On Monday, April 10, ICE hosted three titans in the hospitality industry for an informative panel discussion.
The event featured Joon Choi (Dinex Group), George Constantinou (Mil Gustos Hospitality Group) and Keith Treyball (Fox Lifestyle Hospitality Group).
ICE’s Director of Strategic Operations and Dean of Restaurant & Culinary Management, Brian Konopka, hosted and moderated the panel.
The speakers gave a wide range of entrepreneurial advice, and hospitality-minded students asked in-depth questions. Above all, the panelists emphasized the importance of reflection and personal growth.
“Mistakes are a part of building who you become,” Treyball says. “You beat yourself up, but it’s part of how you get to where those mistakes don’t come back to you. Every day that restaurant door opens, you’re going to be presented with a whole new set of problems, no matter how long you’ve been in the business.”
Constantinou offers a different perspective.
“I would tell [my younger self] that it’s all going to work out," he says. "Don’t sweat the small stuff, don’t focus on the little things. It’s all going to work out.” Stay focused on the bigger picture, he adds. “You’re a hard worker, you’re quick to make decisions...I focused on too many things that took me away from the main goal.”
To the students, Choi emphasized the importance of building relationships at ICE and beyond.
“It’s very important to not reduce relationships to numbers,” he says. “I encourage everybody who’s getting into this business to build those relationships, because that’s going to stick with you for a long time.”
Watch the replay of the panel on ICE's YouTube channel.
