Congratulations to Jill Tyler of One MICHELIN Star Tail Up Goat, the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Washington, D.C. Outstanding Service Award Winner!
With a name inspired by her childhood in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Tail Up Goat is a space where people can truly feel cozy. Led in partnership with her husband Chef Jon Sybert and 2021 MICHELIN Guide Washington, D.C. Sommelier Award Winner Bill Jensen, Jill Tyler is in charge of the service component of the restaurant. The whole team is warm and engaging, with a genuine feeling of hospitality that embodies excellent casual service done right.
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What does "really good service" mean to you?
People who care why someone is there. Figuring that out to add to that person's experience in some way. Getting that question answered. Taking an interest in people is really what that distills down to.
What is a typical night at the restaurant?
Our team gets in a couple hours before we open. We always start with family meal—sit down and break bread—which is really nice. We start with a lineup, and that usually has continued education for our team. New foods we haven't heard of, trying new pairings, or blind tastings. That’s what keeps the team really engaged.We talk about who's coming in, and we get the restaurant set. Then the magic happens. Candles are lit, lights go down, music is on, and the stage is set for the evening.
We seat both in the dining room and at the bar. Bar guests can choose either a la carte or the six-course dinner menu. It's not lesser to dine at the bar. It's just as exciting. Maybe there's a fried Nashville chicken of the woods mushroom that isn't on the other menu. In the dining room, we offer a six-course dinner menu. We always feature local ranchers, fishers, farmers. 90% of everything is local from the mid-Atlantic.
We really encourage our team to find ways to delight people. Sometimes that is realizing you and your guests are both watching the same reality show on Bravo TV and going down and dirty about why Lisa Barlow was behaving the way she is. Sometimes it's talking sports. Sometimes you've realized a guest has never had Amber wine and bringing them a little splash over to try.
Giving our team the autonomy to really create experiences for people is a large part of what makes it work.
Could you talk more about your sustainable initiatives? How do you communicate these with the guests?
We work really closely with a family farm called Autumn Olive. They produce all of our pork, and during the pandemic, we committed to continuing to use the same farmers and fishers and purveyors. After getting through the first worst years of it, Autumn Olive brought us a little pig trophy. And they were like, “without your support, we wouldn't still be here.” That's an exact example of why these relationships matter and why supporting local food economies is so important. That's true for Karma Farms, Moon Valley Farms, and Katie, our ceramist.On our team side, we try to make an industry that is challenging more sustainable. There are many rewarding careers in hospitality, but there aren't many easy ones. We offer benefits like health care and try to do things that maybe are more consistent with nine to five jobs, so this is a career for more people.
We have never shouted things from the rooftops. We have little notes about healthcare on our menu, as we explain a service fee since we're no longer a tip model restaurant.
What is the biggest misconception about your role?
Sometimes people think the host stand might be gatekeepers, but that couldn't be further from the truth. You still see those cartoons where people like the host are like, “Oh no, we're full.” And people think that it's for some reason other than we just don't have space at this moment.That's something we do a lot of training with. We always try to find ways to give people options so at least they're in control of whatever question they're asking. If we can't give them exactly what they want, finding ways to give them options so they can pick the best path for them.
How are you able to keep the team calm?
Part of what draws a lot of people to the restaurant industry is how dynamic it is. It's really finding ways to support the team, both in and outside of work, making sure our team has the tools they need to succeed – training and open lines of communication.
What's your favorite part of the guest experience?
I grew up in a family where dining was really important. We didn't go out very often. Both my parents were teachers, so going out was a very big treat, but dinner and having people over was always part of it.For me, it’s always about the relationships and moments that happen over a table. And so being able to oversee a dining room where so many big moments happen is my favorite. We've seen first dates become marriages become babies. We're lucky enough to build relationships with people who let us into their lives.
What advice would you give to someone who wants a career like yours?
It's really important that my team sees me able and willing to do anything that I would ask of them. Knowing that we're never going to ask them to do something we wouldn't do. Both the glamorous and the unglamorous.Also building a team around you that have whatever things are important for service for you. We look for kind people and curious people. We don't necessarily look for experience. Those are the kind of people I want to surround myself with, and I think that our guests are going to want to be surrounded by. We have a team of people who want to push further and learn more.
Hero image: Tail Up Goat / Jill Tyler
