. The latest one that I rolled was a bingo card. And if the manager catches you wearing a cut glove, you get to put your mark on the bingo card. But if the manager catches you not wearing the cut glove, the manager puts their mark. So, you're trying to get bingo before. I'm say I'm saying bingo. Tic tac toe. You're trying to get tic tac toe before the manager gets tic tac toe. So, you know, I'm sorry I said that wrong. But. Peter Koch: No, no, it's a great idea. So, tic tac toe card. And if the manager watches you wear the cut glove, then you get to put your mark in a spot. And if the manager watches you using a knife or a sharp item that you should be wearing the cut glove on, they put theirs in there. And then whoever gets tic tac toe first, then then wins it. If that works, Loraine. Lorraine Serva: That's right. Peter Koch: Wow. That'll be because that singular problem right there in the kitchen of getting chefs doesn't matter if you're the head chef, the sous chef, the prep cook, the kid who's cutting bagels for breakfast, wearing a cut glove seems to be the bane of every restaurant that's out there. Because chefs and cooks don't want to do that. And that is really easily that attitude is really easy. Perpet - easily perpetuated through the rest of the kitchen. So, some of that works. Keep me posted because that'll be you should trademark that and put that out there. Lorraine Serva: Well, you know, and again, I you know, I think you've seen as we're talking that I kind of attack things from all different angles. So, at the same time, I have been talking to the leadership team and I have the director of operations agreeing that this is important. The head of culinary agreeing that this is important and agreeing to push this in this initiative. So, you know, I'm looking at it from many, many angles. Of course, Eighty-Six has some messages out there about cut gloves and how he's a knife, but he doesn't like to injure people. And he just needs you to wear your cut gloves so that he won't hurt you. You know all this kind of stuff. So, we're attacking it from a lot of a lot of different angles. But yeah, the um, the tic tac toe thing, the reason why I was interested to see if that might work is because I don't want them just catching the person once. And the tic-tac-toe requires it over time. Right. So, you have to catch them multiple times doing it correctly. And so, I thought, well maybe a little bit slightly longer sustained effort than just catching them once and giving them a prize. So that's why I kind of went with that one. Peter Koch: No, I think that's a great idea because it is one of those habits that has to happen over and over and over again to be able to be sustained within the kitchen. It's almost like spill cleanup. It's the same sort of deal because it's so much easier just to walk past the wet floor than it is to take the time to get the mop and the bucket or whatever you have for spill cleanup, because I've got to get the hot stuff out of the oven or I've got to get the boil bag out of this or I've got something cooking over here or we've got we've got a big group that just came in and I'll get right back to it. Same thing with the cut glove. It's always easier to not put it on. And there's so many different excuses to not use it. But if you get it in cultivated into the into the back of the house system, into the process that it had, it will happen over time and people will get used to it. So, you look at two different two different locations or two different restaurants and you'll find one group that they will not leave a wet floor or a wet space or spilled food or spilled grease in a particular area. It will be cleaned up and then go to another one. And it's just not their habit to do it. You talked to the first group and years went by before it became habit for them to do it. And now it's just second nature. They will always do it. I think the same thing will happen with the cut glove because like you said, catching them multiple times, doing it right will help to perpetuate and build that habit. That's great. Lorraine Serva: And, you know, in the end, it really is all about the managers, the managers who are there every single day with them and whether they buy in and support this, this effort, because again, I have almost 20 locations. Me alone, I can't do anything. I have to rely on everyone else. The people that are in the restaurants all the time. You mentioned at the beginning of the podcast about engagement. And one of the things that I look at to see whether I believe that there's engagement in a particular location. Is their number of incidents and are they following along with this? So, are they wearing their cut gloves? Are they cleaning up spills? So, I look at safety. I think it is an indicator of engagement. Peter Koch: Yeah. Think that's a great way to look at it, too. Because if they are being safe, if they are doing those proactive things. So, you have all these programs out there through the LMS and the different contests that you have out there and the messages that are there, are you getting videos back from their staff because they've watched certain things. So as all those tools are being used, those are all proactive. The leading indicators of safety, which are I really do think the results of engagement or it's almost the chicken and the egg, does it come to people, get engaged because of those things? Are they engaged first then they are using all those things as tools to keep everyone else engaged? So, it has to happen with those things. And it's a great that you're looking at safety as being an indicator of engagement. Are they really engaged in the process? Because if we just look at the injuries, the lagging indicators, then we're already behind the eight ball. It's already happened. By the time it rolls up into the trend, it's the habit. The bad habits already been built. So, it's always best to look at. Lorraine Serva: Right. Peter Koch: All of these leading indicators. And you've really built a system here where you can see. Engagement through the use of those tools, and I think that's a unique perspective as well. Many companies when they look at safety programs and they look at all of the incentives, quote unquote, for their people to work safely, they just look at it as an incentive. We're going to give you an incentive. But what you're