Final Thoughts on Hospitality and Growth

Wake up. Wake up If you need a sign of someone telling you to wake up Answer this's your sign. Wake up. Ross, we have almost been in business ten years. That's right. We started this thing when you and Rya were nineteen and I was a mere eighteen, okay? And now we're old. our life is basically over. Yeah. And so we needed to have like a a salutations, a goodbye party. Yeah. Well, we had a ten year anniversary trip Because I think we do something that's really fun, try to get away once a year takeake a little Little vision retreat where we look ahead, but I think we're doing some more looking back this time We went to New York City New York, New York. New York or nowhere We saw some lines for that store. Huge line, huge line. too many of the lines. All right, we'll get into New York later, but U, we went to New York, which is kind of considered maybe a center. cuisine Hospitality, food, bev And Darn it, that's the industry we're in We needed the best of the best So where do we go for dinner Well To answer that question I'll just go ahead and answer.. You have to ask another question eleven Madison Park three Michelin star restaurant in New York And this place is very special to us because We have read a couple Hospitality books. by the people behind Eleven Madison Park early people that started it, right? Danny Meyer setting the table has shaped so much of how we approach business, leadership, hospitality and then Will Gidara unreasonable hospitality. Man, that that book is reallyally popular these days. hoping. You can't You can't swing a shoeight If you were swinging one without Hid hitting someone who has read it or thought about reading it or Yeah and That one was, you know, equally equally as impactful Um, Will Gid Dara is kind of Danny Marrars prote, ye Is sure. I mean, in a sense, successor, successor, maybe. defefinitely that one. And so Um, we went to Love Madon Park and So many of the stories in unreasonable hospitality are told in the setting of Elea Madison Park, this restaurant very table we could have been sitting at. Yeah, That's right And You know You have this perception of what a restaurant is going to be like or a coffee shop is going to be like based on how they put themselves out there online or they have a freaking book. pretty much about their restaurant Stakes are high. Stakes are really high And Especially since they are focused on hospitality. That is just such a human Guine You can't just like bottle up hospitality. Can't contrive it and sell it on the the shelf, you know? It's like trust me, we tried. It's it's an experience and it' It's that experience is given by Pople that like may or may not still work there. when the book was being written, right Um And so I wasn't nervous going into this restaurant, but I was like, oh, Hopefully this is good Dude, Well And maybe just to back up a little bit how we started valor was Falling in love with coffee, falling in love with specialty coffee, falling in love with the specialty coffee shop going You know, all over Georgia, across southeast country Um yearning to have a really amazing coffee shop experience and an amazing coffee part of that was we were constantly, you know, let down as far as seeing the dissonance between Amazing hospitality ammazing coffee and amazing space too. And so that was a huge thing of like, why would we join someone else's thing when we should start one our ourselves and and like create that space for our community And so I mean Yeah, stakes were high and from our experience, you know, we're used to like enjoying brands or like images of companies from a distance and then you go experience it in body and then you're like, Oh yeah. Yeah, it was cool. It was nice, but yeah So Yeah, you're kind of like, oh man, we talk about this book, this this ethos that they this gospel that they preach is like kind of sunk its teeth into the way that we run our company And so It's kind of like meeting your Uh never meet your heroes, right? And we kind of met our heroes this night. We'll tell the whole story, but I have never experienced anything the like. what we experienced that night. before Why out? It felt like I was in a dream likeike a weird psychedelic dream I'm not like drugs psychedelic, but like, you know, your dreams can be crazy. That's what it felt like And It started off, you know, so normal, but awesome. Maybe we just recaped the whole thing from start to finish And of course, the last part is the craziest part. So stay of the Yeah, well, I mean, just talking about that like escalation of experience I think speaks to like, the necessary component that empathy plays in hospitality, which is like discerning your guest and what they want for their evening, you know 'cause we're about to say everything happened to us, but As far as I know the elderly couple too are My right your left just had a nice dinner and they left You know, and maybe that's just what they wanted Uh, this is not something that happens to everybody. But it is, I mean, I I would say I was shocked by the like Auster nature, the like serious tone of the space. Everybody is like suited Basically. Yeah. It's like a it's like a fine dining room Um Very tall ceilings, beautiful scaffolding outside classic New York. U It's attached to like a big building, you know. so it's Um but I think Even right off the bat when we walked in and there was like a few I guess hosts, hostesses They like received us, but they You know, it always you always question, like what's policy or what's just like somebody's thing But they were like, Hey, are you here for dinner Yeah Then we get my name. and instead of just like saying, okay, your server, well like we'll get you to your seat in a second Uh, she said something like that and then was she' just like What are you guys doing in town? Have you guys had a nice day so far? and we're like, Oh Oh Yeah. And it's just already the on the first first line of offense someone's already like trying to relate to us. Yeah, you know? And that's so small, but Once again, especially if you're a person in coffee listening to this, a lot of times that's what we have, you know, is like a couple extra seconds or like a little bit of bandwidth. So just being a guest in that city and a guest at that restaurant someomeone kind of seeking us out a little bit and Asking about our day was really refreshing because we'd already been in New York a few days and had received a lot of like care. in that way What do you remember from right off the get Well, before I say that, What you were just sharing reminds me of something we were discussing at one of our wholesale partners Mayday at the end of our New York City trip, we drove down to a couple of our customers we're doing some training. We're talking about hospitality, which was so easy to do after we had just had this really inspiring experience But we were talking about Do we as hospitality industry workers view guests as just another task? That's a part of your job, or do you truly view them as people and people that are worth discovering and people that you want to that you're trying to make them feel a certain way Basics M like below basics by it