Using a Growth Mindset To Evolve Through Challenges: Rustica Pizza Vino
If I were to ask you which businesses have struggled the most during the pandemic, my guess would be that somewhere right after healthcare, you would say restaurants.
With lockdowns, lack of supplies, the great resignation, and simply put, many food service workers leaving the field due to long hours, disgruntled customers, and low wages; the past year and a half have been very tough on restaurants.
When we started planning our first Growth Guide and decided our first issue would be focused on growth mindset, the restaurant industry came to mind. They have had to evolve and sometimes, even completely reset their mindsets and practices.
The first business that I thought of was Rustica Pizza Vino in Orillia, Ontario. Earlier that week, they had uploaded a staff appreciation post on social media. I was blown away by the fact that many of the staff members had been there since the beginning, just over 5 years ago now. This is a big achievement for any new business, let alone a restaurant in the midst of a pandemic.
The pandemic brought so many challenges to the restaurant industry. It would be so easy to give up, throw your hands in the air, and say that you can’t do it anymore. Jenna French, the owner and operator of Rustica Pizza Vino, has never been one to evade challenges. Instead, she shifted her process, supported her team, and used innovation to remain successful during a turbulent time. Jenna truly demonstrated a growth mindset in the face of difficulties. It also should be mentioned: Jenna was 8 months pregnant with her second child when the first lockdown started.
