A few weeks ago, April and I walked into a restaurant.  As we waited at the host stand, a waiter walked by, clearly saw us, but didn’t acknowledge that we were there.  No hello, no eye contact, no “the host will be with you in just a moment.”  We continued to wait, and I noticed an open kitchen overlooking the dining room.  A couple of chefs were chatting with each other.  As they looked up to scan the dining room, they saw us waiting along with another couple that had just walked in the door.  Again, no acknowledgement that we were there.  Finally, the host came and led us to a table.  And this was a higher end restaurant in Vail, Colorado!  April and I both agreed that it was disappointing that it was only the host who greeted us.

Unfortunately, this situation has become more common than not, and I worry that hospitality is a dying art.  The post-pandemic new normal and rapid advances in technology that allow us to get so much done without talking to another human have set a lower bar when it comes to service.  No need to hail a cab or interact with a driver, we order an Uber and they immediately know where to pick us up and drop us off.  We place an order in 2-3 clicks instead of making a call.  We can check into hotel rooms using our phone as a key without even having to stop by the front desk.  And with food delivery services like Door Dash, we don’t even have to go to a restaurant any more to enjoy their food.

But there is something else at play here.  It’s a silo-ed view of what one’s responsibilities are in their job.  Each person on a team needs to do their specific job, but they also need to understand how they contribute to the success of the organization and know when to go beyond their specific job duties.  While a chef might not be responsible per se for greeting guests at the host stand, they should be responsible for helping to create a welcoming environment.  As leaders we spend a majority of our time training people what to do and we forget to talk about why it matters.  We focus on the technical skills needed but we miss the opportunity to let people know how they are contributing to the bigger purpose of the organization.  We fail to infuse meaning and purpose into their work and it leads to the phrase: “that’s not my job.”  In 1962 President Kennedy was touring the NASA Space Center and he asked a janitor what he did there, the man replied; “I’m helping to put a man on the moon.”  Clearly, he understood that his job was about much more than mopping floors and scrubbing toilets.

Fortunately, all is not lost and I found some hope in the other direction.  This week my family and I walked into another restaurant, as we came through the door, the bartender across the room looked up from what he was doing and in a friendly voice said, “Welcome!”  Then a bus boy walked by carrying a stack of plates and said, “Hi there, thanks for coming in!”  The difference was noticeable and while the food may have been a bit better at the first restaurant I mentioned, we enjoyed the experience much more at this spot because the team was engaged in making us feel welcome.  You can set your organization apart by talking about purpose.  By letting your team members know why their work matters. And talking about their role in making the organization successful.  And by eliminating the phrase “that’s not my job” when it comes to things that relate to the overall purpose of your company. 

Remind Yourself of Your Purpose in Hospitality!

• Looking forward to opening August 1st for the MIBE Summit: January 26-28th, 2025

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