Get to know John Knox Village’s Todd Hollander

Here's what the future holds for John Knox Village, FSD’s August Foodservice Operation of the Month, in the words of Director of Dining and Event Services Todd Hollander. 

Q: What makes your operation excel?

I can do that in just a few words: teamwork, creativity and the constant desire to take care of our guests.

Q: What are John Knox Village’s goals for the coming year?

While this past year-plus has been different, to be honest, our goals continue to be and have always really have been the same: to continue to offer a high-quality dining opportunity at a price that our residents are comfortable with; to expand our residents’ and guests’ palates; and to never stop trying new things.

In all we do, we want to avoid the idea “we always do X.” I never want to get into a mode like that — the only thing we really “always” want to do is change it up to try new things. 

Q: What has working through the COVID crisis taught you?

Adaptability. It really helped enhance the teamwork between our restaurants in the village, too. We had to work closer together than ever to help each other out and support all operations to keep us going. It also reminded us of the great things that we really do every day to serve.

It helped us take a step back and appreciate the operations we had in place, the skills we have and the way that we take care of each other, including our residents. It provided a new perspective and a focus on the positives and why this is a great place to be. 

Q: Which pandemic-era lessons or operational changes will you bring forward?

Curbside [service] and expanded delivery menus are definitely staying. Also, while of course our sanitation practices were always there, I think our sensitivity to that has been heightened and the awareness and focus is really there—that will definitely stick around too. But overall, we were in a position where we were able to adapt some things but didn’t have to change a lot fundamentally. We were already focused on flexibility and adaptability, and this situation showed us that.