How to Be a Lucky Star

Because some groups have not, and are not, always treated fairly, we will proactively reach out to such communities by:

• Being extraordinarily committed to our “Fairness” and “Diversity & Inclusion” programs with the objective of being a role model for other organizations.
• Focusing much of our underwriting and sponsorship efforts to the African American, Latinx, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer and/or Questioning (LGBTQ) communities, plus other such groups.
• Working with refugee communities when we have employment opportunities.
• Looking for opportunities to employ people with different abilities.
• Encouraging a merit-based culture that seeks opportunities for underrepresented communities including African Americans, women, people of color, LGBTQ communities and other such groups.

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ALL STAFF MEMBERS
It is my commitment to:

Use our six mission statements as my only agenda at work.
Have a genuine concern for our guests’ and colleagues’ experiences.
Work in a safe, neat and clean manner.
Wash my hands often.
Be an enthusiastic, cooperative, friendly team player, committed to being a part of the solution to problems.
Stay focused and be productive.
Be open to feedback.
Arrive when scheduled.

Remember that we have zero tolerance for bigotry, sexual harassment, theft and substance abuse. Please confidentially report any of the above to our People Department or to me, Dennis Quaintance, at 336-370-0966.

GUEST SERVICES, RESERVATIONS & PORTER TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Smile and be friendly.
Greet our guests promptly, with a smile and while making eye contact.
Dress professionally and in accordance with our dress code.
Respond quickly, courteously and effectively to all reasonable guest requests.
Attain the level of knowledge of our hotels, restaurants and nearby attractions and neighborhoods that one would expect from a seasoned concierge.
Offer extraordinary support to my colleagues on the sales team.
Anticipate guests’ needs.
Be responsible for resolving a guest’s issue from beginning to end.
Be a 100% communicator on the phone, in person and with written correspondence.
Answer all phone calls by the second ring with a smile in my voice.
Take ownership of my training, including computer, emergency and guest service systems.
Maintain a neat and orderly work area.
Drive safely.
Be the eyes and voice of our security, sanitation and safety systems.
Accurately and consistently follow the QW systems.

HOUSEKEEPING TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Smile and be friendly to our guests and fellow staff members.
Dress professionally and in accordance with our dress code.
Ensure the carts do not damage the walls.
Treat all guests as though they were guests in my home.
Be efficient, productive, detailed, well-trained and ultra tidy.
Ensure all guest rooms and public areas are thoroughly cleaned, using established guidelines.
Use chemicals as specified and be aware that chemicals can be dangerous.
Be responsible for reporting all maintenance and repair needs.
Be the eyes and voice of our security, sanitation and safety systems.
Be knowledgeable of all amenities and services.

LAUNDRY TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Dress professionally and in accordance with our dress code.
Be knowledgeable and well-trained in the operation and use of all equipment
and chemicals in the laundry area.
Keep my work area neat, clean and organized.
Work with a sense of urgency and an attention to detail.
Use chemicals as specified and be aware that chemicals can be dangerous.
Be directly responsible for quality control by following procedures and alerting
the leadership team to all linen damage (stains, tears, discoloration and so on).

ENGINEERING TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Smile and be friendly.
Take personal pride in and responsibility for our guests’ experience of the facility and furnishings.
Anticipate our guests’ needs and concerns.
Respond to guest concerns quickly, courteously and with a “can-do” attitude.
Be well-trained and knowledgeable of all building systems.
Work in a safe, neat and clean manner.
Always think in terms of solutions, not problems.
Dress professionally and in accordance with our dress code.
Be the eyes and voice of our security, sanitation and safety systems.
Notice things that are wrong or broken before anyone else and fix them.
Be familiar with water, gas and electrical “turn off” locations and procedures.

