profile

The Repertoire Newsletter

Where hospitality professionals get curated news and impactful lessons

Subscribe, free:

What's the Opposite of Optimized? Ticket #002

Forwarded this? ↓ Subscribe, free! Repertoire Tickets We help build your Repertoire, so you can do your best work finish reading this in: 4 minutes Hey Reader, We're back with week 2 of our new format: Tickets ! As a reminder, these are quick-to-read insights that you can use right away. I won't necessarily give you "the answer", but rather propose a different way to think, inspired by what I'm learning. The best part? This becomes a conversation when you 👊 "Punch" your Ticket every week -...
READ POST

Something new for you...Introducing: Tickets

Forwarded this? ↓ Subscribe, free! Repertoire Tickets We help build your Repertoire, so you can do your best work finish reading this in: 4 minutes Hey Reader, New format - excited to try this! Introducing: Tickets Quick-to-read insights that you can use right away. I won't necessarily give you "the answer", but rather propose a different way to think, inspired by what I'm learning. The best part? This becomes a conversation when you 👊 "Punch" your Ticket every week - you do so by answering...
READ POST

5 Rules to Not Get Fired, Joshua Skenes Returns, & Talkin' in the Walk-In

The Repertoire Newsletter Where hospitality professionals get curated news and impactful lessons Forwarded this? 💌 Subscribe! Hey Reader, Heads up: we're gearing up for bringing group-focused learning back to Total Station Domination! Gonna be honest with you: as much as I believe in TSD as a program, it takes a combination of effort & time to see the transformation at work. And that's the point, right? We teach systems and habits, it's never been about cheap tips or hacks. But when personal...
READ POST

How to cook for 500 without face-planting

The Repertoire Newsletter Where hospitality professionals get curated news and impactful lessons Forwarded this? 💌 Subscribe! Hey Reader, I spent the last week in San Francisco, helping to put on a 500 person seafood event. It was the largest budget event I've ever been apart of, and the second largest from a guest count perspective. Total seafood flown in: 1,100 lbs 🦀🐟🦐 The guests in attendance were tech founders, owners of 9-figure product companies, and most notably, the Crown Prince of...
READ POST

I called out David Chang 👀

The Repertoire Newsletter Where hospitality professionals get curated news and impactful lessons Forwarded this? 💌 Subscribe! Hey Reader, Yes, we did get a new look - thanks for noticing! 😎 I also got to thinking...we're going to experiment with omitting the long "monologue" at the beginning of these newsletters for a few weeks. Reason being: including a 1,500-3,000 word "article slash blog post" at the start of your newsletter causes a few problems: It's a pretty big obligation to write one...
READ POST

Chefs, Not Everything Needs a System

09.2024 Edition Editor: Justin Khanna Hey Reader, I'll just flat-out say it: not everything you do needs a system. Let me explain... Before diving in, allow me to make a couple of things clear: I won’t spend time trying to persuade you on the importance of valuing, creating, or implementing systems. Having worked in organizations where systems are integral, I've first-hand experienced the benefits. This piece is for those of you who expressed interest in the topic in the last newsletter....
READ POST
02.2024 Edition of The Repertoire Newsletter

Over-Spend Your Effort

02.2024 Edition Editor: Justin Khanna Hey Reader, I found a lesson-filled story about Jerry Seinfeld (the comedian) this week, and I wanted to share how it might apply to your work. First, some stats about his absolutely prolific creative output: Seinfeld's finale, which aired on May 14, 1998, was watched by an estimated 76.3 million people, making it one of the most-watched television events of the decade The show ran for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998, totaling 180 episodes The show won 10...
READ POST
01.2024 Edition of The Repertoire Newsletter

3 "Flags Worth Planting" in Hospitality in 2024 ⛳️

01.2024 Edition Editor: Justin Khanna Hey Reader, Happy New Year! 🎊 As we enter 2024, my mind is filled with thoughts of optimism. Today, I want to make a strong case for embracing optimism and why it's essential in a world where pessimism and negativity often hold sway. Why optimism, you might ask? Well, 2024 marks a significant milestone for me – it's been a full decade since I started creating content, at least in a formal sense. Not all of my early work is readily available for you to...
READ POST
28.2023 Edition of The Repertoire Newsletter

The Kitchen Variables to Study 🤓

28.2023 Edition Editor: Justin Khanna Hey Reader, I heard an anecdote this week that really made me stop in my tracks: “Many variables exist, therefore many variables must be studied.” Art by Midjourney (I must admit, that quote was paraphrased by someone and also potentially mis-attributed to B.F. Skinner - I can’t seem to find the original across both Google and AI searches…) This quote hit so hard for me because we live in a world of “hacks”, “60-second tips” and “get _____ quick” advice....
READ POST