Nearly 42 years ago, at age 25, Mike Smith was the general manager of the former Morrison Cafeterias in Athens, Georgia. Occasionally, on Sundays, local celebrities, including University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker and country music’s legendary Kenny Rogers, would eat at the restaurant.
Rogers always came with an entourage, including three security guards, and Smith would provide his group privacy by closing off the restaurant’s back dining room.
“Back in our heyday, Morrison was the king of cafes, and Kenny would give us a call to let us know he was coming,” Smith recalls. “Kenny and his wife, Marianne, would go through the line like everyone else. He liked fried chicken, turnip greens, and mac and cheese. It was a great experience for a 25-year-old making his way in the business.”
Smith, set to retire at the end of December, has lived much of Morrison’s storied history during his 42-year career in restaurants and food service.
Growing Up in the Restaurant Business
The restaurant business has always been in his blood. For 34 years, his father owned Smitty’s Chicken and BBQ in Mount Olive, N.C. “All of the children worked at the restaurant,” Smith recalls. “Those were the days when there was curb service, so we’d go out the cars, take orders, and bring them their food. I remember waiting on cars when I was 12 years old.”
Smith recalls coming to the restaurant immediately after school and doing every job, including cleaning the restrooms and taking out the garbage. He worked in the kitchen, too, helping prepare the food.
“There was no such thing as frozen food back then. We hand-cut onions, peeled potatoes, and did it all.”
A Career Starting in the Former Morrison Cafeterias
After joining Morrison Cafeterias in 1982, he quickly moved from overseeing restaurants to playing a key role in the company’s attempt to expand.
In the mid-1990s, as Morrison Cafeterias diversified into quick service restaurants, Smith opened approximately 20 Morrison’s Fresh Cooking QSR restaurants on the East Coast, from Virginia through Massachusetts.
While Morrison began moving into healthcare at this time, Smith became the general manager at Morrison’s largest cafeteria in Mobile, Alabama, making the move partly to be near his daughter, who was attending the University of Alabama.
But in 1998, the company was purchased by Piccadilly Cafeterias. Smith continued working at Piccadilly as a Regional Director of Operations, overseeing the transition of many Morrison outlets to the Piccadilly brand and shutting down others.
Rejoining Morrison to Manage Its Biggest Client
After a brief stint at a payroll company, Smith wanted to rejoin his former colleagues. He placed a call to Rob Cooperman, then a recruiter at Morrison Healthcare and a colleague from his Morrison Cafeterias days.
Recalls Kurt Resener, a Morrison Division president who was seeking the right candidate at that time:
“I had been looking for that perfect someone for the RVP for the Tenet business. Someone that could shrug off the daily challenges of any job with a high energy level, an acute sense to manage a tight and restrictive contract, and would jump on a flight across the country in an emergency. And, most important, someone that would take care of our team members. When Rob suggested Mike, it sounded too good to be true – but he was that perfect someone.”
Smith joined Morrison Healthcare as a regional director of operations in 2006 and originally managed Tenet Healthcare in Florida and five years later was assigned Novant Health in the Carolinas. In March 2019, the company picked up all 51 Tenet Healthcare hospitals, making it the largest contract ever for Compass One North America at that time.
“Mike’s dedication and commitment to the Tenet agreement and, more importantly, to the people in the field has been critical in not only running the business but instrumental in renewing the business for many years to come,” says Ian Freund, senior vice president of operations.” I’ve personally learned a lot on how to be an operator and a leader from his dedication and perseverance.”
“Mike has run one of our biggest contracts by earning the client’s trust and continually building on relationships he’s developed over many years. He quietly goes about his business and is one of our best operators,” says Joe O’Brien, a Morrison division president who has known Smith for most of his career.
Some of His Best Memories
In addition to his business acumen, Smith is known as a leader who cares for people. “He’s probably the most compassionate leader I’ve known,” says Freund. “He takes care of his people. He’s part boss, part friend, part therapist.”
Because he grew up working many jobs in his father’s restaurant, many of Smith’s best memories come from working with hourly employees and account managers. “I know how much hard work people do every day in our kitchens. When it comes to working with people, that’s where my comfort level is.”
He points to Dorothy Whiteside, a Morrison dishwasher who recently retired after 50 years at DMC Children’s Hospital in Detroit, as a primary example.
“When I’m traveling, I always make time to speak with as many hourly employees as I can. The day that I met Ms. Whiteside, I learned that she had been working for 50 years in the hospital. I just wanted to meet her and thank her for all her years of service. All of our long-term employees have a great history of dedication to our patients.”
As Smith sets to retire, he plans to spend time with Tammi – “the love of my life” – as well as three adult children and six grandchildren. In terms of his accomplishments, he takes great satisfaction in serving as a mentor and helping people advance their careers.
“Over my 40-year career, I’ve held many one-on-one conversations with the account leaders to determine their career goals and how I can help them. In many cases, they don’t picture themselves in a higher leadership position.
“For example, six years ago, I learned by speaking with an office coordinator at one of our accounts that she held a college degree. After some conversations, she was given the opportunity to advance, and she’s now a director at another account. I never take credit for helping leaders achieve their goals, but I love to give them a nudge in the right direction.”
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