Learn how to enhance a variety of brands with the CEO of Kensington Asset Management.
Give An Ovation is the podcast where we interview restaurant owners, operators, and experts, to get their strategies and tactics so that you can deliver a 5-star guest experience. Available on all major podcasting sites.
Uncover the secrets behind the scenes of the restaurant world with David Doty, the financier turned hospitality expert. Our conversation peels back the curtain on the meticulous craft of curating a five-star guest experience, revealing the heart and soul that transform a meal into an enduring memory. David imparts his unique perspective on steering iconic establishments to new heights.
What is the most important aspect of the guest experience nowadays?
“The human-to-human interaction. There’s lots of things we can do digitally to interact with our customers but at the end of the day, when I think about the blanket customer experience, it’s when that customer walks up to the front case of the bakery with their child and they’re picking out their box of donuts that they’re taking to the soccer game. It’s that human-to-human interaction. It’s talking to the child who this is like this is their big thing for the week. They’re coming in and getting a donut. This is like the highlight of their week. We’re giving them a donut hole, we’re asking them about the shirt they’re wearing and we’re taking that moment to actually connect on a human level with our customers.“
What are some tactics you use to improve the guest experience?
“The focus on each person as they come in the door. We’ve been able to be responsive now with Ovation in terms of getting feedback, responding and doing that. Offering online ordering through our POS partner at Toast has been a new thing that’s helped us. There’s little tactics that we do to make ourselves more convenient for our customer, but when it comes down to touch the customer and have them in front of us, we really try to execute there as much as we can.”
Who in the restaurant industry deserves an ovation?
Danny Meyer, Founder Union Square Hospitality Group
“What Danny Meyer’s has done it with Union Square Hospitality Group and with Shake Shack, besides being an incredible chef, an amazing restauranteur.”
Jesse Cole, Owner of the Savannah Bananas
“Simply what he has done with that brand and creating an amazing customer experience.”
For more check out David’s LinkedIn!
Thanks for reading! Make sure to check out the whole episode, as well as other interviews with restaurant gurus by checking out “Give an Ovation: A Podcast For Restaurants” on ovationup.com/podcast or your favorite place to listen to podcasts.