SALES TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Be friendly and helpful.
Be enthusiastic.
Be a great communicator.
Be a fantastic listener.
Be professional.
Book optimal pieces of business considering rates, dates and space.
Be proactive in my sales effort and keep my “ear to the rail” so that I know about potential opportunities.
Respond to all inquiries and requests for proposals in a prompt manner (within 24 hours).
Be an active and well-respected member of the community.
Always start the booking process by gaining a clear understanding of our guests’ vision, intention and desired outcomes.
Dress professionally and in accordance with our dress code.
Make my sales goals.
Help the QW Communications Collaborative be effective by offering ideas and sharing needs.
Gain the trust of our guests and build lasting, productive relationships.
Pay attention to the details in gathering and disseminating information so that
we keep all the promises we make to our guests.
Always use our culture as my guide when interacting with our guests or team.
Be authentic and sincere.
Ensure that our guests feel understood and appreciated no matter the circumstances.

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ALL STAFF MEMBERS
It is my commitment to:

Use our six mission statements as my only agenda at work.
Have a genuine concern for our guests’ and colleagues’ experiences.
Work in a safe, neat and clean manner.
Wash my hands often.
Be an enthusiastic, cooperative, friendly team player, committed to being a part of the solution to problems.
Stay focused and be productive.
Be open to feedback.
Arrive when scheduled.

Remember that we have zero tolerance for bigotry, sexual harassment, theft and substance abuse. Please confidentially report any of the above to our People Department or to me, Dennis Quaintance, at 336-370-0966.

SERVICE TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Smile and be friendly to our guests and fellow staff members.
Be prompt and greet each guest within 45 seconds.
Look professional and neat and dress in accordance with our dress code.
Run at least as many entrées as ordered.
Be responsible with alcoholic beverage service: card all guests who look younger than 30 years old and never serve an intoxicated guest.
Be well-trained and knowledgeable of the entire menu, food and beverage.
Treat all guests as though they were guests in my home.
Take ownership of my behavior.
Be attentive to each guest’s needs.

INFORMATION /SEAT-RESET
It is my commitment to:

Smile and be friendly.
Greet our guests promptly with a smile and make eye contact.
Dress neatly and in accordance with our dress code.
Be professional, friendly and helpful when on the phone.
Smile when answering the phone.
Be organized.
Keep our restrooms clean.
Keep our menus and the front desk clean and neat.
Learn guests’ names and use them frequently.
Maintain good posture.
Be well-trained and knowledgeable of the entire menu (food & beverage) and all front door systems.
Treat all guests as though they were guests in my home.

HOBART TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Dress neatly and in accordance with our dress code.
Ensure that all serviceware is cleaned and sanitized (wash temperature 150 degrees, rinse temperature 180 degrees).
Use chemicals as specified and be aware that chemicals can be dangerous.
Always sanitize work area between prep procedures to prevent cross-contamination.

LINE & PREP COOK TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Have a genuine concern for all of our food and the cook times.
Always use recipes and prepare all foods as specified.
Rotate all foods and ensure all food is stored at the proper temperature.
Ensure that all soups and sauces are heated and cooled quickly.
Always sanitize work area between prep procedures to prevent cross-contamination.
Follow rotation procedures. (Practice FIFO)
Dress neatly and in accordance with our dress code.

EVENT SETUP TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Dress neatly and in accordance with our dress code.
Be well-trained and practice the proper, safe methods of lifting and moving heavy, large objects.
Have a complete understanding of all audio-visual equipment, sound systems and room setups.
Smile and be friendly and helpful to our guests and fellow staff members.
Be energetic, detailed and efficient in all job responsibilities.
Complete all room setups 1 hour prior to a meeting and 2 hours prior to an event or reception.
Take responsibility for event room maintenance and upkeep.
Maintain the event storage in a neat and orderly manner.

EVENT SERVER
It is my commitment to:

Smile and be friendly to our guests and fellow staff members.
Complete all buffets, coffee breaks, bars and function room setups 30 minutes prior to the start of the event.
Respect guests’ agendas of scheduled functions and break times.
Look professional and neat and wear a black shirt that appears to be professionally starched.
Be flexible and act with a sense of urgency. (Events require both.)
Be responsible with alcoholic beverage service: card all guests who look younger than 30 years old and never serve an intoxicated guest.
Be well-trained and knowledgeable of all setups and service procedures.

“I intend to behave in ways consistent with these ideas.”

