I'm a small business owner who took 50 of my employees to Greece. It was worth the $2,000 a person and 6 figures in revenue.
A New York restaurant owner took his entire staff of 73 people on an all-expenses-paid trip to Greece to foster company culture and reward his team. The CEO noted that the investment, costing over $2,000 per person, was a strategic move to align the team with the Mediterranean philosophy of his business.
Why it matters
This highlights an unconventional approach to employee retention and corporate culture in the competitive hospitality industry.
Bashir Chedrawee took his employees on a trip of a lifetime to Greece. Courtesy of Noah Friedman Restaurant owner Bashir Chedrawee wanted a bigger company trip — so he took his team to Greece. He spent months planning and negotiating prices to make the weeklong trip possible. Two employees proposed to their partners in Greece, and some coworkers even got tattoos. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bashir Chedrawee, owner and CEO of Simone's Kitchen, a Mediterranean eatery with three locations in New York state. It has been edited for length and clarity. I started Simone's Kitchen with my mother in 2018. As a Mediterranean-inspired eatery, we draw inspiration from countries across the Mediterranean basin , from Greece to Lebanon to Morocco, even Italy. We had done company outings before in the US, such as going to a lakefront beach or renting out an entertainment center.
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