For most hospitality workers, the end of the holiday rush means catching their breath before the next wave.

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At one restaurant in Ohio, it meant boarding a cruise ship.

As the busy festive period wrapped up, the owners of The Standard in Toledo decided to do something few teams ever experience — they shut the restaurant, gathered their entire staff, and took them to the Bahamas.

Revealing the news to their loyal followers in an Instagram post, the owners wrote: “Yes, we’re taking our entire staff on a cruise. Yes, we’re that excited.” They then announced they would be closed for the duration of the trip until everybody was back on dry land following a well-deserved break.

The vacation took place in early January 2026, with more than 60 staff members — from cooks to servers to front-of-house — swapped shifts for sunshine, flying out together to enjoy a three-day Royal Caribbean cruise. The trip included stops in Nassau and Bimini, turning what would normally be a staff break into a full-scale getaway.

Sharing a group photo from the ship, staff wrote: “Standard Family Cruise 2026— we all made it on board!!!!!”

Behind the gesture were husband-and-wife owners Chef Jeff Dinnebeil and Megan Lingsweiler, who had been inspired after taking a cruise with their own children the year before. That experience planted the idea — and they didn’t just talk about it, they made it happen.

The pair made a point of ensuring no one was left behind. The restaurant closed entirely for the trip, and staff were given holiday bonuses and guaranteed no loss of wages while they were away.

It was, in every sense, a thank-you.

Dinnebeil summed up how they see their team:

“Our staff is everything — they’re the blood, life, and the heart of that restaurant,” Dinnebeil told The Toledo Blade.

And for Lingsweiler, the motivation was simple: “This is what we live for. We live to experience and to enjoy, and there’s no greater people than the ones that are working for us.”

The trip itself was packed with activities — karaoke nights, scavenger hunts, basketball competitions, beach time, and large group dinners — but for many on board, the experience meant much more than just a holiday.

For some, it was a series of firsts.

“At first, I was nervous because I’ve never been on a cruise. I’ve never been in a plane. I’ve never been anywhere, so it took me a minute,” cook Andrew “Duke” Jackson said. “I had never been in the ocean before, so that was the first for me. Chef kind of made me get in there. But once I got in there, it was everything.”

It wasn’t just about travel — it was about perspective.

Seeing colleagues outside of the restaurant environment, sharing new experiences together, changed the dynamic completely.

“I had been on cruises before, but this alone was probably my top vacation,” said server Allison Latta. “It was just such a unique experience getting to see 60 of your co-workers around the boat.”

For Jackson, the impact was even more personal: “Everybody went on there as employees, and when we left and went back home, everybody was like family.”

That shift — from colleagues to something closer — is exactly what the owners hoped to create.

The Standard, known locally for its upscale American menu and strong reputation, has built its success on consistency and teamwork. And for Dinnebeil and Lingsweiler, rewarding that effort wasn’t optional — it was essential.

After all, in an industry where long hours and high pressure are the norm, moments like this are rare.

But as this trip showed, when a business truly values its people, the results go far beyond the workplace.

Featured image credit: Instagram/@thestandard419