Hola, hola! Welcome to Casa Cinco, a weekly newsletter curating connection.

Are you building or investing in the hospitality and consumer industries? See the bottom of this email and connect with Casa Cinco.

This week we’re talking about the beauty of putting people first and sharing news on investors eyeing community, brands betting on handmade clothing, and the future of work. Happy reading!

Here’s to connecting,

Andy

THE BEAUTY OF PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

I have written extensively about Will Guidara’s concept of unreasonable hospitality - the power of giving people more than they expect. Life, and business, is not simply about what you do but how you do it.

Yet, that’s relatively easy to say when the people you deal with are homogeneous, wealthy, and educated. I am sure Will means what he says from the bottom of his heart, but we can’t ignore the fact that only a certain type of clientele shows up at Eleven Madison Park. The type of clientele restaurants don’t think twice about serving.

But what happens when you get a different type of client? I was once sitting at an open-air cafeteria in Mexico City when a woman walked up begging for money, going from table to table with sad eyes and a shy demeanor. I offered her a seat at an empty table beside me. I didn’t have cash on me, but I’d pay for her meal if she wanted. Her eyes lit up. She thanked me and sat down quietly.

In my mind, this worked for everybody. The woman got a meal, the restaurant got a customer, and the rest of the guests, like myself, didn’t have to go through the shame of denying someone help while stuffing bread in their mouth.

And yet, while the rest of the tables didn’t seem to care too much, the waiters gave me a disapproving look. What did you just do?

At the moment, doubt crept in on me. Did I do something wrong? I knew businesses reserve the right to refuse service, but I thought that was limited to extreme cases - disruptive guest who hinder the experience of others. Although untraditional, this client wasn’t really disruptive. She was quiet and alone, just content to be there. The waiters, caught up in who the clientele should be, lost sight of what serving meant. While I was putting people first, the restaurant wasn’t (cue: principles cost money).

Three years later, and scarred by the experience, I was sitting at a coffee shop in another neighborhood in Mexico City when a construction worker came in. Although a very different situation from the first, this man was visibly ‘different’ from the shop’s ‘traditional’ clientele - your stereotypical yogis / digital nomads willing to spend $25 a day on lattes and acai bowls. Oh oh, here we go again.

To my delightful surprise, I witnessed the waiters treat this man with the same kindness extended to the Millennials working from home. He was seated at a prime location, given a menu, and immediately taken in for who he was - another human looking for a meal and connection.

That is service. That is putting people first.

The inspiration for you is: is there an area of your life where you are not putting people first? Regardless of what you do for a living, don’t be the waiters with the disapproving looks. Remember: it’s not what we do, but how we do it. And how we do things should always be by putting people first.

WEEKLY CURATION

PEOPLE

• Steven Bartletts’ Flight Fund is now investing in IRL community and I’m here for it

• Knowing when to quit your job (if you can, but remember - we can be happy at work)

• Putting people first drives success - here’s how

PRODUCTS

• Two brands of small-batch, ethically-produced clothing from Mexico City you will love: Nin Studio and Carla Jimenez. The future is handmade people!

• Get some low-alcohol rosé ahead of the summer season

PLACES

• The future of work is about how people are made to feel

• Listen: Skift’s take on Airbnb’s Icons. Gimmick or marketing genius?

• So close and yet so far: how an amazing initiative to connect Manhattan and Dublin resulted in drunks, flicks, and prison

CONNECT WITH CASA CINCO

Are you an entrepreneur or investor in the hospitality and consumer industries? Not sure if what you do fits in these categories, but you’re all about making people happy?

More than simply alive, are you helping others to live more fully?

Let’s connect. I’m building a network for those who put people first, and that’s always good business.

Reply to this email with the subject line “MEMBER” introducing yourself, or schedule a quick call with me.

We’ll talk soon. Thank you for joining me at Casa Cinco.

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