CEO
It is my commitment to:

Use our six mission statements as my only agenda.
Practice craftsmanship and professionalism in all matters, including: leadership, food, safety, sanitation, communications, financial management, design, fairness and real estate.
Ensure that all staff members know what performance looks like and are given appropriate feedback.
Be friendly, rational, civil, predictable, passionate and team-oriented.
Be supportive of all staff members who focus with me and help them attain their goals.
Practice ethical leadership, fully considering my fellow human beings and our physical and social environments.
Be productive and focused.
Facilitate our organization’s growth, in both effectiveness and, when appropriate, size.
Be the eyes and voice of our security, sanitation and safety systems.
Be an enthusiastic advocate for our guests and colleagues.

ALL LEADERSHIP TEAM
It is my commitment to:

Use our six mission statements as my only agenda.
Be focused on our guests’ experience and ensure that each guest leaves with an experience consistent with mission statements 1, 2 and 3.
Practice Lucky Leadership and the 5 Steps of Training to ensure our colleagues experience Quaintance-Weaver consistent with mission statement 4.
Be fair to all people and have zero tolerance for any and all forms of bigotry and sexual harassment.
Practice ethical leadership, fully considering my fellow human beings and our physical and social environment.
Do what I say I am going to do when I say I am going to do it.
Be detail-oriented.
Focus on people, controls and systems.
Smile.
Be the eyes and voice of our security, sanitation and safety systems.
Dress professionally and in accordance with our dress code.
Be a great communicator and listener.
Check-in, collaborate and role play with my colleagues.
Have the objective of offering feedback at least six times per hour, with the goal of a 70+% praise ratio.
Be friendly, rational, civil, predictable, passionate and team-oriented.
Be excited about myself, our team and our values.
Recruit and hire good people, then facilitate their learning.
Be educated in human behavior and understand substance abuse.
Always have a professional and personal development agenda.
Read (Not all readers lead but all effective leaders read.)

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Let me give you four reasons to approach your work in the team-oriented, mutually supportive ways that we are suggesting…

1. p r a c t i c e

We are all always part of several organizations—families, clubs, companies, civic organizations and so on. Having the clear sense of direction that we have here at QW creates a great environment for each of us to practice behaving in ways that are supportive of a common goal. Practicing at work will help you become good at connecting your behavior to the objectives of the other organizations in your life.

It’s easy to be supportive of organizations when it is smooth sailing, but when the going gets rough, many sometimes quit being supportive and even become a part of the problem. It takes practice and commitment to be supportive when things are hectic or stressful or both. Practice with us. We will help.

2. h o n o r

It is honorable to choose to join an organization after evaluating its values and finding them consistent with your own, then act out its values. It is not honorable to join an organization but not support its values. Please choose to experience yourself as an honorable professional.

3. T H E  B Y- P ROD U C T i d e a

As we discussed earlier, it just always seems to work out that the result of a true commitment to the values of an organization leads to higher levels of enjoyment and prosperity.

4. w h y NOT?

Really, why not? Can you think of a reason not to be supportive of the organization of which you are now a part? Wouldn’t it be in your interest to either be supportive or choose to leave? Being supportive or leaving might be in your interest, but staying with the team and not being supportive is like sabotaging your own potential.

• Another way of thinking about one of the key intentions of this organization is: “We are brothers, sisters and siblings all who choose to be of genuine service to our brothers, sisters and siblings all, be they our guests or colleagues.”
• In other words, it is our dream to work with colleagues who choose to have a genuine concern for one another and to collaborate with each other in making our guests our first priority.
• It takes courage to make this your intention, because some people worry about getting teased about being “gung ho” or are fearful of not being accepted by the team. Let’s be enthusiastic and courageous together.
• We strongly believe in the idea of treating others the way we would like to be treated if our roles were reversed and to acting this way even when we don’t feel like it.
• There is great honor in our work, chiefly because it is honorable to be of service to others.

