Academy Within

What does excellence actually look like inside a restaurant?

On Tuesday more than 80 Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators gathered at the Piedmont Driving Club for a special luncheon with Horst Schulze, co-founder of The Ritz-Carlton.

What a tremendous time we shared together.

Horst reminded us that excellence does not sustain itself because it is declared. It is sustained when leaders define it clearly and teams take ownership of it every day.

Around the tables, operators shared real stories from their restaurants — moments where hospitality shows up when it matters most.

When teams regularly discuss what excellence looks like in their work, standards become shared understanding and leaders multiply.

Grateful to the operators who joined us and to Horst for reminding us that hospitality, practiced with intention, still changes everything.