In the Spotlight
"Hospitality is the basis of all human civilization; providing someone with food, drink or an experience that generates joy is essential to our society and to our sense of self."
— Bill Norris
Role Desired:
I’d love to help another brand grow and evolve and to lead the conversation in the bar space for the type of concept.
Challenges Solved:
During my time at the Alamo, we completely designed and implemented a Spirits and Cocktail program for a brand that had none, while growing from a 12 unit regional account into a 48 unit-and growing–national account.
Our innovation and “never satisfied” mentality made us leaders in the “Eatertainment” space, while devising training and operations systems that allowed for efficient, accurate, and friendly service in a model when auditoriums of up to 250 people are seated all at the same time, multiple times per day.
Length of Time in the Industry:
Just over 26 years.
What Makes You Unique:
My strong belief in using consumer data to drive innovation, to understand who our guests are, and use those insights to surprise and delight them.
What You Love About Your Job/Career Path:
Hospitality is the basis of all human civilization; providing someone with food, drink or an experience that generates joy is essential to our society and to our sense of self.
Most Fulfilling Part:
Honestly, the hum of satisfied guests in a buzzing room. Seeing all the behind the scenes work; research, testing, and training come together to create essential experiences that make people happy is the best.
What’s Important that Customers Experience With You:
I want every guest who leaves one of our concepts to have had at least one moment, and hopefully more, that make them excited to come back again, with friends.
Personal Life:
I published Snapshots, a novel with the Riverhead imprint of Penguin Putnam in 2001. I have a Cocktail recipe book called The Best of Midnight Cowboy: Craft Cocktails from Austin’s Original Speakeasy, with Tacy Rowland, coming out this year. While my wife and I do not have kids, we have the world’s sweetest rescue dog, and I like nothing more than fishing a North-Eastern Atlantic beach for Striped Bass in the middle of the night.