Paul McEnany is a content strategist, product wizard, Host of the Tastemakers podcast, and Co-CEO of Plein Air Agency – a creative company for restaurant brands. Paul brought a breath of fresh/plein air to Give an Ovation!

Here are a few highlights from this episode:

Featured takeaway: Look to learn from all your advertising.

“The mistake is not knowing how to set it up to learn something from it… Every dollar you spend has a job to do. So you got to understand what the job is, and measure how well it’s performing at that task.”

What is the most important aspect of the guest experience nowadays?

Unique experiences to your brand. “The challenge is to look at opportunities to say, ‘how do we make that special? How do we do things that only our specific brand can do?’ Functionally, you’re creating the same kind of experience, but you’re doing it in a way that really feels unique and special for the customer.”

What successful things have you seen or tried lately?

“Ultimately, it’s being very clear about what it the purpose? What is the why behind every decision you’re making?”

Who deserves an Ovation in the restaurant industry?

Sergio Perez & Bojangles: “From reinventing their overall guest experience, to rethinking how they use people when the experience shifts from face-to-face to digital, I’m very excited about what the future is going to look like for them.”