Congratulations to General Manager Matthew Braden and the whole team at One MICHELIN Star Lilac, winner of the 2023 MICHELIN Guide Florida Service Award! With chef John Fraser at the helm, Lilac's contemporary menu is filled with Mediterranean influences and Florida-focused ingredients. As part of this year's MICHELIN Guide Florida Ceremony, we chatted with the Braden about what a typical night looks like and how really good service elevates even the most rarefied dining experiences.
What is a typical night at the restaurant?
A typical night at Lilac has two distinct phases. Prior to service, at 5pm, the preparation is driven by checklists and inspections. Then, throughout service, the experience transforms and becomes fluid and responsive to each guest’s individual needs. The 4-course menu begins with an offering of cocktails from our Champagne cart, followed by a selection of hors d’oeuvres meant for sharing. The journey continues at the guest’s pace through the remaining courses, with the entire experience lasting about two hours total. This gives us the opportunity to fill the restaurant more than twice each night.
What goes into preparing each night?
Each service is a unique opportunity to outdo our best performance. Our dinner service begins at 5:00pm, but preparation starts hours before that. Members of our culinary team arrive prior to noon to begin preparing the ingredients for that night’s service, and the service team joins in at 2:30 to begin the detailed work of polishing glasses, setting tables, and arranging the tableside service carts. At 4:00pm, Chef Joshua does a line check, tasting each component, sauce, and garnish for quality, while the General Manager reviews that evening’s guest list with the service team, noting any special preferences, celebrations, and unique requests. Finally, we do a team line-up with service and culinary staff to share information and reconnect with our purpose.
What's your favorite part of the guest experience?
Creating lasting memories is the ultimate reward for us, and the very notion of offering an experience that guests will remember for years to come is what drives us towards excellence. It’s truly our belief that those moments can’t be left to chance, and that we have an opportunity and responsibility to curate bespoke adventures in food and ambiance as unique as the guest we intend to entertain.
What does "really good service" mean to you?
We believe that we are only as good as our last service. In this way, a “really good service” is one where our three keys of execution – timeliness, product quality, and emotional engagement – are in perfect balance. We know that we are doing well when we can see our guests savor their experience in the same way they do the last bite of a decadent dessert, or the final sip of an exceptional wine.
With such a buzzy restaurant, how are you able to keep the team calm?
It begins with mindfulness and having a calm sense of urgency. We approach all situations by thinking proactively and anticipating our guests’ needs. We thrive on solidarity and have built strong camaraderie with our staff because when we trust each other and work together, we have the greatest impact.
What is the biggest misconception about your role?
As the leader of the guest experience, the General Manager is more than just the suit in the dining room. Coordinating and collaborating with Chef Joshua, training and assessing service staff performance, and managing and maximizing guest flow are all responsibilities of the General Manager. For every hour the restaurant is open serving our guests, the General Manager spends two hours preparing and evaluating for improvement.
