Auguste Escoffier

Create systems, processes, and a culture of professionalism. The appearance, cleanliness and demeanor of your team signals to customers the quality of your work.

Escoffier instituted that all uniforms must be perfectly white at the beginning of each day. Team members had to change into proper jackets, ties and hats when leaving. He said this was a matter of self-respect and professionalism. This principle mirrors Bill Walsh's approach with the 49ers: champions act like champions before they're champions.

“This is a matter of self-respect we are professionals we will present ourselves professionally”

Keep meticulous records of customer preferences, habits, and feedback. Use this data to create personalized experiences that delight customers.

Escoffier kept files organized by customer name, recording their favorite dishes, likes and dislikes. This allowed him to design the perfect meal for regular guests every time, creating an seemingly magical ability to anticipate their desires.

Monitor and negotiate aggressively with suppliers to secure the best discounts and terms. Your scale and importance as a customer gives you leverage.

Escoffier negotiated significant discounts from suppliers for the Savoy because the restaurant's vast weekly orders made them an important customer. Suppliers competed for the business because of the restaurant's reputation, which Escoffier had built.

Understand and respect the fundamentals of your craft. Build innovations on top of proven foundations rather than discarding the past. Masters always study what came before them.

Escoffier invented new dishes and found new ways of presenting classics, but he always built upon the foundations of traditional cooking. He believed every culinary invention stood upon the foundations of prior training. When writing his cookbook, he realized he needed to start from the beginning because essentials remain constant.

Document and systematize your knowledge for others. Write down your methods, recipes, and philosophy. This preserves your legacy and helps others achieve excellence.

Escoffier spent years writing a comprehensive cookbook not just about his recipes, but about the philosophy and fundamentals of cooking. He viewed it as a work tool for professionals. A century later, his book remains in print and influences chefs worldwide.

When you don't achieve your original dream, bloom where you're planted. Excellence in what you're doing now can lead to unexpected fulfillment and impact.

Escoffier dreamed of being a sculptor as a young boy but was forced by his father to apprentice at his brother's restaurant. He brought his artistic temperament to the kitchen, eventually revolutionizing restaurant cooking and creating work that influenced chefs for over a century.

Eliminate chaos and disorder from your operations. Create calm, methodical systems and processes. No shouting, no drinking, no disrespect. Professionalism enables better work.

Escoffier transformed restaurant kitchens from chaotic, drunken places where men shouted constantly into spaces of calm, methodical cooperation. He instituted no drinking, no vulgar language, and slow, methodical work. This transformed the restaurant industry.

“The rush hour in kitchen is not a time for a rush of words. Slow, methodical, calm and quiet is how he does his work.”

View your product presentation (menu, packaging, branding) as an art form. Make it evocative, seductive, and pleasurable. The presentation should increase the desire to experience your offering.

Escoffier wrote his own menus, carefully selecting words that sounded gentle and pleasing while expressing a connection to the food. He viewed the menu as a kind of poem: teasing, seducing, promising pleasure, a poem of anticipation.

“All well-presented menus should be evocative and increase the desire to partake of a skillfully prepared and presented meal.”

Pursue simplicity in your product or service. Strip away unnecessary complexity, ornamentation, and excess. The motto should be 'make it simple.'

Escoffier's food was less complicated than what came before, stripped of unnecessary ornamentation, inedible decoration, and too many sauces. His motto was 'Above all, make it simple.' This same principle is seen in Izzy Sharp's hotel design and Steve Jobs' approach to product design.

“Above all, make it simple.”

When you're passionate and talented at something, you'll naturally attract recognition and an appreciative audience. Don't feel you need to manufacture fame; focus on excellence.

Escoffier realized he was a brilliant chef and needed an appreciative audience. Ritz, on his way to becoming Europe's premier hotelier, offered exactly that. Their partnership happened because they each needed what the other provided: Escoffier wanted recognition, Ritz wanted excellence.