You gota start there. You gott to start there and that doesn't mean that people do that in coffee shops or in restaurants. If we walked in and The host is like, okay, my job is to figure out if you know, what name their reservation is under and just like get them to the table That's her job, right very subtle but powerful nuance of like, this person that's walking in is not just a task And getting getting them to the table is not just my task This is already an opportunity to make them feel welcome Easier said And easy to do also. It's just it's not done very frequently Um And so One of the things I had noticed from the beginning was the sheer amount of staff members. It was a militia It Yeah, it was it was like the seecret Service. I mean, even hosts, I think there was like three or four hosts. just available. Yeah. they were just standing there, like ready to do anything Mhm And so we walked in Um, I immediate I immediately noticed The Like kind of stuffy environment on paper But then everyone we talk to really all throughout the night was very normal, disarming kindind not trying to be be pretentious in any way Yeah. and that was so cool Yeah, they were themselves. you know, I feel like everyone we talk to didn't have this like, o You work at eleven Masson Park. thing I was just like, oh, you're just being Authentically you And that just goes a long way as far as like comfortability in a space. And it's like, yes the the tasks that they were performing were like rigorously structured, you know. Yeah. but They did it all with such like personality and ease. Yeah U Some things I noticed too, I mean, it's something you can afford, but like the space between tables was really intentional just like the layout It felt like there's people around us, but it's not like crammed at all. I don't did we ever ask why the tables were soft? Is that just a fine dining thing Oh yeah, I mean It was just kind of nice. Yeah, it was like a plush table with like a tablecloth over it. Right. which hey which made it comfy Yum And yeah, I don't know. it's just It was fun stuff like They' asking about what we want for water and I couldn't decide between still and sparkling. And they're like joking about gave me both and I can have two cups, you know, it's just like, oh, it was great. I would say, maybe one of the only like feeedback things was U remember when we were like We didn't even realize that we needed to like order But then we like, yeah actually needed to tell this nice lady what we wanted, but she was kind of being so Chill and relax with us, like about like, you know, hey, whatever you want But maybe there was just us being Nice restaurant noobs We kind of needed like make a decision on whether we wanted the What was like the fish or the lobster then like the duck or the chicken? And we're like, do Do still when you had to do it now and they' like, wow, no, it doesn't matter. but you know, yeah, at some point whenever you're ready like, Right now Yeah,'ve we've talk about that all the time. how whenever You're trying to be relational with someone that you're serving employee clients, guest in the space, like having a little more structure of how They should view the experience this kind of if we're trying to tailor everything around empathy We were like a little confused What to do that. That's that's funny. They I notice how all throughout the night Every time One of us would go to sit down. they would always pull the table out so we had more room to get in The booth And it was You didn't sit in the booth, but hey. It was harder to sit in the booth because of how the tables were constructed So maybe they just noticed that at some point and we're like, okay, we need to be pulling out these tables because these legs kind of block your ability to get in U But I notice every server doing that for the guest. which Man We talk about a lot in the podcast in our hospitality training and orientation Eyes up If you work there, you are eyes up Yeah. what's what are your other options? You got eyes up? down meaneaning You're just Fcusing on whatever task you're doing. So behind the bar, that could be making drinks, could be cleaning or whatever And there there is focus you need to give to those tasks. The true pros can do those tasks while being eyes up. And then the other is eyes in So No one thinks about you more than you do No one thinks about Ross more than Ross does And the more we think about ourselves, whatever's going on outside of work or maybe we're in our heads about something a guest said that offended us or whatever That just takes away from reallyally are joy and are sense of ease and in the space. It's empathy's greatest enemy. Yeah. if you can't like haveave your eyes out and discern needs before they're communicated You're really missing a lot of opportunities Um, One fun thing that maybe is not confusing, but they've had a lot of people helping everybody, you know. I think we were like Sometimes if you're in a restaurant, you're like, whoo's my server ' I need to make sure I ask them things not like someomeone they're getting tipped. Yeah, because they're getting tipped or something. Yeah. But we kind of had a couple people looking after us. and I think that is crazy about the EMP peeps is that they like research You So Riley did the booking, you know And so I'm sure they found out that he's a renowned, recognized coffee influencer and coffee shop owner And so they kind of like spotted us and they're like, oh, you guys working coffee. And what's cool is I think not only did they just Conversationally, bring that up. but they paired up They like had their Somalier come and hang out with us and kind of like serve our table as well because he was a former Bista competitor and had done green buying and Coffee basically a careeran coffee before this U, that was just such a nice touch to like talk to somebody in our industry as we like celebrate ten years of valor It's funny By the way, I Um I want this podcast to be mainly geared towards our employees. like every like We get back from this trip and everyone from our team is like asking us how the trip was. And they're be like, good ye. And I'm like There was a lot. like I have a lot to talk about Um, But I want to just have like a dedicated time. be like, this is what we want to tell our team. about hospitality And then like everybody else it's not our employees can also get something from it. but I love that. You know? So let's just forget that we're doing a podcast and just talk to our team. It's just you and me. Just you and me and then our team looking at their phones. Yeah, watching us, hopefully Well or listening if they need to. That's fine. I' noticed how early in the experience sort of like the lady who was serving us, like the main who did like the first couple things they seem to pivot Tw W was his name Sam, right? Yeah Sam, the wine Salia, the specialty coffee guy He seemed to really take over our table after a certain point And I wonder if They They made they intentionally made that decision because like we were connecting with him more about coffee Wow I guess we'll never know.less we connect with Sam. We should connect with Sand. And to be fair, we