Notes from a Dilettante
One of my Career Rumspringa activities has been running a Detroit-style Pizza Pop-up in Zürich – Dilettante Pizza.
(Zürich's first Detroit-style slice shop, I would add with a dash of pride, if I wasn't so mortified of this turning into one of those "I'm so thrilled to share..." posts. But I am. So I won't).
I've long been fascinated with gastronomy. This was my chance to act on that interest, and now that this chapter is closing (or at least, pausing), I've been reflecting a lot on what I've learned and trying to crystallize some insights. It's been helpful for my own understanding, and maybe this sparks something in somebody else. In no particular order:
It's a Tough Business
This is pretty much Gospel at this point, not worth elaborating on any further. Other than to confirm: Yep, it's true.
Understanding What "Service" Really Means
I have newfound empathy for people who work in the food service industry. From owners taking a risk to try a new concept to anyone responsible for cooking, serving, and cleaning in the food service industry. The "service" part sounds abstract, euphemistic even, until you realize you are literally working in the service of your customers. You show up every day to create an enjoyable food experience for customers. Even when – and this is what often stung the most – not many customers actually do (show up, that is).
The Customer is Your New Boss Now
I had a misconception that working for oneself would bring some kind of freedom, and shift the center of gravity of accountability closer to me. I realized though, that while there might no longer be a reporting chain, I was, still, ultimately accountable to ... our customers (and, in a quirk of this industry, maybe also the food influencer set). But as a user experience person, I think this direct relationship is a fantastic thing: enhanced connection, tighter feedback cycles and a more deeply-felt sense of impact.
Success is in the Framing
If you've worked in product development, you know the challenge of choosing the right metrics to define success. As my initial financial success metric slowly drifted out of reach, I forced myself to reframe what success might look like: I get to connect with random humans I might not otherwise meet. I get to cook and try new recipes. I get to make people happy through a direct act of hospitality. I feel like I'm contributing to the community in some small way. This reframing really helped me appreciate the experience for what it was, and realize what a privilege it has been to dabble here. (NB: cherrypicking metrics to achieve a positive outcome is not recommended for business success, but highly recommended for life satisfaction).
Using All The Skills
In a previous role, I spent a lot of time understanding the concept of one's unique skill profile, and how many people often aren't aware of, or don't have the opportunity to fully utilize, their full range. One thing I valued about this experience was the chance – actually the requirement – to use All The Skills, often in a single day: Deep in spreadsheets, logistics and planning in the morning. Cooking and documenting recipes and processes in the afternoon. Interacting with customers and employees, and editing a quick Instagram reel of our "slice of the week" in the evening. The context switching is exhausting but, I found the opportunity to express this multidimensionality to be profoundly gratifying.
The Work-About-The-Work Remains
Something I found challenging working in large organizations was the ratio of work to the work-about-the-work. These past few months, the titles given to this work-about-work are slightly different – it's called marketing or hype-building instead of dissemination or advocacy – but it turns out it's still there, and pretty analogous to what one needs to do in a product development environment. It took some adaptation for me to embrace the confidence required to continually convince people that this thing I've been harping on about is worth their money and attention. But that shift certainly made the work-about-work easier and helped me accept it as a natural counterpart to the work.
--
Throughout my career in tech, if I had a franc – or even a few rappen – every time I've chatted with someone about some gastro idea they're keen on trying out, I'd have earned a lot more francs than I made selling pizza. Synthesizing these personal reflections, though, has helped me realize what I've earned in XP, and I'm grateful for that. I hope that someone reading might also benefit from these perspectives.
And if you're one of the people from whom I would have earned a franc when you told me about your Chicago-style hot dog or Tex Mex concept, or with whom I've commiserated about the lack of a good bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich in these parts and you resolved to do something about it ... then I'd be very happy to share more practical things I learned too. 💪