saying to me is you're using these tools to look to see how they're being used, if they're being used to really look at the engagement. And it should probably will reflect over time those lagging indicators, because if there's not a lot of engagement, meaning they're not using the tools that you're providing them to help perpetuate safety within the location, at some point in time, the injury numbers will catch up with them. Lorraine Serva: Yeah, and I you know, I agree with you, and I think that if they are engaged, then they're much more likely to go along with the programs that we implement, including safety programs. So that's why I you know, I do think that it is an indicator. Peter Koch: Yeah. Fantastic. And at the beginning you, you talked about the three P's, right? People, profit and product. And we're talking a lot about people and safety, of course. But that again, that's those core values of having people, whether it be the employees there or the guest that's coming into the restaurant and the. Being able to be sustainable as a company, which is the profit and having a quality product. All those things go together to be successful. But none of that can happen unless you're engaged into the program that's being offered by the company. So in order to be successful, you have to be engaged with like you said, we started that at the beginning of the podcast talking about how it's really that emotional commitment for that employee to engage in the program to go the extra mile to be able to scan the QR code, to do the tic tac toe card to utilize the systems that are there. And I think that that goes a long way. I had the opportunity when I was down in in Lancaster for a number of years ago to eat at one of the Iron Hill Brewery there. And I had a phenomenal meal. The servers were fantastic. I didn't see any safety issues. I didn't get that opportunity go to the back of the house when I was there. Lorraine Serva: Oh, thank goodness! Peter Koch: But everything was fantastic. And so. Lorraine Serva: That's great. Peter Koch: I think from an engagement standpoint, you think about, again, those three P's. They the people that engaged me and my family that was down there, they were they were truly engaged in the system. They were Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant staff all the way. They weren't disengaged. They were they were interested. They knew the product. They knew what they were supposed to do. And, yeah, they did the things that I thought was important to want me to come back, like if I live more locally. Definitely be back there. And it's not just because the beers tasty. So, it's awesome. Lorraine Serva: So, you know, I think that you're that you're exactly right. And when I did a survey of our employees to really, I was trying to define our culture. And one of the things that came up over and over again was how proud our employees are to work for Iron Hill. And, you know, like you say, that shows in their engagement if they really are proud to work for this company. One of my favorite stories, my son, when he was in college, he worked for our Wilmington location and he came home to me on his second day and he said, Mom, I have to get non-slip shoes. And I'm like, I know you do. You know, you can't work until you have non-slip shoes. I know, but everyone's calling me sneaks because I'm wearing my sneakers. And I was like, that's so awesome. You know, they were doing it in a fun way, calling him sneaks, but like, he got the point from the other employees. And these are just other hourly employees, servers or whatever that were calling him sneaks because he wasn't in non-slips. And that's kind of you know, that's that engagement where they're truly bought in so much so that they're not going to let a new guy get away with wearing sneakers when they know he needs to wear non-slips. Peter Koch: That's Fantastic. What a great story. And, you know, I'm sure that your son took it good naturedly and it was meant good naturedly in that way for that to happen. But for you to be able to hear that that must have been such a win moment to not only have your son come back and say, I need something safety related because, hey, cool, he's out in the workforce and you know, he's looking out for himself. But two, for the company that you that you work for and that you've put so much time into creating a safety culture with your team to have it. To see the success coming through in that manner had to be a really great moment for you. Lorraine Serva: Yeah, I do love to see when others in the organization take up the safety mantle for me, and it's not just me pushing it through the company. Peter Koch: Yeah, totally, totally. So, we talked about a lot of stuff. There’re is so many things here I wanted to maybe talk a little bit about the survey that you just mentioned. I know a lot of companies. Well, some companies are afraid to do surveys because they don't really want to know. Some car companies want to do a survey, but they're not really sure what type of survey to do. And you said you were using the survey to help define the culture so well. What made you decide to do a survey to help define the culture? And what sort of things did you did the survey look at? Lorraine Serva: Yeah. It was a couple of years ago when in 2018 we open four locations and prior to that we had been opening maybe one restaurant every 18 to 24 months, something like that. So, in 2018 we were about to open four restaurants in one year for the first time. And so, I was looking at, yeah it was a lot. So, I was looking at any way that I could help us be more successful in doing that. So how could I make the train - How can I improve the training so that people would get up to speed faster, sooner and be effective? You know, and I think one of the areas that we saw people failing at some time was our culture, not understanding how to work within Iron Hill. And, you know, most people can learn how to cook, or they can learn how to serve or whatever. It tended to be more of the cultural issues that got them into trouble. So, I was really trying to define what are these aspects? And then could I teach people what they were so that they early on could understand better? This is acceptable or not acceptable at Iron Hill, so they could be more successful as we were about to go into these four openings. So that's