Miranda H.’s Post

Recently, our colleagues Derrick Yarbrough and TJ Wommack spoke at Prosper Forum 2023 on why DE&I are at the core of hospitality's future as an industry. For all industries, DE&I initiatives are fundamental to building a sense of belonging and shared vision, among many other benefits. But for the hospitality industry, where up to 40% of roles are unfilled, it's all the more essential to consider how to attract top talent through authentic DE&I programs. Their work demonstrates how authentic inclusivity drives commercial success. You can read their full set of findings below. (Pictured from left to right: Andrew Sharpee, Adam Werner, Derrick Yarbrough, TJ Wommack)

Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara First time I heard of Will Guidara he was speaking at the PBD's Vault Conference in Miami. I didn't know anything about him or his restaurant, but I was so blown away by his Q&A that I immediately bought his book. If you want to learn about how to use your business as a vehicle to serve people, this is the book. Unreasonable Hospitality takes you through Will's life and hospitality career from where he started out, to how he led Eleven Madison Park (a fine dining restaurant in NYC) to be named the best restaurant in the world. Some of my biggest takeaways were: - One size fits one: treat your clients, guests, etc. as their own unique person. Making people feel seen means attending to their unique needs. - Praise people constantly but don't be afraid to criticize: criticism is an investment, it means you are putting effort into someone's improvement, so don't be afraid to expect the best from people. But for every criticism, you need to praise much more. - Be persistent! It took Will years to rise in the ranks from 50th on the list of top 50 restaurants to first, and he did it by practicing being the best day in and day out. You can't show up and expect to play perfectly on game day if you failed to practice beforehand. Persistency allows greatness to become habit. I'd rate this book a 10/10. Not only is it a business book, but it follows a story so it was always exciting to pick up and read :)

Meetings with the local restaurant in Södermalm <-> world-leading company Yesterday was one of those days that makes your heart race a little extra, not from stress, but from anticipation. I sat down and put the finishing touches on an offer from our service specialists, aimed at a little gem of a restaurant in Södermalm. The place feels like it's straight out of a French movie, with an atmosphere so genuinely welcoming that you almost expect the wine to pour itself. They're considering expanding their team by between three and ten new employees to handle all the guests expected this coming spring and summer. It doesn't just feel like a business opportunity – it feels genuinely exciting if we get to work with them. Today brings a different kind of excitement 😲🤩. I'm gearing up for a meeting with what feels like a giant opportunity. A world-leading customer service company has somehow caught wind of the journey Simflexity is on. With thousands of employees globally and a presence in more than 20 countries, this isn't just a step up on the ladder – it's like taking an elevator straight to the top floor. It feels surreal, how our 'tech and product-first project' is now attracting attention from a behemoth on the international stage. We'll see what the future holds, but this is definitely something I'll learn from, regardless of the outcome. And amidst this whirlwind of opportunities, I stand humbly feeling grateful for the amazing people who are at the beginning of their careers and who are filled with ambition and positivity. We mostly work with gigs and short-term assignments, but wow, what new, great colleagues I've gained. Their loyalty and commitment exceed all my expectations. Watching them tackle each new job with such enthusiasm and professionalism fills me with both pride and gratitude. 🙏 Living life as an entrepreneur is about constantly balancing between different worlds. One day it's about fine-tuning details in a quote for a charming local restaurant, and the next it's about strategically preparing for meetings that could change everything. It's this contrast, this endless variety of challenges and opportunities, that makes it all so intoxicating. Every day is a new adventure, every conversation opens doors to new worlds. It's a journey that's as unpredictable as it is rewarding. "The Infinite Game" - To sustainably explore, learn, and live

Book recommendation... Unreasonable Hospitality - Will Guidara (Full Disclosure: I haven't finished this one yet, but was moved early on and am powering through it quite quickly.) "...create a culture of hospitality...How do you make the people who work for you and the people you serve feel seen and valued? How do you give them a sense of belonging? How do you make them feel part of something bigger than themselves? How you make them feel welcome?" While the book is centered on the restaurant industry, there are principles that carry over to all. Create an experience that people remember and want to come back to because of how it made them feel whether it's your employees, customers, or anyone you interact with. To steal another quote from the book--"the human desire to be taken care of never goes away." Thanks, Jason Riverol, for the recommendation and for letting me borrow your copy! #unreasonablehospitality

Required Reading 📚 Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara What a captivating account of the author's road to help a struggling 2-star brasserie Eleven Madison Park transform into THE best restaurant in the world leveraging Unreasonable Hospitality. 🍽️ This story has so much to offer, and yes I did cry when they got the 4th star, but one of my favorite details was how they approached experience from first principles. Takes too long to get the water order in and delays the guest experience, let's use baseball signals to communicate with the busser. The podium and iPad are like a wall between us and our guests during their arrival experience, let's reimagine this moment. 💡 One thing EMP did was they gamified incredible service by something they called performing a "legend" which meant the staff had done something exceptional to totally blow the guests' minds. "It isn't the lavishness of the gift that counts, but the pricelessness." 🗝️ Full marks for Will's incredible book that takes the reader on a wild ride through the world of fine-dining and renowned chefs, in some grippingly personal ways. If this book doesn't make you consider leaving everything to work at a fine-dining restaurant, then maybe you should reevaluate your priorities. For those of us who have worked in the kitchen or front of house, Will's account is familiar and nostalgic. 🥂 This book is required reading, but not just for restauranteurs and hoteliers. "When people have the resources and the autonomy to imbue these transactions with their own thoughtfulness, salespeople become product designers." Mic drop.  🎤 I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. We all could use a dash of unreasonable hospitality to bring the world from the black-and-white of service into the full-color world of hospitality. 🎨 #books #hospitality #events #requiredreading #bookclub #audible #restuarants #finedining #sales #productdesign #service #customersuccess #unreasonablehospitality https://lnkd.in/eDixtbyB

