Alexis Thury: Director of Service and Training

To Alexis Thury, restaurant service is much like an on-stage performance, with each guest as the ultimate audience member. As Director of Service and Training, Alexis utilizes her fine arts degree from New York University and her stage performance experience in every aspect of front-of-the-house operations. Alexis joined VSAG to assist in the initial training and operation of our Founding Farmers restaurant in Washington, D.C., and has since become involved in strengthening all of VSAG’s service cultures.

Before joining VSAG, Alexis worked with Houston’s Restaurants, starting at the front desk and then progressing to in-store trainer and then corporate trainer. She was a vital part of opening the New York City Park Avenue Store, Boston–Faneuil Hall Store and Los Angeles–Gulf Stream Store, during which time she was responsible for structuring Houston’s training programs and on-the-wait and reservations systems, as well as coaching staff to maintain corporate standards.

Continuing on the path of challenging herself, Alexis moved from restaurants to hotels as the Director of Outlets for the historic 2,000-room New York Hilton, where she oversaw a multiunit operation, communicated with all hotel departments and coordinated a staff of 200. With her knowledge and experience, she worked to build talent and develop top level managers as well as servers, bartenders and baristas while working with the human resources, culinary and purchasing departments to oversee the Etrusca and Market Place restaurants, the Lobby Lounge and the Bridges Bar, along with a full-size Starbucks store. With weekly conferences and the responsibility of daily operations, she used guest trending as a tool for purchasing, labor management and cost control while maintaining excellent service standards and brand alignment.

Alexis’ passion for service as performance, as well as her dedication to maintaining the highest standards, makes her the front-runner on VSAG’s service-culture playbill.

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