As a kid visiting his grandfather in New Jersey, Shawn Jones remembers getting up at 5:30 a.m. to load the family van with plumbing supplies.
Grandpa, Claude Akridge, was in the plumbing business, as were several other uncles. Those morning sojourns taught young Shawn how to work a wrench, fix leaks and unplug drains. They also imparted a life lesson.
“He taught me about hard work, dedication, responsibility, integrity, credibility,” Jones said. “Most lessons weren’t about the mechanics of the job. It was about the people. It was instilled in me that no matter what business you’re in, you’re in the people business.”
At 38, Jones finds himself fully immersed with an eclectic mix of people. He is a managing partner of Bonefish Grill in South Windsor. The Evergreen Walk restaurant is in its second year of operation and employs 100 people. Whether he is dealing with customers, staff, vendors or prospective customers Jones finds himself harkening back to grandpa’s words of wisdom.
“You’ve got to treat people with respect and be humble at all times,” said Jones, a Hartford native and divorced father of three children. His goal is to own a chain of restaurants, following the lead of his mentor Wayne Hull.
Jones, as a teenager and the oldest of five children, was a busboy with Outback Steakhouse. There, he met owner Wayne Hull, who took a liking to Jones and groomed him for manager roles as Hull opened more restaurants.
In 2000, as a student and football player at the University of New Haven, majoring in business management, Jones made his first tough business decision.
Hull offered him a job to manage an Outback Steakhouse restaurant in Manchester. Though getting his college degree was important to him, the opportunity to work as a manager immediately was very appealing.
“He game me more money than I thought I would make out of college — $45,000, plus a bonus,” Jones said.
He quickly became Hull’s point man in opening several other Outbacks from 2000 to 2004. Hull then loaned Jones $50,000 to open his own Outback’s in New London, which Jones paid back in 18 months. For the next six years, Jones served as a managing partner until Outback was bought out by another company.
Darden Restaurants Inc. — owners of Olive Garden, Red Lobster and other assets — recruited Jones to be a general manager at their new Olive Garden restaurant in Boston in 2010. He served in that role for two years, before Outback reached out.
The previous Outback owners decided at that time to buy back the company — Bonefish Grill was among the restaurants in the portfolio. They offered Jones the chance to be a proprietor of the Bonefish Grill they were opening in March of 2013 in the posh Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk location.
Bonefish Grill was becoming one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in the country. Jones was “looking for an opportunity to be part of something special.”
He describes his management style as one that is “kind with people; tough on results.”
He’s never forgotten his days as a bus boy and he wants to see his employees have the opportunity to grow in the business the way he did. As a boss, Jones is clearly proud that over the years he has promoted four employees to the role of business partner and more than 20 into managers.
“If I can teach someone to think a certain way — the Bonefish way — it makes my job easier and gives them a tool to better their lives. Someone saw something in me, so I want to try and continue to help people to grow.”
The restaurant, which seats 450 people, is open seven days a week. The menu is “seafood-centric” and steaks — and there is an ample bar that greets guests as they enter.
Jones’ focus is on growth — growing a brand that reflects a satisfying experience for his customers, growing revenue, professional growth for his employees and business expansion for himself.
There is a five-digit monthly lease that has to be met, so generating at least 20,000 lunches a week is the expectation. Dinner entrees (ranging from $20 to $30) include Chilean sea bass, Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, filet mignon and rib-eye steak.
Jones is a hands-on owner. No job is too menial. Once a week, he’ll even throw on a chef’s apron and work the grill or help out in the kitchen.
And if the pipes ever spring a leak, the employees know who to call.
Stan Simpson is host of “The Stan Simpson Show”, which airs Saturday, 5:30 a.m., on Fox CT and online at FoxCt.com/stan. You can send suggestions for the “Faces in Business” column to stansimpson@comcast.net.
