CFO to CEO Black Bear Diner’s Anita Adams on Future Growth

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Anita Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Black Bear Diner, talks about her unusual path from being a certified public accountant to landing in the restaurant industry. Adams shares her transition from Chief Financial Officer and her commitment to fiercely protect the brand that is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country. Adams took over as Chief Executive Officer shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a dramatic impact on the restaurant industry. As a leader Adams had to navigate through the challenges that came along with running fifty corporate diners and close to ninety franchise diners. It was important to protect their teams at the diner and ensure long term viability for franchise partners. Adams shares that they want Black Bear Diner employees just starting out or have been with them to have a clear career track with the company. Their employees have defined positions and know how they will be promoted within the system. Especially as a growth company it is imperative that they grow their teams internally. Three key points to their employees growth:-Defining their human resource track.-Incredibly strong training.-Being a great employer. Coming out of the pandemic, Adams wants to focus on providing an amazing experience for their guests at the unique cabin themed restaurants. Getting back to the hospitality component and staying true to who they were before the pandemic. Adams, being named one of the fifty most influential women in the foodservice industry, shares her beliefs in pulling people up and fostering that kind of environment. Her advice is to make an impact, work for great companies, and invest in the teams that are below you. Looking to the rest of this year and beyond, Black Bear Diner is well-positioned to grow the brand and Adams talks about the focus and steps to continue growing.