"Leadership is the silver bullet for success and Jim Sullivan is a treasure chest of ideas to improve your people, service, and profits. He stirred our team to rise to greater performance through his workshops." 

"Jim Sullivan has the unique ability to unravel and communicate the mysteries of great customer service. In his live workshops he presents them in a profoundly simple and powerfully effective way. I recommend every hospitality professional attend one of his programs." 

"Jim is one of the industry's great teachers and leaders. His common sense approach and creative solutions  will keep managers motivated, energized and moved to action."

"I just wanted to take a moment and again thank you for the outstanding job you did at our General Manager's Conference. I have attended many conferences and seminars with many very good speakers. Never however have I attended one where the presenter was able to speak so much in the real language of our restaurant General Managers and Multi-Unit Managers attending the conference. So many of our managers commented on how much more interesting your presentation was because you knew what they and the job they do are all about. There were more takeaways for my staff than any development seminars we've done in the past. Once again, thanks for a great job and we will hope to see you again in the future."

"Another Home Run!

"Once again I’d like to say thank-you for your work with our General Managers Wednesday morning. That night, I was spending time with a number of the attendees who stated that “Of all the key-notes we have experienced, we relate to Jim the best” I thought that was just another way of saying that they “got-it”. Football Coaches and NFL Stars are certainly interesting, but you always give them something that will better their lives, so thank-you again!"

"I wanted to send you a note thanking you for your great presentation!  I have been lucky enough to see you several times and I have always been impressed with your knowledge and entertaining style.  You were 'in the zone' at our Fall meeting and connected with all of our franchisees and managers!  Your enthusiasm and best practices examples really helped make our Convention a success.   Your real life connection to our industry came shining through!

"Thanks again for a great seminar!"

 "As one of the keynote speakers at our Sales and Marketing Conference in Chicago, Jim Sullivan provided tremendous insight into the needs of Independent Operators.  In addition, his overall knowledge of the foodservice industry enables him to present real world solutions for both operators and distributors.  More importantly, his presentation style enables him to keep the audience's attention while delivering his message."

"In my 30 years in the foodservice industry, Jim may be the finest presenter that I have had the privilege to hear.  His presentations are insightful to our industry and are dynamically prepared and executed.  The audience is enamored with Jim's style and expertise.  His content is meaningful and targeted to his audience.  In short, if I need to secure a speaker that I know will capture my audience, Jim Sullivan would be my first choice."

"University of Delaware Paul Wise Professor Sullivan brings his field tested restaurant experiences to life in the classroom on delivering winning hospitality and service. He lectures from experience, providing vivid and humorous examples to support his facts on customer service and MYOB- "minding your own business- to insure profits. His message is focused on customers- both internal (employees and managers); and external- getting the customer to come back again and again! Students are provided strategies to use on the front line , backed up by facts, figures and real world examples. Jim Sullivan is a must for your campus or company hospitality program - as we strive to get our students and graduates to be guest-focused to build company profits and a winning tradition." 

"We operate a variety of unique franchise operations, from Holiday Inns to TGI Fridays to Krispy Kreme and Health Facility, Business and Education on-site dining services. Jim Sullivan designed and delivered a program for all of our managers that not only gave them dozens of creative new ways to improve their bottom line and guest service, but also brought us closer together as a team. He researched our unique challenges and created a program that was enthusiastically received and better still, produced significant results."

"The feedback has been great from your recent seminar for our customer sales reps.  Jim, you made me a believer, I never thought anyone could hold the attention of the sales force for that amount of time. Your homework, insight, and practical ideas motivated even the more veteran reps to tank us for bring you in.

"Thanks!"

"At our recent General Managers' Conference, Jim made a two-hour keynote presentation and led six smaller break-out groups...all focused on what it took to deliver a superior experience to our guests and to achieve true excellence in restaurant operations. Subsequent feedback indicated that Jim's were the best-received components of a highly successful three-day event.

"But we didn't need the feedback forms to know how well Jim had connected with our people. The genuine, enthusiastic standing ovation he received at the end of his general session remarks spoke volumes. Jim's material is on target and realistic. His delivery is effective and memorable. And his passion for his subject is infectious. We all look forward to working with him again."

