Caboose’s business in action
Nestled just off the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail on Vienna’s Mill Street is Caboose Brewing, the first brewpub to open in Vienna. The team now operates two locations, with the addition of another brewpub and restaurant in Merrifield. Caboose, known for signature crafted beers and tasty food selections, offers an elaborate menu ranging from brunch three days a week, to mocktails, kids’ drinks, and a full cafe menu serving coffee and lattes. Accessibility is at the heart of the experience at the Vienna location as customers can easily walk or bike the W&OD trail to get great food and drinks.
Developing this unique menu is an essential part to Caboose’s success. The sous-chefs have a significant role in menu development for each season. In addition, the brew team decides what crafted drinks to make within a diverse line-up of beer. Employees are heavily involved in driving the creative decisions at Caboose, supporting an overall ‘employee-driven’ atmosphere.
4 strategies that help a restaurant business.
With Jennifer's management style and innovative business, she introduces four methods that help structure Caboose’s daily success:
- Adequate pay is important. At most restaurants, the average server pay starts at $2.13 per hour (plus tips). However, Caboose workers earn significantly more with a base hourly wage starting at $10 (plus tips). Tips are shared evenly across the entire restaurant service team from table servers to bussers and hosts. A 15% fair wage fee, which is added to all food and beverage purchases, ensures an adequate base wage for all Caboose employees including kitchen staff.
- On-the-job-training is a must. The work culture at Caboose is a positive and welcoming work environment where it is OK to make mistakes. Apart from Jennifer’s role as owner and manager, she makes sure to provide adequate training and a safe workplace for her employees. Jennifer believes in providing employees with the proper resources and ensuring that a positive attitude is at the core of all service to customers.
- Work-life balance is necessary. Restaurants can be very fast-paced and require a high attention to detail. At Caboose, it is important that employees make a fair wage and can request time off.
- Communication is key to success. The atmosphere at Caboose is a welcoming one, embracing diversity and creative energy. With all kinds of personalities, techniques, and styles, the best business decisions are made when employees engage in respectful conversations and debate. The Caboose leadership team has engaged in effective communication that has helped considerably over the years; however, Jennifer admits it can be a challenge to consistently communicate in a fast-paced environment.
At Caboose, the goal in management is to provide the adequate resources for everyone to do great work and provide excellent service. In addition, having established communication channels to drive strategic planning is a great recipe to running a smooth business. Under Jennifer’s leadership, the staff at Caboose has remained dedicated to their jobs and have taken pride in their work, regardless of any challenges they may face.
