S4E19. 4 Steps to Create a Black Tie Experience for Your Customers with Bob Pacanovsky

From the desk of Crate Media

How do you define hospitality concerning your customers or clients? Does your organization offer a “black tie” experience — or is it more business casual?

Bob Pacanovsky has been an entrepreneur for 25 years, primarily in the hospitality industry. He and his team have created over 7,000 meetings, events, and receptions that each had just one chance to make a wild experience and a lasting impression on clients and guests alike. Now, as a keynote speaker and strategic trainer, he uses his two decades of experience in the trenches to teach companies how to focus on service excellence and hospitality to cultivate more loyal customers and employees. 

When you go out to eat, you’re expecting more than just good food — you’re expecting a wonderful, memorable dining experience. Good customer service and consistent food quality are the expectations. But if you want to go above and beyond that, if you’re going to exceed expectations, you need to hone in on creating black tie experiences.

There’s a four-step approach to providing a consistent black tie experience.

  1. Build a foundation (or culture) of hospitality
  2. Develop your impact points by becoming your customer
  3. Create your standards of excellence
  4. Transform your customers into brand ambassadors

Culture is the foundation of any company. The key ingredients that make up your culture are your core values. If you promote these and live these effectively, you should have a healthy culture. And the last key ingredient in culture is your people. Do they feel empowered, appreciated, and valued?

Bob likens creating excellent experiences to cooking. You have to practice cooking again and again until the skill of cooking becomes automatic. The same applies to making sure your customer service is automated. And when you’re cooking, you have to follow the recipe. You can’t wing it when it comes to customer service — you have to follow your training. That doesn’t mean you can’t improvise, but you have to know at least what you’re working with. And you have to keep revisiting the recipe: Do people love this dish? Is there too much of any one ingredient or not enough of another? Lastly, you want to make a significant impact with the meal. Any time someone comes in contact with your brand before, during, or after they make a purchase, you have an opportunity to make an impact.

Make sure that the entire meal not only looks great and tastes great but that the experience as a whole is something that people remember and talk about for years to come.

Bob’s Bow Tie Pasta Primavera with Aglio e Olio and Fresh Vegetables

(serves 2)

2 tablespoons- Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ cup walnut pieces

1 teaspoon- minced garlic

1/3 cup- green or red peppers – sliced

1/3 cup- zucchini – sliced

1/3 cup- yellow squash – sliced

1 small onion – sliced

***Other vegetables can be substituted – Sun-Dried or Diced Tomatoes,

Eggplant, etc.

2 cups- Baby Spinach Leaves

½ teaspoon- dried basil

Kosher Salt & Black Pepper mix- season to taste

4 ounces- Bow Tie (Farfalle) Pasta

***You can substitute Whole Wheat Pasta (Spaghetti, Angel Hair, etc.)

2 Tablespoons- Shredded Part skim Low-Fat Mozzarella Cheese

2 additional tablespoons – Olive Oil – to toss into pan after recipe is completed

In a separate pot- cook pasta; make sure it is Al Dente, as it will go into the sauté pan to finish cooking.  (For this event, the pasta will be cooked ahead of time, then added to the sauté pan to bring up to temperature.)

Heat the first 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.

Add in all vegetables to sauté along with basil and salt/pepper mix.

Add in walnuts and garlic.  Make sure you turn walnuts frequently so not to burn them.  Sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add in fresh spinach to sauté.  The spinach should be wilted when done.

Once completed, add pasta into sauté pan with all other ingredients.

Add in additional olive oil into the pan and mix thoroughly.

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