"Keeping his finger on the pulse of the restaurant, entertainment, and service industries, Jim Sullivan has truly emerged as one of the pioneers of our time in promoting great guest service. From his humorous & insightful facilitation style to his common-sense & entertaining writing abilities, he cuts straight to the heart of our industry."

"Jim Sullivan provided an exceptional seminar on leadership and commitment for our team at our recent Management Conference. His ability to understand our challenges and then detail solutions that were both practical and creative is unique. Our team left energized and driven."

"Jim Sullivan's reputation for delivering high energy, insightful, and creative ideas is well-deserved. Not "theory", his programs are jam-packed-full of dozens of real-world strategies and tactics that our team could put to use right away. He knows our industry well and his presentation at our annual conference received the highest rating of all the speakers from our attendees."

"'Been There, Done That" with many other speakers before, but I was amazed and impressed by Jim Sullivan's FRESH, ENTERTAINING and ENERGETIC approach to the Food Service Industry!

"Jim's insight and analogies hit home with our customers as well as employees in attendance! As Director of Marketing, I can't emphasize enough the universal positive comments from our customers and employees in attendance!"

"Thanks for the outstanding presentation at our Owners Retreat in Orlando.  The feedback from our franchisees was off the charts.  They wrote:  'great speaker, I really have a lot of practical ideas to take back to my store', 'this guy was awesome, bring him back next year.'  This was the first time we have ever had a speaker unanimously receive the highest ratings.  I appreciated how you really took the time to get to know our concept and our operating partners.  The presentation was right on target for our
group.  Congrats on a job well done!"

"Jim Sullivan's workshop for our General Managers was one of the most engaging and effective programs we've ever had. He obviously did his homework, interviewing many managers and visiting several Cheesecake Factories. He presented ideas that not only reflected our unique culture but contributed insightful strategies to improve upon it. The feedback was outstanding."

"Jim Sullivan recently presented his program 'Fundamentals' to all of our managers and team leaders. His understanding of the manager's mindset, challenges, and realities is unique among speakers. His ability to provide real-world solutions and simple ways to execute the ideas back at work made his presentation even more valuable. I recommend his style, content and expertise to any owner looking to improve their people, performance, and profits.  It was a fun enjoyable seminar that all our leaders could learn from, relate to and take back practical ideas to apply every day in their restaurants."

"On behalf of Zaxby’s Franchising, I wanted to thank you again for your wonderful presentation at our recent Fall Conference.

"Every participant I talked with enjoyed your presentation.  'It was just great' was a phrase I heard often.  Zach used the 'Sullivan nod' in his closing remarks the last night of the conference.  I even heard some of the guys here in the office quoting you just yesterday.

"I know that many got excited about implementing your ideas, and best of all, most of them did."
 

"Wow, What an excellent presentation! Our attendees were and still are pumped by your presentation, your thorough research of our company and ability to deliver the message in the jargon we speak was impactful. Giving each attendee a copy of MYOB has extended the results back at the restaurants. Just yesterday I was witness to the Sullivan nod by one of our sales people, and saw a manager give the best shift meeting of his life. Thanks for all your hard work and impactful presentation." 

 Jim Sullivan weaves important leadership lessons into all of his workshops. He is an entertaining and inspiring author and speaker bringing innovative messages to our students, our faculty, and to our industry. He has a wonderful way of energizing us to our greatest potential."

"Jim Sullivan provided our sales team with an energetic, creative and insightful keynote presentation. He took the time to understand our unique goals, objectives and field sales team challenges with phone calls, interviews and research. His experience with successful brand building along with his understanding of the critical relationships between manufacturer, broker, distributor and operator paid off for everyone in the audience."

"Jim Sullivan delivered the keynote address to our General Managers at our recent annual conference. Prior to his presentation he interviewed a cross-section of our GMs,visited several of our restaurants, and brought a true "insider's" perspective to his program. His ability to both define and execute the difference between service and hospitality, and how to energize and excite the whole team on a daily basis hit a home run with both our Managers and Executive Team."

"Jim's ideas and strategies helps our industry re-engage the heart and soul at the core of our business. A well-trained staff is a competitive advantage and his message not only shows us how to better educate our team but is a comprehensive call to action that inspires improvement at every level."