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You will only get good outcomes if you “walk your talk.” You can’t just read this and say, “Yes, that makes sense,” then put it away and forget about it. You must ask yourself daily and even more often, “Is what I’m doing now consistent with the values and mission that I’ve made a commitment to support?” “Can I draw a straight line to a mission-related objective that demonstrates that my behavior is supportive of these ideas?” I believe that we only know if we really hold a value if we voluntarily inconvenience ourselves to be of service to that value. We’ll only do that if we are mindful and considerate enough to notice when our impulses might be in conflict with our intentions.

walk YOUR talk

You’ll only ask yourself these questions if you set up a system to remind yourself. It is so easy to insert “off-purpose” actions into our work. For instance, it is typical to bring anger or sadness to work, then not act friendly. You’ll find that you can stop doing “off-purpose” things that negatively affect your job experience and potential if you look at the posted mission statement and use the mission card to remind yourself of “your own” and “our QW” intentions.

(And sometimes you still might not feel like “playing the game.” When that happens, I suggest that you “fake it till you make it.”)

Here is something that can help you consistently approach your work in ways that will result in good outcomes: Think of yourself as an actor or actress. Adopt this “acting” mindset and have a clear picture of how your “character” is to act–then you will have the fun of being a full-time actor or actress. The idea of our “learning systems” is to help teach you your role. Learn your role, act it out and you’ll probably love working with us. We’ll both win from our partnership. If you feel you are acting your part and you are not enjoying working with us, bring it to your department head’s attention and we’ll help by either changing some things or by helping you find your happiness, or both.

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The Lucky Star Program exists to recognize and reward those who play their roles in a way that enables us to keep the promises made in our mission. Consistently play your role as we discuss in this book, and you will qualify. The performance criteria considered include: teamwork, friendliness, detail focus, smile, enthusiasm, adherence to dress code, cleanliness, promptness, attitude, consistency, communication, professionalism, safety and sanitation, treating others fairly and technical proficiency. We will not keep our promises to our guests and fellow staff members unless each of us is dedicated to these objectives. Please choose to dedicate the time you spend on our team with focused effort to help us keep our promises. Given that QW is owned by QW staff members, it just makes sense that all of us do our best to take great care of our guests and colleagues.

We are always looking for future Lucky Stars. See our current openings and apply online by visiting qwrh.com/careers/.

Mike Weaver, Nancy King Quaintance and I formed this company in April of 1988, and we opened our first restaurant in Greensboro on June 5, 1989. We started QW because we are good friends and wanted to be in business together and because we believe that providing the services embodied in our mission will result in a successful company.

Mike Weaver is an extraordinary person, a great friend and a mentor. He claims to be retired, but I still see him doing positive things in so many parts of our community.

I started as a housekeeper’s assistant when I was 15 at a hotel in Missoula, Montana. From there I worked my way up. I was assistant general manager for “rooms,” then food & beverage director of a hotel in Richland, Washington. Next, I went to work with several four- and five-star hotels and restaurants in Florida, Arizona and other places to broaden my experience. I played the role of general manager of a great restaurant for three years and regional manager for a full-service chain for three years. I chose my career focus early and am fortunate to have worked in most every job function in both hotels and restaurants.

Nancy King Quaintance also started her career at 15, but as a dishwasher with Disney in Florida. She went on to Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island, then to Cornell University, where she studied hospitality and culinary arts. While at Cornell, she served as a culinary teaching assistant. From there, she went to work in sales and front office operations for several hotel companies. For a number of years, she was the regional director of sales and was responsible for feasibility studies for new hotel development for John Q. Hammons Hotels. In 1994 she joined this team full-time. At first, she helped with the culinary team doing everything from recipe development, to expediting, to doing weekly “in studio” cooking segments for a local TV station. Now, she plays roles on our marketing, sales, operations and culinary teams, as well as serves as a coach for some of our key leaders.

In 2016, we transferred the ownership of the QW operating companies to a trust that has the sole purpose of providing retirement benefits for QW staff members. The trust is called an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). Having QW owned by this trust aligns the interests of all of us—staff members and owners—in that they are one and the same! Let’s work together to take great care of our guests and colleagues so that the by-product of our sincere and competent efforts will be profits that fund this ESOP benefit program.

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