ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - May 10, 2002

One more week at home before heading to Chicago for the NRA Show. After that it is three weeks in Prague, Budapest and environs for our annual corporate meeting. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!) As usual, we will be posting a daily diary of our travels on the website. Look for more details next week.

A FEW INSIGHTS FROM THE SUPER SUMMIT
Take a liberal policy toward wine by the glass. If someone wants a glass of (almost) anything, why not open the bottle and pour it for them? They will be delighted and you are going to sell them the second glass anyway. That leaves two glasses in the bottle . . . and if you can't sell the other two glasses, you may be in the wrong business! That being said, if you adopt a policy like this, you will still end up with some open bottles. No problem! Declare Monday or Tuesday as Open Bottle Night. On those nights, a glass of wine from any open bottle is just a flat $5.00 per glass, regardless of the wine. This can be a great "stealth" event for your regulars in the know, particularly if you don't advertise it (which I wouldn't suggest you do.)

Use words guests can understand. "It will be out in a sec" doesn't mean anything. What is a "sec?" Be specific on your time commitments. People can handle almost anything if they get the straight story. If you are seriously behind, explaining that you are "running a little behind tonight" does not make the delay acceptable. If you are behind schedule, admit it, give a realistic time estimate and then offer something to make up for the inconvenience.

Marketing Secrets of the Soup Nazi #1Less is more. Instead of trying to sell as much as you can, restrict quantities and let people know it. "The swordfish came in fresh this afternoon and we only have eight portions left." The item has to be spectacular, but by restricting quantities you drive up demand . . . and the price you can get for it.

You are in the brand management business. Brands are not just McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Nike.Your restaurant is a brand and unless everything you do is consistent with the image you want that brand to represent, you will dilute the equity of what you have.

SCAMS R US
At the Super Summit, Max Hitchins debuted his newest book, Hospitality Scams. It details over 220 proven ways to scam a hotel or restaurant and is fascinating -- I should say required -- reading for any hospitality operator. Lest you think that Max is out to educate a new generation of scam artists, you should know that he will sell the book only to the trade, not to consumers. He further guarantees that the ideas in the book will conservatively save you $10,000 in future rip-offs. I have never seen that sort of a guarantee on a book before.

Given the value of the information and the self-imposed marketing limitation, I would have expected the book to sell for $100 or so, but copies are only $50. I bought a case of 30 from him and he brought them along when he came over for the Super Summit. 30 copies . . . and when they are gone, it will take about six weeks to get re-supplied (they have to be shipped from Australia.)

The books will go to the first 30 people who e-mail me that they want a copy. Think of it as a reward for reading the EHC promptly. If you are one of that group, I will send you information on where to actually place your order.

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