Family Meal: Employee Spotlight with Sam Wolpert

Welcome to Family Meal, our blog series where we shine a spotlight on one of our amazing Roomies. This month, we sat down with Sam Wolpert, a Senior Product Manager in the US.

Tell us a little about your role and your team.

Sam: Hi, my name is Sam Wolpert. I’m a senior product manager here at SevenRooms. I started working here in September 2022 and I work on our API and Partnerships team.

We’re responsible for supporting anyone who builds an application that integrates with SevenRooms. With hundreds of integrators and thousands of venues that use our API every day, we’re constantly working on new ways to make it easier to build powerful applications on top of SevenRooms.

What do you love most about your role at SevenRooms?

Sam: I have two answers to this:

The People: There are tons of smart people in tech, but it’s rare to find exceptionally talented individuals who are also passionate about the customers they serve. There’s no shortage of people to be inspired by at SevenRooms.

Getting to work on products that I use regularly: There’s something very rewarding about building a product that you get to use regularly. In a lot of ways, you’re building software for yourself. So you never run out of inspiration as a product manager. Having a relatable product makes the development process fun.

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Sam: Let me tell you a story about being Here to Serve…

My team once released an update that had some unintended consequences. For a short period, some guests weren’t receiving confirmation emails from a small number of our clients. We planned to just email our restaurant contacts to let them know about the situation. We quickly realized that if we only reached out to our contact, all of the guests who thought they booked a reservation would be turned away at the host stand. So we immediately picked up the phone and called each impacted restaurant to let them know what happened. We took it a step further and spoke to multiple guests to help them re-book their reservations.

What three career lessons have you learned thus far?

Sam:

Prioritize Professional Development – The better your skills, the more aerodynamic you’ll be in your career. Professional growth occurs when you progressively take on larger, and more complex projects. Jump at the opportunity to work alongside people who have the skills you desire.

Be as Enthusiastic as Possible – Stressful days are inevitable, but at the end of the day, we all need to get our jobs done. Your team will always perform better when they’re having a good time. We’re all one team, so their success is your success.

Ask yourself, “How might the opposite be true?” – If you operate with a scarcity mindset, you’re more likely to accept that challenges are insurmountable because you’re resource-constrained or you don’t have time. Challenge your perception, and accept that your intuition might be wrong. There’s usually more than one way up a mountain.

What is a non-work activity or hobby that you do? How did you get into it?

Sam: I do my own clothing alterations! Early in my career, I worked in an office with a dress code, so I was buying a lot of business casual attire. To save money I would shop at stores like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx and Marshalls, but finding the right size was always a challenge. After doing some research on YouTube I learned that I could do most of what I needed with a budget sewing machine and a few pins.

SevenRooms

What is one exciting project or initiative that you’re working on right now?

Sam: I have the pleasure of working on our partnership with the Capital One Dining Program. Capital One cardholders have access to thousands of exclusive reservations at SevenRooms restaurants. Every week we add new world-class restaurants and exclusive cardholder events, so we’re constantly enhancing the browsing experience to make it easier to find and book unforgettable dining experiences.

Describe for us your favorite dining experience.

Sam: This year, I moved back to the northeast from Arizona, but right before I left my friends threw me a surprise going-away birthday party at Maple & Ash in Scottsdale, AZ, a SevenRooms client. We were greeted with these custom bold “Happy Birthday Sam” menus and complimentary craft cocktails. Maple & Ash knock all of the classics out of the park and have truly incredible handmade pastas. The entire experience was a wonderful send-off!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Interested in working with Sam and our other Roomies? Check out our open roles here.

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