ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - May 10, 2002

Travel is wonderful but I am enjoying having a little home time for the next two weeks.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
In China, people rarely entertain at home -- they go out to restaurants. A common feature of restaurants in China is a large number of private dining rooms (PDRs) holding anywhere from eight to forty people. The larger ones almost always have a karaoke setup. To get a room, all you have to do is reserve it in advance. It really makes for an enjoyable -- and private -- gathering.

My point in bringing this up is that I think it is an idea that could work well in other countries ... and you could probably charge a fee for the room on top of the meal. It is less dense seating than a dining room full of tables and chairs, of course, but if you have space that is under-utilized, this might be a great way to put it to use and create a point of difference in the market at the same time. Having space that you can close off also means that the restaurant can always look comfortably full. You can always expand general seating into the PDRs if you need extra space. If you are anywhere near a court house, this is highly desirable space for jury meals and for attorney/client lunches. Wheeler-dealer types would be a natural market as well.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE
Lee Kempisty offers this word of warning:
Recently we had a dear friend that was killed violently along with his GM while doing inventory in the early morning hours. It was a former Meat Manager that they had terminated for integrity issues a few weeks prior. I somehow feel that if they had set the perimeter alarm or taken extra precautions, this could have been prevented. Sometimes managers become too comfortable with their properties and forget that safety and security should be at the top of their list. They are their most important asset.

THE ODD COUPLE IS BACK
The marketing seminar that Joel Cohen and I did in Raleigh not only sold out, but drew such rave reviews that the North Carolina Restaurant Association has asked us to do it four more times. The next round is coming up quickly. We will be in Charlotte, Asheville and Greensboro on August 12-14. If you are within striking distance of any of those cities, give some serious thought to joining us. Click here for more information. We also have interest in taking the program to Wisconsin, Virginia, South Carolina and Rhode Island. I will keep you informed as these programs get scheduled.

IN A NEW YORK STATE OF MIND?
Marketing maven Rory Fatt recently sent me this note:
One of my members daughters just graduated from NYU. She's pounding the pavement to get a job and one of the theaters says if she can sell a whack of tickets to their next production they will hire her full time. The play is by Carrie Hamilton and Carol Burnett and will be in previews October 8, through October 30 in Broadway's Cort Theater. She has arranged to get tickets for only $16.25. Retail value $50 IF you can get them. These will likely sell out fast. This would be a great promotion for anyone in New York or the East Coast as a tie in with dinner, as a gift or draw to capture names for a customer database. If you are interested in more information, contact Julie Schubert at Arielle Tepper Productions 1501 Broadway Suite 1301, New York, NY 10036 (212) 944-9696, Fax 212-944-8999, julie@atpnyc.com.

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