were like some of the first people there. So it could also been like Hey, let's move you over here. Yeah, you help here. H go So you know, first couple courses happen And then we good. I'm gonna say any commentary about the food The first thing I was delicious, it was like this laminated bread roll with like onion and mushroom in it and then like dip it in this extremely Viscous mushroom soup That was fire. Delicious Funny enough, I feel like when all my traveling peep's out there, if you're like going to a place in your're The main thing you're doing is eating and drinking A lot of times you can kind of get behind the eight ball of food And so I think we're We weren't exactly like hungry, hungry, you know?. But I was kind of like praying for space between every for hunger. I'd been like, please Please let me eat all this. Yeah. We had had pretty pretty massive Mexican lunch Maybe three hours before. Be we were like, let's skip lunch. or do something light and then we just didn't eat lunch until like two and then we were starving and then we got buritos. Oops, oops So yeah, the first couple courses happen And we started talking more to Sam, the the coffee guy you know, we're from Valor and We Uh we're celebrating our ten year anniversary. And sort of like one of the first moments of delight was They delivered a card. we'll throw a picture up on YouTube now u of You know, happay ten year anniversary and someone hand drew our logo which is hard to do. It's impressive. It's a hard logo to do because it's like scripty. and if you get the script, the font wrong, it looks way, it looks dirpy and it like was pretty perfect And like some people signed it. And I thought it was interesting early they delivered that in the experience You know, like usually kind of showing their hand a little bit. Usually that would be The magnopus They'll like above and beyond, never forget it at the end. you've paid the check and they give you this And you're like I'm like, Oh my gosh, that's amazing. Thank you so much. But they did it really early, which was like really cool becausecause I guess they were just like We've got they't see nothing yet. And I think that's one of their their tools in the tool belt because I saw some cards on tables. you know. I think Dropping off like a handwritten card is like a like a first timer sticker type beat for them of like card And when when it comes to hospitality, This The experperience at EMP was a really, really good example of this There are your T tools in your toolbt L like you said, your systems, the things that scale. policies, the strategies, the things you apply to every guest Or you know, like For a while, I'm not sure if we still do, but it's like we always kept an umbrella by our concierge because we knew if it was raining, we could walk someone to their car But that's like a system we had, you know, to have that there It's a tool that you can use to U create a moment of delight So there's those things But then there's all of the just human improvisation uh, spontaneous sees the moment make something happen inside of it too. Yeah. And that's the kind of stuff we'll say for the end. If you don't have these systems, theseese scalable moments of delight. thenen It's way harder, I guess. And you're actually like Net probably gonna have a worse hospitality experience because not everyone, not every guest that comes in is gonna to have this fireworks going off like we did Yeah, one thing I really appreciated too was just like the the very pinpoint accuracy of life. 'm I'm here chatting and now I'm gone You know what I mean? U I feel like that is That's so underrated, but just like knowing how long you should hang out at a table because you know, we are there to experience it. like we want to talkalk to them and bro out and like just geek out about The food and the drinks and the stuff and the books But it's like we're also there just like each other. and so the way that h the team would just kind of like pop in, share something, maybe even ask a question sp it up. and then like the moment there was kind this like We get out of here without being awkward. Yeah. it's It's an amazing thing because you know, one of the things we've struggled with throughout the years of trying to really connect with guests is that the time at the register can be too long Yeah because we're trying to personal experience with them and learearn some sort of detail about their life and make a connection That can really slow the line down And it takes skill and a lot of intentionality and experience to know how to cut off a conversation in a way that's non awkward is also like pretty quick. Yeah. That's really really difficult. Yeah, I think you always shouted out our boy Alec at Taickondnderoga Club for that. Yeah he's a bartender and Last time we were there, I was at a table and he came and talked and then he be able to talk for as long as you could, and they' be like, All right, hey, I gott to go make some drinks. You guys keep having fun? And I was like, o, yeah. great. Um, So that was that was just sweet. And I think Yeah, in coffee too, sometimes when we're just talking in hospitality, hospitality, hospitality, people like, okay, so I need to like have a conversation with somebody it's like No, it's not Lo love and hospitality travel a lot faster than like a ten minute heart to heart. Yeah which can happen from time to time, but it's more like how do we convey Um our affections for these people in like Um ' more succinct ways, which is just really possible. Like giving a card to someone. Yeah, giving a card. It's really easy to do Yeah and giving space. I feel like that's There's just so much more to be tapped into beyond just conversation. the connection of conversation and hospitality, but it's like being able to bring something over, you know, like moments of delights go way further like a little cardter or I mean, I don't have much to say middle. esides the meal because they kind of end with some scalable delight too, right So Towwards the end of the meal Well, first off, it was just so funny that they did One of their desserts was like tleside and he was like shaving ice on an ice block able side. Yeah. That just was insane. Yeah, it was insane. But before we go to the end One of the things that really stuck with me All throughout the experience was how the servers move through the restaurant and in unreasonable hospitality They Sydney reminded me of this this morning but they they have a route that they take. so that Servers aren't running into each other Hm And like, did you notice how It was very, very rare that one server was traveling alone through the restaurant. You were faced the other way, but you had a mirror I had a mirr. Yeah, dude, you were looking in the mirror. The whole time I was like You see my hair Servers or like whoever the front of house staff was, they always had like a posse Yeah of people And they always took the same route. And there was one point where I got up to go to the bathroom and I like kind of had like a little run into with someone And they told me to take a different route, but in like not in a weird way. You go that way. It was it's like you right this way This