As of January 2020, Gusto 54’s culture can be defined as based on the CEO’s primary goal to create an empowering work environment and hire top talent to facilitate the company’s growth. Birbrager and Konrad state that the company’s mission was “to consistently deliver a transporting customer and employee experience complete with delicious relevant food, inspiring design and passionate, soulful hospitality.”
The organization’s vision emphasized the cultural relevance of the group’s restaurants and aimed at providing an innovative culinary experience to the customers. In this regard, the leadership team developed Gusto 54’s family values to comply with the company’s statements and guide its growth. Zuccarini aimed at hiring the right individuals instead of trying to change others’ traits in the process of onboarding. This approach enabled the effective use of resources and allowed for the personal and professional growth of each team member.
It should be noted that Gusto 54 moved away from the culture of total control over individual restaurants in favor of the culture of ownership and accountability. According to Sherman & Cohn, a professional accountability mindset is internally driven. It promotes the idea of taking responsibility for one’s work and contributing to overall growth. At Gusto 54, the CEO acted as the role model for other team members by implementing a proactive approach to work and optimizing the organizational culture. Besides, Zuccarini put accountability at the center of all processes and aligned it with the family core values throughout the company. As a result, the idea of providing employees with an opportunity to work together in a positive environment and achieve better goals for every part involved proved to be effective in the long term.