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The Myth of the Holiday Bonus (and 100 Other Festive Lies I’ve Survived)

The Myth of the Holiday Bonus (and 100 Other Festive Lies I’ve Survived)

by Chris Mallon | Dec 10, 2025 | Industry Insights, Culture & Critique, Seasonal Shifts

The Myth of the Holiday Bonus Let’s get one thing straight: I have never once, in 26 years in hospitality, received a holiday bonus that looked anything like what you see in the movies. No envelopes discreetly slid across desks. No end-of-year checks. No warm speeches...
The Masks We Wear: Emotional Labor of Hospitality and Holidays

The Masks We Wear: Emotional Labor of Hospitality and Holidays

by Chris Mallon | Oct 30, 2025 | Industry Insights, Culture & Critique, Seasonal Shifts

The Masks We Wear A Halloween Reflection for the Industry That Lives in Costume You don’t need Halloween to know what it feels like to wear a mask. Ours aren’t rubber or plastic.They don’t come with strings or eyeholes.Ours are made of “I’m fine,”...
Want to Know What Really Happened to Customer Service? A Post-Pandemic Look at Hospitality’s Soul

Want to Know What Really Happened to Customer Service? A Post-Pandemic Look at Hospitality’s Soul

by Chris Mallon | Oct 14, 2025 | Industry Insights, Advocacy, Culture & Critique

What Really Happened to Customer Service? A Post-Pandemic Look at Hospitality’s Soul The pandemic didn’t just upend the way we live; it took a jackhammer to the very foundation of hospitality. Since the lockdown era, a steady chorus of customer complaints has...
The Pumpkin Patch Is a Lie: Fall Isn’t Cozy Behind the Bar

The Pumpkin Patch Is a Lie: Fall Isn’t Cozy Behind the Bar

by Chris Mallon | Oct 7, 2025 | Industry Insights, Culture & Critique, Seasonal Shifts

The Pumpkin Patch Is a Lie: Fall Isn’t Cozy Behind the Bar There’s a moment every fall, and it started back in September.  Back when the first guest walks in wearing a flannel shirt and announces to no one in particular that “fall is finally here.” They order a...

Recent Posts

  • The Quiet Months: Why Hospitality’s Slow Season Matters
  • To the Ones Still Working This Week: Holidays in Hospitality
  • The Myth of the Holiday Bonus (and 100 Other Festive Lies I’ve Survived)
  • The Ghosts of Christmas Shift: Why Popup Bars Are Haunting the Industry
  • Gravy Doesn’t Fix Grief: What the Holidays Feel Like Behind the Bar

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