#67 : Building Leaders Who Don't Know They're Leaders with Noelle Labrie

CULINARY MECHANIC

In this episode of CULINARY MECHANIC, Simon sits down with Noelle Labrie, founder of Tri Skill Consulting, to explore how frontline experiences in the industry—from bartending in Deep Ellum to building restaurant teams in Kuwait—shaped her passion for developing “fresh leaders.” Noel’s story starts with jello shots and ends with training hospitality professionals around the globe.

This conversation hits hard on the realities of poor leadership in restaurants and why most management problems aren’t personal—they’re systemic. Noelle and Simon talk people-first operations, the fallacy of promoting based on technical ability, and how to identify untapped leadership talent hiding in plain sight. From practical systems to emotional intelligence, they break down how small basics lead to massive improvements.

Whether you're running a hot dog stand or a multi-unit brand, this episode delivers a grounded blueprint for people-centered leadership and scalable restaurant culture.

TimeStamps

• [01:30] Noel’s first industry job (Jello shot girl!)

• [07:45] Early bar experience & the sociology of service

• [12:30] From bartender to regional training manager

• [18:40] The international leap: opening restaurants in Kuwait

• [24:10] Discovering her purpose: leadership development

• [30:25] What “fresh leadership” really means

• [35:00] Turning point moments in restaurant careers

• [40:15] Building systems from pain points

• [44:10] Leadership vs. doership: the hard truth

• [50:45] What Tri Skill Consulting does today

• [55:00] Why basics > fancy tools

• [58:20] What restaurants get wrong about people

• [01:03:45] Will Guidara, Bourdain, and “common sense” hospitality

• [01:11:00] Wrap-up and connection details

Key Quotes "People don’t leave companies. People leave people." — Noelle Labrie "Start with what hurts, then trace it back to the systems—or the lack of them." — Noelle Labrie "Restaurants are restaurants. Doesn’t matter if it's Kuwait or a hot dog stand in Vegas." — Noelle Labrie "Leadership is getting paid less for what you do and more for what you know—until you're paid for what you impart." — Simon Zatyrka

Key Quotes

• Systems Beat Talent: High turnover, waste, and poor reviews are symptoms of broken systems—not bad staff.

• Train the Fresh Leaders: Most restaurant leaders are thrown into management without training. It’s your job to teach them how to lead.

• Pain Points Are Gold: Use the friction (attrition, waste, poor service) to uncover where your systems are failing.

• The Job Is People: Hospitality isn’t about food—it’s about how we treat our team, our guests, and our vendors.

• Back to Basics Wins: Forget AI and apps—check if your team has pre-shift meetings, recipe cards, and a working line check.

Connect with Noel LaBree

Website: https://www.tri-skillconsulting.com/ LinkedIn: @Noelle-labrie

Connect with Simon

Email: [email protected] Book a Call: https://calendly.com/culinarymechanic/connect Website: https://www.culinarymechanic.com