ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - September 27, 2002

I am back at home through the end of next week after a great workshop in North Carolina.

OPPORTUNITIES GRASPED
I went back to Angus Barn in Raleigh on this last trip, this time with Joel Cohen, his wife Lisa and their daughter Rebecca. Now she truly is a great kid ... but she is still 8 years old and we, alas, are not. Dining quietly with adults is too much to ask of any child and Angus Barn knows this. So what did they do about it?

First of all, both the greeter and the waitress spoke directly to Rebecca on several occasions, giving her some critical personal attention. When they asked what she wanted to eat, her first choice (a grilled cheese sandwich) was not on the menu. They made it anyway ... and made it look great! They took her away from the table for several minutes to go to the "Treasure Chest" and select a bag of goodies that she could play with at the table. Awhile later, they took her away again (always with the parents' OK, of course), this time into the kitchen to wash her hands, don a cap and apron ... and make her own dessert! These excursions (adventures, perhaps) were welcome breaks for both Rebecca and the adults. Perhaps you can relate.

This is normal procedure for them. When I asked why they took the time to do it, they said that adults and kids will remember different things. While we tend to remember the food and service, the youngsters will remember the trip to the kitchen! The surprising thing to me was that when a lot of local kids are asked where they want to go for their birthdays, Angus Barn (an upscale steakhouse) was their first choice!

A Note from the Doc:
What are you doing today to cultivate YOUR next generation of guests?

Angus Barn continues to be my poster child for how to do it right. You should make a pilgrimage to Raleigh for dinner at this amazing restaurant, if only to show yourself what is possible. It will make you humble.

OPPORTUNITIES MISSED
Joel and I also went to dinner in Greensboro the night before our workshop there. The restaurant was nicely decorated and the food was quite good ... but there were some significant missed opportunities.

They brought three different kinds of bread but never told us what they were, how they were made or anything. There is no word-of-mouth without something to talk about. Without a story to tell, the opportunity for word-of-mouth was lost. There are stories behind everything we do and we have to share those stories with our guests so they can have something to tell their friends.

They did not pay attention to the beverages. I finished my first glass of wine and waited close to ten minutes before the waitress got close enough for me to ask for another. Then it took another ten minutes before the second glass arrived. If you want to sell wine, you've got to have it there for people to drink. I don't know that I would have ordered a third glass had the second one arrived quicker, but the timing made the question moot anyway.

When we were finally ready to leave, it took almost ten minutes to get someone to take the check and process the credit card. We finally had to stand up and start for the door to get any action on the bill. Last impressions are critical and when people are ready to go, they want the check handled quickly. Personally, I would like to see the entire transaction completed within two minutes of the time the check is picked up. How long is it taking you to process payment? Do you even know? Do you have a standard?

I could go on with little points, but I think you get the drift. Please understand that they did a lot of the big things right, and the staff was very friendly and personable. Still, the memory we were left with was of the lapses.

PONDER THIS
Geography notwithstanding, which of the two restaurants that I mentioned this week do you think is likely to get a return visit first?

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