Now That’s Service

Last night I had an amazing dinner at a remarkable restaurant in Sedona AZ. We’d eaten there before but last night I was reminded why we enjoy it so much. The setting is somewhat surreal, nestled in the gorgeous red rocks surrounding Sedona. The evening was one of those amazing Arizona nights where the air is spectacular and the atmosphere somewhat magical.

The restaurant itself is somewhat new but has real old-world charm. When my wife and I first ate there in 2004 it was relatively new and undiscovered. Now, four years later reservations are usually required and you’ll likely need to park quite a distance from the door. The fresh bread, accompanied by green chile infused olive oil is a great surprise to your palate and something hard to describe or even imagine. I don’t mean for this to sound like I’m trying to get a job as a restaurant reviewer but it really was an amazing experience. 

The food, wine, atmosphere, setting, everything that comprised the experience of the evening was designed for our pleasure. On top of all of the tangibles was something most of us may consider intangible. However, good service is a mix of the tangible and the intangible. The good service began when we arrived as we were taken to our table with efficiency and it continued throughout the meal and even as we left. The most tangible form of the great service came in response to us commenting on how much we enjoyed the house salad dressing. To that comment our server thanked us but also said they made it available for purchase at the gourmet food shop next door. When we expressed an interest to go next door to buy some he told us the store had already closed for the day, but if we’d like he could get into the store and get some for us. 

He didn’t offer to do this because he had nothing else to do, or because it was going to add a large sum to his tip. He offered because he wanted to be of service and wanted to extend our experience beyond the evening. We left, with our salad dressing in hand, but also with the intent of returning as soon as possible to enjoy another wonderful evening. In the meantime however, we will enjoy the memories, and the salad dressing. Now that’s service!

Dinner Impossible

I love cooking shows. I know, it might seem a little odd but I love food, cooking and eating. So to watch others cooking is a fun past time for me. It’s interesting what you can learn by watching professionals cook. Tonight I watched Dinner Impossible  on the Food Network. This is a show where professional chef, Robert Irvine has a limited amount of time, in challenging surroundings (or extreme circumstances as he calls them) to cook a meal for his guests. During tonight’s episode he talked about how his passion is to make people happy with food and to give them a great experience. 

What Robert does each week is create a brand experience. He knows his audience (or at least as much as he’s been told) and he knows his brand (his unique style of cooking) and he makes sure that when the two interact they have a satisfying and memorable experience. During tonight’s show people said things like, “he can come back and do this any time” and another said, “this is the best I’ve ever had.” He gave them an experience that matched his brand. What more could you ask for. I’m hungry!

 

So what allows Robert to do the impossible? How can Robert walk into an unknown location and challenging situations and make them work? Turning the impossible into possible. It’s one word; EXPERT. Robert knows his craft so well that he can make things happen in the worst of circumstances, and he actually thrives on applying his expertise under pressure. This applies to other areas of creative expertise as well.

 

This past week I was talking about some young creatives that I know and the comments that were shared with me were something along the lines of, “you can’t rush creativity and force it into some kind of timeframe.” My response; experts can. If you’re an expert you can apply your craft on a moment’s notice. You can create on demand. I’ve seen it over and over again. It’s what separates the experts from those who haven’t fully developed their expertise. Expertise is a process, a journey, and it demands a higher level of applying your craft. Beware, it may not be for everyone. Experts can turn the impossible into possible and they do it on a regular basis.