In the hospitality industry, a strong foundation of ethics is essential for creating an environment of trust, service, and mutual respect. Gregory Nasser’s Code of 13 provides a comprehensive guide to the core principles that every team member in hospitality should embody to achieve success and satisfaction. Here’s a breakdown of these vital ethics that help make the guest experience unforgettable while fostering a positive workplace culture.
1. Respect: Honor Your Craft, Guests, and Yourself
Respect is the cornerstone of a thriving hospitality environment. It starts with a deep appreciation for your craft—whether it’s a chef’s precision with a knife or a bartender’s commitment to using the freshest ingredients. It extends to the guests, whose satisfaction depends on understanding and anticipating their needs. And it also involves respecting yourself by working smart and efficiently, ensuring you’re recharged and ready to serve.
- Craft: Perfect your skills, honor your work, and stay prepared for the day ahead.
- Guest: Understand their needs, whether they’re celebrating or just looking for a quick meal.
- Self: Work smart, ease the collective burden, and recharge to be ready for what’s next.
2. Effective Communication & Honesty: The Power of Truth
Transparency and follow-through are non-negotiable. Whether communicating with guests or teammates, always deliver on promises and provide accurate information. If you don’t know the answer to a guest’s question, be honest about it and seek the right information. Practice honesty with yourself too—understanding your own feelings can help resolve frustration and improve your overall performance.
3. Kindness: Going the Extra Mile
Kindness is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to make someone feel special. Recognize your guests by remembering their names, their preferences, or helping a colleague with an extra task. Small acts of kindness can leave a lasting impact.
4. Integrity: Consistency and Accountability
Integrity in hospitality isn’t just about doing the right thing; it’s about doing it consistently. This includes listening carefully, considering all options, and never letting stress cause you to lose sight of your manners. It’s about seeing things through the eyes of the guest and making decisions that reflect both respect and responsibility.
5. Sincerity: Actions Aligning with Words
Your words and actions should always match. Lead by example, and manage from both the heart and mind. A sincere approach to hospitality involves recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses and helping others shine in theirs. When you admit that you don’t know everything and help others to grow, you create an atmosphere of trust and respect.
6. Generosity: Offering the Extras
Generosity doesn’t mean giving everything away; it means being thoughtful about the decisions you make in your service. A simple question like, “Is it a special occasion?” allows you to offer personalized touches that make guests feel special. Generosity is a reflection of the thought and care you put into the guest experience, and it’s just as important in your interactions with coworkers.
7. Trustworthiness: Completing Tasks and Following Through
Trust in hospitality is built on reliability. Completing your tasks and following up to ensure satisfaction builds credibility with your team and guests. Being dependable creates a culture of trust, where everyone knows they can rely on each other to get things done.
8. Loyalty: Exceed Expectations
Loyalty in hospitality is about building lasting relationships with both guests and colleagues. By offering exceptional service and exceeding expectations, you foster trust and repeat business. Loyalty is built on consistency, quality, product knowledge, and urgency. The goal is to always ask, “What more can I do today to exceed expectations?”
9. Enthusiasm: Positive Energy Fuels Success
Your energy has a direct impact on the environment around you. Approaching every task with enthusiasm, even in the face of challenges, sets the tone for others. Enthusiasm is contagious and creates a positive atmosphere where both guests and coworkers feel appreciated and motivated.
10. Fairness: Approach Conflicts with Balance
Conflict resolution is a delicate art. To approach it fairly, you must examine all sides of the situation, ask the right questions, and apply realistic optimism. By practicing empathy, you’ll understand differing perspectives and resolve issues in a way that benefits everyone involved.
11. Endurance: Care for Yourself
Endurance is the ability to withstand long hours and the stress that often comes with working in hospitality. To provide exceptional service to others, you must first take care of yourself. Regular self-care—through exercise, meditation, or simply taking time to recharge—ensures that you remain mentally and physically prepared for whatever comes your way.
12. Tenacity: Push Through Challenges
In hospitality, challenges are inevitable. The ability to push through stressful situations, with the right mindset and time management, is a key to long-term success. Prepare for each day by setting clear goals, and when challenges arise, focus on persevering through them. Tenacity is about maintaining the will to succeed, even when things get tough.
13. Excellence: Striving for the Highest Standard
Excellence is the culmination of all the other ethics in action. It’s about taking pride in every detail, from the preparation of food to the cleanliness of the venue. Excellence doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of consistently following high standards and holding yourself and your team accountable. When you strive for excellence in every aspect, it becomes a habit that defines your entire organization.
In conclusion, the Code of 13 isn’t just a list of ideals; it’s a guide to living and working in hospitality with purpose and passion. By embracing these ethics, you create a workplace where respect, trust, and excellence thrive, leading to unforgettable guest experiences and a fulfilling career. So, next time you step into your role, remember the Code of 13, and let these ethics guide you toward success.
