The Boston Globe recently featured Eastern Standard, the Kenmore Square restaurant owned by Garrett Harker ’89, for his unusual educational program that has staff members take field trips, hold discussions and sometimes even write reports to learn more about topics ranging from Revolutionary War history to neuroeconomics to Major League Baseball. The purpose is to allow for a more interesting rapport with diners:
Writes Globe culture writer James H. Burnett III:
Training for employees of Eastern Standard is not just about how to pronouce “moules Provençales” and the right way to pour wine. It includes a unique repertoire that seeks to make employees fully versed in the culture and politics of our times. How? Think book reports about historical figures and their neighborhood, as well as field trips to other cities to study culture and ambience, and group discussions about the meanings of life. … The idea is for restaurant staffers to be able to be as urbane and well-informed as the customers they serve. …
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