Steve Divitkos’ Post

This is a candid and insightful article from Tamara Chuang & The Colorado Sun about the state of restaurant hospitality in Denver. I encourage everyone in Colorado and beyond to take the time to read the article. Restauranters are—bar none—the hardest, grittiest, most positive, and most resilient people I have ever encountered. When the consensus from our top chefs/restaurateurs/economic contributors is this unified, this clear, and this targeted - it's time to listen to these #Denver leaders. From personal experience, we know that the hospitality industry is a place to celebrate, lends space and comfort when we are grieving, and provides essential support for our communities. What we might overlook is the outsized impact our restaurants provide to our economy. According to the Colorado Restaurant Association & Foundation, - restaurants employ 10% of our workforce, provide the first job for 1/3 of all adults, and annually contribute $14+ billion in retail sales and $323 million in state sales tax revenue to the Colorado economy. “There’s always a new crop of people who have worked their lives in restaurants and are now looking for the opportunity to do one of their own. And that’s what keeps the #Denver restaurant scene vibrant,” John Imbergamo said. “The base premise is that it’s an industry that thrives on creativity and opportunity and hard work. That premise remains in place no matter what the economics are. It’s just harder.” Troy Guard, Juan Padro, John Imbergamo, Alex Seidel, Jennifer Jasinski, Tommy Lee, Dana Rodríguez “The one and the only Loca”,

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Eleven Madison Park (EMP) in New York City had already been among the world’s top 50 restaurants for successive years, and moving up on that elite list, when Peter Wells, food critic for The New York Times, walked out of its dining room after a fifteen-course lunch to write a review so scathing that he earned himself the name Peter ‘The Punisher’ Wells in the media. In today’s increasingly gatekeeper-less world, the idea of paying exclusive attention to one person’s opinion smells of fossils. I’ve for long wondered why the best restaurateurs and chefs are okay with flourishing and perishing by the food critic’s pen. They go to painstaking lengths to come good on that one unannounced Judgement Day and earn the right to those elusive stars. I said up top that this idea of giving so much heft to one person’s views is bonkers. I’m willing to change my mind on this. What persuades me is this: any brilliant creation is fractal. In its smallest component shines the excellence of its entirety. Each part captures the character of the whole. Steve Jobs was known to check the back of drawers because his father had taught him that anything beautiful had to be so through and through, even where no one’s eyes went. Especially where no one’s eyes went. It is the same thought that applies to the highest rung of customer service. The smallest detail represents the whole. A single diner’s experience carries the voice of the community. We can moan over the harshness and ridiculousness of letting one stranger determine the fate of our grandest projects. EMP made wholesale changes to its service after that biting review. Or we can use it as the perfect excuse to make the back of our drawer shine just like the front. In four years, EMP went on to be become #1 at the World's 50 Best in 2017. #customerservice #hospitality #curiosityovercertainty

Listen to Juan Orrego´s inspiring story of building Cuboh and reshaping the restaurant industry after early career setbacks. Watch the full video by clicking the link in the comments below! #RestaurantRevolution #StartupSuccess #RedefiningRestaurants #WiskingItAllPodcast

Daily Dollop of Wallop #70 Here is a question for you. Would you go out of your way to book a table at a restaurant where they were awarded with having the 'Best UK Sommelier'? The coveted prize was awarded to a gentleman this week, that needed to demonstrate certain skills, produce a more than competent set of answers to a written examination and complete some quite rigorous tests, all with the aim of being awarded 'Best UK Sommelier. For the individual, I imagine it is a dream or ambition realised and so it's a wonderful accomplishment and, I would like to think, it opens many doors and would enable him to become a key person of influence within his field. I do genuinely wonder, though - do guests in a restaurant see this as a reason to dine and spend money in said establishment? Is this accolade bestowed upon him and the place he works in (Ok, it is Berry Bros in this instance but, picture this scenario as a restaurant) enough of a pull to bring people in? I have a view on these types of competitions and the pressures it puts the guys and girls that take part under. Does the reward, recognition and career development opportunity warrant the outlay of work and stress? Very keen to hear some thoughts. Leverage your beverage.

My views are quoted on this important question (What Happened to this Roadside Diner Chain) considered by the Beeb. Not that it would have changed the piece, but I realised after being interviewed that I failed to tie up a key point. Because these turnaround heritage businesses invariably are running low on capital, the branches are inevitably clapped out. Therefore if the brand is to thrive again it won’t be down to a strategy of investment in decor. This is why the secret sauce of service I mentioned is so crucial. Boosting service and morale is tricky but is one of the only affordable and realistic short term levers available to management. When diners feel well looked after their perceptions of the other elements of the experience like atmosphere increases too (boosting satisfaction generally and also helping to offset the inability to invest in decor). Sadly the PE crowd too often just see staff as an expense line to squeeze so having the opposite effect — hitting morale and hastening the death spiral. That’s why whoever is leading such a turnaround needs to have a sure feel for the operations not just the numbers.

It’s important to share experiences with your team and let them shine and challenge their own mindsets. At the AHRI breakfast at the Lagoon restaurant we listen to an inspiring individual who shared his knowledge on building teams to align to your organisation needs. #mindsetonhighperformaners. #livingmyway #listening #challengingthenorm, #investinginpeople

Client Spotlight - Dan Fahy | Managing Director - Tandem Search | Not only is Dan the man when it comes to placing top talent, he's also the go to man for F&B. If you're ever in need of a recommendation of a top restaurant or bar to visit, follow his online reviews at @foodwriterdan