Pre-Shift Music to Motivate You

A guide to staying balanced with life and work in the hospitality industry
Culinary Agents
Jan 16, 2024

Music is not only an important compotent of creating a vibe to curate the guest experience for hospitality businesses. It also can fuel your mind, body and soul to create each dish, drink and important guest moments which can also spark next steps in your career. We asked hospitality leaders to share songs that motivate and inspire them. The next time you need to kickstart yourself (or your whole team) before service or anytime you need a soundtrack to get going, give our updated playlist a listen!

Here are the go-to songs by some of today's hospitality leaders:

  • "Don’t Stop Me Now" by Queen 
    - Lisa Karvellas, Co-Owner and CEO of Cedar Lakes Estates

  • "You Wanted a Hit" by LCD Soundystem
    - Aaron Ginsberg, VP of Restaurant Partnerships at Resy/American Express Global Dining

  • "Freedom" by Jon Batiste
    - Emery Whalen, CEO/Co-Owner of QED Hospitality
  • "Raglan Road" by Luke Kelly
    - Des Comer, General Manager of Pastis - DC

  • "Massive" by Drake
    - Dominick Lee, Executive Chef of Alligator Pear

  • "Zero" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
    - Rebecca Turnbull, Chef / Owner of Little Star Pastry

  • "Lose Yourself" by Eminem
    - Julian Hakim, President of Shōwa Hospitality

  • "Mas, Que Nada!" by Jorge Ben Jor
    - Juliana Neiva, Director of Operations at Frankies Spuntino Group

  • "Superbloom" by Misterwives
    - Wesley Congers, Director of Operations at BOKA Restaurant Group

  • "Adventure of a Lifetime" by Coldplay
    - Ian Winslade, Chef / Partner at Mission Hospitality Group

  • "All You Need to Know" by Gryffin
    - Saura Kline, Executive Pastry Chef at Halcyon Hotel

  • "All The Way Up" by Fat Joe
    - Mohamed Wahiba, Chef / Pizzaiolo at Altamarea Group

  • "This Must Be The Place" by Talking Heads
    - Sydney Grims, Director of Business Development of Fearless Restaurants

  • "The Difference" by Flume
    - Heeji Kim, General Manager at Sắp Sửa

  • "Cuff It" by Beyonce
    - Tara Bryan, Senior Culinary Director at Jean-Georges Management

  • "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap
    - Megan McGannon, Service Director & Head Sommelier at Lazy Bear

  • "Public Service Announcement" by Jay Z
    - Gregory Collier, Chef / Owner of Leah & Louise

  • "Turn Into" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
    - Lauren DeSteno, Corporate Executive Chef at Altamarea Group, Executive Chef at Marea & Ai Fiori

  • "Gooey" by Glass Animals
    - Christine Langelier, General Manager at ōkta and Tributary Hotel

We want to hear from you, share your top songs for consideration to be added to the playlist.  

 

Continue Reading About Wellness

Culinary Agents
Dec 3, 2019
Talent Best Practices
Talent Best Practices

How-to: Choose Restaurant Work Shoes

A server takes, on average, 23,000 steps a day, which equates to over 5.5 million steps each year, giving The Proclaimers 2,100 more miles to...
Culinary Agents
Dec 16, 2018
Talent Best Practices
Talent Best Practices

Top 7 Articles of 2018 on Culinary Agents

Reflecting on 2018, we explored a variety of topics and interviewed over 50 industry leaders who inspired us with their words of advice. Here...
Culinary Agents
Jan 2, 2024
Career Advice
Career Advice

Hospitality Leaders Share Their Take on Work/Life Balance

The concept of finding balance between work and the rest of life can seem laughable at times. However being able to take the the...
Culinary Agents
Dec 18, 2023
Wellness
Wellness

How Hospitality Pros Prevent Burnout

Hospitality is an entire industry focused on serving others. During the holiday season this focus can become all-consuming and leave you feeling burnt out...
Culinary Agents
Feb 13, 2023
Wellness
Wellness

Music That Motivates Hospitality Pros

Quality ingredients are essential for not only a great dish but also for creating an ideal atmosphere within the walls of a restaurant for...
Culinary Agents
Jan 16, 2023
Wellness
Wellness

5 Ways to Strengthen Your Emotional Resilience to Combat Stress

Emotional resilience is how we are able to manage stress and regulate our reactions and responses. Working on your emotional resilience may better equip you...

Related Topics

Wellness
Find the latest compensation data across roles, experience levels, and locations.