Investing on Culture: Take the long view
Every couple of years, we take our team on the road.
What started as a gesture of gratitude (and relief) for surviving the challenges of pandemic-era hospitality has grown into something much more meaningful: a chance to step away from the daily grind and reconnect with why we do this work in the first place.
This year’s journey began in San Francisco with a dine-around of some of the city's most celebrated restaurants. We then headed north to Healdsburg, where we spent two immersive days wine tasting, observing whole hog butchery, and laughing our way through a pizza and pool party at the hotel. It was equal parts education and celebration, a snapshot of the culture we’ve worked hard to cultivate at Nocturne.
These trips have become a hallmark of our employee experience. They create space for joy, growth, and camaraderie outside the walls of the restaurant. They also build retention. People look forward to the trip. They plan for it. They stay for it.
Still, the nature of hospitality means that people are always evolving, and we expect and celebrate that. A server graduates and accepts a job at a law firm. A bartender takes the next step toward opening his own place by stepping into a management role. These transitions aren’t failures in our retention, they are proof that we’ve been a part of someone’s journey toward their best self. That is something to be proud of. I’m always looking for the opportunity to allow members of my team to leave better than when they arrived. The most recent resignation email I received said “Nocturne has taught me what it means to be in the service industry, and made it clear that hospitality is a sacred and noble enterprise. I will remember my time fondly, so thank you all.” This means more than any award that could come our way.
Of course, not all turnover comes with warm goodbyes and life milestones. Sometimes, someone leaves because they’ve not held up their end of the deal, because they’ve fallen short of the standards we’ve set. In those moments, we have to hold the line. Letting someone go is never easy, especially in a tight-knit culture. But when accountability is clear and consistently upheld, the team as a whole grows stronger. Even the hardest coaching decisions protect what we’ve built.
Employee retention and culture have always been a long-term commitment for us. Culture is not defined by the quick highs of recognition, pizza parties, or even the big "wow" moments of a staff trip. It’s certainly not defined by barking orders or ruling with an iron fist. It lives in the ability to make the right decisions with the future in mind. When we invest in people, hold high standards, and stay focused on the long view, we create the conditions for even more moments of joy, connection, and celebration—year after year.