Datamax Texas President David Rhodes sees it this way: If we all have one thing in common, it’s that we all enjoy a good meal.

From Thanksgiving and wedding celebrations to more informal gatherings of family and friends, most occasions introduce communal dining in one way or another. Food has a funny way of bringing people together. It’s a universal, unifying force.

It turns out, we have something else in common, too at Datamax. Though we come from different backgrounds, share diverse titles, and take on unique roles every day, we’re all after one single mission to Create Raving Fans. This is precisely the point where Breaking Bread comes into play.

“Breaking Bread is a great way for various departments and people to interact when, on any other given day, they wouldn’t do so. It’s also a way to reinforce the point that we have a lot in common; we’re just trying to do the best we can and make a living, and then do whatever we like with the families we’re with,” David said. “Taking people off-site, or away from normal meeting areas, to share a meal together, it’s just less intimidating and much more personable.”

Breaking Bread: It’s a timeless concept that David took to heart based on training he received back in the 90s from consultant and friend Mike Riordan; it’s also a practice he took note of from his former superior Rich Jehle. The idea is to create opportunities to share, collaborate, and learn more about one another in a relaxed, informal setting. It promotes camaraderie and genuine connection and lowers the proverbial silos of a typical work setting. A dinner table can generate positive momentum that a boardroom table simply cannot.

“It reminds us that we’re all in this together,” David said.

Breaking Bread: It breaks down stereotypes and barriers.

When caught in the grind of everyday work processes, it’s easy to typecast other departments around one particular light, and not always a positive one. When you’re sitting around a dinner table, talking about the big game over a bowl of chili, or the funny thing that happened last weekend over burgers, those generalizations tend to evaporate.

“The more that we can prove that a salesperson doesn’t have horns, a service tech doesn’t have grease up to their elbows, and get away from stereotyping, the better we are,” David said. “I think it’s also important, in my position, that people get to know who I am, too. I may bear a different title, but I’m just as normal as anyone else, just trying to earn a living and support a family.”

Breaking Bread: It can be formal, informal, or even impromptu.

Both Datamax Texas and Arkansas find ways to Break Bread in unique ways. In Texas, there are chili cook-offs, the infamous Burger Wars, employee appreciation food trucks, and the semi-annual Recognition of Excellence Dinner (a formal, white-table cloth dinner for employees and a guest). In Arkansas, the group breaks bread multiple times during the River Cities Dragon Boat Festival, they share a meal at their regular Bingo Night, and President Barry Simon is even known to invite employees to lunch completely impromptu.

Whatever the scenario, the concept remains the same.

Breaking Bread: Significant others have significance, too.

On many occasions, David makes it a point to include the employee’s significant other at the dinner table. There’s a great reason behind doing so.

“I believe they are as important as the employee; they are the support mechanism of encouraging our employees when they go home. They are also usually the sounding board,” David said. “It’s important that they understand Datamax or David Rhodes or their husband or wife’s direct manager, so they can put a face with the name. Where is my significant other going from 8 to 5? What type of people is he or she working with? They’re a big part of this whole thing.”

Breaking Bread: It’s a great way to say “Thank You.”

Several particular moments stick out to David that have genuinely harnessed the power of Breaking Bread. At the “Excellence” dinners, he and his wife Rachel make it a point to sit next to someone they might not know as well. It’s rewarding for him to sit and visit, share a few laughs, and learn more about that person over a filet mignon or plate of seafood.

“It’s a moment where we get to show them just how much we appreciate what they do,” David said. “It’s just amazing: You put a great meal and a few drinks (not too many!) into the mix, and that guard gets dropped. You have some great conversations, and you inevitably learn a lot about each other that way.”