Train My Restaurant

Meet Jess

Jess Rowland is the Co-Founder and Head Trainer at The Restaurant Launch and a hospitality keynote speaker who transforms how organizations think about service.

He spent 26 years as the Regional Trainer for Hillstone Restaurant Group — a billion-dollar company and one of America's most respected restaurant groups. Jess consistently made dramatically more money than his peers: same sections, same guests, same shifts. So he analyzed what he did differently — and The 5 Pillars of Excellent Service was born.

Through years on the front lines of elite service, Jess discovered that hospitality is almost never what's lacking — it's service that's missing. And service is a teachable skill. With 25+ film and television credits and 5,000+ servers trained, he took to the stage to reach customer-facing professionals and business leaders everywhere.

Jess delivers practical techniques to elevate service, increase revenue, and build cultures where excellence thrives — blending tactical precision with heart.

If you're looking to transform your service from good to great, Jess is your answer.

Jess's Systems & Talks

The Hospitality Myth:

Why Service Matters More Than You Think

We've all heard it: "Service is what we DO, hospitality is what they FEEL." But most well-meaning teams focus on hospitality while missing the foundation — precise, consistent service. In this fun, interactive keynote, Jess reveals how these two elements work as perfect partners. Service is the sundae; hospitality is the cherry on top. In 45 minutes, you'll walk away with practical strategies to create exceptional customer experiences — because in today's world, "good" just isn't good enough anymore.


Learning Objectives:

  • Three ways to up-level your service — starting today.
  • Why rules don't build culture, and what works better.
  • How the 5 Pillars of Elite Service increase revenue and shift your culture from Me to We.

Creating a Coaching Culture:

Building Teams That Lead Themselves

The problem isn't that your team doesn't care — it's that they don't know what they don't know. Most organizations treat coaching like an event: a one-time training, a quarterly review, a corrective conversation. But the best teams are built on daily coaching culture. In this interactive keynote, Jess shows how to shift from manager-driven teams — where everything depends on you — to coach-driven teams, where excellence becomes self-sustaining.

Learning Objectives:

  • The 2 key differences between training and coaching — and why only one creates lasting change.
  • How to coach in question form so your team actually hears you.
  • How to build player-driven teams where excellence doesn't depend on you being in the room.


The 5 Pillars of Elite Service:

The Framework That Turns Average Into Exceptional

Why do some teams consistently deliver "wow" moments while others struggle with the basics? It's not personality, experience, or even hospitality — it's mastery of five foundational skills most organizations never teach. Jess discovered that exceptional service comes down to Speed, Accuracy, Efficiency, Awareness, and Knowledge — the 5 Pillars. In this high-energy keynote, he breaks down each pillar with real-world examples and techniques your team can use today. Whether you're in restaurants, retail, healthcare, or any customer-facing business, you'll leave with a clear framework for elevating service, increasing revenue, and making excellence the standard — not the exception.

Learning Objectives:

  • Why the 5 Pillars of Elite Service outperform personality alone.
  • 3 teamwork techniques that transform service from transactional to memorable.
  • Why technical skills actually make hospitality feel more authentic, not robotic.

Meet Jess

With over 50,000 hours of hands-on training experience, Jess Rowland transforms restaurant and service teams from the inside out. As a 26-year Regional Trainer for Hillstone Restaurant Group, he helped reinvent their legendary service manual and elevate their 47 locations nationwide — coaching over 5,000 servers across establishments ranging from family diners to Michelin-starred restaurants.

As Co-Owner of The Restaurant Launch and star of "Ace of Service" by Marcus Lemonis, Jess brings a dynamic coaching style that blends humor with proven hospitality techniques built around five core pillars: speed, accuracy, efficiency, awareness, and knowledge.

What sets Jess apart is his genuine belief that serving is a billion-dollar profession worth being proud of. He doesn't just train — he coaches people to become leaders, built on the philosophy that extraordinary guest experiences are made up of countless small, intentional moments. And whether he's in the room or on a screen, he knows how to connect with any audience and make learning stick.

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