ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - June 27, 2003

But for the fact that it's 95 degrees in Northern New England, this is about as good as it gets. I have had a wonderful week with restaurants in Connecticut and New Hampshire. Tonight I visited with my aunt, the last of her generation, in Vermont. Tomorrow I head back to Seattle for a couple of weeks.

THE GOOD
I spent the last few days with Ben Williams and Brian Glynn who own a restaurant called Horsefeathers in North Conway, New Hampshire. They are long-time colleagues who own a midscale operation that has been around for 26 years. Lasting that long is a statement in itself, but the fact that it is generally regarded as the premier restaurant in the Mount Washington Valley ... where there are several hundred restaurants ... speaks volumes. After visiting with them, meeting their staff and seeing what they do and how they do it, I now know why it has lasted this long -- the best never stop getting better. Who else would close the restaurant for a day so that they could pull their entire crew together for a half-day rally (including my presentations) and an evening social bash?

Did it cost them money? In the short run they are out a day of sales plus the cost of bringing me in plus the cost of the evening party plus the cost of half a day of training time for everyone on their staff. In the long run, they know it is chump change in comparison to the long term benefits they will reap by investing in their crew and making their restaurant better. In other words, they walk their talk.

How are you doing in that category? Do you say that your staff is important but never spend a dime on their training?(They will get the message.) To see more of what is going on with these guys, take a look at www.horsefeathers.com.

THE BAD
When I was in Connecticut earlier this week, I went to check out a few competitors to the restaurant I was working with. I went into one of them for a glass of wine. Based on what I could see through the doors to the side rooms, it appeared that they had a few private parties that night. Good for them. My problem was that I stood in their lobby with restaurant staff rushing by me on the left and right, but nobody even acknowledged my existence. I picked up a menu an read it. No contact. I studied the wine list. No contact. After easily five minutes of this stupidity, I decided that I had really seen all I needed to see and left.

For all they knew, I could have been checking the operation out for a private party of my own. I was certainly willing to spend some money with them or I wouldn't have walked in the door ... but something else was more apparently more important to the four or five employees that walked past me several times while I was waiting quietly. Should I have spoken up? Perhaps, but I was really interested to see what they did ... or didn't ... do. Whatever their motives, they lost me as a guest that night and (the commute from Seattle notwithstanding) most likely forever.

What is going on at YOUR front door? Are you tossing away business because they do not get acknowledged promptly? Guests need to be greeted within 30 seconds of the time they walk in the door ... and in my book it should happen even faster. If that seems too quick, try sitting quietly and doing nothing for two minutes and see how long it feels like. Better yet, do this with your staff. They will be going nuts after 30 seconds and be bouncing off the walls after 60 seconds! Point made.

THE UGLY
While we are on the subject of greeting, take a look at what guests see when they first come in to your lobby. In my book, they should see someone moving toward them with a smile. Unfortunately, in many restaurants, the greeter is hidden behind an imposing desk that almost screams at the guest to "bow down and approach the queen." Not a great start to a memorable evening.

I think that when guests arrive, they should see someone moving toward them with a smile. Get rid of your hostess podiums ... or at least push them off to the side. This is a business that is built on personal connection ... and anything we can do to increase that connection is worth the work.

SUPER SUMMIT 2003
The common denominator with the restaurants I was working with this week is that they were all looking for ways to re-invent themselves to be more responsive to the market in the future. They know that whatever made them successful up to now will not necessarily make them successful in the future ... and they are actively doing something about it. If that seems too expensive to you, consider the cost of doing nothing!

The best place I know to explore the idea of how to re-invent your business (and your life!) for the next decade is to be at the Super Summit in Anaheim on September 8-9. If you haven't registered yet, click here to get the whole story. Attendance is limited, so sooner is much better than later.

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

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