⎯ Work With Me ⎯
One of my favorite quotations is, ‘We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.’ Whether you already know what you need, or determining that is part of the assignment, I listen to your every word so we can get super clear on what success looks like for your project, and plan how to get there together.
∟ Who I work with
– Real estate developers, hotel operators, and asset managers who are planning new food & beverage experiences or re-imagining existing ones, and want to mitigate downstream risk by seeking support with foodservice strategy, programming, space planning, and execution.
– Businesses who have retail or private club environments, want food and beverage (or refreshed F&B) as part of their experience, and need guidance to craft the foodservice scope, define the F&B expression of the brand, and guide the concept through the intricate process of bringing it to life.
– Non-profits and cultural centers introducing food and beverage experiences or revisiting existing ones, and need support to develop programs that address all their use cases in a mission-aligned fashion.
– Restaurant operators working on large or complex projects and need help bringing clarity and structure to the process, and bridging communication gaps among key project stakeholders to ensure smooth workflow and avoid unnecessary cost.
∟ Why I do it
Food and beverage experiences are the heartstrings of real estate developments and communities. They draw people to visit; invite them to gather; nourish them; and when done right, delight them. I help define what success looks like for foodservice activations, then help make that goal a reality – it is the best work there is.
What I do
The first step of any project is getting to know each other. In order to best support you, I first need to understand you and your organization, how you work, and what is important to you. Then we can dig into the really fun stuff - your project. I believe in investing effort up front to get very clear on the goals and what success looks like - it ends up paying back dividends in time and money because we can make decisions swiftly as we go. And it results in a better, more cohesive product.
I am a solo practitioner, but when the project calls for it I have an extensive network of best-in-class subject matter experts I bring in to augment my team of one. And I live and breathe hospitality - I don’t even know what brought you to my site yet and I am already excited about it!
Here is a glimpse of how I think about the main components of a project:
∟ Imagination-Driven Concepting
Define the food service strategy and goals
Shape ideas into clearly articulated concepts and programs to tell your story
Develop cohesive, compelling concepts and programs with just the right amount of surprise and delight
∟ Right Designing
Space plan and program for your specific concept, desired guest experience, and financial objectives
Direct interior design to be a physical manifestation of the concept
Apply functional design lens to optimize guest experience, workflow, and programmatic selections
∟ Precise Execution
Chart critical path plan
Collaborate with team to move the ball downfield
Proactively trouble shoot along the way
Open and celebrate 🥂
No matter what aspect of your project I am engaged on, I’ll be laser focused on mitigating risk. I’ll always be looking a few steps ahead because it is through considered planning and dot connecting that we will pre-empt problems and avoid unnecessary costs, delays, and headaches. If you like to fly by the seat of your pants and be reactive, more power to you, but we’re probably not a fit. If ducks-in-a-row is your love language, we’ll get on swimmingly.
Let’s chat! Email me at js@jessicaschupak.com to get the ball rolling!
“Jessica has been our go-to F&B consultant the past 5 years. On an early engagement, she led the reimagining of a legacy F&B program, transforming it into a viable proposition for the organization. And more recently, she has been our strategic advisor and domain expert, supporting us every step of the way on a large development project, providing valuable expertise, thought partnership, and risk mitigation throughout. Jessica is highly skilled at anticipating and pre-empting issues, and is always a step ahead in identifying solutions for problems when they do arise. Her style is very collaborative, but she doesn’t shy away from advancing critical workstreams. We rest easy knowing she is always our advocate at the table. Do yourself a favor and bring Jessica on to support your next F&B development project – you’ll be glad you did.”
– Kris Moon, President & COO of the James Beard Foundation