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From his very first day as a paid employee — a part-time gig keeping the buffet line at CiCi’s Pizza in suburban Atlanta fresh and well-stocked — KEVIN DUNKELBERGER has lived by the mantra of “work for the job you want, not the one you have.”
“That allowed me to be successful and climb the ladder over the years,” says the food management veteran, who in 2022 relocated from Knoxville, Tenn. (home for 21-plus years) to Mahomet, to become operator of four central Illinois Jersey Mike’s Subs shops for SamCo Management.
For the one-time operations director at Burger King, GM at Penn Station Subs and manager at McAlister’s Deli, it was a big move — the first outside the South for Dunkelberger, wife Sara, kids Addy and Benjamin, two “lazy cats” and the family’s co*ckatiel “that likes to serenade us with songs at all hours of the day.”
The proud University of Tennessee grad took time out to answer questions from Editor Jeff D’Alessio in the 236th installment of our weekly speed read spotlighting leaders of organizations big and small.
My one unbreakable rule of the workplace is … I won’t ask my team to do anything I am unwilling to do myself.
If I could trade places for a week with any other business person in town, I wouldn’t mind switching with … any big farmer. I am fascinated by agriculture since we relocated to the Midwest.
I would love to better understand the day-to-day operations of running a farm.
I can’t live without my ... time in nature. I love being outside, whether it’s hiking, sightseeing, exploring or just sitting by the river in the mountains. It keeps me balanced and helps remove stress from the day-to-day business.
My philosophy on meetings is ... start and end them on time, have an agenda and try to stay on task. I find there is nothing worse than a “meeting that could have been an email,” so I try to really evaluate if it is necessary, or something we can cover in a restaurant while working.
The hardest thing about being a leader is … allowing your people to fail. It’s extremely difficult to let your leaders make decisions and learn from them so they can grow. However, it always provides a valuable training/learning moment for them.
My single favorite moment of all-time in this job was … during the interviewing process, when my partner Johnna taught me how to “sprinkle,” which is how we top our subs as they come down the line from the slicer.
I had been a longtime fan and loyalist of Jersey Mike’s, so getting behind the line to make my first few subs is a memory I will never forget.
The three adjectives I hope my staff would use to describe me are … positive, accountable and fun.
On my office walls, you’ll find … lots of University of Tennessee memorabilia and my diploma.
My professional role model is ... Lisa Church. She hired me as a field rep when I worked at Burger King Corporation; she provided me the opportunity to really change my life and provide better for my family.
She taught me how to do the right thing when other people aren’t paying attention and that going the extra mile will pay off in the log run. I still consult with her often when I need business and life advice.
I’m frugal in that … I will consume leftovers from my wife’s brilliant cooking until I know that every dollar spent was consumed.
The single-most important question I ask job candidates during interviews is … “What do you like to do outside of work?”
Interviews can be so rigid and scary for candidates; this question allows me to really gauge their personality and offers insights to what drives them outside of work. We are a very forward-facing concept, so our teams have to be full of personality and able to share their lives with guests.
The first thing I do when I get to work most days is … walk through the restaurant to ensure we are ready to have a successful day.
For lunch, I … duh … eat Jersey Mike’s. Many days, I like to take a poll from the team working and ask for their input on what the best sub option is for lunch.
I wind down after work by … spending time with my wife and two children. What that looks like changes quite a bit from day-to-day but it always reinforces why I do what I do.
The last luxury in which I indulged was ... taking my wife to Zion National Park in Utah back in January. We have been a few times, but in January it is so empty and peaceful.
It allows us to spend quality time together being outside in nature.
The last good book I read was … “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds,” by David Goggins. I bet I have read this book at least three times.
Any time I start to get defeated or in “pity party” mode, I try to revisit his story as it is extremely motivating.
I’m up and at ’em every day by … 5 a.m., drinking coffee, working out and then heading to work.
When it comes to my exercise routine … I try to work out five or six times a week; most weeks, that consists of two or three rides on my bike, with rides ranging from 15 to 30-plus miles. I also go to the gym and lift weights two or three times per week.
I recently started taking my 11-year-old son with me to introduce him into lifting.
The worst job I ever had was ... renting cars in my mid-20s. It was an effort to get out of the food business and I was just miserable.
I don’t like selling optional products or pressuring people into unnecessary upgrades.
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