I Swore I Was Quitting the Hospitality Industry Forever… Turns Out I Lied
The food and beverage industry is calling my name
A few months ago, I wrote a blog post saying I would never go back to the hospitality industry.
The industry is dead
The rewards aren’t worth the risk
Everyone complains about everything
It feels like the industry has changed and is no longer enjoyable
A few weeks later, passion slapped me in the face and said, “Come back to me!”
As I walked into a beautiful building, I immediately started picturing the potential. My imagination was spinning and my heart started beating faster.
I envisioned the delicious food and drinks, the decor, lighting and plants that would suit the room, how the experience would be from the time a customer walked into the room, and everything else my brain could process.
Needless to say, I had no choice. Right when I thought I was over it, my heart told me otherwise.
The hospitality industry and I have a love/hate relationship.
That’s why I walked away from it, completely happy with my decision, and that’s why I am walking back with an excited smile on my face.
So, what went wrong?
Like the majority of other business owners in this industry, I got burned when the COVID lockdowns forced us to close our doors.
Within a few months, I lost my nightclub, sold my restaurant, and closed down my entertainment business.
I became sour because much of the industry was not lockdown-proof. It felt like a terrible business.
Yes, some thrived off delivery, but there were other complications in my restaurant and of course, my nightclub couldn’t go on Uber Eats.
As time went on, I started to solely focus on the downsides of the industry.
I used these downsides to convince myself not to come back. This way, I could protect myself from repeating the pain I had just endured.
And, that worked for some time, until the itch couldn’t be scratched and this beautiful venue pushed me over the edge.
The chaos is enjoyable
Few things are more satisfying than watching people line up to get inside your venue to experience something you spent weeks (or months) working on.
Throughout a busy night, you see people celebrating birthdays and bachelorette parties, friends high-fiving and dancing, shots being taken and smiles on all of their faces. People come up to you thanking you for hosting a great event or serving a great meal, and you feel happy about yourself.
If you look at these same scenarios from a different perspective…
It would look more like this:
“People are pissed. They are screaming that they can’t get in, their food is cold and this girl spilled a drink on her white dress. Oh, and a girl lit her hair on fire leaning over a candle. I have no idea what to do about that.
We are probably going to get a negative review, or 5. On top of that, I don’t think we made money tonight.”
Those who have been in the hospitality industry know exactly what I’m talking about. That chaos though, gets addicting.
Go where your passion is
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved hosting people. Everything from organizing events, booking limos for friends, planning where to go for dinner and getting deals at clubs.
I’ve always loved seeing people’s reactions when they experience new food and drinks or see a dance performance break out in the middle of a crowd.
When birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or any celebration comes to your venue, it can be nerve-wracking.
This potentially once-in-a-lifetime experience is in your hands.
If you ruin it, they’ll hate you forever and tell their friends, but if you make it great, they’ll love you forever.
That pressure scares a lot of people out of this industry. I love it though.
I love walking the floor, talking to the people in attendance, and helping them make the best of the night.
I love creating unique experiences that help people create amazing memories.
And, I love coordinating with a group of amazing people (my staff and partners) to build an incredible product that attracts people from around the country.
Everything has downsides too
There is no worse feeling than seeing someone leave a negative review – especially when you know you or a staff member could have done something to improve this customer’s experience.
What I’m getting at is that when you’re in the hospitality industry, you want to be able to control the moving pieces as much as possible, but at times, it gets away from you.
When I lost my businesses, those were variables that I could no longer control, and not having control, was awful.
That’s the thing about any business – they all have downsides.
The downside in this industry is that there are so many different ways that you can screw up, and often, the reward is not worth it.
I’ve realized though that the upsides in this business are often more satisfying than any other business.
Conclusion
I wrote this to acknowledge the fact that I was wrong when I said I would never come back to the industry.
As time moves, we change, and as we change, we continue to do the best we can with the given circumstances.
When I thought I was finally done, my passion slapped me in the face and pushed me back in this direction.
So, here I am, doing my absolute best to create something that will help others create great memories.
Thanks for reading