The Restaurant Doctor - Electronic House Call

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - December 3, 1999

THE COFFEE CD
Wow! What a great response to my offer of the CD ("Free is good . . .") on Wednesday. We have not filled the list yet but will have to finalize things fairly soon. If you have not responded, send me your name and address and I will make sure you get it. Be aware that the package will not be mailed until the first week in January.

MAKE A NOTE
This is the only time of year when you can readily get those little clear Christmas tree lights. They are terrific ways to put some sparkle in your place at any time of year. I used to use them for lighting on my receptions when I was at the Olympic Training Center. Get them now before they disappear for another year.

WOULDN'T IT BE COOL . . . ?
Here is a great way to pick up a ton of great ideas in a hurry. At your next staff meeting, give everyone a 3x5 index card and ask them to complete the following sentence: "Wouldn't it be cool if we could . . . ?" Tell them to let their imaginations run wild and put down what occurs to them. I just did this with a group of restaurant managers at an in-house seminar and we picked up three dozen terrific ideas in about three minutes!

The trick with this, as with any suggestion you receive, is not to judge it but to reflect on every idea and see what you can do. Even ideas that are seemingly outside the realm of reasonableness might spark a possibility. For example, one of the suggestions was, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could just work every other day?" Now I suspect every other day off would be too much of a stretch, but perhaps you could give an extra day off on a rotating basis to provide managers a three-day weekend from time to time. Give it a try and let me know what you get.

CAN YOU HELP?
Jon Hall <jon@interactiveadvertising.com> writes"I know that customer and employee surveys can provide valuable information and feedback for a restaurant. However, collecting the information, through questionnaires or focus groups, can be time-consuming and expensive. Do you know of anyone offering this service ONLINE, through automated means? I'd appreciate any input you may have." If you have any information that addresses his question, please respond directly to Jon with a copy to me.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
This from Steve Straus' 3-Minute Coaching newsletter, one of my favorite quick reads:
"People only change when confronted with strong leadership, crisis, or both. Therefore, unless you are willing to be at the whim of crisis, strong leadership is the only reliable change force you have." -- Thomas C. Gibson (business owner)

To receive your own free copy of the S3MC each week, send an email to <majordomo@StrausUSA.com> and in the body of your email include the text subscribe 3-minute-l youremailaddress (that's an "el" not a "one" ).

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