As I prepare to enter my 50th year as a Food Service Design professional I can’t help but look back and remember the people who were kind enough to mentor me and provide great advice and direction on how to conduct myself as I continued growing in my career. Every aspect of a career is a learning experience.
First, know this: longevity in foodservice design isn’t just about talent — it’s about relationships, curiosity, humility, and adaptability. Skills matter. But what sustains a career over decades is how you work with people and how you continue to grow.
Here are a few principles that stand the test of time:
1. Master the Art of Listening
If there’s one foundation for success in food service design, it’s this: listen well.
Early in your career, there’s a temptation to jump straight to solutions. Designers are trained to solve problems — but solving the wrong problem is costly. Before you sketch, before you specify equipment, before you recommend layouts, pause.
Ask thoughtful questions. Dig deeper. When a client says, “I want something like that place,” don’t stop there. What specifically about that place? The flow? The atmosphere? The revenue model? The operational efficiency?
Most design missteps can be traced back to one thing: not fully understanding what the client truly needed. Listening isn’t passive—it’s active. It means clarifying, benchmarking, and sometimes asking, “Can you expand on that?” When you understand not just what a client says, but what they’re trying to achieve operationally and financially, your work becomes aligned with their vision — and that alignment builds trust.
2. Be a Lifelong Student of Operations
Great designs are grounded in real-world operations.
Spend time in kitchens and dining rooms. Talk with chefs, line cooks, baristas, servers, and dishwashers. Watch how they move, where they hesitate, and where inefficiencies create friction. The more you understand the rhythm of service and the pressure of peak hours, the stronger your solutions will be.
Operators trust designers who understand their daily reality.
3. Focus on Solutions, Not Just Drawings
You’re not just producing plans — you’re solving problems.
Become the person people call when they need clarity. Ask the right questions before offering answers. Think beyond equipment schedules and layouts. Consider labor, workflow, safety, scalability, and long-term maintenance.
The most respected consultants are seen as advisors: calm, pragmatic, and resourceful. They simplify complexity and provide confidence.
4. Build Relationships Before You Need Them
Food service design is a surprisingly small industry. Reputations travel fast.
Stay connected with manufacturers, reps, consultants, contractors, and operators. Share knowledge. Offer help. Be generous with your time. Relationships built during calm seasons are the ones that sustain you during challenging ones.
Projects come and go. Relationships last.
5. Be Flexible — The Industry Will Change
Technology evolves. Labor models shift. Guest expectations rise. Sustainability standards are tightened.
The designers who thrive over decades stay curious. They attend conferences, read constantly, ask questions, and aren’t afraid to say, “Let me look into that.”
Adaptability isn’t optional — it’s survival.
6. Stay Humble. Stay Kind.
There’s no room for ego in a kitchen—or on a design team.
Listen more than you speak. Admit when you don’t know something. Give credit generously. If you’re easy to work with, collaborative under pressure, and respectful to everyone on the job site, people will want to work with you again.
And repeat work is the backbone of a long career.
7. Love the Process
If you find joy in problem-solving, in the details, and in helping operators succeed, you won’t just build a career — you’ll build a reputation.
And in this business, reputation is everything.
Culinary Spaces is OEA’s blog, dedicated to the people, ideas, and projects shaping the future of foodservice design. You’ll find further insights from Orlando Espinosa and other leaders in hospitality, architecture, operations, and design—focused on practical strategies, lessons learned, and creative breakthroughs.
Whether you’re an operator, consultant, designer, or decision-maker, it’s designed to spark fresh thinking and help you navigate complex projects with confidence. 👉 Take a look — we’d love to hear what you think.
Special lifelong thanks to George Dietrick, Gary Morcomb, Hank Wasyle, Jerry VanDuser, Jennifer Espinosa.