is another like Hospitality basics thing that I think a lot of people miss Whenever A guest doesn't know where the bathroom is or doesn't know where anything is in the restaurant. instead of just pointing Bathroom is that way the the I stood up. The server anticipated my need that I had to go pee And so you're pretty obvious. She's like I'll walk you there. And I'm like, great. ' it was kind of far away. Well first off, I think she was like, do you know where the bathroom is? And then you're like, Yeahah. And then you're like, wait Oh yeah No, I'm sorry. I don't know. I misheard her. I misheard her U wasas she like do you think she said, Are you having a good time or something? No, no. I thought she said, do you need to go to the bathroom? And I was like, yeah Yeah. And then you and then I recalled like, oh wit no, she asked me if I knew where it was. and I was like, no, I don't. So she walks me all the way there Um So yeah, just random note, but is not something that a lot of people do. like walk people places instead of just pointing Yeah. And I think Honestly that this isnt less to the team but more to us and you know, head coaches. but The reason all of this can happen is because of prioritization and bandwidth, right That server doesn't have ten tables to handle by herself but she's like, I'm I'm really taking care of these jamokes. And so if they need a little escort to the potty Anything else before we get to the end of the meal. Well, okay, one last thing. You know, because they do They do, like fine dining stuff, like combing the Combing the table is just the funniest thing Yeah. like getting crumbs off Um And it was just funny to like we made a comment about it. and then the person coming to the table like also laughed and like made a joke about it And it wass just like, I thought it was really nice how they they do find naning stuff, but they're still at such ease about it He's like, yeah, man, I swear there's magnets on this table. I can't get all this stuff off. Yeah And we're like, Ohh, don't worry, we're chill. We're in the industry. Yeah, we love saying that when we go to restaurants. U the bit all throughout The meal was that We were Becauseuse like in the book A lot of the stories that they tell are kind of based on eavesdropping meaning Servers are listening to tables talk about whatever they're talking about and they're listening for opportunities for prise and delight and service And so, you know, there's a there's a story in the book about, uh It it's this table's last day It's this table's last day in New York and The server happens to hear one of the guys say, You know, it wass my last day in New York and I just really wanted a a curbside Like from one of the stands, like classic New York, but you know, I'm leaving in the morning, so I won't get to do it. And the server Here's that And sees that as an opportunity for a moment of delight that this guy will always remember And it's obviously funny because they're serving food at the highest level, but this guy just wants a hot dog. So They assemble their troops and send someone out to onene of the street vendors to get a hot dog brring the hot dog into the three Michelin star kitchen and plate it up real nice and maybe do something to it And then they serve that hot dog to the guests and it blows the guests mind because It's like, how did you know? And like, wow, that's so caring. And so the bit throughout the whole meal for us was like U. loud like kind of loudly saying things. hoping that the servers would hear And then It was it was it was hilarious I couldn't stop laughing Yeah, honestly, it was a very jovial time Yes. What is your sweet? Yes So the end God They brought us This jar of granola Nay three jars of granola, which I think was in the book, if I'm not mistaken. They like went back and forth on what to give people, but so they wanted o give a gift Eat that It was like maybe the next morning K kind of the idea. Have you eaten yours yet Oh yeah. Is it gone I'm about halfay I gave it to my kids on some yogurt. They loved it. Y. So yeah, they gave us that. We're like, wow, this was a great experience. They also give you a menu to because understandably a lot of people would have questions about What was that fourth course again in So? Celtus. They give you a menu so that you can remember it and After that, well, actually one more thing They give each table a bottle of housemade vermouth And what's verouth for the team Yeah, guys Vermouth is fortified wine that has like aromatic spices in it And U They give You know, each each guest a glass And they're like, you know, this is our house made vermouth drink as much as you want And no problem Whenever you're used to paying twenty nine dollars for a cocktail And like In New Yorkity everything's just expensive That's a really cool gesture. Of course they're not losing money on it Yeah but like factored in. But I What I love about that is this sense of abundance And notot disli. s it for Tat uh, scarcity mindset Yeah That's rooted in policy and fear It's just like a We say it all the time, but treat guests as if they were guests in your own home And that's what you would do if you were hosting someone. It's like All I have is yours, you know, I'm being generous with what I have and giving it to you Yeah, and wouldn' wouldn't that have been such a great end of the meal. Like I think if we just stopped right there, it'd be like was awesome. Yeah. I'm so glad we did that. Yes. hadad such great connections with the team, had such great food, great drinks. littleittle moments of delight sprinkled in across the way. Someone walked Rross to the bathroom thenen Our boy, Sam was like, you guys got plans after this. You hanging around? and we're like Yeah. And well, I mean, what are we like Three hours in. Yeah which is a fair question. you know, mayaybe got something else going on He's like, I wanted to show you guys the wine cellar before we before you go. So you can just leave all your stuff on the table. We'll get it taken care of, which is just funny. And so we walk, I wouldn't say we walk through the kitchen, but we're like Kitchen adjacent. Yeah, whatever that front room is. Kitchen was to the right wine cellerar was to the left, we took a left. We took a left U and man, the wine cellar was so cool. Yeah. Yeah, I'll throw up some footage of it right now. Do you ever think about like what I was like, what do I talk about with the wine cellar? I don't know anything. I was like, Yeah, it's just bottles of wine. What wood are you using for the shelving, my man? Yeah, it smells so good in here Oh I think we can crack one? Yeah. But I guess we werere just like, thing and just continuue to talk, he was like It like it was just asking us questions about our business and like our Our vision, what we're celebrating going We were asking him about his experience working in the coffee industry Um I mean, that's what's cool just a quick zoom out is like It sounded like you moved there from Colorado for this job. which I would just think about like, What kind of restaurant and what kind of entity do you have to be to be so magnetic that peopleople move from across the country or I'm sure in other