Cover Chef Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida, who helms his eponymous restaurant under OUE Restaurants (Photo: Hashida)
Chef Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida, who helms his eponymous restaurant under OUE Restaurants (Photo: Hashida)
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In this feature for the Tatler Dining Guide 2024, the chief operating officer of OUE Restaurants shares the sacred rules to delivering great hospitality in the F&B industry
“Hospitality is a selfish pleasure. It feels great to make other people feel good.” These profound words were penned by Will Guidara, the former co-owner of the renowned plant-based fine dining establishment Eleven Madison Park, in his insightful book, Unreasonable Hospitality. This sentiment has never resonated more deeply with me. Hospitality is, indeed, an addiction. After more than 35 years in the industry, including almost a decade at hospitality group The Lo & Behold Group, creating timeless concepts that delivered memorable guest experiences, I am now the chief operating officer at OUE Restaurants, where I oversee the creation of exceptional dining experiences that welcome a range of diners. While my role has changed, my core responsibilities remain the same: taking care of people, anticipating their needs, and creating memorable experiences. Through my decades-long career, I have acquired invaluable insights into the secrets of great hospitality. Here’s what I’ve learned:
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1. Take care of people
Delivering great hospitality always starts with taking care of your people. Decent remuneration and benefits, work-life balance, and growth and development opportunities are a given. When my team at Singaporean restaurant Rempapa told me that the staff meals were making them put on weight, I knew that chef-owner Damian D’Silva and head chef Alan Chan were taking care of our people. But there’s more. Regular pulse checks and employee engagement surveys are important to get staff feedback. I conduct stay interviews to help me better understand what makes our people tick, what bothers them, and what we can do to improve as an employer.
2. Empathy
Empathy is an overused word, but it remains a prerequisite of hospitality. As hospitality professionals, we have to put ourselves in the shoes of others so we can give them a better experience or help them make a better decision. For me, empathy is the foundation of hospitality.
Above The culinary team at
Vue adding the finishing
touches to the dishes
The culinary team at Vue adding the finishing touches to the dishes
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3. Remember names
Addressing guests by name, whether it is gleaned from the reservations log or a credit card payment, always makes them feel recognised. In the same vein, name tags for staff members makes it easier for guests to praise them on review websites, while leaders like me can also learn their names more quickly. And for those who are just starting the job, wearing a trainee name tag helps to manage expectations with the guests.
4. When you have to say no, always offer an alternative
There are times when we cannot serve something or do something for a guest or colleague, but don’t just leave them hanging. Proactively offer an alternative solution instead of just saying we ran out of that dish and leaving it at that.
Above Japanese-inspired dishes
at High House
Japanese-inspired dishes at High House
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5. Be flexible and adaptable
Have a system in place that empowers your team to deliver great hospitality. We need rules and policies, but we also need to be flexible and adaptable. If fast food joints can accept special requests, then other restaurants have no excuse.
6. Communication is key
Listening and paying attention, asking more questions, and then doing something about that information are important attributes of communication, not just in the restaurant but also online and within your company. This provides valuable insights to help create magical moments for guests or colleagues. When I found out one of our staff members was celebrating her 80th birthday, we arranged a personalised gift and celebration. As for guests, I still religiously check the reservations of each restaurant every day and will ask the manager to give a complimentary glass of champagne to familiar guests.
Above Chatterbox’s spread of
local dishes
Chatterbox’s spread of local dishes
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7. Make guests feel welcomed, whatever the price point
The first time I dined at a three-Michelinstarred restaurant was in 2014, at Auberge de l'Ill, a French institution which held the same ranking for 51 years. I can’t recall whether they asked for the age of my two sons (who were 10 and 9 at that time) when I made the reservation, but they had no issues about serving children who were not going to have the full menu. For wine, they suggested I try a local pinot noir which was reasonably priced—they didn’t try to upsell me. And after finishing his first dessert, one of the staff members took my older son to see the pastry chef, who asked him if he wanted two or three scoops of ice cream. I was expecting a very aloof experience, but what we got was very different: just like a family, the team had no airs and graces and they made us feel comfortable and welcomed.
8. Smile when you answer the phone
This will always ensure a cheerful tone of voice, with energy and enthusiasm.
9. It’s just manners
Very simple things–like making eye contact, walking guests to where the toilet is located instead of just pointing, or offering a glass of warm water and a more comfortable chair to a pregnant guest—do make a difference. Just imagine: if these guests were friends visiting your home, how would you treat them?
Above Dish at Rempapa by acclaimed chef Damian D’Silva
Dish at Rempapa by acclaimed chef Damian D’Silva
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10. Share great service stories
Build a culture of capturing great service stories and sharing them with your team to inspire them.
11. Be gracious and generous with service recovery
We will make mistakes, that’s a given. But how we resolve those mistakes with guests is the important thing. Use the acronym LEAD: Listen, empathise, apologise, and do. Be gracious when we apologise. And be generous, whether it is by comping the entire meal or signing for a bottle of champagne. In our industry, it’s common to recover from a complaint by turning it into a positive experience, resulting in the guest becoming a regular patron.
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Above Chef Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida, who helms his eponymous restaurant under OUE Restaurants (Photo: Hashida)
Chef Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida, who helms his eponymous restaurant under OUE Restaurants (Photo: Hashida)
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12. Role playing, role modelling
Role playing during training helps to show staff how to handle difficult situations and to wow guests. Although we all want to hire people with a service-oriented personality, the manpower shortage does not offer us that luxury. Role modelling is also important. As leaders, we must walk the talk and behave in the same way that we expect our team to.
13. Final rule: The customer is not always right, but it’s fine if the customer is wrong
Why? Because they are the customer. And if that doesn’t work, then just “kill them with kindness”! The only time we don’t follow this rule is when the guest becomes abusive. In this situation, we always need to protect our colleagues and have their back if a guest crosses the line. The hospitality industry is a great training ground for patience and respect. I’ve seen how former hospitality workers are more patient, respectful and forgiving when they dine in restaurants, so I would suggest that it also contributes to a better society at large. Hospitality contributes to the bottom line. When guests have a great experience, they will tell their friends and family about it for years to come. Word of mouth is still the most credible and powerful form of marketing—and best of all, it’s free.