why I’m engaged in that survey process. Peter Koch: That's a really great insight to look at the enormous challenge of opening four locations all at once and then think about, oh, well, how are we going to, how are we going to manage or pre-empt again, the challenges that you've had and some of the other locations, like how do we make sure that it goes more smoothly and you're just going to quadruple all the challenges if you don't figure out what some of the solutions are ahead of time. So that survey is it is a great idea for that. And from an engagement standpoint, I think that survey part is a good way to once in a while check in, because you've got a lot of systems, you've got a lot of processes in place. But a well, tooled survey. Can provide some great indications about how the culture is functioning within your company. And I think it's a great tool and should be used as part of your overall employee engagement process or part of your safety management process. Because it's hard to know, especially when you have such a diverse set of locations or even if you only have one location with a number of employees, a survey is a great way to be able to kind of take the temperature of your company to see where you are and look at change. They first survey is going to tell you something, but the second survey is going to tell you even more when you get to compare them. Lorraine Serva: We do a lot of surveys. We do new hire surveys. We do exit interview surveys. We do annual engagement surveys. We have apparently liked our surveys. I think the only reason to the only reason to do them is if you're actually going to do something about it. And so, we've always required our restaurants to form action plans after the survey on their top issues. You can't fix every single thing. You don't want to fix everything that people bring up because sometimes you disagree with what they say, but they're required to take a look at it and make decisions and then implement solutions for the top issues. And the survey does include a safety section where it asks them if they're trained as new hires on safety. For example, in the new hire interview, they're asked if they're trained on safety for their position. And it asks, is there manager care about safety? You know, it does ask about various I don't know, an exact wording, but it does ask various questions about safety in that survey. So that, again, over time, as you mentioned, I can see whether there's an uptrend or downtrend stay the same. You know, I can take a look at why that why those changes might have occurred. Peter Koch: Yeah, it'll it definitely helps give the regional manager or the location manager and the supervisory team and then yourself some insight into what's happening, because many times you're so close to it, especially if you're the manager of a particular location, you might not see all of the good and the bad. More the even just the stasis that might happen. So that survey is a good piece and it allows you to provide then targeted resources based on the action plan that the manager comes up with and what the survey in general says. So, it can give you some guidance for the whole company as well as those individual locations. Great, great. Great tool. Great. Exactly. Excellent. Is there is there anything else that we've that you want to highlight that we might have missed in our discussion about employee engagement on the safety side of things? Lorraine Serva: Wow. You know, I think we talked about a lot of the stuff, the training and the engagement, just trying to make it fun using technology. Safety Committee, I mean, the safety committee is a large piece trying to keep them engaged. But no, I don't. I can't think of anything else off the top of my head that that I need to share with you. Peter Koch: Yeah, I think we hit on we certainly done all that all the big points to be able to keep employees engaged. So, it's not a one size fits all process in order to keep your employees engaged in safety. And you've done it through creating a mascot, creating a message, having the safety committee be the driver of the messages and the process at each of the individual locations, providing them support globally through technology, through your learning management system and the QR code scanning and having it delivered in a format that's accessible. Throughout the company at a moment, so you don't have to have a bank of computers for somebody to sit down to do some e-learning. The, and then we talked about the survey and the drawings and the different contests to be able to keep the employees engaged. So overall, it's a very robust process. Now, this didn't happen overnight. I would imagine so. You've been working on this process and adding more parts and pieces. If there was one part. So if there's a company out there that's looking to more fully engage their employees, and if there is one thing through that you've learned through your experience of engaging employees in the safety process, the safety culture process at Iron Hill, what would it be? What would the one thing be that they should focus on first in order to start moving employee engagement in a positive direction? Lorraine Serva: Focus on something that matters to the employees. So, pick a safety issue that really speaks to the employees and find something, you know some fun way to get at that whether it's a contest or a mascot or whatever, but pick something that matters to them. Peter Koch: That's an excellent insight. I'm not sure that someone that a company would think of that. So usually it's a big program or it's something that they have to purchase. But really go back to what matters to the employees. What's going to help them feel safe? What's the challenges that they're having and work on that and come up with a solution that helps them work more safely or be engaged in that particular part of the process. Excellent insight. I really appreciate that. Lorraine Serva: When, you know, I think the thing is, is that they need to know that we care and if they think that we're doing safety because we truly care about them and their safety, then they're much more likely to go along with it. And so that's why saying pick something that's important to them, because then they know that you're doing it because you care and then they're more likely to go along with it. Peter Koch: A

