C-Suite Cuisine: Porter Hinton's Journey to Becoming a Foodservice Industry COO

In this episode of the Titans of Foodservice podcast, host Nick Portillo speaks with Porter Hinton, COO of Canteen. Porter discusses the growth and success of Canteen and talks about the challenges and opportunities in the industry, such as labor shortages, regulations, and inflation. Porter emphasizes the importance of listening, learning, and being adaptable in order to succeed in the food service industry. He also highlights the significance of customer service and likability in building strong relationships with clients. Porter shares his advice for aspiring COOs, including the value of continuous improvement and taking on stretch assignments.

Quotes

“I never had my sights on, I want to be this title or I want to be this. I always wanted to create value for myself, my family and for the organization.” -Porter Hinton [02:47]

“It’s important to really listen to folks and be empathetic towards them. I think that if you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. You need to go find rooms where you're not the smartest person. And that's okay. And that means placing your ego somewhere else.” -Porter Hinton [23:54]

TIMESTAMPS

[00:34] Porter's background and journey in the food industry

[07:33] Clients and sales process of Canteen

[12:32] Opportunities and challenges in the industry

[17:49] Focusing on retaining employees beyond the first six months

[22:24] KPIs: service, speed, innovation, manager visits

[23:55] Advice for future COOs: listen, learn, find mentors

[26:01] Give yourself stretch assignments, take risks

[28:09] Always say yes to customers, find alternative solutions

[29:28] Making organization better

RESOURCES

Portillo Sales