The Restaurant Doctor - Electronic House Call

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - August 18, 2000

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE
This from Tom Martin in Clovis, NM:
Recently I overheard an older man instructing a younger man in the 3 stages of dealing with people. He described them as Telling, Yelling and Asking. He suggested that we tend to start out telling people what to do. Then, when they don't respond favorably, we yell. When we find that doesn't work, we begin asking. People tend to respond better to asking than telling or yelling. The advice given was to move to the asking stage quickly to save everybody a lot of frustration and grief.

A note from the Doc:
Much of our management style was developed, consciously or unconsciously, by modeling the managers we worked for in the past. However, some of the folks I worked for in my first jobs would be in jail if they tried to operate that way today! Not everything we learned is relevant, even if there was a time when we could get away with it.

"My way or the highway" will not play with today's workers and only raises everyone's stress level. If you are not getting the response you want, start asking questions to understand how the situation looks to your crew. They are not responding because that makes sense to them . . . and you need to understand why. The more respectful you are of them, the more respectful they will be of you. So talk less and learn more -- the next steps will become obvious.

IS YOUR SIGNATURE DISH REALLY THAT GOOD . . . AND WHO SAYS?
Since other people seem to be providing my content this week, here's a true story from marketing guru Joel Cohen, relayed in his Restaurant E-Sales Express newsletter:
[A national chain] says they are "famous for ribs." But I guess being famous for ribs and having goods ribs are two different things. Recently, I had an order there that was overcooked and tough. I spoke to the GM and asked him if he had ever gone across the street and tasted [his competitor's] ribs, which I think are excellent. To my bewilderment, he said, "No, I'm too busy to go out to restaurants and see what everybody else does."

Some lessons from this:
1. Listen and read between the lines as to what your customers are saying about your product.

2. Do something about it immediately.

3. You should never be too busy to check out your competitors. They may be doing something you don't know, but should know.

4. Knowing what your competitor does and doesn't do could help define your restaurant's niche in the marketplace, or even market a product much more clearly. Example: Steak vs. Mesquite Grilled Steak.

A note from the Doc:
Joel Cohen is a restaurant marketing consultant who is shifting his focus to getting the most from the Internet. My interview with Joel will be the September tape in the Management Insight Series. For more information on Joel's newsletter, go to www.restaurantmarketing.com. For information on the Management Insight Series, go to www.restaurantdoctor.com/MIS.html.

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