{"id":15962,"date":"2020-07-23T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.c12marketing.wpengine.com\/?p=15962"},"modified":"2022-12-20T14:12:22","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T14:12:22","slug":"peter-demos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/leadership\/peter-demos\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter Demos, A Christian Business Leader Who Listens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Actively listening to serve employees and customers alike<\/b><\/p>\n

In a business world that prioritizes productivity, speed, and profits, Christians may feel like Monday through Friday belongs to the world while Sunday belongs to God. But Scripture beckons Christians toward a more holistic lifestyle. \u201cWhatever you do,\u201d Paul says in 1 Corinthians, \u201cdo it all to the glory of God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Christianity Today<\/span><\/i> spoke to five C12 Members who want to do more than simply run another successful company. These leaders want their faith in Christ to be fully integrated into their business practices, influencing everything from production to employee relations, from hiring practices to strategic planning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Peter Demos, owner of <\/span>Demos\u2019 Restaurants<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Image: Photo by <\/b>Austin Lord<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Peter Demos grew up in the family restaurant but began his career as a lawyer. Yet, his heart quickly called him back to the hospitality industry and restaurants rich with memories and possibilities. After successfully running a restaurant for 12 years, he gave his life to Christ in his forties. This was the first act of listening to God that would allow Demos to become who he is now\u2014not only a successful restaurateur of four Demos\u2019 Restaurant and two PDK Southern Kitchen locations but also an author, speaker, and the man at the helm of a dozen entities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Demos\u2019s understanding of his mission and purpose was further clarified when a trusted mentor told him that he isn\u2019t actually the managing director of the company\u2014God is. Ever since then, Demos has viewed himself as a steward. He reads Scripture every day and fills a board at his office with prayer requests he believes God has asked him and his fellow Christian employees to pray for. And he listens to the needs that arise among his 500+ employees so that he can ask God for ways to help meet their needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take transportation, for example. As gentrification has increased in the Nashville neighborhood surrounding Demos\u2019 Restaurant, some employees had been forced to sell their cars in order to afford housing. Demos realized these employees were walking three to four miles home after long hours on their feet during their shifts at the restaurant. So he created a bike ministry to give away 20 bikes. Each bike was prayed over and given in the name of Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n

This careful listening and intentional response coupled with clarifying his motive is imperative to Demos. \u201cI talk about the parable of the talents,\u201d Demos says. \u201cWe can sit there and talk about all the nice, good stuff we do [like giving away bikes], but if we don\u2019t share the gospel? Jesus calls that wicked. So we make sure that in our business, we try to [share the gospel] through boldness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Demos also listens to his employees through his company\u2019s monthly review process in which employees can provide feedback and submit prayer requests. \u201cEverything that\u2019s written down, whether it\u2019s a joke or a criticism, comes across my desk,\u201d he says. \u201cI carefully review and respond to the needs expressed by my employees.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Listening and learning from one another finds its fullest expression in the way Demos positions his restaurants as a place where customers\u2019 needs are served with excellence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe aren\u2019t being judged compared to everybody else,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re being judged [by our customers] based off the last time [they] came in and ate with us. Every day needs to be an improvement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Demos communicates this point however and whenever he can: Other restaurants are not his competition. He is his own competition. And God is his managing director.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care what the restaurant down the street is doing,\u201d Demos continues. \u201cIf God wants my business to fail, I can\u2019t do anything to stop him. If he\u2019s done with our restaurant, I can\u2019t thwart his plan. However, if he wants it to succeed, he doesn\u2019t have to use me for that. I have to work really hard to be in alignment with what he wants or he\u2019s going to find somebody else to come in and take over the business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s with this clear-eyed, determined focus that Demos works. He\u2019s still listening\u2014to his customers\u2019 feedback about the menus or his decision to give away Bibles at his restaurants (if they\u2019re upset, Demos says that\u2019s just a chance to share the gospel), to his employees wearing out their shoes trudging to work, to that heart whisper that brought him back to the restaurant industry, and, above all, to his Managing Director.<\/span><\/p>\n