Jim tailored his presentation to meet the needs of our business climate.  We were very pleased to see the concerns identified by our Operations Team addressed with answers and clear action ideas.  Jim is an amazing speaker that captures the essence of our industry in a way that all levels of management can learn from and utilize to drive profits."  --Alan Lovelace, Training Director, RPM Pizza (Domino’s largest Franchisee)

"Jim Sullivan was spectacular!  He's entertaining, informative and most importantly, our managers loved both the detail of his insight and the ease of execution back in our stores. He was the highlight of our  convention." 

Ed Doherty,
President
Doherty Enterprises
Operating Applebee's, Panera Bread

Jim Sullivan was one of the highlights at our recent National Company meeting. What is most impressive is his ability to connect with all levels of the organization in concrete restaurant terms. His examples and suggestions can be immediately utilized. The audience clearly recognized the understanding and empathy he had for them.

Jim's personally autographed copies of his best-selling Multiunit Leadership book were a big hit and continue to be used in the cafes today.

Frank Guidara
President & CEO
Au Bon Pain

“Jim Sullivan was the keynote speaker for our Dairy Queen Expo. His program, addressed to nearly 1000 of our franchisees, was chock-full of creative insight, strategies, tactics, and humor that our partners can take back to their operations and implement immediately.  He took the time to learn our challenges, opportunities and philosophy. His presentation received tremendous feedback from our franchisees and vendor partners.” 

I just wanted to thank you for the day spent teaching your MUM workshop with our Field Leadership team, Area Directors and RVP’s.  It was a great opportunity to challenge our MUMS to break old habits, learn new techniques and examine the way they spend their time each day.  All those who attended both company and franchisees were enlightened, uplifted and came away with great learning.  Your personal experience and humor was a great way to connect to all our brands operators and teach them valuable skills that our company will benefit from. Thanks again!.--Clay Dover, President / Chief Executive Officer, Raising Cane's 

"Jim Sullivan was witty, entertaining and very informative. Jim's practical experience in operations and training adds credibility and creative insight to his message. His research, telephone interviews and store visits before-hand made him so on target with his presentation that one would think that Jim was an employee with the Denny's Brand".
Kenneth Parson
VP of Training,
Denny's Inc.

"The language and examples in the Multi Unit Leadership book resonate with the day to day reality of a typical multi unit manager, and the Multi U elearning program complements and helps the participant solidify the learning from the book and begin to move toward putting it into action.  The exercises in the Multi U program allow the participant to begin to make choices and decisions with immediate feedback in a safe environment.  (Never practice on the subordinate, let alone the guest!)  Multi Unit Managers who complete this program and follow through with it will then be able to begin to plan and execute the 7 Stages as a common sense approach to holistically leading a group of restaurant managers towards achieving ever increasing results.  I highly recommend this program!" --Lisa Furleigh, Manager of Training, Dunkin Brands

Jim Sullivan and the Multi Unit Leadership Seminar along with the book has transformed our organization in 2009.  We have grown from eight to eighty restaurants in the last 6 years.  We could not have done it without the principles of leadership and philosophy we learned through the Seminar and Multi Unit Leadership book.  I highly recommend anyone in the QSR business take advantage of Jim's expertise and the products he has available."  --Greg Maples, CEO, Sonic Franchisee

Jim Sullivan’s Multi-Unit Manager Book and related presentations and materials have become a cornerstone of our Multi-Unit Training and Development at Hooters of America, Inc.  In addition to using the content of Jim’s books to lead meetings, workshops, and peer-to-peer discussions, we have brought Jim in to speak to our Regionals and Franchisees to put an “exclamation point” on some of the deeper messages in the book.  With the many resources available via the web and various groups, I still find Jim’s content and support materials (Like his High-Impact Restaurant Visit Planner) to be one of, if not the, best one-stop-shop Multi Unit Resources available to Restaurant Operators and Owners.  His books are known for fast-paced, well researched content with no “fluff”…perfect for operators! We have even used certain sections of the MUM program for GM development as well…never to early to start! The Multi-U web-based programs bring that content to the interactive “web-stage” and allow the information to be accessed anytime, anywhere.  I look forward to future research, tools, and the next phase of Jim’s Multi-Unit-Manager (MUM) Training and Development resources! --Kat Cole, Vice President, Hooters of America, Inc.

Who better to vouch for the effectiveness of Jim’s “Fundamentals” keynote address at our 2010 GM conference than the GMs themselves? 

