Distinguished Service: Lisa Flores

Important clients are coming to town, and you need to impress them with a no-fail dining experience. Your kid just got into Harvard Law, and you want to celebrate in a rarefied atmosphere. It’s your partner’s birthday, and they fancy a feast.

Chances are good that at least one of Columbus Hospitality Group’s (CHG) restaurants, which include Mistral, Sorellina, Ostra, and Moo, are on your list. Quietly elegant, with standout cuisine, impeccable service and understated décor, these are establishments for grown-ups, and anyone who aspires to be one. They attract a loyal patron base of diners who prefer an old-school approach to fine dining—serious, but not stuffy.

Lisa Flores, CHG’s Director of Sales and Marketing, says consistency is cornerstone of success.

“Once, at Mistral, we changed some longstanding menu items, and we heard quite a lot about that from our regular patrons,” she remembers. “Our diners don’t want change for the sake of novelty. They don’t want anything flashy or trendy. They want a high-quality experience every time, which is what we aim to deliver.”

A Talent for Quick Thinking

Flores grew up in San Antonio and had planned to go to college in Texas, but she applied to Boston University on a whim—and was accepted. By accident, she arrived a few days too early to move into her dorm. It was 1998.

“I was completely alone, a small(ish)-town girl in a big city, and I got a big-city welcome,” she recalls. “The cab driver dumped me and my luggage off at the address at BU, where everything was closed. I did finally manage to convince an administrator to let me into the dorms, so I didn’t have to sleep on the streets.”

It was Flores’ first lesson in managing a tricky situation on her feet. She would soon discover she had a knack for making things go smoothly.

In 2001, while still in college, she landed a job as a hostess at Mistral, and quicly came to admire restaurant’s exacting standards. “Everyone was so professional,” she says. “The food was incredible, and the service was polished. San Antonio didn’t have restaurants of that caliber. There was a lot to learn, and the staff and the managers were excellent mentors.”

Gaining Skills—and Confidence

After graduating from BU, she worked her way up the CHG hierarchy, becoming Reservations Manager and later Special Events Manager. In that role, she implemented strategies that improved the reservation system and staff training for events. Not infrequently, she found that being in a position of authority could be challenging for a woman.

“If I was standing near any tall man, guests would assume he was the director,” she says. “I had to learn to assert myself. It took time and coaching. Eventually it kicked in, and once it did, I became very confident.”

In 2008, a promotion to Director of Sales and Marketing meant oversight of marketing campaigns, media relations, and branding for CHG’s ambitious expansion plans, including partnerships with the Inn at St. Botolph and XV Beacon Hotel. She continued to run Special Events, managing private functions and restaurant buyouts for all of CHG’s restaurants.

She describes some of the techniques for making guests feel welcome. “If they’ve dined with us before, we remember how they like their steak cooked, the vintage they drink, and similar details. It’s those seemingly small touches that add up to everything.”

For the past 24 and a half years, Flores has worked at perfecting her role and has enjoyed the satisfaction of being able to shape the business in positive ways. She is particularly proud of her staff, whom she commends for meeting the group’s high expectations.

“I am ever the proud mom,” she says. “When there’s a birthday, promotion, wedding, or similar milestone, I like to gather the team to celebrate the individual. My favorite occasions are birthdays. I decorate the person’s desk with balloons, confetti, and banners. My staff tells me that walking into the office and seeing all the decorations at their desk is always their favorite part of the day.”

Giving Back

Flores has also returned to her alma mater as an adjunct professor. She finds joy in sharing her expertise in food and beverage management with a new generation of hospitality professionals.

She also finds time to teach classes in American etiquette to first generation immigrants.

The restaurant business is full of long hours and hard work, and no one understands this better than Flores, who has worked in nearly every role since she was a student. Boston—and CHG—have been home to her for two decades now, but her warm Southern upbringing still shines through.

“Hospitality is about taking good care of guests, community, and vendors,” she says. “We also take excellent care of the staff and of each other. We’re like family. Nothing is more important than that.”