Company Blog

Service vs. Hospitality

by Adam Zack — March 19, 2025

“The key difference is consistency. Service is a business transaction. ..Hospitality is different. It is an art and requires strategy and intent.”

I’ve been thinking about great service a lot recently. I have always measured a great business by the level of service it provides. Great experiences are always led by outstanding service. We all strive to provide the best customer service that we can, right? I’ve never thought about how we can serve our customers better than by providing exceptional service. My wife is always looking for things that she thinks will help our business, or will spark me for a blog topic.

Recently she sent me something on the topic of service versus hospitality. The key difference is consistency. Service is a business transaction. We hope to provide outstanding service every time, but in reality we are happy with 90%. Hospitality is different. It is an art and requires strategy and intent. Think of the world’s hospitality leaders – Ritz Carlton, Nordstrom, Shake Shack, In-n-Out and yes, Chick Fil A. In 2001 Shake Shack hired Ritz Carlton to consult with them to build a training and selection program that would deliver the level of hospitality that founder Danny Meyer envisioned.

With businesses such as Chick Fil A and In-n-Out, their long term success is dependent on repeat business and word of mouth referrals. I have been to both restaurants many times, and as I thought about it, it struck me that I have never had a bad service experience at Chick Fil A or In-n-Out. Not once have I not been greeted or thanked. Every transaction is personal and professional. I’ve never seen anyone there on their phone, chit chatting with another employee, or out of uniform. It really is a level of hospitality that, as grocers, we need to strive to emulate. It’s time to rethink our customer service department and training.

Are we professional, knowledgeable, friendly and offering no resistance to our customers? No, not our customers, that’s a business transaction. To our guests. We have invited them into our store and we want them to walk out our doors thinking about how much they enjoy our hospitality and are looking forward to their next visit with us.