Little gets new position with Hagadone Hospitality
<p>John Little took over as food and beverage director for Hagadone Hospitality on September 1.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - John Little, who has been managing partner at Outback Steakhouse in Coeur d'Alene since 2001, is the new food and beverage director of Hagadone Hospitality.
"It's a big family down here," Little said of his first impression on the job.
He's overseeing 500 employees, since taking the new job early last month.
Little, 49, has been in the restaurant industry since he was 14 years old, when he started working at Arctic Circle in Lewiston.
Asked what he likes about the industry, and what's kept him in it for so long, he says, "People. I like people."
And, he said, "Nothing is the same on a daily basis."
He's a high-energy guy and thrives on the fast pace of the restaurant environment. He said one of his talents is he's a good leader. He likes to have some fun along the way, too.
"I see humor in everything," he said.
He and his wife of 20 years, Tara, have lived in Coeur d'Alene for nine years, with their two kids, 15-year-old daughter Hailey and 13-year-old son Kyler.
"I couldn't find a better place to live," Little said, as he looked out the window at the lake from his seventh-floor office at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.
Little is well known for the work he does in the community, outside work.
He's chairman of the Coeur d'Alene Visitor's Bureau, on a culinary advisory board at North Idaho College, and recently left the EXCEL Foundation. He has been involved in many other organizations in the community. He did about 40 fundraisers each year at Outback Steakhouse.
Borrowing a phrase from Zig Ziglar, Little said, "If you help enough people get what they want, you'll be successful."
He said his community involvement gave him the edge on getting his new job.
"I'm having a blast," he said. "I woke up in a career candy store. It's so much fun I can't see straight."
His goals in his new position are to increase sales and get his employees more involved in the community. He also wants to develop the menus at the restaurants. Among the Hagadone Hospitality restaurants are Beachhouse, Beverly's, Dockside, Tito Macaroni's and Bonsai Bistro.
Hagadone Hospitality is part of Hagadone Corp., which also owns the Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls Press.