40 Influential Leaders - Tom Boucher

Tom Boucher
CEO and Owner of Great NH Restaurants

Anyone who has spent any time in the hospitality industry knows the saying, “the customer is always right.” Tom Boucher, CEO and owner of Great NH Restaurants, takes a different approach.

“For me, it is always the customer, and the employee and company—[they] all sit on a three-legged stool that needs to be balanced,” he says. “None is more favored than the other.” The model has proven successful for Great NH Restaurants, which employs 850 people across nine restaurants. The company’s brands include T-BONES Great American Eatery, Cactus Jack’s Grill & Watering Hole, and Copper Door.

“That is exactly why I think we came out of the pandemic stronger than we went into it, because our employees felt cared for by us,” says Boucher. Last summer, Boucher launched a program called “core value cash” that lets employees recognize each other with gift cards and other perks.

Boucher got his start working at T-BONES during college. He has been CEO of the restaurant group for 20 years, and owner since 1995. 

Promoting talent from within has been a successful model for Great NH Restaurants. Every manager started in entry-level positions. Great NH Restaurants also has an ownership program available to general managers.

The restaurant industry underwent lasting changes during the pandemic. For Boucher, it offered a chance to take stock. “I had to step back and say, [what] is our biggest asset right now? For me, it was our employees.”