The Local Knowledge Standard
Five steps for a shortlist of places the desk has actually visited. Guests can search online in their room; they come to the desk for what a search can’t say.
- Who
- Concierges, led by the head concierge
- When
- Every recommendation, and a full review of the shortlist each month
- You need
- The shared shortlist file, a visit budget, the guest’s plans for the day
- Measured by
- Every entry visited in the last 6 months
- Each entry names a dish and a table
- Two options given, never ten
5 steps
01
Visit
Nothing goes on the shortlist until someone from the desk has eaten there or walked it, and paid like a guest. Aim for two visits per concierge per month, booked under your own name.
Say this
“Visited 14 Sept, A. Moretti. Lunch for two, paid in full. Ask for the terrace, table 6.”
Common mistake Accepting a free dinner from the owner and calling it research. You tasted the evening they staged, not the one the guest gets.
02
Write it down
Each entry gets six short lines: who went, the date, what to order, which table or time to ask for, the price per head, and the kind of guest it suits. Facts only, no adjectives.
Say this
“Da Rita. Order the cacio e pepe. Ask for the back room. About €45 a head. Suits families and slow lunches.”
Common mistake Writing “lovely atmosphere, great food”. A colleague on the night shift can’t send a guest anywhere on that.
03
Match
Ask two questions before you recommend: where the guest enjoyed eating last, and how they want tonight to feel. Then give two places from the shortlist, each with a reason that fits.
Say this
“You enjoyed somewhere lively last night, so Da Rita for noise and pasta, or Alma if you’d like it quieter.”
Common mistake Sending everyone to the same three places because they always say yes to the desk. The guest gets a list, not advice.
04
Brief it
Tell the guest one thing about each place that a search engine won’t: the dish to order, the table to ask for, the hour it fills up or the owner’s name. One sentence, then stop.
Say this
“Ask for Rita herself. If she’s in, she’ll bring you the fried artichokes, which aren’t on the menu.”
Common mistake Reading the restaurant’s own website back to the guest. They could have done that from the room.
05
Review
The morning after, ask the guest how it went and write the answer next to the entry. A place with two weak reports in a month, or no visit in six months, comes off the list.
Say this
“Mr Okafor, 12 Oct: loved the pasta, waited 25 min for the table. Book 15 min earlier next time.”
Common mistake Keeping a place on the list out of loyalty to the owner. Your name was on that recommendation, not theirs.
Your Three Sure Answers
The three questions the desk hears most, answered by someone who has been. Fill it in for your city, so every concierge can say it without the file.
The first-night dinner
- Place and who went
- Last visited
- What to order or see
- Table, time or tip
The quiet lunch
- Place and who went
- Last visited
- What to order or see
- Table, time or tip
The morning walk
- Place and who went
- Last visited
- What to order or see
- Table, time or tip
Fill in one block a day at the morning briefing, Monday to Wednesday. On Friday the head concierge asks each person on shift for all three from memory. Redo the card each season, or when a place closes.
The Standards Library.
No. 28 · Concierge
The Outside Booking Standard
Five steps for every booking made with a restaurant, theatre or guide for a guest. If it goes wrong, the guest finds out at the door, far from the desk.
No. 29 · Concierge
The Directions Standard
Five steps for directions a guest can follow without a phone signal. Most guests nod at the desk and forget the second turn by the time they reach the door.