Let's travel back to 2009.
A small group of Menufy cofounders sought to solve a problem that many restaurant customers were facing: the need for up-to-date online information about restaurants. Our company continued to grow, adding products and departments.
Most notable was the Client Success department, which was tasked with helping restaurants achieve optimal success with Menufy products.
We were in the early stages of developing our Client Success department when a fresh-out-of-college Marcus Walker sauntered in for the first day of his Menufy internship. It didn't take long for leadership to realize that Marcus was an incredibly savvy and creative intern who would be essential to the company's growth.
Over the past seven years, Marcus has been at the helm of many product developments and has masterminded countless improvements that enhanced the customer experience — all while cracking clever jokes and unselfishly sharing his wealth of knowledge.
So, of course, he's been nominated for this month's associate spotlight. Learn more about Marcus's inspirations and why he's so obsessed with Trader Joe's.
Meet Marcus!
Tell us about your professional journey.
In my college days, as I was working toward my degree in marketing, my first exposure to the wild wild west of the restaurant industry was at Smoothie Factory, a QSR (quick-service restaurant) health bar and cafe. I had the opportunity to intern at a few hospitality and marketing organizations, but Smoothie Factory was the gig that taught me the foundations of what it looks like to operate and thrive in the fast-casual restaurant environment. But most importantly, working at Smoothie Factory made me a master in the art of blending fruits and veggies.
Soon after, I found myself interning at a wee little restaurant tech company called Menufy. At the time, the company was building out a sort of strike force team, called the Performance team, that could help IO (IO is short for independently owned restaurants) restaurants succeed with the platform and with their partnership with Menufy. This concept, though expanded and evolved beyond my wildest dreams, is still the driving force behind every engagement we make with our restaurant partners: “We want to help you succeed.”
Today we’re known as the IO Customer Success team. Our focus is on three very important areas — building a solid foundation on the web, driving value and enhancing relationships with restaurant partners, and helping them expand their digital reach and brand affinity. Being able to contribute to the growth and success of this corner of Menufy by HungerRush has been the most rewarding and humbling experience in my professional career.
I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Customer Success & Operations at Menufy by HungerRush.
What professional wisdom have you picked up along your voyage?
Working for a small business like Smoothie Factory, and for a startup like Menufy, has really taught me how to connect with clients on a more personal level. We serve a segment of restaurant owner-operators who, at the end of the day, are people like you and me. They're passionate about their craft and business. It’s an honor to help them thrive and succeed in their passions.
As a (self-proclaimed) creative-minded individual myself, I often try to make sure that brand integrity and affinity are at the forefront of any solution-based engagement I’m having with a restaurant partner. We live in an increasingly digital landscape. Building effective and lasting digital brand real estate, like its physical counterpart, still requires laying one brick at a time.
What is your favorite part of your role in the HungerRush organization?
Although success specialists often wear many hats, my favorite part of my role at HungerRush is how collaborative I get to be with others within the organization, especially when it comes to product enhancements and development. This is because the customer success team has the privilege of being the advocate for customers. We get to play a major role in converting customer feedback into real-life product developments, process improvements, and experience enhancements.
If you could "Freaky Friday" departments or roles for one day, which would you choose?
This one is a bit abstract, but I would like to switch roles with the founders and directors of the Menufy product, not because I envy their positions or their titles, but because every day, for nearly seven years, I have been awestruck and inspired by the leadership, compassion, and grit that they have consistently displayed to their people. Each and every one of them portrays a leadership quality that I hope to embody one day: strength, charisma, strategy, team-building, others-mindedness, kindness.
I, along with other associates, have had the rare opportunity to work alongside these individuals, watching them navigate and maneuver through the highs and lows and challenges and obstacles of the industry with an indomitable determination to succeed. Over the years, the fruit of their labor has impacted my life tremendously, along with the lives of hundreds of other associates, thousands of restaurant partners, and tens of millions of customers.
I am so grateful to be part of an organization with a team of leaders who set the table for a meal and invite everyone to pull up a chair to eat alongside them.
Which city do you call home, and what is the restaurant scene like?
KC always has been and always will be home. There is a charm to the city that never gets old. The food scene here is impeccable and ever-evolving. Obviously, we’re known for being the BBQ capital of the world, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t order it that often. Non-locals are always shocked by that response, but I usually tell them that there’s so much BBQ sauce and smoked brisket floating around in the air that my body is just absorbing it as I’m out and about.
Which restaurant is your current obsession?
