This College Professor Put His Management Lessons to the Test With Beef ‘O’ Brady’s

Neil Clements spent years teaching business and leadership as a college department chair and management professor. In 2020, when COVID forced his family’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s restaurant to switch entirely to takeout and online ordering, he left academia to help keep the business running. He initially expected the move to be temporary, but the experience gave him an opportunity to apply what he had taught in the classroom and ultimately led him down a different career path.

Today, Clements serves as general manager of his family’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s restaurant in Thomasville, working alongside his sister, brother-in-law and other relatives. Now, he’s helping take that family business into new markets. Clements and his business parters, sister Yvonne Wood and brother-in-law Ron Wood, are planning three new Beef ‘O’ Brady’s locations in the Savannah area, including Pooler and Richmond Hill.

The expansion also has personal significance for Clements. His daughter lives in Savannah and is preparing for her wedding in January 2027, while his son is approaching college graduation. As the family prepares to expand, Clements brings the experience of managing a restaurant where some employees have stayed for 22 or 23 years. It's a far different career from the one he originally envisioned, but one that allows him to put his management experience to work as the business grows.

Clements took the time to discuss his career transition and his family’s expansion plans with 1851 Franchise. Here’s what he had to say:

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story in one sentence.

Neil Clements: I transitioned from college department chair to full-time restaurant management during COVID-19 to help my family pivot to 100% takeout, and now I'm leading our family's three-unit expansion across fast-growing Savannah markets.

1851: What was happening in your life that made you realize it was time to make a change?

Clements: I was working in higher education as a college department chair and management instructor, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, our family’s decades-old restaurant business faced a massive, overnight shift from dine-in seating to 100% takeout and online ordering. I stepped in full-time to help manage operations through that crisis, fell in love with the fast-paced nature of the business and realized I wanted to build a lasting multigenerational legacy alongside my family.

1851: Why did you choose this franchise over every other opportunity?

Clements: Our family’s involvement actually started 25 years ago with an incredible origin story. My brother-in-law fell in love with the restaurant's homemade blue cheese dressing while traveling through Florida, and when the staff refused to share the secret recipe, they told him the only way to get it was to buy a franchise! Beyond the amazing product, we chose this brand because of its wholesome, family-friendly environment focused on safe dining, which has driven extraordinary staff retention. We even have team members who have stayed with us for 22 and 23 years.

1851: What is it really like running a Beef ‘O’ Brady’s franchise?

Clements: It is a 24/7 commitment. You give up weekends, holidays and personal downtime, and you have to be ready to solve problems at a moment's notice. But working side by side every day with my sister, brother-in-law, children, nieces, nephews and cousins has brought our family so much closer together, making all the hard work completely worth it.

1851: How has joining the family business changed your life?

Clements: It allowed me to step out of the classroom and apply operational strategy in real time while building a business with the people I love most. Now, expanding into Savannah, Pooler and Richmond Hill aligns perfectly with our family milestones. My daughter lives in Savannah and is getting married this January, and my son is graduating from college, so we are growing right where our family is planting deep roots.

1851: If your best friend had enough money to buy this franchise tomorrow, what would you tell them?

Clements: I would tell them to jump in without hesitation. You have to respect the realities of the workload and be prepared for constant commitment, but if you build the right culture and treat your staff like family, it is an extraordinarily rewarding life.

1851: What's the one thing you wish someone had told you before getting involved with this franchise?

Clements: When our family started 25 years ago, we were total neophytes with zero prior restaurant experience, and corporate support was minimal. I wish someone had prepared us for how steep that initial learning curve would be, though the franchisor has vastly improved its onboarding and owner support systems since.

ABOUT BEEF ‘O’ BRADY’S: 

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s is a franchise of family sports pubs that provides the perfect atmosphere for friends and families to watch the game and grab a bite. With a focus on providing value without sacrificing quality, the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s menu features delicious family favorites like award-winning wings, fresh Angus burgers, crisp salads, USDA Choice Cut sirloin and grilled salmon, along with a kids’ menu and a full bar for the adults. Beef 'O' Brady's is strongly dedicated to community involvement through ongoing partnerships with local schools, youth sports leagues and other community groups. Beef 'O' Brady's currently operates 120 locations in 21 states. For more information about franchising opportunities, visit http://www.beefobradysfranchise.com/.