How to Build a Team That Actually Cares | Preston Lee

Hospitality consultant Preston Lee explains how restaurants can build stronger teams, earn employee trust and create the kind of human connection that keeps guests coming back.Why This Episode MattersWhy hospitality begins with genuine care, not a memorized scriptWhat younger employees need from restaurant leaders todayHow daily training creates consistency without overwhelming the staffWhy the employee experience directly shapes the guest experienceHow AI may make real human hospitality even more valuableBanterMark and Francis take aim at New York City’s new anti-alcohol campaign and its failure to acknowledge the social and cultural role of restaurants and bars. Francis proposes a protest involving drinks, campaign posters and social media…until Mark’s old college beer funnel makes an appearance and immediately weakens the case.The ConversationPreston Lee joins Mark and Francis to discuss why hospitality is ultimately a structured form of kindness and care. He explains how restaurants can motivate younger employees by providing purpose, clarity and consistent expectations rather than assuming earnings alone will create commitment. The conversation explores hands-on training, daily pre-shifts and Preston’s “drip training” approach, which introduces meaningful changes gradually and reinforces them through accountability. They also discuss creating hospitality between employees, recognizing when someone is not right for the organization and developing managers rather than simply promoting them. Finally, Preston considers how AI may support restaurant training while making authentic human interaction an increasingly valuable luxury.Timestamps0:00 New York City’s anti-alcohol campaign6:35 Hospitality as kindness, care and purpose17:00 What Gen Z needs from restaurant leaders25:00 Drip training, accountability and earning trust30:30 Building hospitality within the restaurant team43:30 The 30% Rule, AI and the future of human connectionBioPreston Lee is a hospitality consultant, founder of The 30% Rule and author of The Hospitality Handbook: How Unconditional Hospitality Transforms Teams, Customers, and Companies. He works with restaurant operators to develop stronger leaders, more consistent teams and hospitality systems that can grow with the business.InfoPreston’s book The Hospitality Handbook: How Unconditional Hospitality Transforms Teams, Customers, and CompaniesPreston’s site https://30percentrule.com/We're bringing our kitchen to the farm!Join us at Dreyer Farms in Cranford, NJ for a Table-to-Farm Dinner.Sunday, September 13 @ 5:30https://www.stageleft.com/event/91326-table-to-farm-dinner/ Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regularhttps://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/Magyar Bankhttps://www.magbank.com/Stage Left Wine Shophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Our PlacesStage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/Reach Out to The [email protected]