ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - August 15, 2003

The project of the moment is shoveling out my office -- 30 feet of desktop and until a few days ago, not a square inch was showing! I know that clutter kills ... but I can't get righteous about it until I have a handle on it in my own life.

I recall that when I ran the foodservice for the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, we had a whole building behind the kitchen that had accumulated years of broken chairs and other essential debris. When we cleaned it out, suddenly the feeling in the department lightened up ... and the kitchen got cleaner as well. Go figure ... and then go and de-junk.

Be Prepared
The massive power failure in the northeast US and Canada yesterday got me thinking ... and it should have you thinking as well. Do you have a plan for what to do in the event of a prolonged power outage? When you don't have a plan, you are likely to either get panic and chaos ... or an "everything is on the house" party! In either case, it will not reflect well on you or particularly work for your staff or guests.

How do you close out checks for people in the dining room when the registers or POS system is inoperable? What do you do about providing some light? Do you have candles? What do you do about food that must stay refrigerated or frozen? Do you switch to disposable serviceware? If so, where is the emergency stock?

What about people who arrive after the power goes out? Can you serve them? Do you know at what point you can no longer legally serve the public? Does your staff know? Do you have a plan for what you will do for people that you have to turn away? If you want them to come back, a gift certificate for the return visit would be a great way to soften any disappointment (remember that their houses are likely dark, too!) but it is not going to happen if nobody knows where to find the gift certificates or how to account for them. Training will set you -- and your staff -- free.

The best time to prepare for an emergency is before you have an emergency. Once it is upon you, there is no time to start training. Your crew will also feel more confident if they have been thoroughly drilled on what to do when the unexpected happens. So start to think about what "routine emergencies" you might encounter – power outages, fire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, armed robbery, death on the premises, and so forth. You get the idea. The job of the leader is to lead ... and part of leading is to make sure that you do not leave your crew wondering what to do next.

Just for Fun
There are all sorts of things making the rounds on the Internet these days ... including the seemingly endless chain of hoaxes that people seem to pass along blindly, jamming up the system and overloading your already bulging in-box. The other day I was really tickled by an animation I received from a friend. If, like me, you are sick of friends who forward such garbage along, you will enjoy this bit of levity. Take a look when you have a minute.

To view the animation, Click here.

Super Summit 2004
The new dates for Super Summit 2004 are January 11-13 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The theme is still the same: Re-Inventing Your Business ... and Your Life. Admit it -- you and your business could use some re-invigorating. Admit it -- Southern California is going to look awfully interesting in mid-January. Admit it – the opportunity to network with some of the most creative minds in our business is too good an offer to pass up.

The good news is that you now have a little more time to figure out how to break away for a few days with one or two of your key staff ... and there are some nice discounts for early registration. The bad news is that space is very limited and once the available seats are gone, you will have to take your chances on the waiting list. Check it out now ... while you still have time.

For the latest info on the Super Summit, Click here.

The Perpetual Question
What did you learn from your staff today?

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