Unenlightened Hospitality?

For us in the hospitality business, the period from X-mas to New Years Day is not the time to curl up with a cozy blanket and roast chestnuts by the fire with family in the Hamptons. It’s the opposite actually—especially in big cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and even Nashville or Pittsburgh. All markets with tremendous diversity, cultures, tourists, and people who came home still needing a place to go to eat, drink, be entertained, celebrate and connect with friends and family. As much as I want to emulate enlightened management and give people off and not push them hard, that would be a dereliction of my leadership duties. New York this morning was bustling with lines out the door at the best brunch spots, at the coffee joint and the bagel shop. It’s not the official holiday yet, but people are out and about having fun.

This is actually the “Superbowl week” as my NY General Manager put it to me this morning, who is onsite working hard recognizing his role in the ecosystem. Our mission statement says it, provide a place for people to gather and find joy. Well, this is it, with the major cities super crowded with people, the public feels the need to gather, be merry, and spend money! And it’s our job to work for it. This is not the time for time off, this is go time, time on for us. We can take our vacations and holidays in January or February, but not the last week of the year.

In fact, the value of money even changes this crazy week. Something in the air helps one rationalize spending a little extra on that special bottle of wine, extra dessert, or larger tip. Kinda of like the frenzy in the Vegas air, where the value of money changes. Why just have one glass of bubbles when you can get that special vintage champagne. Now is the time for us in hospitality to go the extra mile to rake it in, work extra hard and make the extra pop for the year. Customers are spending their way to the New Year’s Eve finish line. People are willing to go further, push and stretch a little before dry January and all the personal resolutions about to be made.

It’s sentimentality meets emotional ambiguity. We are getting to the end of a very challenging and tough year. Or, it might have been a great year, all extremes are welcome this week to spend a lot of money. Both lead to one thing--pop the bottle, the more merrier, let’s go out to close off the year. And where does the majority of the public go in a City; out to us in hospitality to be fed, entertained and serviced. This is our job, this is our big week. Tis the season…tralla lala la la ching ching. Let’s go.

If you want to have an out of office email that says, Hi, I am on PTO for the Holidays, I suggest you go work at Google, Apple, Tesla, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs or any bank. But that does not work for us in the restaurant industry or the live entertainment industry. Radio City Music Hall is totally sold out. Basketball players are entertaining, Broadway is entertaining, and the street vendors are all out making money. This is a money week for us. Its living, its alive. So, if you’re not happy being behind the bar, greeting guests, taking tickets, serving a meal to our sold-out audiences tonight, then maybe a different career choice in coming. That’s right, cab and uber drivers are very busy tonight, tomorrow, and all week baby. Why, cause the City is alive with live music, live comedy, live entertainment, food is being cooked, drinks made and life is happening. Hope you all have a great week and I don’t sound like too much of an asshole. I realize this isn’t the perfect complement to Enlightened Hospitality, sorry Danny. Merry and Happy….

Michael