It’s Not You—It’s Your Hospitality

Preston Lee
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Business

It’s Not You, It’s Your Hospitality is for independent restaurant owners, operators, and leaders who want to build thriving businesses without burning out their teams or losing sight of what hospitality really means. Hosted by Preston Lee, founder of The 30% Rule, this podcast dives into the systems, leadership strategies, and culture shifts that separate the struggling 90% of restaurants from the top 10% that thrive. With over 20 years in the industry and a decade spent helping major brands grow sales, Preston shares raw stories, proven tools, and hard lessons learned from the front lines. If you’re tired of high turnover, inconsistent guest experiences, and the endless cycle of training without transformation—this podcast will dive deep into the world of Hospitality and show you how to fix it once and for all. Because at the end of the day, it’s not you—it’s your hospitality.

  1. 2d ago ·  Video

    The Number One Thing That Can Make or Break Your Brand

    Stop Running the Shift. Start Building the Leader. Download Our FREE Leadership Workbook: https://get.30percentrule.com/leadership-dl?el=yt93026 Follow @the30rule on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the30rule ---------------------------- Learn the specific restaurant systems that drive their massive scale. Most owners look at the golden arches and see a fast-food giant, but the real secret is the architecture beneath the burger. We are breaking down the operational discipline that allows a brand to maintain consistency across thousands of locations. You will see why scaling restaurants is impossible without the kind of rigorous structure that makes the output predictable, regardless of who is working the shift. This is not about copying their menu; it is about adopting their brand strategy of absolute reliability. When you study how they handle training and accountability, you realize that restaurant leadership is actually just the art of removing variables. If you want to grow, you have to build systems that function when you are not in the building.

  2. 4d ago ·  Video

    AI Can’t Fix Your Restaurant’s Biggest Problem (Focus on This Instead)

    AI is changing the restaurant industry, but there's one thing it will never replace: the human side of hospitality. In this talk, Preston Lee, breaks down why restaurant success isn't just about great food, marketing, or getting more customers through the door. It's about developing your people, building a culture of hospitality, and creating experiences that keep guests coming back. The truth? Your employees probably already know what great hospitality looks like. The real challenge is getting them motivated to deliver it consistently. In this video, you'll learn: -Why guest retention is one of the biggest drivers of restaurant growth -How consistent hospitality builds customer loyalty and repeat business -Why leadership and employee development matter more than you think -The four major reasons restaurant employees quit -How better training can reduce costly mistakes and protect the guest experience -How to increase sales through hospitality-driven upselling -Why restaurant owners need to focus on motivating their teams, not just managing them How successful brands like In-N-Out, Din Tai Fung, and The Cheesecake Factory create consistency at scale Why the future of restaurant success belongs to operators who invest in their people Preston also shares practical examples of how restaurants can improve guest experiences, increase the value of every visit, and build systems that support long-term growth. The bottom line: You can spend more money trying to attract new customers, or you can build a restaurant experience that gives people a reason to return. The best operators understand that hospitality isn't just a nice gesture. It's a business strategy. If you're a restaurant owner, operator, or hospitality leader looking to improve employee performance, increase guest retention, and build a more profitable business, this video is for you.

  3. Sep 29 ·  Video

    How To make Your Brand Actually Impossible to Ignore

    Learn how effective brand strategy turns provocative ideas into a loyal community. See why disruption wins customers. Most brands play it safe, but the most memorable ones are not afraid to polarize. This discussion breaks down the reality of using provocative branding to cut through the noise. It is not just about being loud for the sake of it; it is about building a foundation that resonates with your core audience. We analyze how a simple, edgy approach like putting a controversial phrase on a cup can drive significant customer engagement. When you commit to disruptive marketing, you create a tribe rather than just a customer base. This is the difference between a business that blends in and one that creates a lasting brand strategy that people actually talk about. Stop Running the Shift. Start Building the Leader. Download Our FREE Leadership Workbook: https://get.30percentrule.com/leadership-dl?el=yt92526 Follow @the30rule on Instagram: https://instagram.com/the30rule

  4. Sep 22 ·  Video

    Author of Unreasonable Hospitality: Hospitality Training He Didn't Put In The Book (Will Guidara)

    Why do great teams fall apart — even when they have talented people, strong systems, and a great product? It usually comes back to leadership. In this video, Preston breaks down the leadership principles behind building teams that actually last, why culture and accountability matter, and the difference between simply managing employees and creating an environment where people can succeed. Whether you’re running a restaurant, leading a hospitality team, managing employees, or trying to scale a growing business, these leadership strategies can help you build a stronger culture, retain great people, and create a team that performs without everything depending on you. In this video: leadership training, team building, company culture, employee retention, hospitality vs. service, management systems, and how to build a business that can scale. Subscribe for more restaurant leadership, hospitality training, business systems, team management, and strategies for building a business that runs without you.

  5. Sep 15 ·  Video

    Service vs. Hospitality: How Chick-fil-A’s Strategy Changes Everything

    What separates good customer service from unforgettable hospitality? In this video, we break down how Chick-fil-A built one of the strongest hospitality cultures in the restaurant industry—and why that culture has become such a powerful competitive advantage. You’ll learn the difference between service and hospitality, why anticipating guest needs matters, and how creating a memorable customer experience goes far beyond simply being polite, fast, or efficient. We also explore how Chick-fil-A focused on hospitality as it scaled, the role culture and employee mindset play in the guest experience, and why small details—remembering preferences, showing genuine care, and making people feel valued—can have a massive impact on customer loyalty.

