What is MIBE?
MIBE | rhymes with “vibe” | acronym, noun & verb...we think?
The acronym for part of the Footers Catering mission statement: Make It Better Every day. It's also the vehicle that a like-hearted team uses to incrementally improve their business each and every day to achieve results far beyond what they ever thought possible. When you're in the process of Making It Better Every day, you are MIBE-ing (verb). And when you're doing it properly, with the involvement of your entire team, you have a MIBE vibe.
We know what can be achieved with heart leadership and an awesome company culture. We are here to inspire leaders in the hospitality industry with these concepts so they can find joy and fulfillment in their work and in their lives.
Our Story
Our story begins in several places, with a phenomenally wide ranging, interesting, sometimes weird, and mostly hilarious cast of characters. But the real meat and potatoes started when owners, April and Anthony acquired the family catering business (Footers Catering) and were trying to figure out how the heck we were going to get from where we were, to where we wanted to go. While we were sure we were intelligent, capable, and hard-working, we knew that we weren’t going to get there without being really intentional with the direction we wanted to go. If we could only clone ourselves?!
Since that was impossible, the next best thing was to figure out what made us tick, find the people that were buzzing on the same vibe, and make some cool stuff happen together! In order to attract a kick-ass crew, we needed to be a place people wanted to work…more specifically, an AWESOME place to work. We knew that the secret sauce would be our commitment to heart leadership and valuing people for more than the job they do. We distilled our values, work ethics, and goals into what would become our company DNA; Love What You Do, Make It Better Every day, and Create Exceptional Experiences for Our Clients and Their Guests.
Well, it worked! Or should we say, it’s working! It doesn’t happen overnight, and it never ends. It is something you have to chip away at each and every day with the greatest intention. Simply put, you’ve got to MIBE. Now we're excited to share the lessons we've learned along the way, and help put your team on the path to AWESOMENESS!
Our Convictions
lead
Value people for more than the job they do
love
Open your heart to be authentic, genuine and vulnerable
mibe
There is always more to learn and room to improve
vibe
Work doesn’t have to suck; surround yourself with a kick-ass team
How can MIBE help you?
The hospitality industry can be a tough biz.
Serve, serve, serve. Cook, cook, cook. All. Day. Long. Long days. Hard nights. Weekends. Holidays. Lots of events. Seasonal Employees. And the list continues. But what if you could really be about people for people?! What if you could strengthen your team to work together to curate exceptional guest experiences and create the most raving fans in town?! What if you could shift the mind set of your team to act like owners?! What if you could grow beyond your wildest dreams because your team takes so much pride in the work they do?! What if this allowed you to focus on working on the business instead of just working in the business?!
Meet MIBE!
Your Hospitality, Leadership and Culture Coaching Team
Biz coaching is a dime a dozen, but consider us your exclusive coaches who ARE in the biz, so to say we get it is an understatement. We’ve worked strategically and specifically so we could gain momentum and make a real difference in this industry. Now that we’ve done that, we’re giving you a front row seat to do the same.
Let’s face it, the hospitality industry is hard. You need someone that understands your pain and empathizes with your unique challenges. We all need to fill our own cups. Let MIBE help yours overflow! As leaders in the hospitality industry we are your trusted resource to get you on track to a thriving future. You will have award-winning coach Anthony Lambatos and the MIBE team on your side as you reinvigorate your company and strive for better.
Meet the Team
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![Anthony Lambatos - CEO / Coach]()
Anthony Lambatos
THE COACH
This guy is easily the best dressed dude at the office. Anthony is also the only gentleman that wears a suit in the office, so it comes as no surprise. In addition to dressing well, he’s a master of organizational management. And Excel spreadsheets. If there’s anyone who can get you excited about pivot tables, it’s him! Although he studied business and marketing at the University of Oregon, Anthony received his Ph.D. in running a company at the School of Hard Knocks. As early as he can remember, Anthony was involved in the family business. And now, after years of experience in the good, the bad, and the ugly, he knows how to handle any situation.
His leadership, patience, and desire to make those around him better is why we call him The Coach.
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![April Lambatos - COO / Head Honcho of Happiness]()
April Lambatos
THE HEAD HONCHO OF HAPPINESS
Her name is April, but call her Miss Daisy because she is driven! Or call her Disney, because of her experience working at Walt Disney World Resorts. Receiving her formal training in business from the University of Florida, April then spent time at Disney where she sharpened her skills in hospitality, management, and operations. Working with April is like an amusement park ride. She’s gonna tell you if you’re too short to ride, it’s exhilarating, and you might pee a little bit. But she provides the security and fun to keep you coming back for more.
Her ability to dream big, achieve results, and have fun in the process is why we call her The Head Honcho of Happiness.
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![Sam Totten - Ambassador of Awesomeness]()
Sam Totten
THE AMBASSADOR OF AWESOMENESS
What Sam lacks in ???, he makes up for in his beard! He’s been growing that since this morning. His master’s degree is in architecture, so naturally he joined a catering business. Being a jack of all trades, he lends himself to many roles including, but not limited to: operations, graphic design, marketing, fabricating, building & auto repair, and dishwashing. His vast set of skills has helped to build many systems, processes, procedures, and tools. Sam is basically a unicorn. His blood type is MIBE+.
His knowledge of how to make or do just about anything, is why we call him The Ambassador of Awesomeness.
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![Jason Sutton - Food Architect]()
Jason Sutton
THE FOOD ARCHITECT
If you know what a mullet is, then you know Jason; the perfect blend of business and fun! One minute he’s tackling the most logistically challenging events, the next he’s got half the office rolling on the floor laughing. Although you’d think he got his start on Saturday Night Live, he really began his career as a waiter. After spilling a tray full of drinks on grandma, he quickly moved to Back of House as a line cook. This inspired him to pursue a culinary degree, which led him to experiences ranging from neighborhood farm-to-table restaurants and whole animal butchery, to high-volume hotel banquet chef at the Ritz-Carlton in Hawaii, and resulted in us being able to pull off big-time business with small-town charm.
His vision to start with nothing, find or create all the right ingredients, and combine them into a recipe for success is why we call him The Food Architect.
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![Colbert Callen - Team Mom]()
Colbért Callen
THE TEAM MOM
Colbért is usually 3-5 minutes late to meetings, but it’s no surprise given that she drives a mom wagon and her parking abilities are…interesting. Fear not, as it’s clear she uses those extra few minutes to dot her i’s and cross her t’s. Speaking of which, she originally set out to make a career in journalism. Well played Colbért, well played. Instead, she apparently evolved from an octopus and handles many people and tasks as our Director of Sales & Marketing. We’re not sure how, but she can plan an event, send an email, and have an in-person meeting all at the same time!
Her capacity to handle so many moving parts and people, while keeping calm under pressure is why we call her The Team Mom.
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![Krystal Hoeft - Rainmaker]()
Krystal Hoeft
THE RAINMAKER
Do you hear that? Neither do we! Krystal blew out our ear drums a long time ago with her infectious and impressively loud laugh. It’s okay though because we’re all laughing now, all the way to the bank. After many years in the banking business, Krystal brings her 2 cents to the world of catering and events. As the controller, she handles all things dollar signs. She studied at Northern Arizona University, so she’s a lumberjack, or rather a lumber jill. Either way, she’ll be chopping your AR days down like Paul Bunyan, and make your piggy bank grow to the size of Babe the Blue Ox.
Her acumen and accuracy when it comes to all things financial, is why we call her The Rainmaker.
