The Blog

On a Sunday she did not usually work, the General Manager noticed a couple moving slowly through the building. They were looking up, studying the room, taking in details most people miss. She noticed them because she was paying attention. This was not her usual shift, so her senses were sharper. Because she noticed, the […]

By 4 o’clock, the front had developed its own rhythm. The door opens.  Laughter spills in.  Cold air follows.  Question lands. “Where’s the restroom?” Noah was three hours into the shift and it had already become the soundtrack of his night.   He answered cleanly at first.  Polite.  Efficient. “Down the hall.  First door on the […]

At The Hearthstone, a popular neighborhood restaurant, the new season was underway, but the team’s rhythm was far from seamless. The kitchen buzzed with energy, but the front-of-house felt uneven—some shifts flowed like clockwork, while others stumbled through avoidable mistakes and missed moments. Among the staff, there were two servers whose journeys embodied the team’s […]

By Josh Rossmeisl ~The Legend~ Everyone in commercial real estate knew him. He’s the guy big landlords trust to curate tenants for the most high-profile, sought-after projects in the country. The real estate whisperer. The GOAT. And this was his final year before retirement. For decades, he had been the gold standard—the one who never […]

By  Douglas Q. Warner Nineteen years ago, I was a young guy finding my footing in adulthood, newly immersed in the hospitality industry, and trying to figure out what mattered most. One thing was certain: I had an amazing best friend, Jen. We had been inseparable through college, always in sync, always laughing, always that […]

In a small village at the edge of a great forest, there was a blacksmith named Elara, known far and wide for her skill in shaping the strongest, most beautiful tools and weapons. Her forge was a place of great importance, not only to her, but to the entire village, as it supplied the villagers […]

Empowerment is an oft-used buzzword.  Everyone wants to believe they empower their teams, but the proof is in the behaviors of their team members.   The enemy of empowerment is the mentality of “just doing my job”.  Team members walking a tightrope of compliance, just trying to stay out of trouble.  Those team members are memorable […]

In a bustling city, a seasoned chef named Marco finally opened his dream restaurant: Alba. It was small, intimate, and focused on seasonal, locally sourced Italian cuisine. Friends congratulated him.“This is amazing news!” they said. Marco simply replied,“Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few months in, Alba received a glowing review from a prominent […]

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean. Approaching the boy he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?” “Throwing starfish back in the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them […]

by Josh Rossmeisl Who doesn’t love a firefighter?  They are heroes who risk their lives to fight fires and save people.  In the hospitality industry, we have a different definition of “firefighter”. Firefighters put out fires quickly and save the day for all to see.  Their team loves it when they swoop in and extinguish […]