Kathryn Farwell Compares Client Experience Design to Restaurant Hospitality

Kathryn Farwell, Head of Client Experience at Athletics, draws parallels between memorable restaurant service and effective client relationships in creative partnerships. She recounts a 2011 experience at Henry's End in Brooklyn Heights, where server Bonnie's three decades of service transformed a meal into a lasting memory. Farwell argues that just as restaurants design front-of-house experiences, creative agencies should intentionally design client interactions. She emphasizes that relationship design involves systematic choices about communication, process visibility, and partnership dynamics. This approach aims to make client engagements feel transformative rather than transactional.