Amanda Davis

Growing up in rural Western Massachusetts, Amanda got her first taste of the hospitality industry by leading the team that assisted guests in need of wheelchair support during her summer job at Tanglewood Music Center. This experience sparked a deep appreciation for the power of a personal touch to transform a good experience into a great one. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Williams College, Amanda moved to Brooklyn with a friend to explore how she wanted to apply her studies. She spent several years in nonprofit fundraising and sales before finding herself drawn back to hospitality—first as an account manager, then as the HR Manager at a high-volume corporate catering commissary in Midtown. She went on to manage a restaurant and cocktail bar in Brooklyn to gain firsthand operational experience, and later returned to HR at City Winery, overseeing compliance and employee relations across nine states. Amanda is excited to bring her diverse skill set to E|H and to draw on her own industry experience to help clients make their workplaces a little better every day.

What is your ideal restaurant experience?

It's very apparent when a service team is genuinely proud of what's on their menu and eager to make personal recommendations to showcase their favorite items. It might sound counterintuitive, but my favorite thing is when a server or bartender suggests that I may want to reconsider my order because it seems like I would enjoy a different type of experience -- and is confident enough to say so. Anytime this has happened to me, they've knocked it out of the park with their alternative suggestions.

What does "creating workplaces where people thrive" mean to you?

It's hard for anyone to do their best work when they're stressed about the balance in their bank account, whether their paycheck will be processed correctly, or about a simple toothache when they don't have dental insurance. People thrive at work when they are treated with respect and decency, which starts with knowing their employers care about them. Hospitality companies that prioritize holistically nourishing their teams should be the standard in an industry that revolves around -- quite literally -- nourishing everyone else.