CHART's monthly flipCHART newsletter is a quick, light, and fun read that keeps you in the know about the latest member news. #CHARTtrainers
Happy New Year 2026
CONNECTING THE CHART MEMBER COMMUNITY
SPARKING GOOD NEWS FOR A GREAT YEAR JANUARY 2026
VISIONARY TRAINERS TRANSFORMING HOSPITALITY
Eagle’s Flight: Engaging Keynote in NOLA Sharpen Communication. Strengthen Service.
Experiential learning is coming to CHART!
In a signature experiential session from Eagle’s Flight, you’ll quickly see how small communication slips lead to big service challenges. Through a hands-on team activity that mimics the pressure and intensity of daily work, you’ll discover practical interpersonal communication behaviors that improve clarity, accuracy, and alignment – the exact skills needed to elevate guest experience and reduce costly errors. You won’t just hear about effective communication; you’ll feel the impact of it firsthand. Join us to turn insight into action! Eagle's Flight simulations are challenging, engaging, AND fun! Check out their website at eaglesflight.com. Early registration ends January 8! Sign up today at chart.org.
Kristin Stewart Vice President, Learning Solutions
Debi Speers VP, Global Facilitations & Training
Year Three Survey: Participate in the 2026 Hospitality Training 360 Report
We want to hear from YOU (please)!
We’ve launched our 2026 Hospitality Training 360 Report with our partner, Opus Training, and we’re inviting insights from every CHART member company to make it truly powerful. Benchmarking budgets, priorities, and trends helps all of us advocate for better resources and smarter strategies. This year, we've shortened the survey considerably! Your participation ensures we can provide YOU with actionable data and meaningful, segment-level business insights. The survey is open until January 16, and to save you time, you can preview all questions in advance on the survey intro page.
We've shortened the survey dramatically (yet kept all the good stuff)! It is quicker and easier than ever to complete.
Stay ahead on L&D trends. Ensure your c-suite is informed.
Thank you for contributing to insights that lift our entire hospitality training community.
Snapshot of Vibrancy - Year in Review
YOU made all of this possible!
PresidenTalks Turn Your Meetings from Meh to Meaningful Have you ever thought: “This meeting could have been an email.” Yeah, me too. Most meetings can end up being a waste of time. Meetings aren’t inherently bad, but when you meet without purpose or agenda, talk without solving problems, and end up having to repeat the same conversations, the meeting ends up being, well… pointless. The purpose of a team is to accomplish the results it sets out to achieve.
CHART President Kelly McCutcheon
The purpose of a team meeting ? To solve problems and drive action towards those results. So, how do we keep meetings from becoming time thieves? Here’s the simple structure we’ve adopted on the CHART board: 1. Check In – A quick team building moment to bring our attention to the meeting. 2. Review Action Items – Progress on previous weeks’ commitments. 3. Share Headlines – People news, strategy progress, and updates, Round-Robin style. 4. Review Opportunities – Our priority list of items to debate and solve. This is where we spend most of our time. The point is to get to the heart of the issue and convert it to an action – who will do what by when? 5. Action Item Review & Wrap Up – Review what we committed to doing.
This works for us because we first established our long-term goals and strategy. This helps us stay focused on what is important and what actions will drive the biggest impact. As you head into the promise of a fresh new year, ask yourself: “Are my meetings solving problems and driving action?” Let’s end meeting fatigue in 2026! Want to transform your meeting methodology? Start with these two game-changers: Traction by Gino Wickman and The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni.
Meet Your New Orleans Conference Team
These volunteers are working hard to spark YOUR conference experience. To get to know THEM a bit better, we asked them a few fun questions.
Q: Second Line Style – If your personality had its own parade, what would be the theme and why? Facilities Co-Director Tresa Wells Group Manager, Instructional Design, Whataburger
Service Event Co-Director Jack Woznick Director of Training & Development, Toro, Toro, Toro, Inc. & Mojofuco A: Full-on "Drumline" theme. The loud thumping bass, the loud snares, the beat, the dancing, the choreography, and the orchestration; it's enough to get even the biggest fuddy-dud to stomp their feet and start dancing.
A: My theme would be “Get This Show on the Road,” because I’m all about preparing/planning, but if there’s no action, it was all for nothun’! Facilities Co-Director Shannon Ciccotelli Director of Training and Development, Jim ‘N Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q A: “Taco Tuesday!” Tacos are resilient; they are messy, imperfect, and unapologetically themselves. They literally fall apart in your hands, and somehow that’s part of their charm. I fall apart all the time, but like to think it’s part of my charm. Tacos have a celebratory spirit; Taco Tuesday isn’t just about tacos – it’s about making ordinary Tuesdays feel special. I bring that same energy and spirit to work and to my personal life. Tacos are inherently social, casual, and inclusive – just like my relationships. And most importantly, tacos aren’t complete without a margarita!
November was a Big Month for CHART’s Industry Event Speakers!
