ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - April 14, 2000

INTERNATIONAL AID
French restaurant professor (and EHC subscriber) Gil Galasso just advised me of http://perso.wanadoo.fr/savoir-vivre-a-table/, a site he created for Maitre d' and butlers. It is still a work in progress but if you are delivering a higher level of service (or want to), it might give you some training ideas.

ANYTHING WORTH DOING IS WORTH DOING RIGHT
I was in Nashville earlier this week where I interviewed Randy Rayburn for the May Management Insight Series tape. Randy owns Sunset Grill and Midtown Café, both of which were just listed in "What's Hot in Nashville" in a recent issue of Nations Restaurant News. What you won't hear about on the tape is the commitment he has made to hosting meetings at Sunset Grill. He has recently expanded his space for private functions and now can handle two separate groups of 50-70 at the same time. As an incentive to groups to hold meetings at his restaurant, he offers free use of wireless microphones, screens, an overhead projector . . . and even an LCD projector. Just before I arrived, he hosted a dinner meeting for group of 50 . . . at $75 a head! How's that for making productive use of space that would otherwise be sitting empty on a weekday night?

A note from the Doc:
Hotels sell space, so a group that wants to meet in a hotel pays for the space. Restaurants sell food and generally will provide the space at no charge to a group holding a meeting with meals attached. This is a major market advantage that few operators are exploiting. As you can see, there is more to doing it right than just having a room you can close off. It helps to sweeten the pot a little by offering all the amenities a group will need to make the meeting a success. Give a little, get a lot. The easier you can make it for the person setting up the meeting, the easier it will be for him/her to say yes. What are you doing to make yourself user-friendly to groups?

ANOTHER OVERLOOKED SOURCE OF STAFF
I was cleaning out my e-mail files and found this note from Jim Covert who raises an idea worth pondering.

I have been trying to be a good employer for over 10 years to reduce training costs and improve quality (and because it's the right thing to do). However, finding good staff is essential even for those with low turnover. Long ago I didn't care for the idea of re-hiring ex-employees. In recent years I've found they are one of my best resources for staff. Their attitude is usually better the second trip -- and mine is, too. They know the bad parts of the job and re-applied anyway. Less training is needed. You know their weaknesses and hire them anyway. When each knows what's coming, it's easier to cope with job stresses. Even staff that left on bad terms have returned and been great. Return employees usually stay longer -- no surprises that scare them off. My retention record on re-hires is far better than new-hires. Always, always get unanimous support (don't force it) from all key employees. If you do, they'll help the re-hire succeed. If you don't, the objector(s) will either help them fail or quit themselves -- now you have a new problem. Remember, people don't re-apply to a bad workplace so a positive climate is critical.

A SMILE FOR TAX DAY
As a parting shot, the enclosed little graphic seemed appropriate for tax day. Enjoy.

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