Why You're in the Hospitality Industry and Not the Food Industry

I’m putting a flag in the ground: your restaurant is not a food business. It’s a hospitality business. If you tell people you are in the food business, then you’re telling them you provide the same thing as a gas station, which also sells food. Restaurants have the privilege to create memories in their customers’ lives. Your job is to create memories for your guests and keep them coming back time and time again.

In this episode of my podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity Formula, I answer the question, “What is great hospitality?” and walk you through some of the ways other restaurants I’ve worked with have defined hospitality for their operations. Then I cover what people really remember as their best restaurant experiences and how you can help become part of those stories. And finally, I talk about how to organize the experience for your guests and how to build up to or exceed WOW customer service. 

Great hospitality is when your guests notice nothing but each other. Great hospitality is when you anticipate the needs for your guests and provide for them. Great hospitality is when you have allowed your guests to create a memory.

If you're looking to build a restaurant where people come back again and again for all their favorite occasions – including just having a great meal – consider how you manage hospitality, from employee training to customer service. Everything that does on in the restaurant from the moment a customer enters to using the restaurant and then paying the bill is part of that hospitality experience. 

If you're wondering if your restaurant is one focused around hospitality or food, listen to this episode to find out. And no matter the answer, use the tools I teach as building blocks to set up a great experience in hospitality or to improve the one you offer. 

Click the podcast player above to listen in, or you can watch the video on YouTube, click here to download the latest episode.