Staying True to Your Roots

by Aaron ShieldsJul 15, 2010

The subtleties of fine food preparation and service suffer from bigness and the all-seeing eye of the proprietor.

- Stanley Marcus

Dining at Trader Vic’s, Stanley Marcus was presented with wet towels by a waiter exclaiming, “Hot towels!” But, they weren’t hot, they were cold.

Trader Vic’s was a pioneer in the American restaurant industry and one of the first to offer the Japanese oshibori (the hot towels) at the end of the meal.

But, expansion without attention to detail reduced the quality of the service and food. It became more important to go through the motions than make sure the original purpose was behind them. As long as the waiter exclaimed, “Hot towels,” his manager was happy.

Settling for going through the motions will dilute the brand and can even kill it.

Is there something your company is doing that lost touch with its original purpose?

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