Feb. 2, 2024 – In today’s fast-paced, technologically driven world, “customer service” is predominantly an exercise in which customers have the burden to effectively communicate digitally with artificial intelligence (AI) software or an automated, often unintelligent menu that may or may not have a real person standing by to take over. But thankfully, humans can still experience superior service, exquisitely delivered by real humans, courtesy of the hospitality industry at fine dining restaurants, top hotels and carefully planned in-person events. Hold the phone app! Entire generations, known simply by a letter of the alphabet, may not even be aware this type of service exists. Will classic service and fine dining soon be relegated to a digital file 13? Not if Eric Weiss, Chaîne member and founder of Service Arts Inc., has anything to say, and do, about it.

Eric has been saying and doing a lot about it for more than 50 years having spent his entire career in the hospitality industry as a service consultant, sommelier, wine instructor and event planner. Growing up in Tenafly, New Jersey across the Hudson River from New York City, Eric’s father, now 102 years old, was a dentist with an office in Manhattan next to the Plaza Hotel. All that New York City had to offer was at his doorstep, the best restaurants, Carnegie Hall, world famous museums, and iconic retailers. Eric’s mother, now 98 years old, was a travel agent. “Their minds are so sharp and so focused. They are so interested in what I am doing and where I’m doing it. Their recall is astounding,” Eric said to Chaîne during a Jan. 23 telephone interview. Eric said his friends often ask him the key to his parents’ longevity. “It’s that they are incredibly curious. They want to be current and fortunately, they’ve passed that on to me because I’ve always been a curious person.”

In addition to curiosity, Eric has a natural talent for languages, which blossomed early. In French class in middle school, Eric had such a good accent his teacher thought he was mocking him and would rap him on the knuckles with a ruler for the putative offense.

That experience did not deter him. With support from his parents for his adventurous spirit that caught the travel bug early when Eric took a six-week summer tour of the United States with other teens, the world, not just the United States, was at his doorstep. Speaking Italian and French fluently and being able to communicate in other languages opened many doors throughout his career, a career that began when he was just a teenager.

Working at Sea and College

At age 16 Eric attended a one month training program at the National Maritime Union Upgrading and Retraining School in New York City to qualify for a job in kitchens and dining rooms aboard ocean liners. At age 17, he shipped out for his first job on the S.S. United States, which took him around the world to Africa, Germany, France, England and the Caribbean before returning to New York City. That experience, along with many trips thereafter as he worked holidays and summers during his four years of college at Boston University, set the tone and tenor for the rest of his life.

Eric fondly remembers standing in front of a large board at the Maritime office seeing where all of the ships were going and being able to choose his next job – and exciting destination. While learning the technical aspects of the job and visiting exotic locations were highlights, those advantages paled in comparison to what he learned living and working with people, a lot of people as each ship had hundreds of crew members to serve up to 2,000 passengers.

“I can’t emphasize enough how important that experience was for my future career in terms of being able to get along and find value in people. It was a huge gift right from the beginning,” Eric said. Crew members came from many different socioeconomic backgrounds with most having never been to college but they did not resent Eric for his ivory tower pursuits. To his credit, Eric embraced the differences and learned to appreciate all life experiences. After he ended his time working on ships, the crew of one ship sent him a postcard addressed to “Eric Weiss, Tenafly, New Jersey” with a single sentence on the back, “We really miss you.”

After graduating with a degree in Communications, Eric fulfilled his lifelong dream to live and work in France although he is still not sure why he had a strong desire to live in France. He’s spent decades pondering that and to this day cannot point to any one moment except for the memory of his paternal grandfather, who was a superb cook, talking about his time as a soldier in France during World War I.

He settled into a new life in France and stayed there for eight years. Advancing his culinary education at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) drew him back to the United States but not for long. For his mandatory three-month externship at the CIA, he convinced the CIA president to give him a one year leave of absence in 1979 so he could learn under one of France’s top chefs. He knew he would have to interview in person so he left for France without having a job.

Once there he wrote to five, 3-star Michelin restaurants. Famed Chef Roger Vergé of Le Moulin de Mougins in southern France agreed to meet him for lunch. At lunch Eric sketched plates being served and conversed comfortably with Chef Vergé in French. “If you can cook the way you can speak French, you’re hired,” Chef Vergé told him. “What an incredible opportunity that was,” Eric said adding that he may have been the first American hired by a 3-star Michelin restaurant in France for a full-time apprenticeship.

Following his one year tutelage under Chef Vergé, Eric returned to the CIA to finish his education. Upon graduation, the CIA hired him as an assistant instructor. Always curious, Chef Eric soon decided he wanted to branch out to learn more about wine.

