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The day after we finished training our staff for the new Ford’s Garage in Gainesville, Florida, a family appeared at the door. They thought we were open because they saw the team in the dining room. We could have told them to come back when the restaurant opened to the public, but instead, we invited them in, and they had a fantastic dining experience. That was in 2022, and they still come in as frequent guests.
That’s just a great story of hospitality. It’s one of the “seven commitments” from our brand philosophy that our Gainesville team beautifully brought to life. By living our vision, they created guests for life, which shows the importance of getting your team on board with your brand philosophy.
A company’s brand philosophy is often called the North Star, after an old-age technique used by early navigators traveling at sea. Like the ancient mariners who first steered their ships by it, you can help your team find their way with a well-thought-out vision that’s communicated to everyone and reinforced every day. It has to be something real, not just a poster on the wall in the break room, and it has to come to life through sharing stories like the Gainesville example.
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By the numbers
Our brand’s concept has always been about hospitality and fun. The restaurant was created to evoke a classic American service station, from the Ford Motor Company-inspired logo to the décor and menu; what’s NOT fun about that?
Our goal was to personalize it for our unique vision, so we updated our brand philosophy to what we call “1-4-7”: one vision to “drive a unique dining experience,” four principles (people, products, performance and package, meaning the vibe and spirit), and seven commitments (integrity, quality, hospitality, excellence, teamwork, community and fun).
It took a team of 16 from all company levels to develop our new philosophy. After senior leadership gave them the broad strokes of our overall vision, we hired an outside moderator to lead the effort. Every company I’ve worked at has turned to an outside expert for projects like this. You have to because your people will be so close to the brand that they may struggle to see what you’re trying to accomplish.
The moderator led us through exercises to identify the principles and commitments, starting with a list of 57 and finally narrowing it down to seven. We talked about our identity as a hospitality business as opposed to a service business — and we probably spent three hours just on that.
Now, in every decision we make, whether regarding building design or marketing imagery, we pull out the guide and ask if the new project measures up. Everything we do is put through the brand philosophy funnel.
Related: This Is Why It’s So Important to Articulate Your Brand Values
Taking it to the team
Coming up with a brand philosophy doesn’t end when you’ve hammered it out and put it in writing. You have to coach your team so they put the ideas to work every day. It’s a constant process. You have to talk about it all the time, work it into team-building exercises, and measure new initiatives against it to make sure you stay aligned.
No matter what industry you work in, a great way to start each morning is to gather your team together as a group. I’ve seen these occurring while walking into different retailers when the store opens for the day. At our company, we have a daily meeting called the “alley rally,” where we talk about what’s important that day: food specials, tasting menu items, and whatever’s new and notable. We like to tell stories about how someone on the team made one of our principles come to life the day before in their interaction with a guest.
You should incorporate your brand philosophy into the hiring process, too. Within 30 seconds of talking to a candidate, you should know whether they “get you” and can bring your company vision to life. You look for eye contact and a friendly demeanor in a hospitality business. Do they smile? Do they talk about their family and friends? (We want people willing to share a little of themselves.) If they’re the guest, how do they want the staff to care for them, and can they provide the same caring approach?
A brand philosophy must be something the whole team can support. It isn’t directed at guests, but if your team is living it, your guests will feel it in the way they’re treated when they walk through your door. You’ll feel it when they come back to get that positive experience again and again.