Communications Director/Project Manager Heather Murray Training & Implementation Manager, Sheetz
A: “Beautiful Disaster.” Life never works out quite the way you thought it would, and you have to just roll with the punches. Find the lessons and the beauty in the moments you have, and keep forward momentum. Let go of perfectionism and own the chaos.
Calvin Banks of Pyramid Global Hospitality was the opening keynote at the Workforce Management in Hotels & Hospitality Summit.
Travis Bowman and Christine Andrews of First Hospitality, and Kathryn Harris of PCH Hotels also rocked their breakouts.
Q: Lagniappe – In true New Orleans fashion, what’s a little “something extra” you give your trainees or team – your special touch that makes your training uniquely yours?
First Time Attendee Co-Director Jay Hartwig
Activities Co-Director Kate Stiteler Director of Learning and Engagement, Sonesta Hotels A: I’m somewhat known at Sonesta as someone who remembers names very well. I try and remember (and use!!) my trainees’ names in sessions no matter the size of the session or if I’ll see them again (sometimes we are training multiple sessions over multiple days). I know it’s a small thing, but it has big impact, especially when you’re training them to deliver personalized service. I’ve had many people tell me that they can’t believe I remember so many names, and it sticks out for them. Director of People and Retention, Fox Restaurant Concepts A: Something that I have always known (because I was raised right), but that has been reinforced by CHART, is the power of hand-written cards. Over the years, I have participated in multiple activities where I either write my future self a card, or write a note of appreciation to someone. It is truly impactful, every single time. So, I have made efforts to implement this into my training sessions, and always try to find a way and a reason to send someone a hand-written note.
Dr. Felicia White, Ed.D. of Askar Management Group, Myisha Smith of Pacifica Hotels, and Dr. Jen Belk White, Ed.D. of General Hotels Corporation facilitated a “Workforce Wildcard” lunch-and-learn at the Hotel Tech Forum.
Paul Miramontes and Matthew Steele of Wienerschnitzel presented a “Mastering AI at Work” breakout and Angelina Sabatini of Live Nation Entertainment presented “Elevating L&D as a Strategic Partner” at DevLearn.
Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers P.O. Box 2835 Westfield, NJ 07091 chart.org (800) 463-5918
Please send content to flipCHART Managing Editor | Lisa Marovec, lisa@chart.org Deadline is 1st of the month for the next month’s issue | Back issues: chart.org Regional Training Forums (RTFs)
Inspiring connection, professional growth, and innovation in hospitality training.
Dallas Fort Worth | 10.29.25 More than 35 hospitality and restaurant trainers from across the metroplex gathered for a discussion on using AI to develop training, developing Certified Store Trainers, and understanding how and when to outsource L&D. They concluded with a lively Ask My Peers, followed by a social hour with pickleball! Thank you to Dr. Ed Walden, Ph.D. and Chicken N Pickle for hosting, and RTF Director Kirstie Johnson for organizing. Boston/New England | 11.18.25 To a virtual audience, Corban Nichols of Piada Italian Street Food and Gord Zeilstra of Schoox presented “Cyborg Hospitality: The Balance of the Heart & Hardware in Training.” The group then dove into a round of Ask My Peers, where they tapped into everyone’s collective wisdom to solve current challenges. Thank you to RTF Director Jason Lyon for coordinating this event.
DFW RTF
DFW RTF
Check these out for yourself at chart.org > Training Tools & Resources > Training Articles CHART’s Top 10 Training Articles of 2025 1
The Apology Advantage: Why Training Your Team to Say I'm Sorry Drives Guest Loyalty Patrick Yearout, Ivar's & Kidd Valley Restaurants • Jun 17, 2025 | 3337 Views Speaking Your Staff’s Language Nick Eastwood, Always Food Safe • Jul 22, 2025 | 2897 Views From One Hospitality Professional to Another: Why Guest Safety Starts with You Patrick Yearout, Ivar's & Kidd Valley Restaurants • Apr 8, 2025 | 2669 Views The State of Restaurant Training: Key Statistics & Benchmarks from the Hospitality Training 360 Report Sara Delgado, Opus • May 7, 2025 | 2594 Views Why Employees Still Leave the Hospitality Industry (And What You Can Do Now to Finally Close the Back Door) Curt Archambault, People & Performance Strategies • Oct 22, 2025 | 2227 Views Stop Worshipping the Worst Guests Evan Melick, Wisetail • Jul 17, 2025 | 2214 Views Spring Cleaning? Hurricane Season is Here Audrey Benet • Jul 9, 2025 | 2107 Views Extend an Olive Branch Dr. Felicia White, Ed.D., CHT, Askar Management Group • Jun 4, 2025 | 2013 Views 2025 Commitment to People Recipient Larry Ryback: Leading with Purpose, Growing with Heart CHART • Jul 2, 2025 | 2000 Views 68 articles were posted, with 81,405 Total Views – a 65% increase in views from 2024! Patrick Yearout, Ivar's & Kidd Valley Restaurants • Jul 22, 2025 | 2222 Views Rethinking Modern Hospitality Training: A Frontline First Approach
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