“ These young people just don ’ t work hard .” “ This younger generation is not professional at all .”

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ANY OF THOSE STATEMENTS ? Have you ever said any of those statements ? C ’ mon , be honest .

If so , allow me to introduce you to Mac ’ s Chatham Fish & Lobster ( Chatham , Massachusetts ) and MOM ’ s Organic Market ( Washington , D . C ., metro area ).

Let ’ s start with Mac ’ s Whenever my family and I visit Cape Cod , lunch at Mac ’ s is always on the itinerary ( hello , lobster rolls ?!).

While I can go on and on about the food , the star attraction is the staff . And guess what ? The vast majority of the team is in their early twenties . Some are probably even younger . Wait … what ? How ? Every single team member is smiling , attentive and engaged . Service is prompt and they look genuinely excited to take care of you . Now , I ’ ll confess , whenever I see excellence , I get nosy . Specifically , I like to interrogate success . So , I asked one employee about the culture . She said ,“ I just love it here . Everyone ’ s great to work with . I come back every summer during my college break .”

Come again ? You mean to tell me they are not even full-time , year-round staff ?

34 PULSE n SEPTEMBER 2024