Pre-Meal for Sep 23, 2026Outside the Gates

Happy Wednesday!

A friend and his family were in an Uber on their way to Hollywood Studios, the Disney park that’s home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Everyone had been up since six in the morning, and his kids had been waiting since Christmas—seven months, which is approximately 1,000 years in seven-year-old time—to get to a galaxy far, far away. So when traffic slowed, the vibe quickly threatened to go from “antsy” to “meltdown.”

Then their Uber driver, tipped off by their T-shirts, put on “The Imperial March,” otherwise known as Darth Vader’s theme.

The kids lit up; the grownups cracked up. And the Uber ride, which is not usually the most memorable aspect of a trip to Disney, became a magical part of the whole experience.

I love the driver’s empathy. He knew exactly how those little boys felt, and came up with a way to make the last few minutes of that drive more fun. (Of course my friend left a more-than-generous tip.)

And how incredible is it that this person who does not work for Disney—who was operating outside their gates, in his own car, and for another company—acted, in that moment, as if he did?

Disney famously engineers every bit of the experience once a guest is inside the park, but that Uber driver demonstrated how porous those boundaries can be. And it made me think how rarely we look for hospitality opportunities beyond the boundaries of our own organizations.

The more people you inspire to feel genuine ownership over the experience you’re offering, the more people you have helping to make that experience remarkable. What might be possible if you looked for everyone who comes in contact with your guests immediately before or after you do—and gave them simple, creative ways to join in?

Have a good service,

Will