This week in the Taproom, Moses from “Know Better Do Better Podcast” joins “The Legendary Brew Crew” to talk taking you mask off and being your true self (6:00), his podcast and it’s upcoming podcast showcase (41:46) and plus they jump into some Pop Tops (1:05:56). In this episode they sampled beers from Alphabet City Brewing Company (32:45), Tall Tales Brewing Co.(56:07), and Iron Hill Brewery (1:31:34). Grab a Drink and Pull Up a Chair! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brewsingbanter/message

Tony and Nick go over all the beers they had at Iron Hill and give their descriptor of the brewery. They go over all the anniversaries that are happening in early January 2020 and give their Hop Take on New Years Resolutions. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Tony and Nick take the ride to Maple Shade, NJ to talk with owner of Iron Hill Brewery Mark about all of the many locations of Iron Hill, the history of how this business got started, and the creation of New Jersey’s biggest homebrewing club, Barley Legal. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Ben Schamburg, Head Brewer at Iron Hill Center City schools the Beer and Booze Broz on what beers to pair with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. John gets waaaay too distracted by something on the back of Paul's smart phone and it ain't pretty! As the craft beer industry continues to explode---The Broz update the list of breweries that will be opening in the Philly area. And they talk about a mysterious message a neighborhood brewpub put on its latest offering about the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Please don't kill the messenger. The Beer and Booze Broz is a KYW Newsradio original podcast. John McDevitt (@jm1060) and Paul Kurtz (@kurtzpaul) are the Broz. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Mit Philadelphia, der sehenswerten Wiege der amerikanischen Unabhängigkeit, starten wir heute in unsere Serie über unsere Rundreise im Osten der USA! Politisch-historisch, kulturell und natürlich vor allem auch kulinarisch nehmen wir dich in den nächsten Monaten mit auf einen unglaublich beeindruckenden Trip in die urbanen Metropolen und die ländlichen Weinregionen, zu kleinen Craftbeer-Brauereien und großen Wolkenkratzern. Los geht’s mit der ersten Hauptstadt der USA, liebevoll Philly genannt. Begleite uns auf unserem historischen und kulinarischen Stadtrundgang! Wir gehen mit dir zu must-have-seens der politischen Geschichte der USA und den Reading Terminal Market, in die angesagte South Street und wir verraten dir die von uns ausgemachten „Touri-Fallen“. Hör ein Interview aus der „Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant“, einer Hausbrauerei mit angeschlossenem Steak-Grill und unsere Live-Verkostungsnotizen! Historisch bahnbrechend, kulinarisch überraschend sowie kulturell offen und vielfältig haben wir Philadelphia erlebt. Deshalb berichten wir dir auch über die Hotspots, die wir in zwei Tagen nicht geschafft haben, denn sie stehen auf unserer Bucket List für den nächsten Besuch!!! 21:21 Interview mit Matthew vom Iron Hill Brewery Restaurant (in englischer Sprache) 24:54 zusammengefasste deutschsprachige Info zur Iron Hill Brewery 25:22 Bier- und Steak-Verkostungsnotizen live aus dem Restaurant 28:31 Was noch auf unserer Bucket List für unseren nächsten Trip nach Philadelphia steht Hier geht´s zu ausgewählten Adressen: https://www.phlvisitorcenter.com https://www.nationalmechanics.com http://farmiciarestaurant.com https://readingterminalmarket.org https://www.phillymagicgardens.org https://www.ironhillbrewery.com/center-city-pa https://www.italianmarketphilly.org Besuch uns auch auf den Social-Media-Kanälen: https://www.facebook.com/feinschmeckertouren/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa_CkAeidqAQ98nKFa0HZcg/featured?view_as=public https://www.instagram.com/feinschmeckertouren/ ****************************************************** Hier geht dein Genusserlebnis weiter! Komm rüber auf unsere Homepage www.feinschmeckertouren.de. Dort findest du Impressionen und Foto´s, Blogbeiträge und zusätzliche Informationen. Verpass keine Neuigkeiten mehr und trag dich dort am besten gleich in unseren Newsletter ein. ****************************************************** In unserem Genuss-Cast lernst du Food- und Feinkostadressen, Weine und Winzer, Restaurants und Spezialitäten-Manufakturen kennen. Als Individualisten entdecken wir auf unseren Reisen gerne Neues aus der Welt der Kulinarik. Begleite uns dabei und profitiere von unseren persönlichen Impressionen und Insidertipps jenseits vom Mainstream-Tourismus! Neben Weinverkostungen und Tipps für die Kombination mit passenden Speisen hörst du hier kurzweilige Geschichten über Wein, Olivenöl, Grappa, Obstbrände, Käse, Gewürze und Co. Du bekommst Impulse über gastronomische Highlights mit außergewöhnlicher Küche und urtypischem Flair, egal ob Sterneküche oder Trattoria. Außerdem erfährst du Unterhaltsames über Städte und Regionen. In den Interviews mit „Genusshandwerkern“ geht es um die Menschen hinter den Produkten und ihre individuelle Story. Du bekommst Einblicke in die Geheimnisse ihrer Produktphilosophie sowie die Herstellung und Veredelung, Umgebung oder Zubereitung ihrer Lebens- und Genussmittel. Mit Geschichten von unseren Entdeckertouren, auch aus den mediterranen Ländern Italien, Frankreich und Spanien, wollen wir dich inspirieren, das Leben mit kulinarischen Highlights zu genießen! Wenn auch du Produkte mit eigener Handschrift, die Vielfalt der Aromen von natürlichen Lebensmitteln und deren intensiven Genuss liebst, dann bist du in dieser Show genau richtig. Viel Spass beim Hören und Genießen!