*This profile originally appeared in the article \u201c5 Companies Radically Shaped by the Faith of Their Owners\u201d published <\/span>here<\/span><\/a> and in the May\/June 2020 issue of<\/span> Christianity Today<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,27,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership","category-management","category-spiritual-growth"],"yoast_head":"\nChristian Business Leader Profile: Peter Demos<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to know how to better steward the recources God gives your business? 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These leaders want their faith in Christ to be fully integrated into their business practices, influencing everything from production to employee relations, from hiring practices to strategic planning.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s Peter Demos, owner of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.demosrestaurants.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demos\u2019 Restaurants<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-20726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/5cfd49b72083b.image_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Image: Photo by <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinlordphotography.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Austin Lord<\/b><\/a><\/p>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peter Demos grew up in the family restaurant but began his career as a lawyer. Yet, his heart quickly called him back to the hospitality industry and restaurants rich with memories and possibilities. After successfully running a restaurant for 12 years, he gave his life to Christ in his forties. This was the first act of listening to God that would allow Demos to become who he is now\u2014not only a successful restaurateur of four Demos\u2019 Restaurant and two PDK Southern Kitchen locations but also an author, speaker, and the man at the helm of a dozen entities.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demos\u2019s understanding of his mission and purpose was further clarified when a trusted mentor told him that he isn\u2019t actually the managing director of the company\u2014God is. Ever since then, Demos has viewed himself as a steward. He reads Scripture every day and fills a board at his office with prayer requests he believes God has asked him and his fellow Christian employees to pray for. And he listens to the needs that arise among his 500+ employees so that he can ask God for ways to help meet their needs.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take transportation, for example. As gentrification has increased in the Nashville neighborhood surrounding Demos\u2019 Restaurant, some employees had been forced to sell their cars in order to afford housing. Demos realized these employees were walking three to four miles home after long hours on their feet during their shifts at the restaurant. So he created a bike ministry to give away 20 bikes. Each bike was prayed over and given in the name of Jesus.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This careful listening and intentional response coupled with clarifying his motive is imperative to Demos. \u201cI talk about the parable of the talents,\u201d Demos says. \u201cWe can sit there and talk about all the nice, good stuff we do [like giving away bikes], but if we don\u2019t share the gospel? Jesus calls that wicked. So we make sure that in our business, we try to [share the gospel] through boldness.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demos also listens to his employees through his company\u2019s monthly review process in which employees can provide feedback and submit prayer requests. \u201cEverything that\u2019s written down, whether it\u2019s a joke or a criticism, comes across my desk,\u201d he says. \u201cI carefully review and respond to the needs expressed by my employees.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listening and learning from one another finds its fullest expression in the way Demos positions his restaurants as a place where customers\u2019 needs are served with excellence.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe aren\u2019t being judged compared to everybody else,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re being judged [by our customers] based off the last time [they] came in and ate with us. Every day needs to be an improvement.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demos communicates this point however and whenever he can: Other restaurants are not his competition. He is his own competition. And God is his managing director.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI don\u2019t care what the restaurant down the street is doing,\u201d Demos continues. \u201cIf God wants my business to fail, I can\u2019t do anything to stop him. If he\u2019s done with our restaurant, I can\u2019t thwart his plan. However, if he wants it to succeed, he doesn\u2019t have to use me for that. I have to work really hard to be in alignment with what he wants or he\u2019s going to find somebody else to come in and take over the business.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s with this clear-eyed, determined focus that Demos works. He\u2019s still listening\u2014to his customers\u2019 feedback about the menus or his decision to give away Bibles at his restaurants (if they\u2019re upset, Demos says that\u2019s just a chance to share the gospel), to his employees wearing out their shoes trudging to work, to that heart whisper that brought him back to the restaurant industry, and, above all, to his Managing Director.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*This profile originally appeared in the article \u201c5 Companies Radically Shaped by the Faith of Their Owners\u201d published <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/partners\/c12\/5-companies-radically-shaped-by-faith-of-their-owners.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and in the May\/June 2020 issue of<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christianity Today<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>","_content_area":"field_5c1bedcaef2fa","remove_margin":"0","_remove_margin":"field_619401edba742"},"align":"","mode":"edit"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joinc12.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}