It Starts Before the Door Opens

The Guest Isn’t the First Priority—The Team Is

At Marea, I don’t wait for the guest to walk through the front door to begin hospitality. It starts the second I walk through the back one.

That back door—usually propped open with a brick, flanked by a stack of linen crates and the low hum of compressors from reach-ins—is more than an employee entrance. It’s a line in the sand. A subtle but powerful moment where I decide: Am I just punching in? Or am I stepping into something bigger than myself?

For me, that decision is made before I even get there.