There is no best, only better. If you’re at your best, there’s nowhere to go, and I believe there’s always room for improvement. 

Sure, that may be exhausting. But it also means I don’t ever have to accept the status quo or throw my hands in the air in defeat. I have the opportunity each day to get up and do it the way I want.

Some days, I’ll get there. Some days, I don’t. I appreciate the chance to do it again. 

Some of the toughest memories in the past twelve years have been reading or receiving negative customer feedback. While other owners have told me to get a thicker skin, it’s just not the way I operate. I’m in the hospitality business after all. I’m here to serve, and I can’t stand letting someone down.

I wrote “Improve Every Day” into our core principles with that exact reminder. Instead of being exhausting; it’s an opportunity. It means that I know we won’t always get it right, but that we have the chance every day to improve. 

I remember each negative review I’ve received. How? Because – at least for the first decade in business – we personally reached out, asked to schedule a meeting, and inquired as to how we could make our customers who felt wronged feel whole again. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But I know that, after I’ve done everything I can in that instance, I have the chance to get up the next day with the opportunity to learn from mistakes, improve systems, and work better.

“Improve Every Day” is also a core principle that hopefully frees our team up to make decisions for the betterment of our business. If we train and create a stagnant culture, then they can’t be active participants and actors of change. 

And they’ll often know what’s best in the moment.