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For Golden Corral CEO Lance Trenary, strong leadership begins with a strong foundation.
The restaurant executive told FOX Business that his faith, family and sense of purpose shape the way he approaches each day, while staying close to customers has remained one of the most important habits throughout his 41-year career with the company.
“One of the key things for me is saying a prayer,” he said. “My personal faith is really important to me, and my family is incredibly important to me. So faith, family and purpose always lead my day.”
Just as important, Trenary said, is spending time inside Golden Corral restaurants and speaking with franchisees, employees and guests.
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“Staying very close to the customer is really important,” he said. “I like being out in our restaurants. I’ve been with Golden Corral for 41 years, and I love traveling to restaurants. I know every franchisee, I know every manager in the stores, and I love visiting them.”
Trenary said that those visits are where some of the most valuable feedback is shared.
“That’s when you get the unfiltered truth about what’s really going on — the way people really think about you and your brand,” he said. “And so staying close to the customer is a habit that I’ll never break. I think that’s critically important.”
Trenary also credits the Raleigh, North Carolina-headquartered company’s leadership team and franchisees with helping the company navigate both good times and difficult ones.
“If you can surround yourself, if you will, with great people, then that gives you the opportunity to find successful answers in whatever situation you’re facing,” he said.
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Even as the restaurant industry faces new challenges, Trenary said he’s confident in Golden Corral’s ability to adapt because of the strength of its people.
“We’re having a difficult year this year,” he said. “This is the first year in several that we’ve had some challenges, but at the end of the day, I don’t get too nervous about it because I’ve got such an incredible team.”
Looking back on his career, Trenary said aspiring entrepreneurs should first make sure they’re doing work they’re genuinely passionate about.
“If you don’t love what you’re doing, if you can’t get excited every morning, whatever time you get up — 5 or 6 a.m., whatever — and jump out of bed because you’re excited about going to face whatever challenges you might have in your business that day, then you’re probably not in the right business for you,” he said.
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He also encouraged future leaders to define success not by personal accolades, but by the opportunities they create for others.
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“Success is not about something that I’ve been able to achieve or something that is an accolade for me as a leader,” he said. “It’s more about the people that I work with and the opportunities that I can create for them.”
Golden Corral operates nearly 400 company-owned and franchised buffet restaurants across 42 states, serving roughly 3 million guests each week, according to its website.
