The Restaurant Doctor - Electronic House Call

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - July 30, 1999

WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S?
I am in Milwaukee doing some management training with a very well-run restaurant group. They are seriously considering closing their restaurants on New Year's Eve this year for several reasons. They believe their staff would rather be participating in the Millennium Madness than working it (although if they want to work that night, there should be a premium wage and lots of places they can sell their services.) They also feel that many guests who would regularly come to them on that night will be opting for something more "special" in light of the significance of the date.

My thought was that they consider offering dinner until 9:00 or so, then closing for the rest of the night (a bulk of their sales on this date in the past have been meals.) As an alternative, they could close completely on December 31 but host a New Year's Eve "Practice Party" in late September or early October. They wouldn't be in conflict with any of the holidays, would give their guests an excuse to come to a good party and would probably pick up a lot of local press in the process. (My guess is they might even make more money this way than they would by being open on the real holiday!)

A note from the Doc:
Not all New Year's Eve parties need to be held on New Year's Eve!

HELP WANTED
I am a journalism student at the University of Miami, writing an article on restaurant fraud and the scams that go on between employees, as well as customers. I am looking for any information on what is currently being done to prevent this type of fraud. What is the biggest problem these scams cause for business? Are employers aware that this is going on in their restaurants? What can employers do to stop this from happening? What is the best thing employers can do to make sure that the people they hire will be honest on the job? Are cameras in the workplace a solution to employee theft? What about "spotters?" Do you know of any situations where two or more employees were working together to scam their employers or customers? What do employers do when they catch an employee stealing? What are the laws involving employee theft? Most importantly, what are the reasons that employees steal from their jobs? Any information at all would be helpful. Jacki Reyes, jcpnrob@netrox.net

A note from the Doc:
If you have any ideas that can help Jacki, please send them directly to her with a copy to me. I will compile the responses on my website and let you know where to find them.

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