Hitch and Wally visit the Iron Hill Brewery in Voorhees, NJ and sit down with the brewer himself for an exclusive interview as he talks about what goes into making the beer and the inspirations for some of his favorites. We also discuss the Jalen Ramsey situation, and how player empowerment is bigger than ever.

The brewpub model might be seen by some as a relic of craft beer's past, but it's actually a helpful barometer of what is happening among customer preference. This week Mark Edelson, one of the cofounders of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, now with nearly 20 locations in the east, talks about why staff training is important, a useful path towards a brewing career, and how sometimes you need to get out of a comfort zone to be truly successful and grow a business. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): As the brewing industry’s premier choice for glycol chilling, G&D Chillers has set the standard on quality, service, reliability and dedication to their customer’s craft. For 25 years G&D has led the way with innovative solutions for the craft brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at 800.555.0973 or reach out online at Gdchillers.com. Mention Craft Beer and Brewing podcast and you’ll receive up to $1000 worth of glycol with the purchase of any new G&D chiller unit. Tavour (https://about.tavour.com): Tavour makes it possible to access and discover the highest-rated craft beers from all over the world through the free mobile app. Twice a day you get access to a new limited beer from an independent craft brewer. Imagine sipping a Vanilla Ice Cream Stout from Wild Leap Brewing in Georgia or Juicy Bits IPA from WeldWerks in Colorado. Join the independent beer community today and get $10 in beer money with code “brewing”. Clarion Lubricants (https://www.clarionlubricants.com): Clarion Lubricants, balancing barley and hops is your expertise, food-grade lubricants is ours. The team at Clarion knows that when it comes to making great beer, you’re the expert, and when it comes to supplying food-grade lubricants backed by service-oriented professionals, they're the experts. Clarion will work with you to create an efficient lubrication program that helps protect your brewery. To speak with an expert dial 1-855-MY-CLARION (855-692-5274) or visit clarionlubricants.com. Clarion Lubricants. The expert that experts trust. Hops Direct (https://hopsdirect.com): Five generations of hops grown in Yakima Valley, Washington, sold directly from our farm to you. Skip the middleman, go for the farm fresh green! Our hops are harvested, processed and kept in cold storages here on our farm until shipping straight to you. Find 100+ domestic and imported varieties in Pellet and Leaf year-round on our website by the pound at wholesale pricing. Thanks for supporting family-owned - shopping small is a BIG deal. www.hopsdirect.com | info@hopsdirect.com | @hopsdirect