situations all over the world to come be a part of this thing And I think that is the big secret sauce to what like creates this culture of like people who really care You know, who people people that are really about the same stuff is you kind of have to you can draw on this talent pool of the world, the nation and So it was just great to be served by him And then he's like, hey, well, let's It was kind of like a long rectangle And He's like, let's go check out the other side. I want to show you some of our older bottles. And we start to walk down the other side and they had laid out U three gorgeous coffee cocktails that were that were made by the bar upstairs that weren't on our menu And he was like, o, I couldn't get you guys out of here without giving you My favorite cocktail from upstairs. Honestly, really impressive. It was like a Well what you coold foilam but I mean, it was like a Dreamy T kind of thing. But it was like b colored. so it was like red on one side and U like vanilli beige on the other Incredible Um, and he was just like showing us these really bottles of wine and just continue to chat Um, it was just like, it's just fun, I think that paired with u expected, quote unquote expected things and then it's like, oh my gosh, someone's really taking the time to love on us and host us. I feel like that's just so u on un experxperienced by us, you know, because typically we're in the we're in the hospitality business. like you're hosting Wholesale partners here. We are hosting guests in our space We're hosting new hires that come in for orientation. And so it kind of just like be shown around, you're kind of like, Whoa. It feels weird. What is this feeling of Dellight. Yeah Yeah, there was such an element of theatrics, like subtle theatrics where he would intentionally and we're not done yet at all. And this is this will continue to be the case in the story Tob You know, just subtle things like we were we were at the front of the wine cellar And he's like, oh, let's go to the back of the wine cellar. I want to show you the older bottles But like really It was like phase two. It was like just phase two. likeike he really he was just teeing up the surprise of these cocktails That was like, and then like really that was just to buy time for the main event that they were planning in the kitchen Yeah. And so while we're just standing there chatting Nick from I call him GM front a house guy. Yeah come Yeah. He comes up and he's like, What up guys I mean, at that point I was like Another guy. Oh. I thought you were just coming to like check something. See if like grab a bottle for a table or something. Yeah. someomeone finally got the bottle from nineteen forty one. Yeah And he was like, all right, well now that you guys are properly lubricated with your cocktail, let's let's what do you say? head to the main event Yeah, he was like, are you guys ready to lock in? Oh. And we were like, Yes Yes, We're ready to lock in? More food? Yeah. Yeah, at this point, I'm like getting kind of like nervy, you know, so I'm like, we'll try for it. Yeah. Are they about to embarrass us? D shame us? I think they're about to get us in trouble. They're gonna U So he' like, all right, well, let's let's lock in. let's go to the kitchen. I was like, oh, the main event's like the kitchen We get to see the kitchen. We get see we get to go chehef Sure Sf. Sf sh Uh so we start We exit the wine cellar, we start walking in the kitchen and like the I mean, there's so many people, bro That place is crazy. And they're all just kind of looking at us and smiling and you're like Hi. And then we we go into the kitchen but they have this like higher level like standing bar thing made and it's got a poster on it that says u Battle of the baristas and we're like What And Nick Graham's like a Uh wireless, like Performance microphone with speakers Karaoke mic. Karaoke mic. he's like get ready to rumble. And we're like what the heck? And they set it up First of all an in house latte art throwdown between the three of us which biggest regret is we didn't get Sam to compete too. T He probably would have put us as shame. So maybe they're trying to ide on that one. Um Beyond that, so they they made a poster And then No shade. I would guess they used some sort of AI component to make three U, fake Bios which on the first one I thought was real Um, They're like, We need Guseppe. Where's Guseppe? He's in the kitchen. Yeah. And so they got three people on their team to stop what they're doing and pretend to be judges like with fake credibility U, so the first one is Giuseppe Macchiato U and they've read these like paragraph long bios for each judge. And we're just standing behind the bar. And my mouth is literally hurting right now from the smiling And I could still just It was I don't know, it was like dumbfounded wonder. I'm like, we're at a restaurant. Why are we in the kitchen doing a latte art throwdown Um And Dude, I mean, there's just a ton of people And we're just standing there and then, you know, then it's game on And we we They have a mod bar in their kitchen, which is just like suchuch a flex. Yep. We And but we've all had our experience with the u the M Bar Steam one. So You know, we weren't getting the best milk and There's a reason Riley's not here by the way. It's he won he won and he got an all expense paid trip to the beach. So he's That was the last parting gift. Yeah They sent him to Florida. all expenses paid No, he did go on a he is on a trip right now, but Riley he smoked us man. Hes smokedus. They had the espresso already pulled Now was clutch. They had the milk already portioned in a deli That was coll. They had like the cups set out Like So that's why I'm just so impressed on so many levels is it's there's a lot of boring aspects that go into an experience like that and a lot of team communication Like a lot Yeah, we have we have no idea the inner workings. Yeah. And like they had to L I wonder what the briefing sounded like before that because they did not have that plan. We are not Yes, we're talking abouthod on a podcast. And I feel like if you if you would have a dissenting opinion, if you want to have a bad attitude about this, you might be like Well, you guys are fans and they're just doing fan service and I'm like, I don't think so. I don't think they No that we have like I don't. I think this was like an improvised thing because On a couple of different levels, like what you were saying with Like they like the fun just kind of scaled because I think we were so excited to be there. And We're just like so down to do anything crazy. But I think if you know, I'm talking to the team You can relate to the fact that you know, we might have all this like potential to delight So many people aren't wanting to play that game on that day. You know what I mean So many people would prioritize like I would love order and I would love to get my drink and I would love for everybody to be nice about it. Yeah and I'd love to get on a good time I think they obviously read the room that we were so excited to be there. Yeah and so excited to participate that they did that for us. Yeah that would be my that would be my guess. Yeah And