GUEST BLOG: Alan Lamoureux, Menu Engineer, Culinary Director & Chef of ARL Enterprise Resources

February is upon us and there is so much going on……2022 year-end bookkeeping for a few current clients, signing on new clients (thank you for the referrals), and adding the finishing touches to our Grand Opening happening on March 3! While juggling all of that, I make sure I take the time to find great talented business owners that want to share their story, how they got to where they are and a little bit of fun facts. Connecting with people & understand how we can help each other is one of the amazing things that I love about running a business and having a Guest Blog section. This month, I have invited Alan Lamoureux of ARL Enterprise Resources. I “met” Alan right in LinkedIn – his posts really captivated me and were so interesting. He talked about how a restaurant business can leverage certain marketing tactics in their menus, staff & even customers. It was pretty cool!

I’m excited to introduce you all to Alan Lamoureux who is the Menu Engineer, Culinary Director & Chef of ARL Enterprise Resources. He helps restaurant owners refresh their tired menus to bring guests back and improve sales without compromising quality and guest-value perception. Even before the pandemic, as a Culinary Director, he had an opportunity to work on a couple of menu development projects that through the process, helped develop new insights into menu optimization and how important it is as it relates to sales, customer satisfaction, guest and employee retention, operational efficiencies, workload, quality, consistency and more. Over time, he has learned to appreciate the value of a streamlined, crave-able menu and enjoys collaborating with owners, operators and chefs in refreshing a current menu or developing a totally new concept.

Let’s get to know Alan…..

So, why did you pick this trade in particular?

I like to say that I’m a cook by trade and a Chef by profession. I didn’t actually pick this career, per say, it evolved over time. I had taken a job at a Banquet Hall in my hometown of Detroit to help with expenses while attending Wayne State University toward a Business Administration degree (was still trying to really figure out what I wanted to do with my life)! The job initially had nothing to do with food but rather cleaning and setting up for banquets and cleaning and breaking down after banquets! It wasn’t long that

I was asked to work in the kitchen, first as a dishwasher then helping with food preparation and service. I loved the teamwork, the buildup and intensity toward service, the gaiety and satisfaction of the guests and the exhilaration and self-satisfaction when an event was completed and done well. I realized then that I was being called to serve others! The owner just happened to attend the Culinary Institute of America for some Continuous Education, came back, and was so impressed with the school, he was certain that I was a prime candidate for their culinary program and that he would be an advocate and sponsor me in the application process. I was accepted, spent a good part of a year getting some first hand experience in a full service restaurant, attended the CIA, graduated with honors as Student Most Likely To Succeed, and spent 50 years with a call to serve, constantly growing as a student, a teacher, a mentor and Chef! I never thought it was a wrong decision! I really didn’t pick this trade but was drawn in from the guests, associates and colleagues I served, the fulfillment I felt from the teams I developed and worked with, the dedication toward excellence in all that we do and 100% guest satisfaction every time.

Who was the most influential person in your business life?

Honestly, in my 50-year career, I’ve had many associates, colleagues, and executives that influenced my path in one way, shape or form! All in a very positive way, some from encouragement, respect, trust, collaboration and consideration; others from sarcasm, bullying, indifference and beyond!

Fortunately for me, one of my most influential mentors was Ron Barkley, a gentleman I worked with at my first job as a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. Ron was an Area Director and a hands-on participatory leader. I was a newly wed, fresh out of school, moved my bride away from her home and family to a new city where we were totally by ourselves and on our own. Ron took note of that and was sensitive to our loneliness and isolation!

It was a very busy restaurant and I was a Chef-in-Training, working with a Chef that resented my having come from a chef school, who tried to take full advantage of my practical inexperience, although I never let him get the best of me! Ron was always checking in on me (and my wife) making sure there was a respectable work-life balance that was taking place! He communicated constantly, appreciated my diligence, always recognized the whole team as well as individuals on a job well done, was steadfast on food quality and set an example on respecting every single associate no matter who they were, and was extremely customer driven and sensitive to what was happening in your world and helping resolve issues that were having a negative impact on you. He genuinely felt if you were happy and were feeling good, it would transcend over to work, giving everyone a sense pride, positive self esteem and a safe and healthy environment to come to.

