The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur authors are their very own.
The day after our staff finished training at Ford’s recent repair shop in Gainesville, Florida, a family showed up at the door. They thought we were open because they saw the band in the dining room. We could have told them to come back when the restaurant opened to the public, but as an alternative we invited them in and that they had a implausible dining experience. That was in 2022 and they are still frequent visitors.
It’s just a great hospitality story. This is one of the “seven commitments” of our brand philosophy, which our Gainesville team has beautifully implemented. By implementing our vision, they created lifelong guests, which shows how vital it is for your team to integrate with your brand philosophy.
The company’s brand philosophy is often called the North Star, after an old technique used by the first navigators to travel the sea. Like the ancient sailors who first steered their ships, you can assist your team find their way with an informed vision that is shared and reinforced every day. It has to be something real, not only a poster on the wall in the break room, and it has to come to life through sharing stories like the Gainesville example.
By the numbers
Our brand concept has at all times been based on hospitality and fun. The restaurant was created in the image of a classic American gas station, from the logo inspired by the Ford Motor Company brand, to the decor and menu; what’s NOT funny about this?
Our goal was to personalize it to our unique vision, so we updated our brand philosophy to what we call “1-4-7”: one vision of “creating exceptional dining experiences”, 4 principles (people, products, performance and packaging, which stands for atmosphere and spirit) and seven commitments (integrity, quality, hospitality, excellence, teamwork, community and fun).
Developing our recent philosophy required a team of 16 people from all levels of the company. Once senior management gave them the broad outlines of our overall vision, we hired an external facilitator to lead the entire effort. Every company I have worked for has turned to an outside expert for projects like this. You need to do this because your people will likely be so close to the brand that they could have difficulty seeing what you are trying to achieve.
The moderator took us through an exercise to discover principles and commitments, starting with a list of 57 and working our way up to seven. We talked about our identity as a hospitality company, not a service company – and we probably spent three hours doing just that.
Now, with every decision we make, whether it’s building design or marketing photos, we pull out the guide and ask whether the recent design meets the requirements. Everything we do flows through the brand philosophy funnel.
I’m taking this to the team
Coming up with a brand philosophy does not end when it is developed and written. You need to coach your team to put their ideas into motion every day. It’s a continuous process. You need to talk about all of it the time, incorporate it into your team-building exercises, and measure recent initiatives against it to make sure you stay aligned.
No matter what industry you’re employed in, a smart way to start every morning is to bring your team together. I have seen this occur when entering various retail stores after opening on a given day. In our company, we organize a meeting every day called an “aisle meeting”, during which we talk about what is vital that day: culinary specialties, items from the tasting menu and all the pieces that is recent and noteworthy. We like to tell stories about how someone on the team put one of our principles into practice the day before while interacting with a guest.
You must also incorporate your brand philosophy into the recruiting process. Within 30 seconds of talking to a candidate, you need to know whether he or she “gets you” and can bring your organization’s vision to life. In the hospitality industry, you look for eye contact and friendly demeanor. Are they smiling? Do they talk about their family and friends? (We want people to want to share a little bit of themselves.) If they are guests, how do they need staff to look after them and can they supply the same caring approach?
The brand philosophy should be something that the entire team can support. This is not aimed at guests, but if your team lives this fashion, guests will feel it in the way they are treated when they walk through your doors. You will feel it when they arrive back to experience this positive experience over and once more.