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Pilot Light Consulting

@pilotlightconsulting

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♟️ Strategy Studio for social enterprises, hospitality ventures, & CPG
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Introducing our newest offering—the Strategy Sprint.

While it’s been quietly changing the game for friends and close colleagues for years, we’re now excited to bring it to you.

Link in bio to get started 🏃‍♀️ by @pilotlightconsulting

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9 months ago

Immutable laws guide teams and owners when challenges arise. We were excited to work with @thehall.mission earlier this year as they crafted their own Immutable Laws and honed their vision for their San Francisco cocktail lounge and pool hall. Courtney and Rosie saved one of the original notes from their Owners Visioning Session to add flair to the new space—and to serve as a daily reminder of what they stand for. by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

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a year ago

This Thanksgiving week, one of our social enterprise clients is scaling up meal deliveries to housing sites across the city. It completely interrupts their normal workflows.

And yet, the staff is genuinely excited about the work. They’re energized by the chance to feed their neighbors and make delicious food to share with their community.

This is hospitality at its core—not just the technical execution of feeding people, but the genuine desire to nourish one’s community. In a season that can feel overwhelming in food service, I’m grateful to work alongside people who still find joy in making sure people are fed. Cheers to my service industry folks this Thanksgiving, and throughout the holidays, who are still finding ways to make us feel human. by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

@marycourtneyblake will be a guest coach in @saltandroe 2026 Walk-In cohort—a 6 month group coaching program for hospitality leaders who are ready to break out of the burnout cycle and reach for their next level of growth.

Alison Arth, a founding partner of Salt & Roe, told us this in our Ask a Leadership Coach Q&A and we couldn’t agree more…

“Food and hospitality people are my favorite people.

As our world gets faster and more technology-driven, what you do every day is, quite literally, a revolutionary act. You’re fighting against the isolation that’s becoming our cultural norm. You’re creating spaces where people can slow down, be present with each other, and remember their own humanity.

All that invisible labor you carry—anticipating needs before they’re spoken, creating experiences that feel effortless when they’re anything but—it matters. The service industry is ground zero for shaping otherwise disconnected strangers into connected communities of people from different places, cultures, political beliefs, and walks of life. That is urgent and necessary work.”

Full Q&A in bio. by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

3 truths for hospitality leaders struggling to hold onto their vision in the face of today’s constant change from @alisonarth of @saltandroe

1. An affirmation: Leading in this business today feels hard because it is hard. You’re not doing it wrong. And you’re not alone.

2. There’s no finish line. There’s no point at which you’ll be “done”. It’s a practice, and it starts with learning how to lead yourself.

3. You don’t have to do that work alone. A pro professional sports team takes the field with a coach—its for you too.

This is why Salt & Roe exists. While you pour all of yourself into the teams, guests, and businesses you lead, they pour into you.

Salt & Roe just launched enrollment in their flagship program, the Walk-In. A 6 month group coaching program for leaders who are ready to break out of the burnout cycle and reach for their next level of growth. Our own, @marycourtneyblake will be a guest coach in the 2026 cohort.

Read our full Q&A with Alison at the link in bio. by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

Nonprofits, hospitality, and community resilience intersect at @farminghope 🌱

From serving 3,000 meals a week to training apprentices facing barriers to employment, Farming Hope’s Refettorio San Francisco is employment social enterprise making a difference in the Bay Area.

Executive Director, Andie Sobrepeña, shares how the support framework at Farming Hope has helped her advance her career within the organization and how being consistent with her team and apprentices helps them feel stable and continue to progress week after week.

Read “Ask a” at the link in bio 🍽️ by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

What’s something every wine tasting room needs? Genuine hospitality backed with something better than a Columbus charcuterie pack. How about a burger?

In our latest Q&A, we ask Chris Walsh about operating a 🍷 tasting room that has a real food program and how that effects his way of doing things and the people he serves.

Read the full Ask a Wine Tasting Room Owner at the link in bio 🍔 by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

Who really benefits from No Tax on Tips + Overtime?

A floor sommelier earning $40K in tips gets a major tax break.

A sous chef? They have to work 50+ hours a week just to see a similar deduction.

This law was pitched as relief for all hospitality workers but it mostly helps those already in high-tipping roles.
 As Erika Polmar of the @indprestaurants puts it: 👉 “This bill is ultimately unfair to the line cooks, dishwashers, porters, and prep staff that are vital to independent restaurants.” 
If we want equity and sustainability in restaurants, our tax laws must support everyone—not just the high earners out front.
 📲 Tap the link in bio to see how this federal policy shifts income, taxes, and pressure over the next 3 years. by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

📚 Book Club: The Ins-n-Outs of In-N-Out

What does it mean to run an “employee-driven company”? For In-N-Out, it’s more than a slogan, it’s a 70-year strategy.

@_big_randi_ dug into Lynsi Snyder’s The Ins-n-Outs of In-N-Out and uncovered a throughline across generations: trust your people, grow slowly, and lead with clarity. From drive-thru innovations to leadership pipelines, it’s a case study in culture that scales.

Read the recap and leadership breakdown at link in bio 🍔

📸 leosprspctive on @unsplash by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

We were taught to chase growth. But in saturated markets, more units just mean thinner slices of the same pie. The real strategy now?

• Shrink the footprint
• Optimize labor
• Expand dayparts
• Grow demand, not just coverage

It’s not about more—it’s about better.

📸 Caitlyn Ridenour for @pdxcw 2024 by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago

Sother Teague @creativedrunk is in it for more than the perfect pour. As Beverage Director at Amor y Amargo and a partner at Overthrow Hospitality, he’s known for his amaro-forward cocktails and signature red glasses. But dig deeper and you’ll find a leadership style rooted in something rarer: trust, transparency, and care.

In this Q&A, Sother shares what it means to build bars that last—by building up the people inside them.

🔗 Read the full Q&A at the link in bio. taken in Amor y Amargo by @pilotlightconsulting

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a year ago