Leadership Corner: Bill Tobin
Interviewed by Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Name: Bill Tobin
Age: 40
Title: Chairman/managing partner
Organization: Hawaii Restaurant Association/ Tiki's Grill & Bar
High school: Tekamah-Herman High School in Tekamah, Neb.
College: Bachelor of business administration in real estate, University of Hawai'iiManoa
Breakthrough job: Working for 2 1/2 years as an office manager at Kiewit Inc. "I learned the minute details of cost accounting," Tobin said.
Little-known fact: When Tobin moved to Hawai'i in 1985, his first job was as a pedicab driver in Waikiki. "I did it because I wanted to be my own boss," he said. "It was a great experience. It taught me self-discipline."
Major challenge: With the Hawaii Restaurant Association, it's convincing people — in particular, lawmakers — that it's difficult to make a profit in Hawai'i. With Tiki's, it's bringing local people back into Waikiki.
Book recently read: "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown.
Hobbies: Spending time with his 2-year-old son, Toby. They like to go to the park and the beach. "He takes up all my free time," Tobin said.
Mentor: His grandfather, Keith Litel. "He was a pig farmer (in Nebraska) and had a very strong work ethic," Tobin said. "He held his honesty and integrity above all else. That was very important to him."
Q. How did you get involved in the restaurant industry?
A. Actually, I had worked in restaurants before and during college, and I really enjoyed the industry. But that was never my focus in school. When I was working for Kiewit (a construction and engineering firm), I really missed the restaurant industry. In construction, as much as I was successful and enjoyed the people I worked with, I only saw the same 10 people every day. In the restaurant industry, you meet so many people. You're taking part in an enjoyable part of their lives. ... So when the Hard Rock Cafe recruited me to be a restaurant manager, I took it.
Q. You opened Tiki's Grill & Bar in October 2002 with partner Kelly McGill. It's your first restaurant. Are you satisfied with the results so far?
A. I think everybody who opens a business dreams of making more money than they actually do. But I'm happy with the product, for sure. ... We wanted to have a restaurant that was obviously taking advantage of the environment in Hawai'i, that sense of place. We wanted to have a restaurant that we were proud of and where we would want to hang out. Everything we did we tried to make it a place where we would want to go. Of course, that meant good service, good food and reasonable prices. We've tried to do all that, while embracing the culture of where we are.
Q. Do you think it's particularly difficult to run a restaurant in Hawai'i?
A. I think it's very difficult to run a restaurant here because of government mandates. Prepaid healthcare, the high cost of workers' compensation, the high tax climate. I'm hoping for change, but I think that it's going to take a lot more people being involved.
Q. Is that the role of the Hawaii Restaurant Association?
A. We want to be a hub for the different communities within the restaurant industry. I'm talking about bring everything together. Celebrity chefs, fund-raisers, culinary arts programs in schools, franchises, stand-alone (restaurants), the food service people in the schools, in hospitals, in larger businesses. We want to become a hub for everything going on in the restaurant industry.
Q. Do you think the public doesn't understand how much the restaurant industry contributes to the local economy?
A. I definitely think so. People don't understand that the restaurant industry is the cornerstone of our state. When I say cornerstone, I mean that it's a big chunk of our economy, it's a big chunk of employment opportunities, it's a big chunk of our communities. The restaurant industry generates $2.3 billion a year for Hawai'i's economy. We represent more than 80,000 employees. Nationally, one out of every five American adults (has) worked in restaurants in their lifetime, one out of three (says) it was their first work experience. We give people their first job experience and help them enter the workforce. We are also very involved in our communities. Nine of 10 restaurants give back to the community through charitable events or donations, whether that's money or gift certificates. ... We serve more than just meals. We serve the people of Hawai'i.
Q. As the newly elected chairman of the Hawaii Restaurant Association. what are your short- and long-term goals?
A. Short-term, we want to bring back people who haven't been involved in our association. Long-term, we want to help work on our image and brand within the community.
Q. Do you support the changes to Waikiki, including the multimillion-dollar renovation projects by Outrigger Enterprises on Lewers Street, Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center and International Market Place?
A. I think they're very positive. I definitely think the Waikiki Beach Walk project is a very positive makeover of a street that hasn't changed for decades. Opening it up and taking advantage of that environment is important. We lost sight of that with all the development years ago.
Q. Even at the expense of restaurants, such as the Waikiki Broiler and Trattoria, which had to shut down because of these projects?
A. I hate to see any restaurant shut down, but everything runs its course. We need to evolve, and I think this is a necessary evolution for Waikiki.
Q. Hawai'i has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. How does that affect restaurants' ability to find good employees?
A. With the low unemployment, it's very difficult to find good employees. And businesses that don't take care of their employees are finding that the good ones will leave. So you have to take care of your employees, not only in payment but by providing a positive work environment. I think we've done that at Tiki's.
