344 : From Fine Dining, to Coffee w/ Nicolas Simon of El Condor Coffee Roasters

Chris DeferioBusiness, Hospitality, Podcast, Uncategorized

Our industry is one focused on creating memorable experiences for guests of our shops. Being detail oriented is part of our hospitality to people because we know that when all those little things come together, they deliver a real impact.

This is what driven today’s guest throughout his illustrious career working for some of the worlds most prestigious hotels and Restaurants to deliver these experiences.

Nicolas Simon caught the hospitality bug upon graduating from one of the top business schools in France. From there, various experiences with Byblos Saint-Tropez, Four Seasons Paris, then Geneva and Plaza-Athénée defined his all-around profile in the industry, from F&B operations to finance and marketing. He was also the managing partner of three restaurants (two of them being awarded a Michelin star within the first year of operation), before being appointed Alain Ducasse’s Director of Operations North America and moving to New York City 14 years ago. In November 2016, Nicolas became the co-founder and CEO of Wilcuma – a full-service hospitality workshop that offers services such as consultancy, management, and real estate, and also has a portfolio of proprietary concepts planned for development and operation

Fueled by his passion for hospitality and executing at the highest levels, Nicolas has set his sights on the coffee world with the opening of the new El Condor Coffee Roasters in the West Village, NYC. El Condor seeks to create a transcendent and comfortable all-day cafe experience that delivers quality, consistency, and genuine connection.

We cover:

  • Beginnings in hospitality
  • Growing as a manager and leader
  • The critical role of operations
  • Philosophy on service and caring for guests
  • Entering into the coffee industry
  • The vision and goals of El Condor
  • Advice for how to approach hospitality and systems for accountability

Links:

www.elcondor.coffee

www.wilcuma.com

 

Related Episodes:

030 : Casey Underkofler : Matching Your Service to Your Quality : How to Manage and Control the critical details of service so both the experience and product are excellent

330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop

301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence

188 : Founder Friday w/ Jon Allen of Onyx Coffee Lab

 

Visit our amazing Sponsors!

www.groundcontrol.coffee

www.pacficfoodservice.com

www.coffeefest.com

 

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