    Service vs. Hospitality: How Chick-fil-A’s Strategy Changes Everything

  6. Sep 9 ·  Video

    How Chick-fil-A & Hillstone Execute Hospitality Training

    What do Chick-fil-A and Hillstone understand about hospitality training that most restaurants miss? In this podcast, we break down how Chick-fil-A and Hillstone execute hospitality training to create consistent guest experiences, stronger restaurant teams, and service standards employees can actually deliver — even during the busiest shifts. Great hospitality isn’t created by telling your team to “give better service.” It comes from building the right training systems, setting clear expectations, reinforcing standards, and creating a culture where the guest experience becomes everyone’s responsibility. You’ll learn how leading restaurant brands approach: • Restaurant hospitality training • Employee onboarding and ongoing development • Guest experience and customer service standards • Creating consistency across every shift • Training employees to anticipate guest needs • Restaurant leadership and accountability • Turning hospitality into a repeatable system • Building a service culture that lasts Whether you own a restaurant, manage a hospitality team, train employees, or want to improve your restaurant’s customer experience, these principles can help you move from inconsistent service to a culture where exceptional hospitality becomes the standard. The biggest takeaway? Hospitality isn’t something your team simply knows. It’s something you train, practice, coach, and reinforce until it becomes automatic. If you’re looking to improve restaurant training, guest retention, employee performance, restaurant culture, or hospitality leadership, subscribe for more practical strategies you can implement inside your operation.

  7. Sep 3 ·  Video

    10 years of No Bs Hospitality Training in 15 mins

    Here's 10 years of hospitality training, leadership lessons, and guest experience strategy in less than 15 minutes! If you work in a restaurant, bar, hotel, hospitality business, or lead a customer-facing team, this video breaks down what actually separates average service from unforgettable hospitality. Service is a transaction. Hospitality is a feeling. The restaurants and bars that win aren't just serving great food and drinks—they're creating experiences that make people feel valued, welcomed, and excited to come back. In this hospitality training, you'll learn: • The real difference between service and hospitality • Why one bad employee can destroy years of customer loyalty • How exceptional guest experiences increase customer retention • Why every employee (not just servers and bartenders) owns the guest experience • The importance of focus, clarity, training, and innovation • How restaurant managers can create stronger hospitality teams • Why leadership is a responsibility, not just a title • How better employee development creates better customer experiences • Why consistency matters more than a single great interaction • What makes guests choose your restaurant or bar again and again Your dishwasher, host, bartender, server, food runner, barback, line cook, and manager may have completely different jobs—but they should all share the same mission: Give the guest the best experience possible. Because customers have endless choices for where to eat and drink. Your food matters. Your cocktails matter. Your atmosphere matters. But what keeps people coming back is how your team makes them feel. If you're a restaurant owner, hospitality leader, general manager, bar manager, server, bartender, or anyone responsible for customer experience, use this video as a crash course in building a stronger hospitality culture.

  8. Aug 27 ·  Video

    This Mindset Hack Separates Great Restaurant Owners From the Rest

    Great restaurant owners don’t ask, “Why can’t we do this?” They ask, “How can we make it work?” In this podcast, Preston Lee breaks down one of the biggest mindset differences between restaurant owners who stay stuck and those who continuously improve, innovate, and grow. After working with restaurant owners and hospitality leaders across the industry, one pattern shows up again and again: the difference between an “I can’t” mindset and a “How can I?” mindset. “I can’t” sounds like: • We don’t have enough staff • We don’t have the budget • We’re too busy right now • We need another manager first • That won’t work in our restaurant • The margins are too thin Great restaurant operators approach those same problems differently. Instead of immediately looking for a reason something can’t happen, they ask: How can we make it happen? That shift affects everything from restaurant leadership and hospitality to employee training, guest experience, revenue, retention, and profitability. Preston covers: • The mindset that separates high-performing restaurant owners from struggling operators • Why “I can’t” can destroy innovation inside a restaurant business • How leaders create a culture of problem-solving instead of excuses • Why great hospitality means finding ways to accommodate the guest • How owner mentality influences managers and frontline employees • Why restaurant training should be viewed as an investment—not just an expense • How better training can improve employee retention, upselling, reviews, and sales • Why cutting costs isn’t always the answer to thin restaurant margins • How focusing on increasing revenue can create a snowball effect across the business • The importance of restaurant systems, leadership development, and trained trainers • How to get your management team thinking “How can we?” instead of “We can’t” One of the biggest mistakes restaurant owners make is trying to solve every problem by spending less. Sometimes the better question is: How can we generate enough additional revenue to make the investment worthwhile? More training can create better hospitality. Better hospitality can create better reviews. Better reviews can bring in more guests. Stronger sales can fund stronger managers, better systems, and continued restaurant growth. That’s the difference between simply cutting your way through problems and building a restaurant business designed to grow. If you’re a restaurant owner, operator, general manager, hospitality leader, or multi-unit restaurant executive** looking to improve restaurant management, leadership, culture, profitability, employee training, and guest experience, this video is for you.

See All (61)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

It’s Not You, It’s Your Hospitality is for independent restaurant owners, operators, and leaders who want to build thriving businesses without burning out their teams or losing sight of what hospitality really means. Hosted by Preston Lee, founder of The 30% Rule, this podcast dives into the systems, leadership strategies, and culture shifts that separate the struggling 90% of restaurants from the top 10% that thrive. With over 20 years in the industry and a decade spent helping major brands grow sales, Preston shares raw stories, proven tools, and hard lessons learned from the front lines. If you’re tired of high turnover, inconsistent guest experiences, and the endless cycle of training without transformation—this podcast will dive deep into the world of Hospitality and show you how to fix it once and for all. Because at the end of the day, it’s not you—it’s your hospitality.

Information

You Might Also Like