Those who have been tuning in to the House of Shine all week know that I am using my daily posts as an excuse to whittle away at a stack of newspapers sitting in the corner of my office. I save articles because I find the topics interesting and, in some way, think that you will too.
Even after eight months, you should still find today's subject matter filled with timeless principles of Shine.
The article was an inside look at what it takes to run Tao Las Vegas, one of the country's most lucrative restaurants. Below is a recap of points I found particularly interesting:
At 7:00 a.m. dinner preparation starts, when the director of purchasing and his staff start welcoming the daily shipment of fruit, vegetables, meat, and seafood.
At 8:30 a.m. the prep cooks and their staff arrive to: chop two gallons of scallions; peel 60 cucumbers, and make enough fried rice for 80 servings. A entire team of women are hired to do nothing more than make 1,000+ pot stickers, dumplings, and other appetizers.
In another kitchen are even more cooks whose only jobs are to clean shrimp and cut fish and chicken.
A four person set-up team spends their morning folding 1,800 napkins and stocking the bar with slices of lemon, lime, and apples. By 10:00 in the morning that same set of people begins preparing the dining room. One staff person's job is to scale a 24-foot wall and place rechargeable lights in candles.
Another person's eight-hour shift is spent doing nothing other than sweeping.
Here are more fun numbers:
The restaurant employs:
57 cooks
26 servers
17 busboys
10 hostesses
8 chefs, 8 bartenders, and 8 runners
6 managers
4 set-up staff, 4 security guards
3 bar assistants
and, of course, the 1 full-time sweeper
We are a website committed to teaching and promoting the principles of Shine, so two things about this article struck me as particularly relevant.
First. The restaurant serves one meal each day, yet Tao Las Vegas is open 24 hours. That's because 24 hours is how long the leadership has decided it takes to plan and prepare for an experience that is worth writing about in the Wall Street Journal.
Second. Producing the remarkable experience that has earned Tao Las Vegas such notoriety, requires the perfectly orchestrated work of one hundred fifty two well-trained people.
Every night. Without exception. And without excuses.
Remarkable work requires dogged preparation and well trained, motivated people who are willing to share your vision (people who Shine).
So what's your most prized project? Visit us in the Comment Section to tell us about the preparation and people required to keep your project running.
Shining off until tomorrow...