What stuck with me the most was how much fun they were all having. Oh It was about us and not about us at the same time. Yeah. like they they were taking pleasure in delighting us And there wasn't one bad apple. It's like you'd expect one of them to be like, oh the boss is making us do one of these little dances again. The gimmick. But everybody was So engaged There were like way more people involved with our thing than necessary to. It's like, It come to think of it, it kind of would have been weird if it was just like two people doing this for us. There was like a crowd people, which made it feel more Fun, I guess Yeah. And All of this This experience happened like we had been Visiting all these coffee shops in New York City. that are like the biggest brands out there and like have the best marketing and the best online image and do the coolest things on a global scale and Weed. It is like one hundred percent a part of our culture to never bash anyone. like there's especially is like these people are running small businesses and like So many awesome people doing awesome work. But just honestly One of the reasons we started Valor is because we would go to nice coffee shops And there would be zero hospitality. Mike in Will Guidar's book Ureasonable Hospitality, he talks about the difference between service and hospitality Service is just merely performing an act of like giving someone a drink. L You took their order You made the food You delivered the food. that is service. but So like there is no hospitality in a lot of coffee shops today. There's just service. Yeah where you take the take the order Take the money Make the drink. and then say Capscino, and then that's it. yeep you know, just just as a small example We were in this one coffee shop and it was busy there, which is cool, really great environment. We got these, you know, twenty thirty dollars coffes pourovers And the person that was making the pourovers was standing, you know, maybe two and a half feet from us the whole time And we're Staying right next to him basically And he just never looks up at us once or like really treat like acknowledges us at all. Except for like when the drink was ready and then he like handed the drink to us. Right. Is that like awful? No. Is that evil? no is that are we victims in this situation? Absolutely not It's just that that Like he's really missing out Mm and Um, you know, like we We werere talking about how New York is probably a really hard place to have any business in 'cause just there's so many tourists and These people are probably these Baristas are probably just getting crapped on all day. My people that are notot treating them well. We saw a few examples of guests like complaining to I saw at our hotel like randomly. No you guys weren't there. like There's just like someone complaining to the person at the front desk. like I get it, L people are entitled I think that maybe leads to a jadedness Yeah the service industry To be fair That kind of service AKA zero hospitality is present not just in New York City, it's everywhere And I would say like the main difference between Llev Mison Park and The specialty coffee shops we went to that are supposed to be at the top of our industry is curiosity and againgain Eleven Masson Park 're they're charging three hundred and fifty dollars per head W coffee shops charging six seven dollars per head eleven, twelve, whatever average ticket is And so you could look at that and be like, well Eleven Mason Park has so much more margin and so much more staff and resources and time execute on high greater levels of hospitality And that is all true by There's no excuse actually becausecause the level of hospitality We're trying to give in our cafe and we want to see more of in our industry You don't need all that margin to give it It's just simply Like uncovering the rocks which is something that Danny Meyer talks about in setting the table which is just Asking simple questions about people's life And disiscovering things about them. And then using that as an opportunity to either create an elaborate moment of delight or just connect with them on a really simple level. Yeah It goes a really, really long way. And it's really, really easy to do Um, And even thinking back to our experience at EMP I can Recall differenterent moments where our server was uncovering the rocks with us liked. If they wouldn't have researched us beforehand and like figured out that we worked in coffee if they wouldn't have asked us questions about our coffee company. if they wouldn't have been curious about who we are as people then we wouldn't be sitting here talking about this experience at all. It would have just been like really awesome food Really like kind service but not This inccredible experience that we'll never forget. Um So yeah, like going the extra tiny little effort of uncovering rocks being genuinely curious about the guests in your space That's really it's begging a couple questions for me One is I want her I wonder if the coffee industry is on the same page that we are in hospitality industry. You know what I mean O are we in the service industry Um because if If the goal is just to order may drink Everywhere we went was Checkking that box. Yeah. We got everything we ordered every time Um But What we're trying to say is like As for valor and as for anyone that we work with I think we want to like call us into the beckon us into the Hospitality industry, right to step into something more not Not for many reasons outside of like We really think it's just better. That's just a better way to Serve your community better way to operated a job. it's way better. It's so much more fun. So it' gott me thinkin about that. And then I was also thinking like Within coffee, the coffee industry Can a coffee shop have it all? Can a coffee shop execute Amazing, consistent. coffee Can a coffee shop offer Cious u delightful hospitality and Can a Coffee shop have a well maintained, beautiful space. Absolutely easily And I'm not saying that we're perfect in that But just think about The coffee shops we went to that had amazing coffee and had an amazing space. If they would have just taken a little bit of curiosity It would have been a perfect experience. Yeah, it's easy. It like it's it's harder to have good coffee in a good space than it is to give good hospitality Just the first place we went to Beautiful Super cool inccredible products but just if they would have just done a little bit of Curiosity with us It could have opened the door for connection But the reality is A robot could have done the job of making a pour overver. But a human was doing it And like as automation increases in coffee And as you like you go to SEA Expo and you literally see robots making coffee It just like, it makes me think If you if you don't want a robot to take your job as a barista then don't act like a robot because roobots roobots couldn't have done Anything that like EMP did, right That was a very human experience. Like a really cool robot could maybe like a slick robot But I don't know. Like I think there will be coffee shops in the future that are operated by robots that will give better service than humans are