Hillstone’s “Only Choice” System

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Hillstone’s “Only Choice” System

David Chang calls their French dip "haunting."

Danny Meyer confidently orders "the usual," without glancing at a menu.

They're talking about Hillstone, one of America's most consistently excellent restaurant chains.

What's Hillstone's secret?

Meticulously designed systems that completely remove friction.

Hillstone founder George Biel famously drills every table into the floor so the tables never wobble.

Every table is a booth, each equipped with its own spotlight, eliminating guesswork around seating and lighting.

Servers handle exactly three tables, never four, because the restaurant layout itself enforces this rule.

One Mauviel copper pot uniformly salts fries.

Fresh orange juice is squeezed to order every time.

While other restaurants pile tasks on managers to "fix things," Hillstone builds systems that prevent problems from existing.

The Hillstone approach scales beyond restaurants:

Excellence doesn't rely on oversight, but on systems designed to make the right choice the only choice.

BTS of Athena

When Pearl joined Athena, LinkedIn was just a site where she browsed for job openings. Today, she’s grown her client's LinkedIn following to over 16,000, dramatically increasing their visibility and industry influence.

What changed?

When Pearl’s client needed measurable brand reach, she dived directly into managing engaging content.

But she wasn’t alone. Pearl’s Athena manager worked quietly behind the scenes, connecting her with other Athena assistants who had recently mastered thought leadership and content strategy, sourcing tactical playbooks for growing LinkedIn followers, and offering targeted mentorship every step of the way.

Pearl’s success isn’t an isolated incident. It happened by design.

Every week, Athena assistants like Pearl participate in:

• Deep 1:1 coaching sessions with managers who identify growth opportunities and tackle challenges in real-time.

• Peer learning sessions covering topics from U.S. financial planning to ChatGPT prompts.

• Practical training on thriving remotely, crucial for those working challenging hours to support global clients.

• Monthly panels where Athena clients share candid insights about trust-building and recognizing when assistants are ready for greater responsibility.

Your assistant's training time isn't time away from you. It's a direct investment into your success.

Exceptional assistants aren’t just born, they’re empowered through deliberate support, mentorship, and continuous learning.

That’s how we build talent at Athena.