Well do you? Puzzled, having to think about it for a while. Is it a flat no !!
One of the greatest lessons I ever learned in hospitality and life was from a belligerent, Brit
bashing chicken wing stuffing work shy. But I learned it, I learned it well and I always give
him the credit for it.
I was operating an Irish Pub business over sea’s in blue collar town Canada and was to say
the least a little frustrated with the characteristics of our clientele. The difference between
selling Guinness in a different place than Scotland where I had my first very successful Irish
Pub was immense.
The place looked great, I installed a great Irish manager, the bands were very good, and the
early staff were a challenge but poured the Guinness properly and danced on the bar for
added excitement at the weekends. The clientele however would mostly nurse one pint if
that some times and then be leaving in their droves by 10 o’clock. For anyone who knows
anything about Scotland you’ll know pints are never nursed, rarely drunk in the singular and
the pubs don’t empty till closing time after a rush for last orders.
So back to my chicken stuffing work shy. I was lamenting my frustrations late one night in
this gentleman’s company when he exclaimed “you don’t deserve to do well, you don’t even
like your customers”. I was a little dumbstruck at this remark, but he was right.
I took this remark to heart eventually and I looked at things, especially my customers very
differently. I operated Patrick Sheehan’s Irish Pub in St Catharine’s Canada from 1999 to late
2004. It never was a huge financial success but it was an amazing business. As time went on
the staff were great, the chef was great and the clientele amazing. For those years I became
part of the area and friends with some of the most talented and down to earth people you
could be lucky enough to know. I’ll never forget them and at my last visit last year after
changing hand’s a couple of times Patrick Sheehan’s is almost identical to how I left it.
If you’re in Hospitality or any people business for that matter, and you’re serious. You must
ultimately love your guests and customers. There is no other way to do it properly.