Electronic House Call - September 6, 2002

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - September 6, 2002

SEPTEMBER 11 REMEMBERED
This from the September issue of Joel Cohen's Journal of Restaurant Marketing

No one knows how the anniversary of September 11th is going to affect our staff and customers. There are no rules or guidelines on this. Each individual will treat the day in his or her own way. And, each way must be respected. Most restaurants seem to be unprepared for what the day may bring, or not bring, which is why, at our current "What Are You Going To Do" poll, most restaurants are saying it's going to be "business as usual."

My guess is that it's not going to be business as usual. There have been a number of restaurants in the poll that have said they're going to donate a percentage of that day's sales to the local fire station. This is a classy idea. One restaurant said, "In remembrance of September 11th, we are inviting all the local firemen and policemen to have a complimentary lunch, to thank them for their service to our community."

A note from the Doc:
What are you going to do on September 11? You can add your observations to Joel's poll at www.restaurantmarketing.com. After you vote, you'll immediately see the results of how others have voted. You can also find information on how to subscribe to Joel's e-letter.

WEBSITE RE-WORK
One of the good things about having some time at home is that I can get a few projects finished. Alas, one of them is NOT getting my office de-cluttered, although I live in perpetual hope. What I did manage to finally spend some time with is the re-work of my website. With my slick new shopping cart system, you can now subscribe online for the Coaching Program and Management Insight Series, order my Sure-Fire Staff Selection System and browse the EHC archives. More changes are in the works, but if you haven't visited the site for awhile, drop in and browse around.

WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?
Speaking of browsing, I found the following piece in an EHC from December 2000. It just struck me as something that deserved a second reading. I hope you agree.

I was reminded again today that there is a difference between being in charge and running the joint.
Never forget for a moment that your staff actually runs the joint - to allow yourself to think otherwise is to live in a fools paradise. How well they run it depends on how seriously you feel about training, how committed you are to open communication, how well you listen, and a hundred other traits. In the end, the best you can hope for is that everyone is headed in roughly the same direction creating consistent results in inconsistent ways.

I was reminded again today that there is a difference between being in charge and being responsible for everything.
OK, maybe it is your name on the door and your signature on the loan, but that does not mean you need to approve every invoice. To do so speaks volumes about the level of trust you (don't) have with your management. You may ultimately have a responsibility to see that the bills are paid in a timely manner so that you can continue operating but as soon as you start meddling in the day-to-day, you start to lose your perspective and sense of direction . . . and that is what you are ultimately in charge of maintaining.

I was reminded again today that there is a difference between being in charge and doing it all yourself.
If you could run it yourself, you would - it would sure be a lot neater! But you know that you can't run it by yourself, so why do you continue to try? In school there may be one right answer to a question, but in life there are lots of right answers. When you are in charge, your task is to nurture and coax out all those other right answers that reside in your staff. If you do not allow them the opportunity to fail, you do not give them the opportunity to excel. Be willing to get your results with someone else's ideas and you, your organization and your staff will flourish.

THE ODD COUPLE RESTAURANT MARKETING WORKSHOP
You may know that marketing whiz Joel Cohen and I have teamed up for a full-day restaurant marketing workshop. We sold out the first one in Raleigh last June and people are still talking about it. The next ones are in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina on September 23 and 24, followed by two in Wisconsin and three in South Carolina. You can find out more information at www.oddcouple.net. Oh, and if you are thinking about coming to the North Carolina programs, there is a $50 discount if you register before next Friday, September 13th.

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