WASHINGTON — Rose’s Luxury opened on Barracks Row in D.C. in 2013, and has been named best new restaurant in the country by Bon Appetit and GQ.
“To this day, people still line up outside the restaurant hoping to get a seat,” said chef-owner Aaron Silverman in a recent TED Talk about his business.
He says the secret to his success is not what’s on the menu.
“After asking myself what made us different I realized it wasn’t our food, or our service. It wasn’t even our hospitality. It was our people.”
In an industry known for its turnover, Silverman said he’s managed to keep many of the employees who helped open the place.
“We always put our people first. They are your main stakeholders. They are the core of your business, more so than your customers, or even your investors. In fact, if there ever was a secret to attracting and retaining great people, that’s it.”
Silverman said he hasn’t really looked at a resume in a while.
“We don’t look at resumes, we listen to references,” he said. “We don’t hire people because they can do a job, we hire people becauase they want to do a job. And those people are always worth 10 times more than someone with solely great experience.”
