Introducing FDR’s Managing Partner, Randy Gier

As part of our ongoing Q&A series on our blog, we’re introducing each member of the Food & Drink Resources team. Today, meet our Managing Partner, Randy Gier.

When Did You Know You Wanted To Pursue A Career In The Restaurant World?

I started in restaurants—Dairy Queen to be specific—when I was 15. I continued restaurant work through my undergraduate as a premed student. In a surprising turn of events, I found restaurants, management, and business strategy much more challenging than my coursework. So, I dropped out of the med program and went to business school. I’ve never looked back since.

What Are Your Responsibilities At FDR?

We all wear a lot of hats at FDR. My strengths are in business and menu analysis, strategy, and execution. I’ve been on all sides of the restaurant and packaged goods world including marketing, ops, R&D, finance, strategy, and even in the CEO chair. If you have a challenge ahead, it’s a good bet I have been where you are. I can help you analyze it through several lenses, and then solve it in a way that delights your customers while still being executionally sound and financially profitable.

Put more succinctly, I help people see the business through the eyes of the customer, not the customer through the eyes of the business. Then, help business leaders solve problems in ways that get attention.

What Do You Enjoy About Working With FDR?

Every day is a new challenge. We have a lot of great clients, with real challenges. So, I love the opportunity to help this next generation of leaders in the restaurant industry be successful. I also love being around the people at FDR. We are all true restaurant nerds, always on top of the trends and talking about what we are seeing and hearing in the market. Not just in the U.S., but around the world. So, if you like to geek out on restaurants, and I do, FDR is a great place to be.

What Are You Geeking Out On Right Now?

Currently, everyone is trying to adjust to high costs and labor shortages. The FDR team is heavily focused on reengineering menus, kitchen spaces…everything…to help our clients stay profitable.

Where Do You See The Culinary Innovation Business Going? What Is Promising About FDR’s Future?

I think what makes FDR so special is that while we are grounded in culinary, we are also broadly experienced and have the intelligence, the ability, and the humility to morph into what our clients need. This is a constantly changing industry, so if you can’t evolve and change, you will quickly become obsolete.

A lot of our focus over the last couple of years has focused on helping clients tackle kitchen and labor efficiency as a result of the challenged labor pool. Plus, the need for innovation is coming back strong, especially as many in the industry find themselves short-staffed post-COVID. FDR fills this gap exceptionally well.

What Current Food Trends Or Restaurant Concepts Are You Most Excited About?

I often watch which trends are emerging on Tik Tok. There’s so much creativity out there, especially when it comes to combining familiar things in unfamiliar ways. Take crackle coffee and popping boba beads for example. I love international fusion too. It seems like that has been a trend for several decades now, just shifting parts of the globe.

>> Read More About Coffee Trends On The FDR Blog <<

What Advice Would You Give To Brands Interested In Capitalizing On Trends?

Trends present ripe opportunity, but only if you can jump on that bandwagon fast enough. It’s not something that you can force. If you do, it will feel ungenuine. But, if you can take your own twist on a trend with some tact and finesse, it can pay off.

How Would You Rate Your Golf Game?

I SUCK at golf, but I still show up to the FDR Golf Outing. But actually, I do enjoy sports. Running and triathlon mostly where there is not a lot of natural athletic ability required.