We’re now in the week to two weeks window of opening our first Dead Rabbit outside of New York City, and I wanted to use this opportunity to explain what instigated our growth, why we chose Austin, and some of the many amazing idiosyncrasies of our Austin store each day until we open to the public. As many of you know, The Dead Rabbit has changed markedly in the past few years with an approach of balancing the founding core of the company whilst evolving the outward manifestations of our said core. When we opened The Dead Rabbit, it was all about bringing the Irish Pub in America into the 21st century. When we opened, that initially manifested in our split-level concept and infusing the Irish Pub with great quality cocktails, a banging Irish Coffee, and a great Irish Whiskey selection. While this hasn't changed, we've broadened our aperture to doggedly focus on showcasing the very best of contemporary Irish culture, challenging the manifold misconceptions around our culture in America, and showing that an Irish Pub can be relevant, can be both hospitality and quality driven, and can be beautifully designed. In order to achieve these goals and our mission as a company, we simply had to grow as we wouldn't be able to successfully execute this with one bar in New York, or numerous Dead Rabbits in New York for that matter. I fully believe there should and can be a Dead Rabbit in most major cities in America, and who knows, further down the line, maybe some internationally, all complemented by the other concepts we've launched or are in the process of developing which celebrate different stories and serve different consumer sets. However, we don't want The Dead Rabbit to scale poorly by losing strategic discipline, operational rigor, or commodifying or chainifying The Dead Rabbit. In addition, each new Dead Rabbit must simultaneously execute our core key experience drivers whilst ensuring each Dead Rabbit is relevant to said market. That’s a delicate dance which I'll communicate how we intend to do over the coming week or so. So tune in if you're interested, or tune out if you're not! ❤️🇮🇪

In between family time and smoking some pulled pork on this Memorial Day, my book was so good that I ended up plowing through the whole thing. Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara is an inspiring must read! What I liked most about it was its authenticity. It wasn’t written from the view of a business CEO or an academic. Guidara’s lessons come from his first hand experiences throughout his career on his way to manage the number one rated restaurant in the world, and they are incredibly relevant regardless of your line of work. The premise is creating a culture of hospitality; how do you make the people who work for you and the people you serve feel seen and valued? And then explains how he was able to dial this concept up to level 11! Some of the highlights were on the topics building a great team, giving criticism, reinventing yourself, and creating legendary experiences for people you serve. Chapter 10 on collaboration was worth the cost alone. Entertaining, thought provoking, creative, and so full of useful insights that you’ll need a second highlighter on hand. Finally, I’ve never experienced fine dining at the level described in the book, but knowing the level of detail that goes into the experience left me in awe. Get this book, you won’t regret it!

Dive into the Intriguing World of Japanese Business Dinners: Uncover the Art of Etiquette that Fuels Professional Success! Discover how mastery of dining customs can elevate your business relationships in Japan. #CultureMeetsBusiness #JapaneseBusinessEtiquette #CulturalDining #ProfessionalGrowth #WineAndSpiritsIndustry #InternationalBusiness #EtiquetteMatters #DiningForSuccess #GlobalBusinessCulture #NetworkingInJapan #CulturalIntelligence

Book Review - "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara It is an inspiring and insightful book that delves into the world of hospitality through the lens of a seasoned industry expert. As the co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, one of the world's top restaurants, Guidara shares his remarkable journey and unwavering commitment to creating extraordinary guest experiences. The book captures Guidara's passion for genuine hospitality and the transformative power it holds in shaping memorable moments for guests highlighting that it's not merely about the food but the entire experience that leaves a lasting impact. One of the book's standout features is the emphasis on the culture of excellence and the continuous pursuit of improvement. One does not need to be in the food or restaurant industry to gain insight and ideas of how to take your business or brand's hospitality to the next level. A couple of my favorite quotes from the book are: "Don't run away from what you don't want ; run toward what you do." "Nobody knows what they're doing before they do it." "If your business involves making people happy, then you can't be good at it if you don't care what people think. The day you stop reading your criticism is the day you grow complacent and irrelevance won't be far behind." There were many take aways for me on team building, leadership and of course guest / client experience. I believe a must read. Make it a great day! Blake

I recently finished reading "Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer – about his career in the restaurant industry, but which is relevant far beyond.  Danny Meyer opened the Union Square Cafe when he was 27, and it went on to become a great success and a NY classic.  One of the core messages of the book is around the concept of hospitality. Meyer draws a distinction between service and hospitality.  Service is all the actions you do.  Hospitality is providing the customer with the feeling that you are on their side.  It’s actually another reflection of the core concept of empathy – an often discussed key skill and behavior for life and business.  One reason I find the concept of hospitality so compelling, is that it's more visceral than empathy.  Growing up in France in a Turkish-American family, I grew up with it.  Turks are renowned for their hospitality, and to boot, as we were living in France we often had friends and family visiting.  Something you’ve learned at an early age, in a family setting is likely to stick with you through life, and like muscle-memory, there for you to remember even in stressful times when myriad factors may be pulling you in different directions.  So try it on for size: think of your customers and business partners as guests, and see what you can do to make them feel that you are on their side.