Seagram Chateau and Estate Wines

In 1985, Maurice Lartigau, Vice President of Seagram Chateau and Estate Wines, a top importer and distributor of French wine in the United States, interviewed Eric for a position with Seagram. “If you know about wine the way you speak French, you’re hired,” the Seagram executive told him. That was the second job Eric landed because of his language skills, a sweet vindication for Eric when reflecting on middle school.

For the next 12 years while working for Seagram, Eric traveled to France two to three times per year and of course, met all of the movers and shakers in fine dining and the hospitality industry in New York City. During this time, the famous “21 Club” needed a part-time sommelier so three nights a week, Eric filled that role recommending wine to celebrities from all walks of life. He recalls serving a well known opera director who, with one other person, ordered a magnum of 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, a $3,000 bottle of wine, and then proceeded to order a second magnum finishing both. “I was amazed they were able to walk out of the club,” Eric said. They left him a $500 tip, the highest tip he ever received during his time there.

Workshops and Service Arts Inc.

In 1993, he had an idea, an idea that would launch the next phase of his career. Having extensive experience in both the back and the front of the house, he was all too familiar with friction between staff. The frenetic pace of service never allowed for on-the-spot conflict resolution. So Eric designed a series of workshops, each with four sessions, to bring together hospitality staff during off hours to air grievances and most important, develop solutions.

He approached the General Manager of the new Four Seasons Hotel in New York City to host the workshops. For three years, 12 times per year, Eric conducted his workshops bringing in guest speakers who were hospitality professionals or professionals in related fields.

Eric recalls one notable session led by Larry Bogdanow (1947-2011), an architect who designed many famous restaurants in the Big Apple. Larry and his staff created six models of restaurants with miniature furniture/equipment that teams of workshop participants had to place to optimize work flow for everyone. “It was really, really fantastic I must say,” Eric said.

Florence Fabricant, longtime food and wine writer at the New York Times, heard about the workshops and with a nose for something new, wrote an article about Eric and his workshops. Within one week, Eric was a guest on The Today Show with Katie Couric and then other networks picked up the story.

Now a nationally recognized service consultant, Eric expanded his reach with a monthly show on CNNfn (financial network) explaining to viewers how to get great service not only at restaurants but also at many different types of businesses and service providers. International acclaim soon followed when the London Times sent Tony Allen-Mills, a reporter, to cover one of Eric’s dinners.

In 1998, Eric’s free spirit and life experience gave him the confidence to strike out on his own so he left Seagram and launched his own company – Service Arts Inc. “I decided it was time to spread my wings,” Eric said. He cherishes his time at Seagram. “It was a wonderful experience and a great company to work for.”

From Russia to Japan to Portugal and to many cities in the United States, Eric helps his clients understand and improve service. It may seem daunting since each culture is unique but there is a common thread to stellar service. “It’s a matter of being able to pick up cues, adapt and personalize that experience. In terms of great service, something I constantly espouse is the customization of it. It’s not generic,” he said. “One can always get better at that.”

Having consulted with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis many years before, in fall 2001, the United States Military Academy at West Point hired Eric to help them personalize food service for their cadets. That was a daunting consulting task as logistics were already down to the second, the Army way. West Point staff efficiently serve 4,000 cadets a three-course meal in 26 minutes.

Eric’s task was to recommend strategies to personalize mealtime to give cadets a sense of home. To help servers learn and remember cadets’ first names, Eric adapted a method he had developed for his hotel, resort and restaurant clients. He also advised West Point servers to learn something important about each cadet such as a pet, a sibling or favorite sport.

His work at the military academies was just the beginning of many years consulting in the public sector, reaching the pinnacle in 2003 when he became an advisor to Daniel Shanks, the first Food and Beverage Usher at The White House. The demands of Daniel’s unique job are almost impossible to imagine. Eric said Daniel was a “golden prisoner” at the White House, rarely leaving except to attend Oregon’s annual Pinot Noir festival due to the demands of the job.

For 25 years, Daniel orchestrated and managed every type of event from the annual Easter Egg Hunt for thousands of children to formal State Dinners for political leaders and royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. Interestingly, every State Dinner is held to only 60 minutes so there is no room for even the slightest faux pas either in planning or execution.

Eric became Daniel’s “eyes and ears,” outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, keeping him abreast of emerging food and wine trends, recommending wine for State Dinners and other events, and providing personnel recommendations for top level White House culinary staff.

