Hospitality News
Reopening 101: Investing in People
By Noah Parks Some of the hardest decisions are made when there seems to be no answer. For example when faced with a worldwide pandemic, shortage of workers, and changing conditions for reopening, what should a company do? Specifically, what should a hospitality...
It’s Happening!
Written By Noah Parks It’s happening. Spring has sprung and the hospitality industry is finally starting to breathe some fresh air. After nearly 13 months of closures, partial openings, and new rules, the industry has begun to open their doors for good! And these...
Hospitality is People
By Noah Parks Recently the New York Times ran an article called, “What is Hospitality? That struck at the core of what we do at HMG+: we provide people the opportunity to be a part of our community to train in service, to elevate their skills and gain confidence. Our...
More than Staffing Solutions: HMG+, a Day in the Life
By Noah Parks It was a bright and beautiful summer day, crystal blue skies, a steady purr of activity on the streets of Brooklyn. I was on my way Frankies, the meeting place for the HMG+ team. The air around Frankies 457 Spuntino, a restaurant in Cobble Hill, was...
It’s an HMG+ Thing
By Noah Parks It sounds like something you’d read on a google ad, “Hospitality Staffing Solutions”, but with HMG+ it has a deeper, more human meaning. It’s our core principle to build community and grow it by supporting our service professionals both professionally...
Vaccinate New York
By Noah Parks HMG+ is always ready to support and serve others, even during a pandemic. When we see a need and have the capacity to help then we do it. During COVID-19 we felt the need to be at full preparedness even though no one was likely to have a...
The Okra Project: Hospitality and the Black Trans Community
By Noah Parks The healthiest way to deal with this pandemic is to connect with your sense of community. Whether it’s reaching out to family, friends, or neighbors, or it’s supporting your local food banks, religious organization, or mutual aid group, all of it helps....
How to ACTUALLY Lift All Boats
By Noah Parks Equity is a word that has always been confused with ‘equality’. In the Black community it’s not confusing at all. The former is what civil rights leaders demanded and Black communities deserved. However, when politicians and even well meaning...
Interview from the Frontlines
2020 has thrown us all for a loop but, luckily HMG+ has service professionals currently working safely in the field. I had the opportunity to interview one of our finest captains, Jacob Pressley and find out how things have changed in the field. I hope you’ll learn...
Soft Skills Test
By Noah Parks What does it mean to be successful in the workplace? What I thought success meant at a young age was having all 151 pokemon. Okay, fast forward to High School, I thought it meant lots of money, cars, and a huge house. I still am striving toward that kind...
‘Tis the Season for Leavin?
By Noah Parks While the circumstances are unique right now, we all have been in that untenable position of not knowing how to end a relationship with an employer. People leave because they have a better offer, are going back to school, or perhaps the company isn’t a...
Happy “Hy-bird” Holiday
By Noah Parks I was one foot out the door when the third Thursday of November approached. Grab my bag and head to the airport. I could see myself ready, masked, distanced, reviewing the safety improvements to the airport and the aircraft. I imagined my ticket on my...
Does the Perfect ‘Thank you’ Letter Exist? … YES!
By Noah Parks We’ve all felt it. That nagging feeling that we should’ve done or said something differently. The feeling that we messed something up and now it’s all over. Take a deep breath, it’s okay. It’s an interview. According to Glassdoor of 250 applicants only...
Be Yourself
By Noah Parks Have you ever felt nervous before an interview? Good. It’s natural. However, remember the company you are interviewing with wants you to be a catch. It’s not always apparent but, a lot goes into crafting an interview that will be successful. The company...
Hospitality Made Me Great
By Noah Parks “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.” It’s a classic. It’s message is pure. I have to say it feels the same way in the hospitality field. “How do I become a bartender?, Manager?, Captain?” It’s the same set up with a more...
Layer Take
By Noah Parks “Layer Take” Mother Nature makes everything seem preordained, perfect, one might say “natural”. How are we going to do it? Our industry has been “rebuilding” for two of our busiest seasons: Graduation/Spring, and Wedding/Summer. Now, how do you take a...
The New Roles of Hospitality
By Noah Parks Stardate *09.31.2020*: back to work. To boldly go where we used to go to do the things we used to do. Well, sort of. We’ll be venturing into the new normal like rangers through the wilderness: redundancies, loaded for bear with PPE, and an expanded...
Ice, ice, baby!
By Noah Parks Ice. Ice. Maybe? No. Definitely. Regardless of what you’re drinking or when, you probably prefer Ice get involved somewhere along the way. Unless you mess with Scotch, Apertifs, Digestifs, or taking shots of Malort, then indulge in the spirit however it...
The Ambassador
By Noah Parks There is this great job. It requires you to be whip smart, on the ball, and ready to serve. It also is a lot easier if you can smile with your eyes (because...masks). It’s not something you want to do as a kid but, by 33 (my age) it’s a job you ponder as...
Healing with Sound Baths
By Ashley Singh and Meghan Hanley Quarantine has me trying all types of new things. Until two weeks ago, I had no idea what a sound bath was, I just hoped it didn’t involve my actual bathtub. I mean, my tub is fine, but with two roommates it’s not quite the urban...