ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - November 1, 2002

A friend once told me that she had given up on having a birthDAY and now celebrates a birthWEEK. Maybe that is because it seems to take a week to do what we used to be able to do in a day ... but it is still a civilized idea. If you need me, I will be pretty much in one spot through next weekend. But don't look for me too much today. Today I am celebrating my first 58 years on the planet ... and planning for the next 58!

THE WORD OF THE WEEK
If you have standards, but occasionally compromise them ... you don't have standards. After spending a day with the folks at Angus Barn in Raleigh earlier this week, I am reminded again that the key to greatness is consistency and the key to consistency is RIGOR.

Rigor means strictness in your actions. As I apply that to hospitality operations, rigor means avoiding the tempting shortcuts and holding to high standards, even when it appears that nobody would notice a deviation. Lack of rigor creates inconsistency ... and inconsistency leads to lack of trust and credibility with both your guests and your staff. Lack of rigor on your part tells your staff that it is OK to cut corners ... and it seems that workers, particularly the younger ones, are always looking for the shortcut.

One of my favorite quotes is from Paul Williams in his book, Das Energi. He says "Nothing is more important that doing what is right. That is so absurdly obvious that most people pay no attention to it. Most people seem to think that what is obvious is beneath them. They pass up truth in favor of something more intellectually stimulating."

MONUMENTAL TRIVIALITIES
Greatness comes from your insistence on paying attention to the minute details. Hotelier James Nassikas coined the term "monumental trivialities" to reflect his obsession with details. He built one of the most respected hotel experiences in the world, the Stanford Court in San Francisco, on his passion for attending to the little points that he knew were important to his guests. My first book, Restaurant Basics, catalogued nearly 1000 of these seemingly minor items that restaurants need to address. I have a list of several hundred more points I have noticed since the book was first published and I add to the list every week.

To me, the distinguishing feature between legendary operators and mediocre managers lies in their absolute belief in mastering the basics and an almost fanatical dedication to doing it absolutely right absolutely every time. Many failed restaurateurs have learned this lesson the hard way. What they thought was trivial turned out to be monumental in the minds of guests who didn't come back.

MAKING IT ... THE OLD FASHIONED WAY
You cannot be just another place to eat. You cannot be, as Joel Cohen puts it, "A similar restaurant serving similar food at similar prices to similar people in a similar environment." Even if you do it well, it is BORING and boring cannot lead to greatness. My advice is don't compete -- EXCEL!

The operators who stand out from the herd are those who are willing to do the things that their competitors are not willing to do. That might mean making an item from scratch instead of opening a freezer pouch, spending a little extra time with children to make sure that they (and the parents) have a memorable experience or making sure that everyone in the restaurant has all the relevant information on each guest. It can even be the difference between a real fire in the fireplace and a gas log. They do all this ... and much more ... at Angus Barn. It shows ... and it pays off.

"Well of course they can do all those things," you say. "They are a large restaurant doing a high volume." That is true, but here is a clue: when Angus Barn first opened 40+ years ago, they were not a big restaurant and they were not doing a high volume. How do you think they got that way?

HOUSEKEEPING NOTES
If you are not signed up for Rory Fatt's marketing seminar in Phoenix by this weekend, forget it. The program will be sold out by Monday.

However, if you still want to gain an unfair advantage over your competition before the holidays, Joel and I will be bringing our restaurant marketing workshop to Washington State from November 18-20 and to Louisville, KY on November 25. Details are at www.oddcouple.net.

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