Like I stated in the beginning, I was fortunate to have worked with a great many influencers, all of whom instilled in me in some way integrity, honesty, respect for others, communication, cooperation, consideration, accountability, diplomacy and trust. Ron just happened to be the first and established a benchmark with which to build on.

Did you have a role model growing up?

I did, two actually, my mother and father. In my early years I grew up in the “projects” on the East side of Detroit. Both my parents worked hard every day to provide the best life they could for my sisters and me! As a homemaker and part time worker, my mother had to be very organized and manage her time efficiently and effectively. She was always busy, full of energy and always with a plan. She always encouraged us and shared our pain and was proud of our accomplishments. She was grateful and taught us to appreciate what we have and not to be envious but rather pleased for other’s good will and good fortune. Faith was the cornerstone of her character that manifested selflessness, determination, kindness, gratefulness and goodness. She was special; a loving woman, mother, teacher and friend who was always there for us!

My father, like my mother, had a huge impact on my life and character. It’s not what you are, it’s who you are and my father was never one to wear a false face. He was never afraid to say what was on his mind but always held himself accountable for his own words and actions. He never pointed his finger or blamed others for his shortcomings and I admired his straightforwardness. He spent almost all his working life braving the elements as a truck driver in the wholesale produce business, working outside in the cold Michigan winters and hot summers; never complaining, just a dedicated proud and grateful man. As tough as his life was, he adored his family and was proud, humble, straightforward, unpretentious and forgiving. He and my mother were both grateful for all God’s blessings.

They were a team and together they raised a son (and daughters) and encouraged in him all the virtues of their characters. I have a strong faith in God, I’m determined, kind, grateful, humble, forgiving, unpretentious and in varying degrees, selfless and straightforward; all because of their love! I am proud of them both and thankful they were my parents!

What are the top three reasons why a business owner should invest in your service/product?

I have had a successful 50-year career in the food service, restaurant and hospitality industry. Many of those years were in operations as a Chef, a sole-proprietor owner, Executive Chef, Corporate Chef as well as a Culinary Director. A large and important body of my work was menu and recipe development, so my experience, expertise and successes should be one of the top reasons to invest in my service.

Another reason is that I’m a result driven culinary leader with a passion for quality food and legendary customer service. I’m proficient in motivating and guiding associates to achieve desired results and lead by example through teamwork with strong professional and organizational skills.

Lastly, the third top reason is I care to give back and genuinely want to help restaurant owners; operators and chefs uplift their businesses, make them more profitable, be successful and actualize their dreams. I work on the principals of the three C’s (Cooperation, Communication and Consideration) and work together with clients with integrity, honesty and truth.

What is your favorite food to eat?

On a whimsical note, although I have an open palate and love well prepared food from across the globe, often after working all day around all different foods and ingredients, I love a juicy triple-double cheeseburger (3 cheese/2 patties) with mustard and pickles on a soft brioche bun! Of course, with fresh hand-cut, crispy fries with grilled tomato ketchup and to top it all off with a scoop of creamy premium butter-pecan ice cream! This is NOT an everyday obsession!

I can say, I absolutely love a nicely seasoned fresh premium fish fillet, seared or grilled (preferably over a live fire), a slow braised lamb shank and beef short rib or perhaps a well-seasoned and crusty seared bone-in rib eye! I can go on, really! It’s simply too difficult to absolutely name a “favorite”!

As a side-note as well, my favorite kitchen tool, besides a super sharp knife, is a well-worn wooden spoon!

Thank you so much Alan! We learned all of his favorite foods (well not all of them), why he does what he does & who he looks up to. I hope you all had a wonderful time reading about Alan and his business! Are you interested in learning more about ARL Enterprise Resources & Alan Lamoureux? You’re in luck!…..Here’s his contact information: