July 25, 2014
CEO Newsletter
Te3am,
As I have stated many times before credibility is earned, it is not given. There is no shortcut to excellence and while accounts can be bought, you certainly cannot buy commitment and excellence. Additionally, the necessary standards and protocols must be in place and adhered to at all times. Two of our competitors were severely hit by not having standards in place and one new account opening showed the strain of a bad deal delivering an unhappy experience for the fans.
First, Levy was found guilty of causing an E. coli outbreak from serving undercooked burgers at a venue in the UK. Their inferior standards and procedures actually sickened dozens with several hospitalized and the local community is demanding legal action. This was followed by the home opener for the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Stadium in Canada where the headlines were not about the game or the new stadium but instead read “Ottawa CFL fans carp about long lines for beer, food unintended feature at Redblacks’ home debut” with the article noting that the patches of unoccupied seats throughout the stands seen on TV were due to extremely long lines at the concession stands. For Aramark, their statewide prison agreements in both Michigan and Ohio are under scrutiny for numerous violations, including serving food that is maggot infested, with the state government leaders and labor unions calling for cancellation of the contracts.
You simply cannot make this stuff up. These incidents are testament to what happens when companies are prepared to win accounts at all costs. Simply put, they have a flawed business model where corners have to be severely cut. Also, the most recent Glassdoor ratings (see attached) continue to show that the majority of our competitors’ employees could be happier at their jobs. These employees are interacting with customers and their job dissatisfaction directly affects their performance and their service. On the other hand, Centerplate’s ratings report our employees as willing to recommend a friend to work for Centerplate.
To be sure that we are constantly operating at the top of our game every venue must be focused on employee training and completing the QUE3ST survey on a monthly basis. In fact, make completing the QUE3ST survey part of the pre-opening plan for each event. It is a great training tool and an even better way to insure that we never fall short on delivering operational excellence. We made better progress on QUE3ST completion in June but we still do not have full compliance. Don’t be a negative outlier in July. Only total compliance is acceptable. At Centerplate we are about Results and not Rhetoric. We are never about cutting corners and we are dedicated and committed to Making It Better To Be There. Make sure that you are doing your part and never for a second allow yourself to stoop to the level of one of our competitors.
Excellence in execution and quality will win through at the end of the day. The following are but a few examples of the winning hospitality that Centerplate delivers to our guests and clients on a daily basis that prove it:
- Sophie’s at Saks Fifth Avenue was crowned the “Best Michigan Avenue Lunch Spot” on Chicago Magazine’s 2014 Best of Chicago Reader’s Choice list. A great accolade in a city known for its restaurants that shines a spotlight not only on us but on our client enhancing the reputation of both of our brands.
- Centerplate at the Raleigh Convention Center and Performing Arts Complex received the Best of NACE (National Association of Catering and Events) 2013 President’s Award of Excellence for the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting &Celebration (press release attached). Our client, the City and CVB are working with us to tout this National Award to the local press and industry publications as they are all “enormously proud of our Centerplate team”. The award brings with it recognition of Centerplate, our client, the venue and the City, again building the reputation for all of our brands.
- While we did not host this year’s MLB All-Star Game we did receive air time on FOX during the game for 2 of 3 spots with Master Chef Graham Elliott visiting Safeco Field with Chef Ethan Stowell and AT&T Park with Bill Greathouse, the 3rd sport featured Minneapolis site of the game. However Centerplate definitely came out ahead when Graham said that our crab sandwich is one of the best things he’s ever tasted at a ballpark. Here’s the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF7faMYa9zo&feature=youtu.be&list=UUGF8KeO725lEB8vxWnlZOHw
- A visit to the KFC Yum Center by Mike Bohn, Athletic Director at the University of Cincinnati and our former client at the University of Colorado, was a tremendous success. “You should be so proud of the incredible work you are doing here. We are excited about our project and look forward to talking about your thoughts and suggestions. We are most appreciative of your hospitality, please let everyone know how much we enjoyed the evening.” Showcasing our offerings, even to clients who know us, makes a tremendous impact and proves that we deliver on our hospitality commitment at all of our venues.
- Our booth at the annual DMAI (Destination Marking Association International) drew many visitors, among them the CFO for the Detroit CVB, who used words like transformational, indicated he used to be afraid to come to the Cobo Center and now relishes it, the leadership team are thrilled, praised our GM Jason Hougard and acknowledged that one of the best decisions they have ever made was to make the change to Centerplate. This exemplifies the results achieved when clients understand our vision and we bring the Centerplate Way to life in their venues.
Congratulations to Gary Wattie on receiving the 2014 National Association of Concessionaires Mickey Warner Honoree Award, recognizing his leadership and significant accomplishments in the industry, at the Concession & Hospitality Expo in Denver last week. Here’s a link to the award presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fZprujnUjY
I am pleased to announce that we recently signed an amendment renewing our contract with the Nashville Sounds and we very much look forward to continuing our partnership at their new stadium which opens April 2015. We successfully renewed the account through an RFP process, with Aramark and Levy/PSC competing for the business. Our excellent relationship with the team and our record of service along with our hospitality vision for the future made this more than a money deal and our competitors were out of their league. Congratulations to Steve Cahoon, Eric Wooden, David Keitel, Alexander Powell, our team in Nashville and all who worked on getting the renewal inked!
“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else” – Judy Garland
Onwards!
Glassdoor Update July 2014 APIZZA Sacramento 7.22.14 Raleigh NACE Award 7.24.14
