We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jordan Lloyd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The most important factor in the financial success of a restaurant, hotel or any product producing place of business is to understand your overhead. This assumes consistency and quality are well intact. Its easy to drift into what feels the most controllable….food, beverage, labor cost and day to day expenses. The issues come when all of that is being well managed and still no money is made. The rent, mortgage, utilities, insurances…the cost of items that do not change no matter how many customers walk or do not walk in your front door are key to gaining success. With any new business I am developing, the first look I take is at the overhead required to operate. Once I understand what the foundation of the business is going to cost, I can make assessments based on keeping the overhead no more than 10% of my total revenue. Its easy to see what the capability of a business’s success is once the overhead has a set percent. Food, beverage, labor can be changed on the drop of a dime if necessary, overhead is typically a locked cost for the life of your business and the last thing business owners look at before jumping into the deep end.

Jordan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The spirit of hospitality was instilled into me at a young age by my Aunt Pat. I was enamored by her ability to create large family gatherings, decadent meals and make it look effortless while everyone enjoyed. She would not allow anyone to help or lift a finger while she floated throughout the house making everyone feel welcome and cared for from the moment they walked in the door until the last guest departed. I was constantly peeking in the kitchen. She could sense my interest and invited me into her world. At age 6, I was the only family member allowed in her kitchen to help. I later became a Chef. I do love food and creating but more than that, I love taking care of people. Food is only one of my outlets. I love creating events, helping people manage their businesses, creating atmospheres of any sort that allow people to feel successful, cared for and loved. This philosophy begins within our team. Its important to me that every team mate I have feels successful and cared for each and every day. I know if I can provide this atmosphere for my own people, that will carry into each one of our clients events.

I left home from Easton, MD for culinary school in Pittsburgh, PA when I was 18. I soon became obsessed with the best of the best of my industry. I started working with 4 star Chef Michel Richard in Washington D.C. by age 21. After 2.5 years under his guidance, he recognized I was eager for more. Michel sent me to his dear friend, Thomas Keller to be on the opening team of Per Se in NY,NY. Following a year and 1/2 with this elite group of hospitality specialists, now married to my incredible wife, Alice, we decided to move to Bluffton, South Carolina to open Auberge du Soleil, a world renown resort known to offer the highest quality, luxury hospitality accommodations. With these two world class openings under my belt, I was thirsty for more. Following these openings, I opened La Goulue in Bal Harbour Shops with The Godfather of French cooking in the United States, Christian Delouvrier, then Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington D.C. At age 28, I was ready to open my own spot in my hometown. Alice and I opened Bartlett Pear Inn in 2008. We achieved 4 stars with Baltimore Sun, 3 stars with Washington Post, hosted several James Beard dinners in NYC showcasing cuisine of our region. After 10 years with our place, Alice and I decided to sell our place and transition our business to an events and catering company. This move allowed us a lot more control of our time and money. Without the daily responsibilities of running a restaurant, we have more family time with our children and each other. It also has opened up our time to support other entrepreneurs, helping them bring their dreams to life.

We have much to be proud of with plenty more to offer our industry. Commitment to family has been the North Star of our decisions. Alice and I are celebrating 22 years of marriage with our daughter turning 18 and son, 16 this year. That commitment to family is translated to caring for all the families that work with us under the umbrella of Hambleton House LLC as well as the communities we serve. This is the true spirit of hospitality. Its not a a professional philosophy, it’s a way of life for us. Integrity, compassion and quality are the foundational values of all we do.

Our most recent projects include the opening of a beautiful new fast casual Lebanese restaurant called Zazzy in Clarendon, VA. We are consulting a home and garden cafe called,Topiary and Tea, as well as supporting a family venture called, Tidal Roots, a new local food superstore with grand greenhouses on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In addition, we have started a non-profit that serves the people in our industry committed to serving others. Family Meal Inc provides meals to those in need, grant money to aspiring hospitality students or offers financial support to a professional in our field facing tough times. Serving those who serve.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The most important element in our organization is to empower our people to be great. Believe in their skills and intuitions to want to be excellent. Providing a tremendous amount of education and support without being overbearing can be a delicate balance. Teammates need independence while knowing they have the full support of its owners and management at any moment. I do not believe it is hard to find good help. The real problem is that it is hard to find good leadership and management. Once that is in place, great help is overwhelmingly available. There are many people searching for a safe, loving workplace that appreciates them. Unfortunately, these traits within the workplace are not prevalent. I recommend for managers that say its hard to find good help, take a conscious look at their own styles of oversight. Leadership with humility will go a long way. I am the first to admit that an approach I was taking was wrong. I love to ask my team their opinion on next steps. Empowering your team to genuinely guide its own management generates a pride and morale within the workplace that is bursting with positive energy for everyone involved. That positive energy directly impacts every product, program and event we commit to.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Pursuit for quality, consistency and hard work with an honest heart. There are no tricks to developing a great reputation. I have found that doing a significant amount of community and charity work have always been my best marketing tool. Connecting with local shelters or advocacy groups has been far more gratifying and impactful than any money spent on paper advertising or media drive. When your local community knows you are supporting them, they want to support you back. I have put a tremendous amount of attention on the quality of the products I develop. To create greatness, you must start with greatness. You can not make a show stopping plate of food if you begin with mediocre ingredients. The goal is to create products that have an unattainable level of quality by your competitors while still being approachable to a large demographic. This takes experience, trial, error and a relentless pursuit for better everyday.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hambletonhouseevents.com
• Instagram: jordancheflloyd / hambletonhouseevents
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-lloyd

Image Credits

Cecile Davis, Jenna Walcott, Rebecca Smith