Those who know me know that I am a fickle person, but also hyper-fixated. My “favorite restaurant” changes by the minute. However, there is a restaurant that is consistently in my top three — Unforked. I am absolutely obsessed with their double akaushi beef burger — with added mozzarella, bacon, and pickles and a lavender lemonade for the sips. Unforked embodies everything that I love about KC: It’s charming, aesthetically conscious, and has a menu that is not afraid to be bold or to challenge the status quo.
After you clock out, how do you spend your free time?
When I’m off the clock, you’ll find me ingesting a questionable amount of caffeine via cold brew at any given coffee shop while I’m catching up on the latest in the plant-care industry or planning my next trip to IKEA. I have an unhealthy obsession with IKEA and go there often.
I’m also a self-proclaimed Trader Joe’s evangelist. After surviving the TJs parking lot situation (no really, how is that a universal truth?), you’ll find me attempting to craft a dish using a new or unusual ingredient that I stumbled upon from there.
Is there a secret talent or skill you are proud of?
I’m not sure if you would categorize this as a secret skill or talent, but not many people know that I was the kid who won the Suite Life of Zack & Cody Danimals sweepstakes…kidding (early 2000s pop culture nerds will understand).
However, I did win a competitive Tater Tots-eating contest when I was 19, so there’s that.
Hear it from his coworkers.
"Marcus is the vibe king at Menufy by HungerRush. I've worked alongside him for almost six years, and he always walks into every meeting with a positive, go-getter attitude, ready to tackle the agenda. He also makes sure everyone has a good chuckle at some point with his witty puns." -Nikki Finley, Senior Onboarding Coordinator
"I had the utmost pleasure of being introduced to Marcus Walker when he was just a fresh baby bird some 6+ years ago. He was hired when Menufy was still in the early development stages of our now amazing Client Success department. Being in that department myself at that time, I was tasked with taking this young, featherless, flightless, but yet oh-so-very-eager-to-learn hatchling under my wing and helping to guide him towards the golden fields of success."
"After I moved to another department, I knew that young Marcus had learned everything he needed in order to push the boundaries of his craft and that he was able to contribute twice as much (if not more) to Menufy than I did being in that role."
"Today I am honored to admire how this once young, quirky, spry young man is now one of the staples of this great company. Watching him flex his beautifully bright and colorful, full-feathered plumage and wrap his giant wings around all of us at Menufy by HungerRush brings a tear to my eye."
"On a more serious note, Marcus is a fantastic coworker and an even better person. He’s what every parent hopes their child turns out to be when they grow up. He’s kind, caring, considerate, intelligent, funny, and charming. Although he and I created a friendly 'fake rivalry' with one another, I’ve been honored to work with Marcus all these years. We are all very lucky to call him our friend and/or coworker here at Menufy by HungerRush." -Devin Long, Senior Project Coordinator
"At the beginning, the Performance team, there was only one team member. It was Marcus. He WAS the department, and he is responsible for it being the success it is today. He immediately dove into the role and embodied our company culture. Marcus's influence and support reach far beyond his own team and can be felt by almost every department at Menufy. He streamlined procedures, inspired product progress, and is a dependable leader.
"Marcus has managed two of my teams and is always dialed in with his employees, while still keeping an eye on the customers' needs. His leadership is precise and calculated. His imaginative and energetic personality allows him to connect with anyone.
"Over the past seven years, we've grown together at Menufy. There was a time when Marcus would seek my professional advice, but now I go to him for collaboration.
"I feel lucky to have a guy like Marcus working for me as long as he has." -Hoang Nguyen, VP, IO Customer Success Growth & Operations
"Through his leadership and thoughtful problem-solving, Marcus contributed to not only shaping the Client Success team and its service offerings into today’s high-performance unit, but also enhancing our restaurant software features with critical guidance and feedback. Disposition-wise, his innate poise is immediately apparent and conducive for both successful client-facing engagements and the many cross-functional projects that he leads." -Jeremy Kuo, Marketing Director
The Last Bite
We are beyond grateful for the day Marcus accepted a Menufy internship.
The value Marcus brings to Menufy's online ordering products is only outweighed by the value he brings to the company culture. His vast restaurant knowledge and insights make our entire organization better.
Thank you, Marcus, for your countless contributions to Menufy by HungerRush and your positive vibes!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Dimmitt, Marketing Manager
Melissa began her digital marketing career nearly a decade ago at a restaurant group. She worked with restaurant managers and executive chefs while coordinating seasonal menu releases, executing photoshoots, and creating fresh digital content.