Page 214 - The New Gold Standard

PRINCIPLE 4: DELIVER WOW!
flowers picked up at Kahului Airport in Central Maui. One
hour before the event, both planes landed at the private airstrip
in Kapalua, where they were met by Scott, Maria, and the wed-
ding team who assisted them in loading everything onto resort
shuttles and other hotel and personal vehicles. The wedding was
not only a success, but given the continued traffic snarls, the ho-
tel took the extra step of providing the entertainers, minister,
and florist rooms for the evening and ground transportation the
next morning.
Similar Wow story examples demonstrate how innovative
problem solving can take less-than-satisfied guests and convert
them into emotionally engaged customers. In one such incident,
guest Sandy Turner was having dinner at the Grill Restaurant in
The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia, but she didn’t like the way the
asparagus was cooked. Chef de Cuisine Kevin Sbraga went to
Sandy’s table to inquire how she would like the dish prepared,
but he was not content with simply satisfying her immediate
need. During the conversation, Sandy mentioned that it was her
personal dream to open her own café in a small town in Penn-
sylvania. She told Kevin that she had always wanted to go to
culinary school to become a chef, but her professional path in
marketing and sales made that challenging. Kevin took that op-
portunity to invite Sandy to cook with him for a day in his
kitchen. According to Sandy, “It was incredibly cool of Kevin to
extend that kind of an offer,” and “I was jumping for joy with
excitement” at the idea.
Shortly thereafter, the once-displeased guest became an offi-
cial “Guest Chef for the Day.” On her day, Sandy cooked veal
cheeks, prepped the nightly special, and assisted two other chefs
with their work. Her ultimate reward came during the dinner
service when she was offered the chance to be the expeditor, an
important position that ensures every plate of food is organized
before it leaves the kitchen. Later in the evening, her sister and
friend came to the property to have dinner especially prepared
by her.

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