‘How is your meal?’ A question Tom Goodchild’s been asking for 40 years
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When Tom Goodchild’s family came to Canada from London when he was six years old, his mom brought the traditional home-cooked meals of the UK with them. No one could have predicted that her prime rib and Yorkshire pudding recipes would be staples of the Goodchild empire that was to come.
At the age of 14, Goodchild started a job as a busboy at the King Edward Hotel. “I worked all the hours I could get my hands on,” he recalls.
He had bought and paid for his first car within a year. Drawn to the pace of the hospitality industry, he worked with the same vigour in different roles over the next 10 years and by the time he was 25, owned 26 properties in Edmonton.
He sold some of those to buy a cafeteria-style restaurant on Gateway Boulevard that had gone bankrupt.
That purchase 40 years ago was the start of something special.
“The original Sawmill restaurant at 4745 Gateway Blvd. opened its doors on Nov. 7, 1976,” says Goodchild.
“We had 50 employees, including my mom. She brought all her home-cooked meal recipes with her, including steak and kidney pie, bangers and mash, and Shepard’s pie.”
Today Goodchild has more than 1,000 employees and owns nine Sawmill restaurants, and franchises around the province, the Sawmill Banquet & Catering Centre and the 21,000-sq.-ft. Moose Factory on Calgary Trail. The original restaurant site on Gateway only closed recently, staying open for 38 years.
Quality of food has been high on Goodchild’s priority list since day one. Always present in the restaurants and asking patrons “How is your meal,” he made it his mission to find the best meat he could for his restaurants, and serves nothing less than the top two per cent of the finest AAA Alberta beef.
Though a top-quality dining experience has kept customers coming back for years, he believes taking care of his staff is what has kept the Sawmill Restaurant Group successful and growing. Goodchild’s take on leadership is simple: keep your focus on the well-being of the people who work for you.
“If the people are taken care of, the profits will come,” says Goodchild.
Everyone on the team knows him as “Tom,” and it is not uncommon for him to give employees with sick family members time off with pay or to fly someone home to tend to ailing parents.
“In the hospitality industry, we work much more than eight or 10 hours a day — it’s important that people love coming to work.”
Looking after his team means making sure he and his managers are always learning and setting goals that will help improve the restaurant group.
“People want to work for a company that has pride in what it is doing,” says Goodchild. Every week, he gathers his 60 managers so everyone has a chance to share ideas and voice concerns. “Showing respect and appreciation is so important to me.”
In many of the hospitality jobs he held, Goodchild observed a wall between the kitchen and the dining room staff.
“We don’t feed a culture that points fingers,” he says. “Our collective goal remains the same, always — to make sure the customer is happy.”
As for those who have been a key part of his success, Goodchild names his son, Tasker, and his director of operations and business partner, Len McCullough, who has dedicated the last 33 years to the Sawmill Restaurant Group.
“Trust and dedication are irreplaceable, and Len is the perfect example of that,” he says. “I have so many wonderful people that support the company and work with me, not for me; I’m just a speck in the sandbox.”
To commemorate their fortieth year, a gala will be held at the Sawmill Banquet & Catering Centre at 3840 76 Ave. on Oct. 29. They will be hosting 550 guests, including employees from the original Sawmill location, as well as present-day staff, invited guests and the public. Goodchild has a long history of giving back to the Edmonton community through charities. Proceeds from the gala will be donated to the University Hospital Foundation’s Brain Centre Campaign. To order tickets for the gala, call 780.468.4115, or email Paul Doucette at pdoucette@sawmillrestaurant.com
It seems only appropriate to ask, what’s on the menu for the 40th anniversary?
Let’s just say, prime rib and Yorkshire pudding made it onto a delectable menu plan.
“It’ s going to be a great evening, raising money for an important cause, and celebrating with the people who have made this a great company.”
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Sawmill Restaurant Group.