He advised and collaborated with Daniel from 2003 to 2018 and they remain close friends. “Without a doubt, Daniel is probably the most amazing person that I’ve met in the hospitality world, as a human being, as a professional. He’s just an amazing human being and hospitalitarian,” Eric said.

As Eric evolved in his professional life, he took note of a few pieces missing from the hospitality puzzle. During his years working for Seagram, he hosted many wine dinners at fine dining restaurants in New York City when nobody else was customizing service in that way. Soon it was common practice. Then he had an epiphany. “I suddenly realized that wasn’t enough,” Eric said.

Harmony of the Senses

Pairing food and wine at dedicated events elevated the dining experience but why not interpret the pleasures of the table with other art forms such as dance, music, photography and art, he thought. Eric’s “Harmony of the Senses” concept came to fruition.

At his first event in 2006, Eric consulted with Hilton Hotels for the opening celebration of the Conrad Indianapolis hotel. Eric hired pianist David Sancious to interpret food and wine with music. David was an early member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band so he brought incredible expertise to the event, which rocked the city with its grandeur and creativity. Eric incorporated dance with 40 couples from Vienna, Austria, Indianapolis’ sister city, who traveled to Indianapolis to dance the waltz throughout two city blocks that were blocked off for the event. In addition, Vienna’s famous Lipizzaner stallions performed.

Barron Hilton (1927-2019) attended the event, the first time in 15 years he was present at one of his company’s openings, Eric said.

Service Excellence City and Countywide

In 2012, Maureen “Mo” McElroy, then President and CEO of the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce in Sonoma County, California, hired Eric to consult with both public and private entities to elevate service for both their residents and tourists. Eric said his series of Service Excellence workshops concluded when all 125 participants came together to design a symbol of excellence. Police, fire, and first responders collaborated with winemakers, hotel management and other independent business owners and staff to achieve the common goal of delivering excellent service. “Excellent Training. It was amazing to me that of the 125 attendees from the three sectors of the event, nearly all attended to the end of the program. Eric Weiss is not a person dedicated to a workshop, but a person passionate about service,” Eric Drew, Broker/President of Sotheby’s International Realty, said in a testimonial after the workshop.

Eric continues to plan and host customized Harmony of the Senses events. Most recently, 40 guests participated in a three-day event in 2023 at La Samanna on St. Maarten that first interpreted six Matisse paintings through food, wine, music and dance. On the final day, six paintings by Sir Roland Richardson, a local impressionist artist, were interpreted through Creole food, music and dance.

Elegant events integrating multiple art forms appealing to all of the senses are both timeless and ageless. In his vision to heighten food and wine experiences, Eric has identified a formula to more effectively engage younger generations in the real world.

“I think what people are looking for more and more are two qualities – authenticity and knowledge. Where is the fish from? The answer is not ‘from the sea.’ They want to know as much as possible about the provenance of proteins, vegetables, and beverages,” Eric said. With access to immediate information, guests are more knowledgeable today. “The more knowledgeable a staff is about those things, the more credible they become. In terms of authenticity, I think that is so crucial that servers be themselves.”

Keeping it real will definitely resonate with youth. “Forget the squiggles, the foams, the coulis, the dots, the tweezer food – give me food that I can recognize immediately. Give me generous portions; don’t give me dots, tiny little bits. It transcends, whether it’s the service, whether it’s the food. People are looking for Real – Authentic,” Eric advised. The new vibe is one of comfortable casual in a less formal atmosphere. But the bar is still high for service. “Real service does not mean being sloppy or not knowledgeable in that role. There’s a big difference between casual and sloppy.”

Molto Gusto – Curated Trip to Northern Italy for Chaîne Members

Travel is an inextricable component of hospitality. Enhancing his Harmony of the Senses events, Eric is now curating travel excursions to iconic destinations known worldwide for exquisite food and wine heritage.

Exclusively for Chaîne members, he has curated Molto Gusto, a two-week trip in mid May to Northern Italy. Co-host Signore Giuseppe Gianotti, an international bon vivant from Milan, will join Eric to offer guests an intimate, insider’s experience of the region. Best of all, a portion of travel fees will be donated to the Chaîne Foundation.

Viewing vineyards dotting slopes of the Italian Alps, smelling aromas of Old World Italy before tasting classic dishes, hearing sounds of silence only Mother Nature can provide, and touching the past to the days of the Roman Empire defines Eric’s Harmony of the Senses concept. Give him a call. You’ll get an intelligent and real conversation without any risk of artificially intelligent interference!

Links and Information

Eric Weiss: Contact information – Telephone: (914)-466-2927  email: serviceny@aol.com
Multo Gusto Trip Brochure
Service Arts Inc.