right now So our question is O irreplaceable Like robot can never take it . is to be human and connect with other humans because that's what a third place is all about. And it's it's like The lack of hospitality in coffee shops today. it it almost its it's taking away the thing that will never die That should never die, which is like a friendly third place for community to grow, you know I it happen too I think you had to be like What What do you think about us You know, I'm saying amazing coffee, amazing hospitality, amazing space where you like if if Alternate universe Ross went to Atlanta for his Company Rollob's ten year anniversary. It's Vall or backwards, by the way. it's Vallor backwards. Keep up. All right Um, and you went to Valar, Dunwoody or Valar Alfarereda What would be your like o. This place is great, but we're like Man' placeice has I think we would score really high on the human connection aspect does Does every pit crew member at concierge, which is what we call our register Do they make a personal connection with every single guest? No. But like I would like to think that is because they're being empathetic meaning Some people just want a quick coffee and because they're late to something or they just like are antisocial or like don't want to talk to anyone sererving that person with empathy looks different than serving someone who's like really psyched to be a valor So I would be psyched to be there I would hope that They ask like, so what are you doing What's going on? And I could say like, oh, I'm celebrating this thing and No and So I think we would score high on that. I think that u, Our coffee menu has grown so much over the last two years Like we're always around like fifteen to twenty coffees. and knowing all the details of the coffee and like really being passionate about how it's grown and how it tastes and how we're preparing it and you know That's one of our weakest pointoints. And like always has been, which Whenever you have a weakness that has always been a weakness. You know whose fault it is And it's ours because we're the ones that have always been here, not our team right now. Um And so Yeah, it's it goes back to Well, let me let me finish Let me finish, Ethan about Um Getting milk drinks like We don't always have the best latte art Our milk texture isn't always the same Bista, a Briista I think we're like good you know, but like I think you could get better. We can definitely get better at that We don't offer very slow paced elaborate by the cut brewing methods. we don't do pour oververs at all. Um, I really like our by the cut method. And it is like cool and nerdy. but it's quick U I think our coffees the way they're presented really lacks information Like we have our brew tags that can give a little bit of information on this coffee. I don't know really what else you'd want But If you were to go to a fine dining restaurant, which we just did, And we ask like, so where's this duck from Like, so tell me about how this is prepared. They would be able to tell you And they did tell us Whereas with our team And again, our fault. I mean you, Ethan and Riley, if he was here It's not even here, it's not even here would be like Yeah, I don't I don't think hge person on our team knows about the fermentation process on whatever coffee we have, right. So Um That those would be some of my honest thoughts of like how we would I'll say this And the space is kind of worn down. I think we fight that a lot. especially Alfareta being seven years old, like trying to make a space look good and new because we walked into some of those spaces, I was like This is gorgeous. Oh my gosh And some are newer or some are older And some we went to that were a little older. I was like Oh. a poopy in here. Yeah and then made me be like, Is my space poopy Certainly the floor at Alfaretta. would be like, oh, this place is kind of like Grungy. Oo. We're not trying to move You've got a grungy vibe. We're not trying to be grungy. Sorry, no. We just did a stupid decision way back when with our white floors. John. ye Yeah, that's great That's great. I For me, that's a lot of about this trip has done was be like empathetically I got to I got to experience like many specialty coffee shops I've never been to. And I got to be like, oh What would I now I know some things that I would like to have in my space that would be different And yeah, I think the connection stuff's dang near on point because Obviously that's what we like And honestly, if I could have any of those, I'd take that one. every day. I think it's just worth it. I think just annoying people loo and on people That's just's just the best way to live life And I'll take that And I want to have I want to We we did it. We have all the gear to do like a turbo shot We just didn't like menu it I am Riley is slowly working on me that like You know, nine bar espresso is just Tim intends to drink. It kind of hurts sometimes I think if I'm being honest with myself, I I would want something like a middle child or even shorter. to sip on for like a fun coffee And I think we could make it pretty awesome with our O fancy burrs, little double filtration C div liivity Um And hey, maybe on a positive note, shout outs of things that you enjoy from people like, for example Um Si has been around in New York for a long time. S Coffee And I think they have They have like some pretty mixed reviews because they're so like in on coffee I've heard I would tell some people, yeah, I what I could say and they're like, oh,ah blah. Really? Yeah They had a great time. I thought they were Team was kind Um The coffee was really fun. I think maybe people like that because they do it they do things like differently, you know? Their coffee is like dang ultra light stuff And the way I was telling somebody was like, they really make their coffee like whisper You know, it's very delicate, tea like Um, and I think they're doing a lot of that in like the classic homage to specialty coffee but trying to Focus on the origin in the storyline U, So I loved all the info they had on their coffees. I loved They were really like innovating their brewing methods too, like the dude Lorenzo was talking about All the stuff they're tweaking on their machine and their baskets and their their processes. that's to me is always a sign of a like a healthy company is when you're innovating, you know And so That makes me want to do the same thing with our menu and be like, okay, how's everything Coming across, how's everything tasting? Do we want to different iterations of things. So That was that was a great experience for me. And I think they even had some like key systems in place because anytime I saw someone go walk up to the like wall of retail someomeone on their team would like try to catch them and talk coffee with them. That wass really nice. That's great and that That was a That was a cool moment for me. the lady working Vivian ask me some questions about coffee and I gott to be like, yeah I actually do green buying too, so it's cool to see all these coffees and buubaa Yeah That was honestly one of the placays I felt most connected.. So shall Iot say Yeah, my coffee shter is suited suited was so