First, make great impressions. Second, make such great impressions that guests go out of their way to promote your brand.
As someone who loves to travel, I am often moved by those extra special restaurant and hotel experiences – so moved that I feel I should let others know about great hospitality moments (or, in some cases, constructively, how it fell short).
Some shining examples come to mind: the entire service team at Chicago’s NoMi Kitchen remembering my name when dining on two different days while in Chicago – the food was as outstanding. On that trip I wasn’t even a hotel guest, but they were simply spot-on. Or the brand new restaurant team at Ka’ana Kitchen taking such pride in a full exhibition kitchen and showcasing the culinary team talent personalized for each guest at the (4 top) Chef’s Table right on the execution line.
Or, at Gulfstream Restaurant in Century City/LA doing the “right thing” by not stocking any fresh oysters on one visit as they didn’t meet their exacting standards – even though a good ¼ of the menu was focused on fresh oysters – so refreshing but not unexpected from what I consider to be one of the best run restaurant groups nationwide, Hillstone.
What have you done lately to exceed guest expectations? Are you too focused on delivering just on the menu essentials without looking for those golden opportunities to really shine? How often have you and your team strategized on how you can blow the roof off during normal service?
