
Episode #16
Ritz-Carlton Doorman Todd Foster on Leadership, Customer Service, and How Everybody Had Baggage
Today Patty welcomes Todd Foster, former Ritz-Carlton Chicago doorman and author of Everybody Had Baggage, who shares how three years observing guests—from celebrities to everyday people—shaped his work as a keynote speaker and executive coach. Todd explains how people reveal character by how they treat those they don’t need, why mindset drives behavior, and how leaders set the tone for everyone in the room. He recounts a pivotal moment when President Clinton told Secret Service to “Let the man do his job,” reinforcing respect and role clarity. Todd describes Ritz-Carlton systems for remembering names to create a luxury guest experience, admits mistakes around confidentiality, and tells stories involving entitlement, kindness, Harry Caray, Oprah, and Chris Farley. Episode Highlights: 00:00 Meet Todd Foster 01:32 Landing the Doorman Job 02:14 First Day Fur Coat Chaos 03:21 Why the Book Took Years 05:03 Watching People Unmasked 06:58 Celebrities and True Colors 10:11 Mindset and First World Problems 11:53 Let the Man Do His Job 16:00 Leadership Sets the Tone 18:23 Big Mistake and Redemption 22:20 Concert Payback Story 22:42 Pearson Street Standoff 25:01 Spit Sparks a Punch 27:59 Union Review Aftermath 29:01 Harry Caray Name Lesson 32:11 Ritz Carlton Name Game 35:54 Chris Farley Kindness 39:33 Book Plug Rapid Fire 42:43 Host Takeaways Outro #Leadership #CustomerService #Hospitality #RitzCarlton #ExecutiveCoaching #KeynoteSpeaker #HotelManagement #LuxuryHotels #EmployeeExperience #GuestExperience #ServiceExcellence #WorkplaceCulture #EmotionalIntelligence #Mindset #Kindness #GoldenRule #PersonalBrand #Networking #Chicago #Celebrities #Storytelling #Management #NameRecognition #EverybodyHadBaggage #YourDailyChocolate






