What’s The Next Solution?
Last week we catered a fundraiser in Vail, Colorado. It was a plated dinner for over 500 people held in a hanger at the Eagle-Vail Airport. We’ve been honored to be part of this event for the past 10 years, and we never take for granted that they choose to bring a caterer in for this marquee event from Denver, which is about 2 hours away.
In the catering business, we are acutely aware of dietary needs when feeding large groups of people. Even when clients ask attendees to submit dietary restrictions in advance, you would be surprised at how many people don’t. For this event we were prepared for all of the usual requests: vegan, gluten free, dairy free, nut allergies and more. Then we got a curveball.
Anthony, April and Jason in Vail, CO
Jason Sutton, our Director of Operations, learned of a dietary restriction we weren’t prepared for. He immediately started calling nearby restaurants hoping someone could help. Eventually he found one that could prepare a steak, meeting the guest’s dietary needs, and he jumped in a van to go pick it up (no, Door Dash wasn’t an option). The restaurant had the meal waiting for him when he arrived. He paid, walked back to the van…and it wouldn’t start.
He tried to get an Uber. None were available. He went back into the restaurant to see if anyone had jumper cables. Instead the waitress, knowing he was in a hurry, said, "I’ll just have my daughter drive you back to the event." She drove him back to the event, he got the meal plated up and served to the guest just in time.
Our theme this year at Footers is Never Settle, and this was a perfect example of what that looks like in action. It would have been easy to tell the guest, "I'm sorry, we don't have an option that meets your dietary needs." Or to put together a plate of side dishes and hope for the best.
Instead, Jason kept asking one question: "What's the next solution?”
He never let the first obstacle become the final answer. I think that's one of the defining characteristics of great leaders and great teams. Challenges are inevitable. Equipment breaks. People forget to communicate. Plans change. Unexpected problems show up every single day.
When you encounter obstacles, the most important thing is what you'll do next. Do you accept the first roadblock as the end of the story? Or do you stay curious, resourceful, and committed to finding another way?
At Footers, we often talk about creating exceptional experiences. And exceptional experiences are rarely created because everything goes according to plan. They're created because people care enough to solve problems when the plan falls apart.
That's exactly what Jason did. I'm incredibly grateful to work alongside people who refuse to settle for "good enough.” Because when a team is committed to the mission instead of just completing the task, they find solutions that others never would.
