Every industry experienced enormous change in the past year or so, with the pandemic impacting the workforce and the companies that they work for. The state of retail —and more specifically the food and beverage industry — has been no exception to these conversations, with many brick and mortar restaurants and locations being forced to shut down or move online for health and safety reasons.
Last week on The Let’s Go Show, Chase Garbarino was joined by a leader in the food industry who focuses on thoughtful alternatives to the typical dining experience.
David Morton founded DMK Restaurants with the intention of maintaining an “employee-centric culture” while also serving as a “laboratory for innovation as it relates to food and beverage.” Today, DMK spends most of its time serving as an operating partner to various real estate companies and institutional partners. Through these relationships, they find ways to increase the relevance of real estate through hospitality-driven tactics.
What does this look like in practice? In the episode, David touched on a few of the ways that DMK prioritizes a human-centric culture at work. They key, he asserted, is to begin by really imagining every part of a consumer’s experience from the perspective of the guest, user, or tenant. This allows an experience to, as David puts it, create emotional resonance with the customer.
In the case of commercial real estate (CRE), David noted that it is important to keep hospitality in mind as the industry continues to modernize. It is now essential for landlords to raise questions like: What does the greeting sound like at the reception desk of a building? How can the building’s design evoke emotions that help people feel like they’re entering their favorite hotel, or resort?
These questions refer back to DMK’s human-centered strategy, as David articulated: “Our core thinking around the whole notion of hospitality is what we call recognition, speed, and recovery. We focus on the strategies and tactics associated with how people can be recognized as an individual as often as possible.”
Many of these strategies include implementing digital technology — such as notable point-of-sale systems like Toast, or order ahead capabilities to make the customer experience seamless and efficient — to surprise and delight visitors to your restaurant.
To learn more about creating more hospitality experiences in the workplace, listen to The Let’s Go Show’s latest episode.
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On Today’s Episode
Chase Garbarino, CEO and Co-Founder at HqO, the only end-to-end operating system for commercial office buildings.
As Owner of DMK Restaurants, David Morton was raised in the restaurant industry. In 2009, David Morton and Michael Kornick launched DMK Restaurants through their shared passion for quality, method, design and hospitality — all at an unparalleled value.
Want to learn more? Listen to the Let’s Go Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