This week in the Taproom “The Legendary Brew Crew” discuss Mueller’s Testimony before Congress, The XXL Freshman Cypher and we jump into some Pop Tops. In this episode we sampled beers from Southern Tier Brewing , 3 Stars Brewing, and Iron Hill Brewery. Join Us! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brewsingbanter/message

In episode 36 of the Brewbound Podcast, Iron Hill Brewery’s Mark Edelson and Kim Boerema discuss the opportunities and challenges of running a brewpub chain at a time when brewery taprooms have become so popular, and explain how they see the taproom-focused business model evolving.  Show Notes: 0:00 – 23:10: Furnari and Justin Kendall introduce episode 36 and discuss the latest news 23:30 – 51:40: Furnari interviews Mark Edelson and Kim Boerema 51:40 – 1:15:51: Furnari and Kendall share their takeaways from the interview and rundown segments

  We loaded up the truck and headed to Iron Hill Brewery in our home base of Maple Shade to enjoy                                                                                                                                                                       We loaded up the truck and headed to Iron Hill Brewery in our home base of Maple Shade. We sat down with head brewer Josh Ervine, a veteran brewer who oversees the operation at this location which is one 15 brewpubs located in the Philadelphia/SJ/DE area. We also enjoyed some great food and when we finished, we hung out and met some great people.   Make sure you check out an Iron HIll Brewery location near you for some great beer and food. Also check out their King of the Hill rewards program.                    

Mark Edelson the co owner of Iron Hill Brewery and restaurant joins me. Plus my take on the NJ ABC ruling that restricts some microbreweries in the state. 

Philly gets a new grocery store and a new outpost of Iron Hill Brewery... but there are also some changes coming down the pike for chain restaurants that do business in the city. Later in the show, we take a trip to Hearthside in Collingswood and explain how it's right up there with some of the best BYOBs in the area.

The Beer and Booze Broz don their stethoscopes and head to the scene of an emergency whiskey resuscitation. The gang stops at a preview for a new brewery in the heart of Philadelphia before embarking on a colonial pub crawl and discovering their inner tipplers. Finally, they find out how America happened and why hops don't taste like Christmas The Beer and Booze Broz are John McDevitt (@jm1060) and Paul Kurtz (@kurtzpaul). Tom Rickert (@teerick) produces the podcast. If you like the show, leave us a rating and review, and make sure to subscribe! Links to things we talked about in the show: Dad's Hat CLICK HEREIron Hill Center City CLICK HERETippler's Tour Colonial Pub Crawl CLICK HEREYards Brewery CLICK HERE

Welcome to our LIVE recording of our Tweet-Up at Iron Hill Brewery in West Chester! We had a lot of awesome people come out for this special event and it was a whole heaping helping of fun! We talked about the summertime, Forth of July and Iron Hill's new "Mahalo Apollo" brew in cans! We were joined by Chris (@dadncharge) Jeff (@OWTK) Mike (@MonkeyfishToys) Mark, and more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices