Mr.
David Cohn, president and founder of the Cohn Restaurant Group, is the owner of
16 restaurants in San Diego, California and Maui, Hawaii, each with its own
unique personality. They opened up their first restaurant in 1983, and with his
mind set on succeeding in the industry, ended up producing distinct eateries
such as Gaslamp Strip Club, Blue Point, Corvette Diner and The Prado. His
success has not gone unnoticed, being awarded as California Restaurateur of the
Year by The California Restaurant Association. Even though now he’s the proud
owner of several unique restaurants, it also took experience for him to get
where he stands now. He was the Past Chair of the San Diego Convention and
Visitors Bureau, San Diego County Chapter of the California Restaurant
Association, Hillcrest Business Association and Gaslamp Quarter Association. He
also serves of the Board of California Restaurant Association and Mayor’s
Committee for Balboa Park.
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Mr. David Cohn was a very charismatic speaker; he
used his communication skills to woe his audience, and show how important the
interaction between people is in the industry. He explained to us the
importance of community partnerships, and how these can make a difference when
you’re starting your own business. Not only did he just tell us, but he showed
us all the partnerships he is involved in such as – Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo,
Promises 2 Kids, The Old Globe, San Diego Natural History Museum, Make a Wish
between others. He taught us that in order to please our customers and make
ourselves more presentable, our answer to every single request should be
ABSOLUTELY. However, this doesn’t mean that one person can support an entire
business; which is why the staff is also key to the success of a restaurant.
Adding excitement and changing it up once in a while will add to the excitement
of the working environment and keep them motivated. This is important because
the staff’s unhappiness will project to the customers, which will then affect
the business if the customers are not satisfied with the service. Even though
it’s not an easy industry, Mr. Cohn presented us reasons why the restaurant
industry is one that we should highly consider – it’s the second largest
private sector employer in the state of California, restaurants are the number
two producers of sales tax revenue in the state, they build careers and allow
you to use your own creativity, and you get to dine out and enjoy while other
customers are not there.