Jim Sullivan:

•         Helped me open my eyes and view things differently

•         Gives me a lot of good ideas to take back to the store.

•         Is inspiring, funny, and as always, very knowledgeable on day to day operations.

•         Was very entertaining while sending an important message.  I could have listened to him for 3 more hours!

•         Is an absolute treat to listen to.  If he can’t fire you up, then nothing can.

•         Did an amazing job at lifting the energy in the room and helping us focus on getting better.

•         Is one of the best keynote speakers I’ve ever heard!

•         Is down to earth and provided real ideas and suggestions for improvement.  He will be hard to top at the next conference.

•         Is informative, funny and inspiring.

•         Reminds us about the basics of motivating, coaching and getting the results that we need to run a successful restaurant. 

•         Is outstanding; entertaining but extremely and directly relevant.

 And those are just a few of the outstanding testimonials from our GMs.

 For me, Jim’s no-nonsense, straight-talking industry savvy and humorous slant just can’t be beat.  He speaks the language of operations and was the perfect choice for us during a challenging industry environment.  Thank you!  --Jim Rich, VP of Training & Development, California Pizza Kitchen

Jim, the feedback from your 2010 visit with over 150 of my Vice-Presidents, Directors and Supervisors has been outstanding! Your Multi-unit program clearly hit the mark within the Sonic Restaurants organization.  You stressed the utilization of current processes rather than creating new, focusing on people development and most importantly you hit home on making an impact during drive-in level visits. As a result you can anticipate that we will use the “Jump-Start” video and the “2-minute meeting” as a communication method prior to each shift with a clearly defined goal of improving operations and customer satisfaction.  Jim, thank you again, I was so pleased with your Sonic Drive-in knowledge (of the culture) and review of the materials. Thanks again, we look forward to seeing you again at Sonic!  --Mike Perry, CEO Sonic Drive-Ins

Our entire team of Managing Partners, Joint Venture Partners, and Home Office Team Members left your seminar with new knowledge, great ideas, and a lot of excitement.  Because you customized your presentation for Cheeseburger in Paradise based on discussions with our Islanders, all of the topics were relevant to what is happening in our restaurants.  We look forward to continuing to learn from you thru your newsletter, books and future events.  --Thanks, Monica Tary, Director of Beverage and Training, Cheeseburger in Paradise

Your 2010 workshop on Multi-unit Leadership really sparked the One System Above Restaurant Leadership team and CONNECTED with the RGMs. The time you took to customize it to our brand and people proved to be winner in their acceptance of the content and takeaways. Your interactive style, humor and best demonstrated practices was a hit and proved to the audience the depth of credibility you have to the restaurant business. Most importantly, our RGMs remember the message and are inspired to improve their leadership and performance! Thanks for the impact! –Rob Savage VP Operations, Taco Bell Incorporated

I wanted to thank you for the fantastic 2010 workshop you presented to both our company and franchise multi-unit leaders.  You provided exactly what we were looking for in the way of concrete ideas that can be implemented for immediate results. We have received may positive comments on your workshop and we appreciate your follow-up suggestions as well.  They serve as a constant reminder that we have the knowledge and skills to solve problems and get results. --Robert Craigo, Director of Training, The Krystal Company

“We appreciate very much the time you took to customize the presentation for our Supercuts team and really get to understand our unique challenges and opportunities in 2010. The solutions you offered were practical, do-able and insightful. The feedback was tremendous and your fun style and creative content made the two hours fly by, but not until we filled our notebooks with new ideas.” --Gary L. Robins, 32 unit Supercuts Franchisee and Board Member

Jim – The feedback from those attending your 2010 seminars at the Texas DQ Convention earlier this week is the best we’ve ever received. Here are a few of the initial comments: 

“Absolutely, the best and most practical presentation I’ve ever heard.”

 “He held my attention, and the attention of my managers and supervisors, throughout the entire program. We could have listened and learned for hours longer.”

“I can’t imagine a better presentation or better content. Please bring Jim back often.” 

“We’ve heard Jim before, and he is always great. This time was the best ever.”

 “Jim was inspiring. My team and I can’t wait to implement his suggestions – they will help us immensely.”

Jim, thanks again for your outstanding work. We look forward to continuing to work with you.  --Larry Newell, President, Texas Dairy Queen Operators’ Council