Eatery Boss Proves Smiles Win Out in the End

When Henrik Winther came to Russia 15 years ago, grabbing a bite to eat was no easy task.

"At the time, there were really only two restaurants in the whole country," said Winther, Rosinter Restaurants senior vice president and Rostik's-KFC CEO, in an interview in his bright, spacious Moscow office. "I thought, 'this is exciting!'"

Even though two restaurants may be an underestimation of the Russian restaurant scene in 1991, nobody can deny the sector has come a long way since then.

Today, Moscow's streets are dotted with restaurants, and Rosinter's 11 chains -- including TGI Friday's, American Bar and Grill, Planet Sushi and others -- add up to the largest restaurant company in Russia and the CIS, with 248 restaurants in 17 cities.

In January, Winther was appointed CEO and president of the new Rostik's-KFC co-brand. Previously the chief operating officer of Rosinter, Winther helped propel the company to success based largely on a simple yet novel idea: the power of a smile.

"Yes, we're selling food and beverages, but really we're selling smiles and a good time," Winther said. "We sell emotions. To sell emotions, you need to know how to produce emotions in large quantities."

U.S.-born Winther, 43, came to Russia in 1991 from France, where he had managed his family's resort on the French Riviera. At first, his personable approach to the business was seen as unorthodox, if not radical.

"It was very difficult in the beginning," he said of the reactions that his friendly style provoked. "People said, 'Russia is different; if you smile you're perceived as being of low intelligence.'"

Creating a new business culture in a foreign country might have seemed risky, but for Winther, taking risks -- both professional and personal -- comes naturally. Born in Dallas, Texas, to Danish parents, he moved to Denmark at the age of two and to France at 13, where his parents opened a resort including a hotel and restaurant. Winther cites these moves, and his parents' accompanying career changes, as evidence of a genetic "adventurous streak."

"My parents sold swimming pools in Denmark," he said. "Moving to France, the country of gastronomy, was a drastic change of career."

It was in this "country of gastronomy," helping his parents run their restaurant, that Winther honed his own gastronomic sense. Although he was just a teenager, he helped with virtually every aspect of the family business, offering advice on everything from remodeling to management concepts.

"I'm still surprised how much they listened to me," he said, laughing.

When he was in his early 20s he returned to the United States, where he gained experience working for Marriott and various independent fine-dining restaurants all over the country, hopping from Texas to New Mexico to California. Until completing Harvard Business School's three-month advanced management program last year, Winther had never received a university degree, although he briefly attended colleges in both France and the United States.

"I didn't finish [at that time] because I was traveling so much," he said. "Instead, I was self-taught."

In the late 1980s, his parents decided to retire and Winther moved back to France to take charge of the family business.

But on a quiet winter evening in late 1990, Winther came across an advertisement that piqued his interest.

"It was just a three-line ad for a director of a restaurant in Russia," he said. "There had been ads for Africa, South America, Asia, everywhere, but there had never been ads for restaurants in the Soviet Union." So Winther called the given phone number, out of "pure curiosity."

After months of correspondence with the Moscow-based Rosinter, Winther agreed to a three-day visit to Russia.

"Intuitively, I thought it was a great opportunity to move forward," he said.

Upon returning from his brief trip, Winther invited his parents over for a lunch of vodka and caviar and announced his decision: He was moving to Moscow to accept a position as general manager of a Swiss/French restaurant called Le Chalet, operated by Rosinter.

"That was the beginning of the first steps of this 15-year adventure," he said of his "bombshell" decision, which forced his parents to come out of retirement. "I've been part of all the changes the country's gone through, seeing it, being here, through coups, political crises, economic meltdowns, you name it."

Luck happens to everyone, Winther said, "like a train."

"Get on the train, and if it's not the right direction, get off and grab another," he said. "Don't be hesitant in taking risks."