The Final Course — Leaving a Legacy That Feels Like a Hug
Published 28.07.202
Let’s get one thing straight: no one’s legacy in hospitality is built on floorplans, menu margins, or a perfectly executed stocktake.
Those things matter—of course they do—but they’re not what people carry with them.
WHAT THEY REMEMBER IS HOW IT FELT.
The chef who made time to teach them knife skills when no one else would.
The GM who noticed when they were off their game and pulled them for a chat instead of a telling-off.
The kind of place where team members were either encourage to take the audition in Law & Order or take a WSET Sommelier course.
THAT'S THE STUFF. THAT'S LEGACY
I’ve been around long enough to know you can’t always control every aspect of your P&L. But you can control the culture. The way people feel at work, and the way guests feel when they walk in.
The restaurants I’m proudest of? They weren’t just well-run. They had a vibe.
I was leaving a restaurant I’d been part of for eight years — a place that, to be honest, had taken a beating after some earlier business changes. But we rolled up our sleeves and went to work. Night and day. Sometimes seven days a week.
Every menu change was pored over. Every shaken drink double-checked. No detail too small. No playlist too casual.
And slowly, it worked.
The guests started coming back. Reviews turned friendly — and frequent. Locals began calling it their place again. They’d bring friends like they were showing off a hidden gem — not just a dinner spot.
So when I finally decided to leave, the owners called the team together. They gave a little speech, then asked, “How do we keep this vibe going?”
One of the team piped up, without missing a beat: “Easy. Just look after the FOMs.”
The owners looked confused. “The what now?”
“FOMs,” they said. “Friends of Michael.”
And there it was. In eight years, the guests who walked through those doors became friends. Not followers. Not transactions. Friends.
That’s not just something I’m proud of — that’s a legacy I’d happily have carved into a barstool.
THAT'S THE KIND OF EXCELLENCE I WANT OTHERS TO CHASE.
Because in the end, no one remembers if the bill came in under 2 minutes.
They’ll remember how you made them feel every time they came back "home".