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Victor Lugger, co-founder of the restaurant group Big Mamma and the tech platform sunday, is no stranger to building memorable experiences that transcend mere dining. For Lugger, restaurants should be spaces filled with joy and emotion, encouraging guests to savor each moment.
When creating Big Mamma, Lugger’s goal was to evoke the vibrant energy of an Italian street, capturing the warmth, energy and spontaneity of Italy.
As he puts it, Big Mamma was born as “an antidepressant for the Sunday blues. ” The ambiance, staff and even fellow patrons combine to create a high-energy place reminiscent of the joy you might find walking the streets of Venice or Rome.
This commitment to joy in dining, however, extends beyond the ambiance to embrace Lugger’s staff culture and resilience. During an early pop-up in the South of France, his team transformed a potential disaster — a sudden, torrential downpour — into an unforgettable night by dancing through the chaos, keeping guests entertained and turning a problem into a celebration.
Lugger says it was a profound lesson in leadership.
“I was very humbled by how much better than me my team was,” he recalls, emphasizing that as a leader, learning from the team‘s energy and confidence became paramount.
This “joy in chaos” mentality shaped his approach, prioritizing empowering his employees and fostering a culture that celebrates taking risks and learning from mistakes.
In 2021, Lugger co-founded sunday, a tech company aimed at transforming the restaurant checkout experience. Although Big Mamma focuses on slowing guests down to enjoy their meals, sunday optimizes the payment process, ensuring that hospitality extends to the final interaction. It integrates with several popular restaurant technologies, including Toast.
With sunday, Lugger emphasizes that “there is so much more to do during payments” than merely collecting a bill.
By streamlining the checkout experience, sunday not only saves guests time but also increases tips and gathers essential feedback that helps restaurants improve and retain staff. By improving each small detail, restaurants can create a more hospitable experience.
Related: How This Michelin-Starred Chef Overcame Loss and Hardships to Achieve Stardom
Lugger’s unique social media approach
Despite Big Mamma’s social media success, Lugger focuses squarely on the guest experience rather than digital marketing.
His “social media investment” is the details — from custom-made plates to marble tables — that give guests a sense of awe when they sit down to eat and encourage them to share their experience with the world.
“I’m making great restaurants to please people. It happens that in 2024, when people are pleased, they say it on social media,” Lugger tells Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ Media.
Lugger continues to build environments that bring joy to customers and set a high standard for hospitality, a testament to his passion for creating memorable, meaningful dining experiences.
“The fact that Big Mamma is this sort of machine we all feed into, and this machine grows and feeds us and grows our life is why we keep pushing it,” he says.
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