The Twelve Laws of the Guest Experience
Your Guest has already decided. Not after the food arrived. Not after the check. Before the server said…
What Warren Buffett Taught Me About How to Run a Better Restaurant
In 1969, Warren Buffett wrote a line in his partnership letter that most investors have read and almost…
You Can’t Hire Better Cast. You Can Hire Better People.
A few weeks ago a colleague posted about hiring four cooks at $20 an hour. Three ghosted. One…
You’re Looking Right at It. You Just Can’t See It.
In 1999, researchers at Harvard ran an experiment that changed how we understand human attention. They asked volunteers…
A Full Dining Room Is Not a Business Model
There is no feeling in this business quite like a full dining room. Tables occupied. Conversations overlapping. The…
The Agent Is Already at the Table
I’ve been saying for years that the biggest threat to the independent restaurant operator isn’t the chain across…
The Casual Full-Service Problem Isn’t the Food
Walk into any casual full-service chain and count the friction points before you’ve ordered your first drink. The…
The Conversation About AI and Leadership Is the Same One I’ve Been Having About Road 1 and Road 2 For Decades
For decades, the AI and leadership conversation has been framed as human vs. machine. Which tasks will AI…
It’s Egotistical Ignorance.
After 44 years in this business, I still ask questions to anyone with a pulse in the operation.…
The Advantage You Already Have and Aren’t Using
The large hospitality companies are in crisis. Turnover is catastrophic. Burnout is systemic. Guest experience is declining. The…