Create Better Hospitality experiences for all.
Define the future standards of the service and staffing within the hospitality industry by creating a pool of educated workers that affirms the industry’s position among respected and desirable career paths.
Offer support services, tools and resources to a community with shared values.
Improving the guest experience starts with ensuring that all staff have the knowledge, tools and training necessary to be successful.
People come first. Empowerment through education, support and access to resources is the cornerstone to career success and team building.
Collectively, we can define future service standards and validate the food & beverage industry as a respected career path in the United States.
a conversation with friends about the state of the restaurant industry. Better Hospitality Founder, Ronald Odom, Jr. was intrigued by his colleagues views regarding the rise in awards, lists, write-ups and competition shows celebrating successful chefs. Mr. Odom began to wonder why there was limited acknowledgment and praise for the management teams and staff that operated these successful restaurants. As a natural problem solver, he wanted to do something about this oversight. By mid-2014, Mr. Odom was on a mission.
The Front of House Awards, the precursor to what is now Better Hospitality, sought to show appreciation to food and beverage industry leaders who consistently demonstrated high service standards and a true understanding of hospitality. We held industry events, conducted market research and completed a successful crowdfunding campaign. The idea of creating a recognition program seemed to fix the problem we initially set out to solve. However, as we spoke with more and more restaurant professionals around New York City, it became clear that there was a bigger void. Many restaurant workers were in need of professional development, economic stability and direction in their careers. These were all issues that an award would not directly help. The team working to make the FOH Awards a reality decided that we wanted to make a bigger impact on the industry.
While working on training materials for ODX Consulting, Mr. Odom realized that what he had been looking for had been there the entire time. The tagline for ODX Consulting was, a Better Hospitality experience. The betterment of the hospitality industry was all he had set out to do from day one. From that day in 2016, brainstorming for Better Hospitality began. The programming must address the full needs of the people and the industry. As programming was being developed, the needs of the people and the scope of Better Hospitality seemed to get bigger and bigger. By 2018, a new team was built and we were off to the races.
Today, Better Hospitality serves as a bridge between staff, owners and guests to offer a better hospitality experience. We adopted a whole industry approach that includes fostering strong relationships, providing opportunities for career advancement and economic growth, while increasing respect for restaurant professionals.
Culinary
Service Staff
Beverage Teams
Management
Maître D’s / Guest Service Teams
Administrators
Vendors
Patrons and Guests
Relationships (People/Network)
Opportunity (Career/Economic)
Geographic (Live/Work)
Born and raised in Memphis, TN, Mr. Odom has always valued building relationships and making an impact on the world around him.
As a hospitality professional with over 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry(fine dining, private events, catering, etc.), Mr. Odom is a leader in front of house service. With additional experience in Communications and Advertising Sales, Mr. Odom provides a wealth of knowledge to the restaurant community. He is always willing to support others seeking to improve the hospitality experience, and has led business seminars for NYC Business Solutions.
Since moving to NYC in 2008, he was honored to be on the opening team of celebrity chef restaurants, Red Rooster Harlem with Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson and Ed's Chowder House (Ed Brown.) Before joining the team at Gabriel Kreuther (2* Michelin) to lead the private dining program, Mr. Odom was on the management team of Becco Restaurant by Lidia Bastianich (Lidia's Italy - PBS) and Joe Bastianich (MasterChef).
“Hospitality is more than a smile. It is a way of life.
Give guests the memorable experience that you would enjoy.”