Back of House: People-First HR in High-Turnover Hospitality with Donna Giarratana
Eps. #189 Tuesday, June 30th, 2026
In most industries, culture lives in your annual engagement survey. In hospitality, it walks out to the dining room every single night. It shows up in how your server handles a difficult table, in the energy at the host stand, and in whether your team feels taken care of or just managed.
In this episode…
Why the parallel between how guests want to feel and how employees want to feel is a management strategy, not a metaphor
How to build attendance policies that are fair, equitable, documentable, and still genuinely human
What engagement actually looks like across very different worker populations, from career hospitality professionals to first-job team members
Hit “Play” to gain valuable insights that can transform your HR practices!
Guest(s): Donna Giarratana, Founder, MoxeeHR, LLC
Guest(s): Donna Giarratana, Founder, MoxeeHR, LLC
Donna Giarratana, SHRM-SCP, is a results-driven HR Leader and strategic partner with a track record of building, transforming, and scaling People & Culture functions across high-service, multi-unit organizations. As the Senior Director of People & Culture for Alexandria Restaurant Partners and the Director of Human Resources for the legendary three-Michelin-star The Inn at Little Washington, Donna has been instrumental in preparing foundational and strategic plans, leading cultural development, and building HR systems from the ground up.
Her experience includes a substantial tenure with José Andrés Group where, as Human Resource Manager, she directed and cultivated HR competencies for up to 2,000 employees. She has also leveraged her expertise across multiple restaurant concepts as an Operations Support Specialist for Thompson Hospitality.
Today, as the Principal Owner and Founder of MoxeeHR, LLC, Donna provides expert HR strategy and consultation to clients, supporting workforce planning, organizational design, and cultural transformation. Her leadership is grounded in a deep understanding of employee life cycles, compliance, talent acquisition, and a natural passion for training and employee growth.
