Jefferson Graham writes about the fusion between Apple's "Genius" approach at its retail stores and the Ritz-Carlton's restaurant bar:
Johnson focused on customer service and thought of Ritz-Carlton hotels as a model for Apple stores. He and a team watched Ritz managers put together new hotels in New York and New Orleans, and out of those visits came the Genius Bar.At the Ritz, "The restaurant bar is a friendly gathering place," Johnson says. "The bartender makes you feel welcome. We thought: Wouldn't it be great if going to a computer store could be as welcoming?"