great Yeah. That was financial district. Y And We'd been in contact with with Andrew a little bit the years and I think He's a friend of the program as well or like at least knows about valor. And I just love I'm being a hypocrite in this because I'm not in my own cafes right now Like I love when an owner is behind the bar Magnetic, it's amazing Especially when they're leaving the bar to like hug regulars Yeah. you' like, okay, this place This place is real deal And especially when the owner is on register You can really operate as a host in the space.. an energy source that really emanates Um And, you know, they They didn't have the coolest brand or design or interior design or whatever There's like more trendy things out there for sure The warmth in that space was amazing. It was homey They had Still like some insane coffees U, really, really awesome selection. But Yeah, it was it was like a place of connection Andvery like it seemed like everybody that went there was just like having a great time Whereas some of the other places went to, it seemed like everybody was in their own bubble just sort of like isolated against each other. Yeah, music was loud and people were Chatty Yeah It was like it was a lively space at like nine AM. Yeah Any, was it Caleb those running the bar? had connected with Riley and just made some really amazing coffes We went to Death and Co That's also something we talked about in the podcast in the past Um, you know, they have the Death and Code book and they have coocktail Codex, which is like a book about helping people make drinks at home easier And to actually go there in person was really cool. And same vibe, just like a bunch of really competent people that Wh show. and relational and confident Yeah It's really special It's funny like we've been inspired by cocktail bars throughout the years specifically with their social vibe social atmosphere. And like one reason they're so social is because people are drinking. So like the inhibitions are taken away Whereas, you know, cut to nine AM at a really, really cool coffee shop. It's like It just feels like inhibition in there define inhibition Tight reservation or like Um, personal withholding oneself, like withholding oneself. I would define it as that. I can only think of the Natasha Beddting field song. Release your in pressure. Yeah, f the in on your So we've always wanted to make a coffee shop that felt like An notcial bar, a Natasha Bdtingfield. like unwritten. Yeah Um, So yeah, Dath and Ges was awesome. U That was cool. Any closing thoughts for the team Maybe less for the team, but just in what we were saying. It's It's a big part of this puzzle is just a healthy it with healthy I was going to say culture Um And that goes for everyone, but it definitely starts with us at the bottom supporting our team. operating and servant leadership Um and like being good listeners to our team and what they Need especially as we're calling on our leaders to be vocal and advocate for there apartments and there Um kind of expressions of valor Um, And so yeah, it's a weird thing of like I'm I can't change everything now, you know, I can't can't be everywhere And so Darn it, if I'm not beyond tickled of the people that we have steruring this thing. Um And you talked about it a couple times on the trip, but just like I'm not behind the bar anymore And yet, I'm still so confident people are going to have amazing experiences valor And that wasn't always the case. Um But a huge part of that is that I just got to rub shoulders with people for years And now they're being entrusted with that same heart of hospitality That goes beyond me too, which is awesome. It's just such a great thing to find people that have their own passions and desires for operating like a hospitality business, not a service business Yeah, I mean, just one of the last things I'd say is thanks everybody on the team for doing a bang up job because yeah, and think about think about how important that is because Um, are our experience with U nameless global brand is is connected to how a barista treats us You know what I mean? Yeah. Like I'm not going to go back there. no offense. They don't need me. It doesn't matter. but u that the front lines just see all the people You know People will forget what you said and what you did. they'll forget your brand. they'll forget what coffee they had Forget what new products you've innovated But they'll never forget how you made them feel. and that all comes down to The human human connection. The human connection of our pit crew And Rereisaayss wor behind the bar Yeah. and I am constantly hearing people that listen to this podcast peopleeople that have followed our brand from afar for years. They come to our cafe in the same way that we went to Eleven Masson Park. And they are they're just like blown away by the staff And Um Yeah, maybe a few of them have said like y'all's coffee was awesome You know C And the people that didn't say that, doesn't mean that they didn't have awesome coffee. It's just like the people shine. Yeah what spoke the loudest? Yeah Well, yeah, is that a bad thing? L is it a bad thing that the hospitality at Eleven Madison Park spoke louder than the food I don't think so I just think that I'm not a huge fan of that kind of food. French fancy food. Yeah I think that if it was like My favorite kind of food. Like that would still be very, very possible. I wasn't very empathetic with them not to do like a full Thai food tasting menu for me and like a What I mean for you? I'm answering your question of like, is it a bad thing or like is it possible to have it all? And I'm like, yeah, definitely is because they could have done any genre of food while still doing everything they did with hospitality. It's just like, I think that was the only reason I wasn't like like the food was incredibly memorable. It's just because I'm not super into like F French fancy food That doesn't mean it wasn' Perfect. Funny enough I think one of the best things was they have their own farm now in upstate They just served fresh strawberries with cream And it was It is special. mental strawberry strawberry. Any final thoughts for you, my bra U no, I mean, a lot of times I question our trips like this worth it. or like you know, going to nice restaurants or like different coffee shops, is it worth it to like take the time and money? to go do that. by Um This was inspiring in the way of like, I don't want to be like that. Let's avoid that That really creates a lot of momentum for me and motivation And then I do want to be like that the, you know, the really good side of things. So Um, it It was it's easy for me to just get in my bubble and only focus on what's efficient, what can I get done and not actually go and experience these things that could really alter the course of life or the company's life. So I'm glad we did it I'm glad he did too Hey, hey, here's to another ten years, huh orr one hundred in ten Thanks for listening, everybody you're still listening Make sure to Subscribe. and like and comment below. And we also recorded a podcast in Central Park with Project Zero. And if you want to check that out, click right here. Bing. Goodbye.