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The Chameleon Looks to Change Restaurant Row

Korean Pork Fat from The Chameleon on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

When The Chameleon opened its doors on June 29th at the infamous 166 Shrewsbury Street incubator, the structure was already tainted with scandal. Walking in with fresh eyes was the only way to see The Chameleon as a unique newcomer to Restaurant Row but with the interior giving off the same feel as its previous resident, it was hard to do so. With the tables and booths, arranged in the same order and not far from the décor of The Usual, it was difficult to shake off the feeling of Déjà vu.

The bar, per most restaurants, was the highlight of the space but for odd reasons. While most restaurant bars are lined with patrons ordering their favorite cocktails, this bar was lined with staff members and a few non-eating visitors. With so many available dining tables during the evening visit, one must wonder what was behind the infatuation with sitting at the bar despite the bar not serving alcohol on opening night.

Smoked Shrimp Cocktail from The Chameleon on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA
Smoked Shrimp Cocktail from The Chameleon on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

From its name to its menu displays, The Chameleon looks to change the way people dine on Restaurant Row. With tablets for menus, foodies can intertwine their affection for food and technology through a visual display of food options. But when you have a visual display of expectations, it’s important to live up to that photo and in this case, they did not. The visual impact of food is crucial. It sets the tone of expectations and leaves customers salivating until the dish’s arrival but when the photo does not reflect the dish, it leaves an empty feeling of confusion and mistrust.

From the neatly prepared Pineapple Meatballs, Smoked Shrimp Cocktail, and Korean Pork Fat to the Mama’s Crispy Bowl, the visual photos, beautifully portrayed on the tablet menu – in High-Definition, of course – did not meet the actual presentation of the dishes. The Pineapple Meatballs, shown as bite-sized meatball served with a toothpick for easy eating – was served in an iron-cast skillet with only four meatballs in a not-so-small­ portion. The Korean Pork Fat – displayed on the tablet as small chucks of well-rubbed pork fat – arrived as three bacon-like cut pieces with marinated veggies and pineapple (the pineapple was infused in most dishes). While the savior was the dessert – a simple Cocoa Krispies bowl topped with vanilla ice cream, fudge, whipped cream and an inevitable cherry – it was another dish that did not reflect the stock photo on the menu.

While some disappointment laid in between the slides of the tablet menu, the biggest disappointment was the treatment of customers. When arriving, customers were simply told to “sit anywhere” and considering the place was empty at 8:59 pm – it did not seem like a terrible gesture. But as the bar became a popular seating area for staffers and non-eating customers, actual paying customers were not greeted at the door and instead received the yelling phrase of “sit anywhere” from the bartender – who was preoccupied talking to non-eating visitors at the bar.

Attention to customers is the epicenter of success in a restaurant business. It helps form the menu inspiration, the atmosphere and the epic word of mouth phenomenon that can boost the levels of success in a restaurant hub and when restaurant owners lose sight of that, they lose sight of what’s important. The Chameleon may be emphasizing the phrase, a photo is worth a thousand words, but the only two words we could think of are: do over.

Cocoa Krispies bowl topped with vanilla ice cream, fudge, whipped cream and an inevitable cherry from The Chameleon on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA
Cocoa Krispies bowl topped with vanilla ice cream, fudge, whipped cream and an inevitable cherry from The Chameleon on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA
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What is a Hospitality Concierge?

Mark Waxler of Waxler Hospitality Group

 

Mark Waxler of Waxler Hospitality GroupWhen you think of a businessperson who works remotely from his tablet and strategically plans his time to spend with his new bride, you probably picture an early thirtysomething. You probably don’t think of a man who worked in the Watergate Hotel when they filmed All the President’s Men starring a spry 39-year-old Robert Redford.

Mark Waxler, 60, is taking a page from the Millenials for his new business venture the Waxler Hospitality Group. He is using new technology to advance his career so he can work to live, not live to work.

Waxler spent decades as the Vice President and General Manager of the Beechwood Hotel on Plantation Street. He came to Worcester after years in hospitality working all over from Atlanta to Cherry Hill, N.J. Then a few years ago he met his wife and life changed.

Waxler loves married life but when he worked at the Beechwood and his wife would ask, “What are we doing this weekend?” the answer was always the same: “I have to work.”

Before marriage, he was on his own with no one to answer to when he worked holidays or came home well after the standard eight-hour work day. He welcomed the transition into his new role as husband and stepfather but he felt he needed to make a few adjustments.

Technology has changed our lives and made new ventures more possible than ever before. Waxler knew that could be him too. He left the Beechwood, which felt like a huge leap.

Even though technology is there it’s hard to rewire decades of thinking. Baby boomers were told stay with one company for years, give them everything you have and then retire. Waxler didn’t want to miss out on the best moments with his new wife. Besides he had an arsenal of experience to back him up. That arsenal led him to quick growth. He began reaching out to a plethora of his city connections and soon those first chances turned into referrals.

Now Waxler services a roster of local clients, as well remote clients beyond Massachusetts state lines. His core mission of the Waxler Hospitality Group is to help companies with operations in an effort to increase profitability. The group refers to a collaboration of companies. They work together as a business concierge to help any type of company with credit card processing, energy management and audits, purchasing, computers, Wi-Fi and telecommunications among many other areas.

His team does everything from negotiate rates with vendors to employee training, or retraining in some cases. Working with employees is one of his favorite aspects of the job. “When an employee comes up to me and says they’re experiencing greater job satisfaction because of the work I’ve done, that’s really satisfying,” he said.

According to Waxler, there are four magic words that can turn an oppressive company culture around fast: What do you need? He advises clients to work with their employees and find ways to give them what they need to do their job well. Like the founder of the Virgin Group and titan of business Richard Branson says, “If you look after your employees, they’ll look after your customers.”

While spending time training staff is one of his favorite tasks, Waxler’s years of hospitality experience also help businesses cut costs immediately. Most business owners are stretched thin and don’t have the time or the patience to quibble over phone bills and vender invoices. Moreover, in many cases owners don’t know where to start. The Waxler Hospitality Group scrutinizes every line item until clients can tip over into the realm of profitability.

Nowadays he has control of his schedule, which leaves him with plenty of time for his wife. As we departed Waxler was on his way out to greet his wife with a home-cooked meal after a long flight back from her latest excursion—a puffin tour.