From Appetizers to Accreditors: Serving Up Quality

What do you remember about the last time you went to a restaurant? Do you remember the host greeting you with a friendly welcome, seeing other patrons laughing and enjoying themselves, or observing the smiling urgency of servers? Your answer might very well be ‘no.’ As we have come to expect these things from the restaurants we frequent, we can often take them for granted; we consider them the norm. If anything, we look for the subtleties and nuances that make each restaurant unique or worthy of subsequent visits, the “extras.” These expectations have transcended the culinary would, and today’s consumers have come to expect more from almost everything—including restaurants, retail stores, and, yes, even schools.

Recently, I had the good fortune to eat at Guelaguetza, a warm and vibrant restaurant in the middle of Koreatown (Los Angeles). Fernando Lopez and his wife, Maria Monterrubio, founded Guelaguetza in 1994 shortly after they emigrated from Mexico. Their mission focused on ensuring that all patrons could “live” and “experience” Oaxaca through the dishes they served using their family recipes. Today, Mr. and Mrs. Lopez have retired, and their children oversee the restaurant. They have continued to expand their parents’ legacy and have built a rock-solid reputation for Guelaguetza. It has been featured in the New York Times, GQ Magazine, Esquire, The New Yorker, Travel and Leisure, Los Angeles Magazine, and Oprah Magazine. Before his untimely passing, Jonathan Gold named Guelaguetza one of the “101 essential restaurants” in the U.S. Most recently in 2015, Guelaguetza received The James Beard Award for the American Classics category. This is the kind of reputation you can’t buy—you have to earn it through quality, consistency, and a lot of hard work.

So, why does any of this matter? Well, first, now you have another restaurant recommendation for the next time you visit Los Angeles. But second, and more importantly, Guelaguetza is an example of how creating a great reputation resulted in positive food reviews and awards, which communicate the restaurant’s consistency and quality. If we plan to spend time and money, we want to know that the restaurant serves food that will not send us to the hospital and that we will be treated well. Ultimately, we want to know that what we will receive in exchange for the price we pay is worthwhile.

Anyone who follows higher education news lately is likely to see a lot of headlines about the role of accreditation (we know, we’re as surprised as you are). If you are a part of a higher education institution, you might be dreading it; if you are a journalist, you might be critiquing it; and if you are a student, you might be just trying to understand it. At its origins, accreditation symbolizes quality (full stop). However, this quality does not begin and end solely with the programs offered. Accreditation, in general, oversees all aspects of an institution’s operations, provides a level of consumer protection, and draws interest—just like a restaurant’s awards or reviews.

When most people make a dining reservation, they base it on the type of experience they want to have. For example, if breakfast foods are your favorite but getting up before 10:00am on the weekend will never happen, then you’re likely making a reservation for brunch. If you’re more of a night owl and prefer a later dinner with options for a delightful night cap at a cozy bar, then you might make plans at a restaurant that has a novel speakeasy downstairs. Regardless of the specifics or theme of the experience, everyone expects delicious food and competent service. Though there’s no all-in-one, official restaurant accreditation, they are still subject to multiple levels of scrutiny, regulatory requirements, and oversight that often exceed what many other fields require. It is simply part of doing business in the restaurant industry.

In the same way a restaurant reaches for a spot on their city’s “Top 10” list, higher education institutions pursue accreditation; they want to communicate quality. In both instances, the organization wants to convey whether what they’re offering will meet their consumer’s expectations. And, again, just like restaurants, these reviews can be subjective (one person’s love of Taco de Barbacoa de Chivo may not match another’s). A good restaurant reviewer will walk into a new establishment with an open mind. They will attempt to evaluate the food, atmosphere, and experience on their own merit. Ideally, their reviews would be 100% based on what’s provided to them and would not infuse personal bias or preferences. But that’s not quite how people work. Similarly, accreditation also relies on people. It is a peer-review process requiring multiple team members with various higher education experiences to use established standards and determine whether institutions meet student expectations and consistently follow practices that align with their stated missions. While almost no evaluation process involving human beings is going to be 100% perfect/accurate at all times (restaurant reviews certainly aren’t), institutions that embrace the process can better control the outcome.

In addition to dreaming up their concepts, themes, and menus, most restaurants looking to make it must pay attention to the details. If anyone has watched The Bear (if not, do so immediately), a lot of time is spent on crafting the minutiae of a dining experience. It is not an accident when drinks are served in unique glassware or when thoughtful lighting is used to transition the mood from afternoon to evening. Every detail tells the story of the restaurant and its owners. It conveys what they care about most. For higher education institutions, this is no different. The accreditation process is all about effectively telling the story of an institution’s history, evolution, and improvements through the policies and procedures that they have implemented to promote student success.

So, in the end, why do these restaurants continue to acquiesce to surprise food inspections? Why do they obtain expensive licenses or welcome picky restaurant critics?  Because they have a passion to share their unique vision with the world, and they care about the dining experience that they deliver.

Over the years, we have worked with an incredible variety of higher education institutions, and we’ve seen a particular trend emerge over and over again. Institutions that choose to see accreditation as an obstacle to innovation or as a necessary means to an end tend to experience more (and, often, avoidable) challenges in serving students and maintaining sustainable operations. Conversely, institutions that embrace the accreditation process as a chance to improve and better serve their students tend to not only thrive but exceed expectations.

While higher education accreditation can be an arduous, lengthy, and imperfect process, it is the industry’s standard indicating consistency and communicating quality. It also conveys something substantial about the reputation of the institution (remember Guelaguetza; reputation matters). When embraced, accreditation can improve institutional operations and enhance what the institution already cares about—educating students who can then pursue their passions.

“We can’t operate at a higher level without consistency.” ~ Carmy, The Bear