The Restaurant Doctor - Electronic House Call

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - August 20, 1999

TRIMMING LABOR DOLLARS
When you schedule people to work "400 to Close," you are, in effect, letting them decide how many hours they will put in. I mean when, exactly, is "Close?" A better plan is to schedule them from "400 to 900" and have them check with the manager to get approval to leave. If it is busy, you can (usually) ask them to stay a little longer. If it is slow, you can let them go home. Either way, the control of hours returns to management, where it belongs. You may be surprised at how many hours this minor change will trim over the course of the year . . . and without any adverse effect on guest service.

I AM EXCITED!
I am roughing up the details of a new monthly subscription audio tape series that I plan to start this fall. The monthly focus will rotate between marketing, service, personnel, management, cost control and a potpourri-type category. Each tape will contain a 22-minute mini management seminar and an interview with one or more operators who are doing something notable or innovative. This is going to be some very valuable material that you and your management team can use to stretch your thinking and make continual learning a key part of your culture. (I have also found that when management becomes interested in learning, the staff suddenly becomes interested in learning as well!) The series is only $29.95 a month with discounts for multiple subscribers and the right to cancel (for a full refund!) at any time. If you are interested, let me know and I will get you the details when they are available. I will also appreciate your comments and suggestions on this idea while it is still in the formulation stage.

SUCH A DEAL!
Finally today, an offer you can't (or at least shouldn't) refuse. I maintain that hospitality is a business based on personal connection. As competition increases, the operators who are best-connected to their guests will stand the best chance of keeping them. One of the most effective ways to do this -- and one of the most powerful sales-building tools you can have -- is a well-conceived newsletter.

Through a bizarre set of events which I won't bore you with, I suddenly have access to 100 copies of a hardcover book called "Restaurant Newsletters that Pay Off: How Smart Restaurateurs are Using Newsletters to Build Business" written by Walter Mathews and published by John Wiley & Sons. I actually bought a copy when it came out in 1997 (at the $39.95 list price) and found it very enlightening. In addition to annotated sample newsletters from fifty different operations around the country, the book is a valuable "how to" guide on creating your own newsletter to have maximum impact at minimum cost. Through a deal with the author, I can offer this book to my newsletter subscribers for only $19.95 until the stock is gone. If you are interested, drop me a line.

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