Electronic House Call - January 31, 2003

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - January 31, 2003

Can January really be gone already? Amazing how time flies when you are having fun! The Year of the Guest program has taken a lot more of my time than I originally thought ... but we have already raised $10,000 for Share Our Strength so it is time well spent. If you have not signed up yet, read the article below and get on the list! It is really good material ... and a really good deal!

Personally, I don't understand why anyone would NOT kick in twelve bucks for a good cause ... and a year-long training outline ... but I guess that is the reason that some restaurants flourish and some struggle.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES?
Sanity has prevailed and the lawsuit against McDonald's et al for making kids obese has been thrown out. We should all breath a sigh of (temporary) relief ... and then start thinking about how the public consciousness may have been altered by this highly visible and much talked-about case.

Menu guru Banger Smith argues that the best way to kill a menu item is to flag it with a heart, and I concur. People may talk low fat but they tend to order otherwise when they go out. My thinking is that this lawsuit, frivolous though it may have been, is going to make diners more aware of the fat content of restaurant food and in light of that, operators should re-evaluate what they are offering to the public.

I am not suggesting that most restaurants should start promoting a heart-healthy or low fat menu ... although the strategy seems to have worked for Subway. I am just suggesting that you might want to review your menu to be sure you are offering something for people who want to eat a little lighter. This could mean adding items with a lower fat content ... or offering smaller portions ... or both. For the reason mentioned above, don't flag these items with a heart -- the people that want them will recognize them -- but at least provide the option.

If your restaurant is Cholesterol Central, you will inevitably draw the fire of the dietary police. This may be one way to get free press, but it could also get nasty. To my way of thinking, the best defense is always a good offense. Why give local nutritional activists a target to shoot at? Why not give the public a chance to eat lighter ... and still be able to spend their money with you?

YOUR ACTION IS REQUIRED
One interesting thing about sending the EHC out via my newsletter management service is that I now get some statistics back about how many of these stirring messages are actually read. What a cold blast of reality to find out that only half of the 2400+ messages I send every week even get opened!

My ego will survive ... but this raises another issue that I need to address. Once the subscription list goes over 2500 names, my cost per month triples! It seems prudent, therefore, to trim the list down to those who are actually interested in reading what I have to say.

I am asking everyone who is receiving the EHC via the new system to go to my website and re-subscribe. You will receive the new HTML version (color, photos, and all that good stuff). If you prefer a totally text version, please send a quick e-mail to let me know that. If I do not hear from you one way or the other, you will drop off the list in mid-February.

THE YEAR OF THE GUEST
Restaurant marketer Joel Cohen and I have declared 2003 as The Official Year of the Guest. We believe there are still some tough times ahead and that operators must return the focus to their guests and the experience that diners have in the restaurant.

To do this, we developed a series of 50 proven tips, delivered once a week by email, that will help you enhance personal connection, increase frequency, develop positive word-of-mouth on the street, build party size, create the WOW and make your operation more guest-friendly.

The program is free ... with a minimum $12 donation to Share Our Strength, the national organization that taps the resources of the hospitality industry to end hunger and homelessness.

Will you join us? Click here for more information on the Year of the Guest program.

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
What did you learn from your staff today?

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