Making It (Having Faked It)

I listened to Daniel Humm, who is credited to taking the restaurant Eleven Madison Park to the global acclaim it now enjoys. His venue is a 3-Star Michelin restaurant that is often regarded as the finest in the world. He described the early days when they were being rated 3 (out of 4) stars by the New York Times after the 2008 financial crisis. While on an intentional path to earn their fourth star, the restaurant was running with abnormally low margins to achieve 4-star status without leveling up to 4-star pricing. In short, the food and service was excellent but the crowds were not coming.

It was at this time that they noticed the New York Times food critic dining in the venue. Knowing that the food was justified, but that they’d never receive the score they wanted with a nearly empty restaurant the team made a bold move. The Eleven Madison Park team would try to anticipate when the critic, who would use numerous phone numbers, disguises, and tactics to make his reservations, would come into the restaurant. Those nights they would fill the seats with their friends and family to prop up the ambiance and “popularity” of the venue to tip the scales in their favor. 

Ultimately, they’d earn the converted 4-Star designation from the New York Times. While they faked it to get there, they have most definitely “made it” and are regarded as the best restaurant in the world. Vacancy is absolutely not an issue anymore. 

Most don’t know that the same is true for DEUCE Gym. You can imagine how an incredible workout from an incredible coach isn’t so incredible if it’s just you and one other student in class. The context is wrong, the music doesn’t make as much energetic sense, and, frankly, the gym isn’t that great. In the early days, I used to “game” the classes with key personalities and favors from friends so that the early adopters would have an experience that exceeded their expectations hoping they’d “stick”. Hell, the first Strongman 101 course at DEUCE might have had two paying customers. Friends drove from Long Beach and the valley because I begged them. 

As of writing, DEUCE Garage in Venice has been running a waitlist for five months, which is a feat I’m not sure would be true if we had faked it eight, nine, and ten years ago.