Electronic House Call - June 13, 2003

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - June 13, 2003

The travel starts again next week. On Tuesday I will be in Las Vegas to present two programs at the International Bowl Expo (all those bowling centers have foodservice, you know.) Then I head to New England to help a client figure out what his restaurant really wants to be when it grows up!

PUT ON A SHOW
This is probably a story that should go into the Year of the Guest program but it popped into my mind and so here it is. Picture the scene: Newport, Rhode Island, 6:00 on a warm summer evening. The wait is running about an hour already and tThe fish delivery is late. When the truck gets to the restaurant there absolutely no place to park and no way to get back near the kitchen door.

The driver fights his way inside, finds the manager and asks him what he wants them to do with the 90-lb. tuna they have in the truck. The manager thinks for a second and with a sly smile says, "Bring it in through the front."

Now picture the scene: two men with this huge fish hoisted over their heads, working their way through the crowd of waiting guests and disappearing into the kitchen. Do you think we have to tell the guests that the seafood is fresh?

My point in bringing this up is only to get you thinking about how you might take some of the routine things that happen at your place and turn them into a show for the guests. I don't think you would get the same impact from wheeling a box of frozen steaks through the dining room, but think about how you deliver your more interesting items and see if there is something there you can use to create a difference. Think about Pike Place Market in Seattle. All they did was toss a fish from one worker to another and created a phenomenon!

SUPER SUMMIT 2004
I had hoped to be able to bring you the full story of this amazing program this week, but some of the details are still being finalized. (Being gone for three weeks didn't help the timeline, either!) What I can tell you is that the theme this year is Re-Inventing Your Business and that it will be held at Disneyland in Anaheim, California on September 8-9. One day of it will be held at the incredible Napa Rose restaurant where you will get an inside look into how this award-winning operation really works. In addition to myself, the faculty will include Bill Main, Phyllis Ann Marshall, Molly Hancock and Rory Fatt. If last year's session is any indication, this is definitely an event you want to attend.

Past attendees will have the first shot at the limited seats and the registration will be opened to the rest of you as soon as the major pieces are in place. Mark your calendar and I promise you will have the full story as soon as possible.

YEAR OF THE GUEST
It's hard to believe, but if you signed up when the program started last January, you are nearing the halfway point on our Year of the Guest program. If you sign up this week, you will start with Tip #1 and the good ideas will continue to flow for the next year. It is never too late to get started, the $12 donation is too low to believe ... and all the money goes to support the work of Share Our Strength.

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

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