2008-02-12 - National Post
By: Bev Cline

Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies

Cactus Club keeps it in-house

Cactus Club Cafe operates 17 casual fine-dining restaurants in British Columbia and Alberta, with three more restaurants under construction scheduled for a spring opening. Projected sales for Cactus Club in 2008 are more than $100-million, a 24.5% increase over 2007, when sales were $84.3-million. In 2006, the sales were $71.7-million.

According to president and founder, Richard Jaffray, "quality is the No. 1 concern of this business."

This insistence on quality -- the Cactus Club's mission statement is "every customer leaves happy" -- applies to the food, which is almost entirely made in-house. It also extends to the design of the restaurants, which, in the case of Cactus Club, Mr. Jaffray says, is more than many chains, and to the original artwork that hangs on the walls.

Mr. Jaffray attributes much of the chain's growth to its employees. Cactus Club aims to recruit top-notch people to the organization and ensures that employees are motivated to come up with new and innovative ideas. Although the chain is two-thirds corporately-owned, with the rest franchised, company wide, each manager and chef is on a profit-sharing program that is "tops in the industry," making these employees truly invested in achieving the company's goals.

In turn, Cactus Club also invests in its employees: "We are creating a learning organization," says Mr. Jaffray. "We have an extensive program where we support up-and-coming chefs through the Real Seal Certification Program, provide each manager with an education allowance for employees and, through our Cactus Exchange, bring in entrepreneurial outside mentors."

Cactus Club gives back to the communities at large through both monetary donations and labour hours. In 2006, it was involved with a number of charitable and community projects, including being a major sponsor of InspireHealth's (a local integrated cancer care facility) annual Flip Flop Soiree, for the past 10 years, supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation through their Sweet Dreams Dessert Day, and hosting more than 50 dinners a year for Make-A-Wish children and their families.

The company is also engaged in exclusive alliances with two ground-breaking environmental initiatives for the B.C. restaurant community: Ocean Wise (a sustainable seafood initiated by the Vancouver Aquarium) and the Green Table Network (an association promoting environmental sustainability in the restaurant industry).