chamber of commerce. This panel will teach businesses how to increase and implement luxury PR and growth techniques for the coming year.
“This is one of those events where I’m always surprised at how few people look at their phones during the program,” said Todd Johnson, president and CEO of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce. spoke. “You’ll learn a lot from the very famous speakers here.”
Pack was joined by his son Byron Lazaroff Pack, director of food, beverage and hospitality at Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. Additionally, Matt Goldberg provided attendees with advice on pitching their businesses to the media, drawing on his insight as vice president and news director for KCBS and KCAL.
Mr. Pack details his experience in hospitality and fine dining, and shares his thoughts on building a successful high-end business, including Spago, a restaurant on Cannon Drive in Beverly Hills (with several locations around the world). Philosophy was introduced to the participants.
Puck’s secret to luxury is a focus on luxury business experiences and how patrons feel after their visit.
“Make people feel special. Make them feel like they can’t wait to come back to your restaurant. If they don’t have a great experience, they don’t want to go back. It’s all about the experience,” Pack said. . “We treat our customers like family.”
Shatila explains the concept of experience by focusing on properly training employees and providing them with the tools they need during the onboarding process, ensuring that the philosophy is communicated to staff at all levels. I did.
“We continue to train, retrain and teach that this is the standard of luxury. If you charge for this and operate this service, when you answer the phone, when you send an email, Whatever it is, you always have to make sure it’s consistent,” Shatila argued.
According to Shatila, luxury is defined by six key elements. It is outstanding quality, exclusivity, high social status, the use of premium materials in production and design, strong consumer desire and an excellent level of service.
Regarding “level of service” as a defining aspect of luxury, Pack gave the example of “customers expecting to get what they want before they actually know.” At Spago, longtime manager and sommelier Bernard Elpicum spent time learning the personal preferences of his patrons, such as their favorite drink or preferred table location.
But Shatila argued that this ultimately comes down to how employees are trained and empowered by managers to provide the best possible experience for patrons.
Shatila invited Lazarov Pack to share his management expertise on recruiting and training the right employees.
“Look for someone who has that spark, someone who is really passionate and truly loves what they do,” Lazarov-Pak said.
Lazarov Pack called on business owners to “hire people who want to be helpful.” He explained his philosophy of “managing” as follows:
He defines it as “the process of developing someone into the person/expert they think they can become.”
“It’s the training and onboarding that allows it (lifespan) to continue,” Lazarov-Pak said.
Mr. Pack reflected on nearly 40 years of running the highly successful Spago Restaurant and reflected on what he learned as a pioneer in defining modern fine dining. He emphasized curiosity as one of the main drivers of success, especially in the face of burgeoning technology that is carefully changing the way businesses operate and market.
“We can always learn from young people,” Pack said. “I learn about technology from my youngest son and vice versa. He learns from my experiences.”
Lazarov-Pak added that Spago has upgraded its reservation system by allowing patrons to book online. But for patrons who still want to make reservations the old-fashioned way, Spago now lets you make reservations over the phone using its robocall service. The robocall service is an automated voice system that handles calls, which saves Spago nearly 10 hours a week. The system allows Spago to adapt to new technology while still “meeting guests where they are,” especially for guests who prefer to book by phone.
Finally, Mr. Goldberg offered advice to business owners looking to promote their businesses through the press. His answer? “It’s a story,” Goldberg said.
Knowing the “why” of your business, Goldberg argued, is the key to honing your story and making it interesting to reporters. Additionally, he said understanding who and what you’re marketing your business to and identifying your business’s relevance to the community will help you navigate the media landscape.
Goldberg urged business owners to constantly read the news and try to connect their business’s mission to existing stories being reported in the media. He gave the example of a retail theft incident in Beverly Hills over the past few months, showing how security companies can use it as a hook to showcase their business.
Finally, Goldberg told executives that “doing good” and promoting something unique will pique the interest of issue editors. Pack cited the example of how Spago hosted its first luxury barbecue brunch on Nov. 10. This was driven by Puck’s desire to give patrons a different experience and “make them feel good.” In addition, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Future Africa Fund, founded by Pak’s wife, Guerrilla Assefa Pak.
Participants left Mayborn armed with industry leaders’ strategies for building and sustaining successful luxury brands in today’s competitive marketplace.
