With A New PBS Documentary And A Third Michelin Star, The Inn At Little Washington Looks Toward The Future In These Trouble Times

Chef Patrick O’Connell knows how to dust himself off and get dinner on the table through thick and thin, recession and flood, hurricane and power blackout, better than anyone I know, managing to navigate his way around these catastrophes and more for over 40 years at his legendary restaurant and country inn, The Inn at Little Washington.

Consistently one of the most “practically optimistic” people I know, this practical optimism has allowed O’Connell and team to relentlessly, step by minute step, transform a former garage into a restaurant (and, later, lodgings) so superior that it attracts queens and kings, supreme court justices and presidents, and thousands of untitled but food-obsessed commoners, and to garner double-five star ratings (Forbes Travel Guide), double-five diamond ratings (AAA), and, ultimately, three Michelin stars, one of the only restaurants in the U.S. to achieve that top Michelin rating.

Tonight (Friday, March 27), is the national premiere on PBS of “The Inn at Little Washington, A Delicious Documentary” [check your local listings], the result of  over a year of “embedding” by a director and film crew behind the scenes at the Inn]. The airing of the documentary comes at a uniquely challenging time for the restaurant and hotel industry, with O’Connell’s own operation closed for the first time in its 42-year history [it is, however, taking reservations for dates May]. So it seems an important time to check in. 

I found O’Connell socially isolating at home, which he described as feeling “like house arrest, sans the ankle bracelet,” though, unsurprisingly, he wasn’t staying idle; “I am using this enforced free time to finish up my memoir, as well as a new coffee table cookbook that’s focused on entertaining, as well as champing at the bit for the moment we can open our doors again.”

Micah Solomon, Senior Contributor, Forbes.com: Tonight is the first time you’ve been examined on the air in such detail. How did you settle on allowing this particular documentary crew such access?

Patrick O’Connell, Proprietor, The Inn at Little Washington: We were approached by Show of Force (the filmmakers) who had discovered us through Spike Mendelsohn, a DC chef. Spike had followed the Inn since culinary school and felt that the public had no clear picture of how a fine restaurant operates behind the scenes and that he wanted to see our story told right.

Those of us who work every day in the hospitality field find the depictions of chefs and restaurants that come out of Hollywood to be lame at best and laughable at worst. We know that the real drama taking place in our restaurants every night is far more exciting than the make-believe plots the movie and TV industry tend to come up with.  

We had to develop a level of trust with the filmmakers before letting them come behind the scenes and film absolutely any aspect of our operation that interested them, knowing that we wouldn’t have control over the finished product. This also required a level of confidence in our team that they would represent the place admirably–which they, of course did.  

Solomon: Are you happy with how it came out? 

O’Connell: It’s really something. What the filmmakers came up with is  an unvarnished, accurate and authentic portrait of an uncensored chef and a diverse and passionate restaurant “family” who all share a common goal. It explores the mystery of how a group of people become united in a collaborative, artistic pursuit largely free of ego. The film sheds light on the creative process in a kitchen and illustrates that often a chef becomes a mentor, critic and editor rather than the sole creator.

Solomon: What are some moments that particularly tickle or touch you in the final product? 

O’Connell: I loved watching how each member of the team was depicted. And I was particularly touched by going back to “the shack” (my first house) in Rappahannock County (the location of the Inn], which I hadn’t visited in more than 30 years. It was like a waking dream.  I found myself re-living that period of my life and re-connecting with who I once was and also coming to the realization that my thinking hadn’t changed that much in all those years.

 Receiving “the call” from Michelin during which they inform you of your star rating is something that only those in the business might ever have been familiar with. It’s a dramatic moment and has almost never been caught candidly on film. The viewer gets to see it twice in this documentary. The first call was a disappointment. The next was met with elation.  

Solomon: How have things been since you got your third Michelin star? 

The third Michelin star transformed our business and cemented our position on the world’s culinary stage. Michelin’s acknowledgement allowed us to enter a rarefied fraternity of the world’s finest restaurants and increased the number of international clients. We were surprised that it also had a very positive effect on our guest room occupancy. Recruitment, especially among our kitchen staff, became easier.  

Most of all, it’s an enormous source of pride for our whole team here. It was definitely worth waiting 40 years for.

Solomon: The documentary is airing at a challenging time for your industry, and for the Inn.  

O’Connell: It’s certainly strange that the film is airing nationally at a time when we find ourselves closed–that viewers may be intrigued by what they see yet not be able to visit us at the moment. We can only hope that they will be inspired to come when things begin to normalize. 

But in another sense, the timing of the documentary seems to be serving an unintended but valuable purpose. What we’re hearing from audiences who’ve seen pre-screenings is that the film offers a needed escape from the nightmare we’re all living during this world pandemic.  

Solomon: You’ve been through, if I am counting right, at least three economic crises including this one. Do you have any advice for those readers in business for whom this is their first? 

O’Connell: During the last 42 years the Inn has always managed to remain buoyant and nimble. The size of our operation and the lack of too much corporate infrastructure allows us to make decisions quickly and turn on a dime. We’ve been through many major world crises and tend to find that during and after each one, the public seeks a safe sanctuary from grim realities, a romantic escape right here in the Virginia countryside.

My recommendation to those in the hospitality field who are facing today’s challenges is always to stay the course, whatever it takes. Be flexible but don’t alter your DNA or get cheap. The public wants consistency and quality and will always be willing to pay for it. What we’re offering may be needed more now than ever before. People are going to get really tired of carry-out by the time this all plays out. 

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Micah Solomon is a customer service and customer experience consultant, keynote speaker and trainer. He also works as a content creator and ghostwriter and as a customer service expert witness. Micah was recently named “the World’s #1 Customer Service Turnaround Expert” by Inc. Magazine. Reach him directly at micah@micahsolomoncom, visit his website, or check out his new bestseller: Ignore Your Customers (and They’ll Go Away) (HarperCollins Leadership).