This critical analysis explores the global honesty crisis within the hospitality industry and corporate sales. From aggressive sales targets and bonuses to “white lies” about food quality in places like Bali, the author—a certified baker—examines how profit-driven deception by Restaurant millionaires undermines authenticity, craftsmanship, and consumer trust in an era of rising global inflation.
Are you always honest, or do you sometimes believe in a “white lie”? And if you believe in such a lie, do you “lie” privately, or mostly professionally? Or are you one of those people who tells others it is merely “twisting the truth for the sake of the other person”? Which people in your environment does this generally “happen” to? Do you only do this with “strangers,” or does it also happen within your family, or perhaps even with your best friends?
The blurring lines between social desirability and sincere honesty in modern society
Picture: Gemini
From my experience, looking around me, it seems that “lying,” as I call it, is becoming increasingly normal in our society. Respect and honesty seem to belong to a “dying” breed. In many companies, account managers are given a more flexible role; they are allowed to tell a little lie to secure a large order. If the requested order cannot be fully fulfilled, they say they can. Only after the signatures are dry is every effort made to fulfill the contract as well as possible, with all the negative consequences that entail. Often, the operational departments of the executing company are the victims of this.
The dark side of aggressive sales: How bonuses take precedence over operational feasibility and customer satisfaction
These departments often have to figure out how to bend over backwards to ultimately keep the customer satisfied. A “funny” fact often occurs: the sales department of those same companies is already enjoying the bonus paid out for that very order while operations is still struggling.
A case study of customer friendliness versus authenticity in an international restaurant
Yesterday in Bali, I experienced something again while ordering at a restaurant. This restaurant was in a very beautiful spot on the beach, with very submissive and “customer-friendly” staff. The restaurant had a very extensive menu. On this menu were also pizzas, and since I had been eating nasi and other Balinese dishes for two weeks, I thought: “let me order a pizza.”
Craftsmanship and quality: The critical eye of a certified master baker
Because I worked in many restaurants in my younger years (I am a certified bread and pastry baker), I thought to myself: “such an extensive menu in Bali, on the beach, with fresh pizzas?” So, before I ordered this pizza, I asked the waitress: “are the pizzas in this restaurant prepared fresh and with fresh ingredients?” You can probably predict the waitress’s answer. When I received the pizza, I immediately saw by its shape that it could never have been made by hand. I barely managed to eat half of it, and then the game began; because I naturally didn’t finish the pizza, the “manager” came to the table.
Misleading marketing and the hidden truth behind frozen products in the hospitality industry
He asked me if I didn’t like the pizza and told me that the pizzas in his restaurant were fresh, and that only the base came from the freezer. When I told the man a bit about my past, he said: “but the rest of my guests think these pizzas are delicious.” (There was a table with 15 guests, where 3 children were eating pizza.) I told the man that I found that logical; if children already dared to complain, the parents would surely think: “oh well, good price, on the beach!” I said: “why are you selling junk and letting your employees lie to your guests?”
The manager then said: “I will be honest with you, I think our pizzas are bad myself, but we are moving soon and then our kitchen will be better.”
Tourism and global inflation: Is quality still affordable for the consumer?
I wondered, do these things only happen in Bali? Or perhaps also in other highly touristic areas in the world, such as Amsterdam, New York, Tokyo, or the Wadden Islands? Truth compels me to tell you that, unfortunately, it occurs everywhere in our world today. I think it will only happen more and more often. But why is this? Are the salaries of today’s chefs too high, or have ingredients in the world simply become more expensive? Or have the stories we hear daily in the media slowly but surely convinced us that everything simply must become more expensive?
The remarkable growth of millionaires in the global hospitality and hotel sector
I thought so too, until I read the following: on a global level, the number of millionaires in the catering and hotel sector is estimated at 1.5 to 2 million people.
- Distribution: This group largely consists of owners of hotel chains, successful franchisees of major international brands, and owners of real estate in the luxury segment.
- Growth: The number of wealthy individuals in this sector is currently growing mainly in Asia and the Middle East, driven by the rapid expansion of luxury hotel resorts and large-scale recreation projects.
- Composition: The vast majority of these millionaires possess a fortune between 1 and 5 million dollars.
Would this be the same with food, gas, oil, and electricity, and the rest?
