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In this edition, we’re covering a pretty cool restaurant story from The Great White North: Mandy’s Salads—a women-led business, an employee growth advocate, and (just so coincidentally) a very happy customer of 7shifts.
Salad… in the back of a women’s clothing store? That’s how Mandy’s Salads began. Sisters Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe launched Montréal’s first create-your-own salad bar, tucked inside a boutique. Fast-forward 20 years and Mandy’s has grown into a beloved Canadian brand with 15 locations and counting across Montréal and Toronto.
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What it means to be women-led |
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How to invest in your employees (literally and figuratively) |
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Putting core values into practice |
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We sat down with Ontario District Manager, Cindy Le, and Sales and Operations Manager, Nicole Perlman, to talk about the keys to success behind their restaurants. Read on for the deets!
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BY THE NUMBERS
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ON BEING WOMEN-LED
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Cindy: I’ve been with this company for five years, and I’m very grateful that I’ve been given this space to be the woman that I am and the space to evolve as a woman. It’s empowering. It’s supportive. It’s safe.
Nicole: Working at a woman-led company is one of my favorite things about Mandy’s. I started at Mandy’s when I was 21, and now I’m almost 29. So to be a part of a woman-led company as I was growing into a woman myself has been so amazing to be part of.
I work alongside the most inspiring women every day, whether it’s Mandy or Rebecca, our president—or all the other women that surround me at Mandy’s. I’ve learned so much and they’ve really shaped me into the woman I am today.
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ON CHANGING HOURLY WORKERS TO SALARY
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Nicole: We’ve [recently] added two new salaried roles into the field, which is our kitchen manager and guest experience manager. To have more salaried roles per location is something that we really wanted to be able to offer our employees that want to grow with Mandy’s. [It] gives them that stability and gives them a ‘Hey, Mandy’s invests in you, and we want to give you the tools to grow’.
We made sure that when we were transferring their hourly wage to a salary wage, it was giving them a little bit of an extra boost to say thank you. So a lot of math was needed—a lot of consulting with our finance team to make sure we were taking the right steps. I recommend a really long Excel sheet.
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ON THEIR “COACHING APPROACH” FOR LEADERSHIP
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Cindy: I’m super proud to share that we’ve shifted our approach to more of a coaching approach for leadership. We’ve geared it to investing a lot more into our leaders. As we’re expanding, that is our biggest focus because at the end of the day, we wouldn’t be where we are without other people, right?
We’re now instilling development plans, workshops, and a lot of activities where we can allow our teams to grow. One of our ways of doing that is spending a lot of time with our team, making sure that whenever we do sit down with them, it’s always intentional and we’re prepared. We like to plan ahead, so we know where our leaders are going.
Nicole: Everyone who is in a salaried role is currently on a development plan by the end of next year to help them get to whatever role it is that they want to do in the future—whether it’s within Mandy’s or [somewhere else].
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ON GROWING EMPLOYEE CAREERS FROM WITHIN
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Nicole: Growth is huge for us at Mandy’s. I’ve grown up, but I always like to say that I’ve grown up at Mandy’s. I started off in an entry level, part-time role, and now I’ve worked my way into our sales and operations manager role, and it’s because of how much we put into our people. About 70% of our current head office is from internal growth.
Cindy: I think that my growth in the company has definitely affected the way that I lead. Especially because I’ve been in the industry for so long, being able to start as a kitchen manager and a general manager has really shaped me because I’ve been in all of the roles.
Being able to put myself in their shoes has made a huge difference in the way that I lead. Because I’m a little bit more empathetic, understanding, and honestly, being in the field most of the time, I’m comfortable with rolling up my sleeves and just jumping in if I have to. I think I lead with a lot more integrity too because I can relate to my team, and I’m still in touch with the team.
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ON MAKING A CHARITABLE IMPACT
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Nicole: It’s always been a huge value of ours and Mandy’s to give back to our communities, whether that’s in Montréal, Toronto, or new markets that we open up into. We always love to give back to women and children-based charities too.
We do two drives for [the Welcome Collective] every year. We’ve been doing that for many years now, and we see the same families coming back every year. We do a back-to-school drive, and then one of my favorite initiatives that we do at Mandy’s is our holiday drive. It’s so nice to be able to create those connections with families and get to have them be a part of our big Mandy’s family.
The second charity that we’ve been working with for quite a while is the Cure Foundation. We do different events with them throughout the year. We have a huge Halloween party that we do every year as well as some smaller initiatives. And we love to donate dressings and cookbooks to be able to give out to the guests at all these initiatives.
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ON MANDY’S CORE VALUES
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✨ Good vibes – For employees, this means creating opportunities for team bonding, showing employee appreciation, and maintaining open communication with support staff. Customers, on the other hand, can receive all the good vibes through Mandy’s welcoming atmosphere with friendly service, thoughtful design, and an overall positive experience.
♻ Sustainability – When it comes to sourcing, Mandy’s prioritizes mindful choices in suppliers and materials to reduce environmental their impact. They also implement operational strategies to minimize waste while educating their team with sustainable practices to promote awareness.
⭐ Quality – Ingredients are fresh and carefully chosen. Team members are trained to deliver a consistently high standard of service. And processes are regularly reviewed to maintain excellence.
👐 Positive impact – The goal is for everyone to feel better after leaving Mandy’s. For guests, this means creating a welcoming and accommodating experience where they feel valued. And for staff, this means supporting their well-being while creating an appreciative and empowering environment.
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RAPID-FIRE ROUND
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Q: Weirdest customer request you’ve ever received?
A: One of our salads, no lettuce 🤔
Q: One food trend you’re totally over?
A: Oat milk! 🥛
Q: One thing you wish you’d known before opening your newest location?
A: You CAN run out of lettuce 😆
Q: Your biggest mistake made at any restaurant job?
A: Accidentally ordering 10 cases of lettuce, instead of 10 boxes 😭
Q: How do you handle difficult customers?
A: With a smile! You never know what people are going through 🥹
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