ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - December 4, 1998

STILL MORE SCAMS
This one was shared by Micki Waters of a Burger King franchise group in the Northwest:

Here is another scam that our trainee assistant managers regularly get caught up in. The telelphone caller will start by asking who they are talking to and their position in the company. They go on to say they are an approved supplier and that their records show that we haven't purchased any light bulbs in a while and that right now his company has a sale going on. When the Assistant Manager tells them that they are not allowed to place an order, the person says thats OK, just talk to your manager and we won't send these for another week. They close by saying just call us back and let us know if you don't want them. They hang up before giving a number to call and the invoice arrives at your billing office a few days later with charges of over $200.00 for 24 light bulbs. The bulbs usually don't arrive for quite some time. When you try to return them it's almost impossible.

LET THEM EAT CAKE
Here is a problem posed by Glen Brailey, owner of Pacchia in Dayton, Ohio:

I would like to get your opinion on the following problem. We often have guests bringing in food, especially birthday cakes, from sources outside the restaurant. In the past we have never said anything or charged a cutting fee. Tonight a group brought in a food-service type cake from Sysco and handed it to the server. They asked her to keep it in the kitchen until they were ready for us to serve it to them. My feeling is that we are a small restaurant, not a banquet facility. We make our money by selling food -- not renting space. Should we charge a cutting fee in this situation? How do we get people to understand that bringing food into a restaurant is uncool? I hate the idea of marking this one up to the "cost of doing business!"

APPROACH #1
Establish a policy that says "Health Department regulations prohibit us from serving food items procured from sources outside our direct control" and then argue with people when you try to enforce it. (If you do, my guess is that these folks will take their cake --and their dinner business -- to someone who will work with them . . . but I could be wrong.)

APPROACH #2
Get over it. Your peace of mind is worth more than what you would make on a cake. Besides, you are only irritated because something else has got your mood down. These folks obviously brought in a bunch of people who bought your food & drink and filled your place up which, in turn, makes it busier and therefore more attractive to others. You made money. They had fun. Quityerbitchin!

Is this a fun business or what?

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