We Didn’t Lose Hospitality Overnight – We Lost It One Compromise at a Time

I step into the (well-shined) shoes of some people I admire—from Barack Obama to my parents—and imagine how they’d run a hospitality business. Burger joints, taquerias, fast food chains, you name it. It’s not about parody—it’s about purpose. This series is my way of exploring leadership, culture, and service through the lens of my heroes… with a little cheek, a lot of heart, and absolutely no dull mission statements.

I have got four. Not the kind you put on a notice board but the kind you use—daily. Whether it’s opening a new site, leading a team of 10 or 1000, or getting a culture back on track.

PURPOSE. LEADERSHIP. IMPACT. REFLECTION.

The Human Ingredient” is a four-part series on what truly drives great hospitality — and spoiler alert: it’s not laminated scripts or perfect napkin folds.

Fancy Words That Might Redefine Hospitality - And What They Actually Mean

(Spoiler: They’re not that new, they have just been renamed)

It’s time to stop talking about what’s wrong and start building what’s next.

BECAUSE TALKING’S NOT ENOUGH ANYMORE.

Hospitality isn't just about guests — it’s about every human connection we make: the team, the suppliers, the person answering the phone. Somewhere along the way, in the rush for speed and scale, we started losing that. "The Personal Touch" is about putting real relationships back at the center of the business — because without people, there is no hospitality. This series is a call to action to slow down, pay attention, and bring the heart back into everything we do.

Too many people start with how or what — how we serve, what we sell — and skip the one thing that actually makes it all mean something: why. "The Art of Why" is about going deeper, leading with purpose, and remembering that real hospitality starts inside, not on the plate or in the POS system. If we don’t know why we’re doing it, how and what don’t matter. This series is a reminder to stop going through the motions and start leading with meaning.

Quick wins are great — but real hospitality isn’t built on flashes; it’s built on foundations. "Building Hospitality That Lasts" is about creating businesses, teams, and cultures that don’t just survive — they thrive over time. Every layer of a team — from the newest hire to the directors — has a role to play, each with their own moments to step up and lead proactively. Because anyone can open the doors; it’s who’s still standing five, ten, twenty years later that really matters.