How Cordelia Became Cleveland’s Best Place to Work by Putting People First

Welcome to the Hospitality Strategy Lab Podcast! In this episode, host Jason Littrell sits down with Andrew Watts and Vinnie Cimino, the powerhouse duo behind Cordelia in Cleveland—named the “Best Place to Work” just two months after opening their doors. Together, they share a candid look into building a restaurant culture defined by radical hospitality, staff empowerment, and community-first values.

You’ll hear how Andrew Watts and Vinnie Cimino prioritize their team’s wellbeing with industry-leading benefits and an unwavering commitment to personal growth and mental health. They discuss how lessons learned from previous workplaces—especially the challenges exposed during the pandemic—sparked a drive to do things differently, making people the centerpiece of their business.

The conversation covers everything from why Cordelia celebrates every staff member, to how trusting employees to make mistakes and grow has created a truly magnetic workplace. Plus, the team reveals their approach to hiring, onboarding, and maintaining a culture where kindness is the norm and retention is a point of pride. Of course, they also offer real talk about the challenges and missteps along the way—and why putting staff first sometimes means making tough decisions.

Get ready for actionable insights and some Midwest hospitality wisdom that’ll inspire anyone in the business of keeping both guests and teams happy. Whether you’re opening your first concept or scaling up to a second location, this episode is packed with the strategies and mindset that turn restaurants into workplaces people never want to leave.

00:00 "Learning Through Adversity"
05:35 "Core of Cordelia: People First"
07:10 "Empowering Growth Through Positivity"
12:14 Employee Retention and Connections
15:53 Building Team Culture Effectively
18:52 Prioritizing Team Culture Decisions
20:41 Celebrating Guests Through Generosity
25:52 "Learning, Improving, and Collaboration"
26:50 Celebrate People, Product, Process

Hospitality Leadership: "You take care of them, they take care of everybody else. Right."
— Andrew Watts [00:00:23 → 00:00:25]
Workplace Benefits: "Medical, dental, vision, 401k, employer match, like robust vacation. We're about to roll out PTO for everybody."
— Andrew Watts [00:09:13 → 00:09:20]
The Power of Team Support in Hospitality: "You take care of them, they take care of everybody else. Right. I mean, not only is it the right thing to do, but it's just good Hospitality and common sense."
— Andrew Watts [00:09:28 → 00:09:35]
Cleveland’s Food Scene Expansion: "the next restaurant, the new restaurant is an extension of taking care of our folks, giving more opportunity for growth and progression and, you know, mobility and, yeah, learning, you know, that's the motivation for. For doing that."
— Andrew Watts [00:10:59 → 00:11:14]
Employee Loyalty and Career Growth: "One of our opening team members, actually, she got her, like, job that she was looking for out of college and then worked with us for a year and now still comes back and works with us every Friday. So, you know, she's still in the consulting Lab pretty often."
— Andrew Watts [00:12:14 → 00:12:15]
Viral Topic: Putting the Team First in Hospitality
"We'll always, always and always have sided with our team first and foremost, you know, the guests can be in the wrong a lot of times."
— Andrew Watts [00:17:43 → 00:18:20]
The Dine-In Experience Over Takeout: "We have exceptional talent in our kitchen and throughout our restaurant, and we want you to sit down and enjoy it as it should be."
— Andrew Watts [00:18:20 → 00:18:49]
The True Measure of Success in Hospitality: "If there was a number that truly reflected like retention and turnover, that'd be the only thing I'd care about, you know, other than checking the bank accounts to make sure we're not bouncing checks so we can pay our rent and cover payroll."
— Andrew Watts [00:22:17 → 00:22:28]
Rethinking "Pay Yourself First": I think you take care of the space, you take care of the team, you make sure everybody has what they need, and you will be profitable.
— Andrew Watts [00:25:32 → 00:25:37]

hospitality, staff retention, Cordelia Cleveland, company culture, employee benefits, mental health care, 401k employer match, paid time off (PTO), hiring and training, team recognition, workplace awards, Midwest cuisine, culinary innovation, Greenhouse Tavern, pandemic lessons, community engagement, nonprofit initiatives, restaurant onboarding, guest experience, customer reviews, business growth, second location, staff empowerment, leadership, work-life balance, performance metrics, guest comps, labor cost, restaurant operations, personal development