“Everyday at family meal, we’re talking about service issues, guest issues, food, and wine. That’s it for our business – food, wine, service, and hospitality. In my opinion, anything else you’re doing that is not supporting those four things is a waste of time.”
–Tom Colicchio, chef/owner, Craft Restaurants, ‘wichcraft

“At the end of every night, all of our front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house managers send around a very extensive email, so I know exactly what happened – how they got slammed or not slammed, what wines they’re out of, what menus need to be changed, the state of the window boxes, etc. – it’s a huge communication pile. We all learn from one another, and whether it’s good or bad, those things get fixed right away with that communication.”
–Barbara Lynch, ceo, Barbara Lynch Gruppo

“We have a pre-shift meeting every day that is not about nuts and bolts – we make it into a learning experience. It’s 15 minutes and is led by a different person every day, including chefs who do cooking demos so front-of-the-house staff sees how dishes are made. We mix all the food stuff in with wine, beer, and service issues.”
–Rick Bayless, chef/owner, Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, XOCO