Friday Breakfasts
At my place of work, we have a fun tradition of “Friday Breakfasts” together, with breakfast responsibilities rotating through the employees. We have around 20 employees, so this is not as daunting as it might be to supply breakfast for all employees as say, someone at IBM.
Friday Breakfast Menu
For some employees, “Friday Breakfast” responsibilities mean swinging by Panera Bread for bagels, or hitting the local grocery for a box of donuts. Other employees really get into this tradition and deliver more than breakfast. Last Friday, we were treated to menus printed on card stock and cut into narrow cards. These menus arrived on Thursday morning with instructions to circle the ingredients you would like on your cooked to order omelet, along with bread choices, meat choices, and hash browns. Breakfast was served on china with stainless flatware.
While the food was good, it wasn’t the taste of the food that made the experience. It was the details that went into the service that set this breakfast apart – the menus, the flatware, and the team of 3 people that helped prepare the food, including a runner that personally delivered your breakfast to your desk and picked up your plates 30 minutes later. These are the memories that will be remembered from last Friday’s breakfast.
Last night, I had the opportunity to enjoy a dinner at one of Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion restaurants. Dining alone, I was asked if I’d like a seat in the bar area, a regular table, or a kitchen side seat. I opted for the kitchen side seat as that sounded like a great experience. The hostess struck up a conversation with me while escorting me to my seat. No fewer than 3 people greeted me by name within the first 2 minutes after being seated: one for my beverage order, one bringing me a plate of Roy’s Edamame to enjoy, and one delivering a complimentary appetizer. My waiter and one of the chefs in the kitchen followed within the next 2 minutes. I was seated in front of the salad and sushi prep lines, and they greeted me and struck up polite conversation with me as well.
I love cooking and have worked in a kitchen under a Culinary Institute of America trained chef, so I really enjoyed watching the kitchen work together at Roy’s. Every one of the 7 people in the kitchen worked together, with simple vocal queues and gestures to let the others know what was needed and what they were doing. Simple statements like “behind you” or “knife” helped orchestrate their movements about the kitchen. Every person took a high degree of attention to detail to deliver not just food, but an artistic presentation and extraordinary service.
As I was walking out of the restaurant, taking my time and looking around to take in every detail of the place, I was noticed and approached by someone who asked if I was looking for the washroom. Every person at Roy’s was focused on delivering an unforgettable experience. They weren’t simply serving food and they all knew it.
Coming off the experience from last week’s Friday Breakfast, my mind was spinning with ideas for my next turn. I won’t share my plans as they are still being developed, but I will definately be focusing on the presentation and delivery of an experience…
