ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - September 19, 2003

You can feel fall in the air. This means that most folks will be thinking more about being inside than being outside ... which is a good thing for most restaurants. What are you doing to get your guests to think of being inside YOUR place?

I am not talking about offering them a discount, but rather offering them a reason to think of you, a reason to see you as different from your competition and a reason to come and hang out with you.

MBWA
For the uninitiated, MBWA stands for "Management by Wandering About." Tom Peters popularized the term years ago but it is still somewhat of a rarity in the hospitality business. MBWA occurs when the owner or general manager is present -- and has a presence -- in the dining area. In other words, s/he is not hidden in the kitchen, buried in the office or camouflaged as a restaurant employee.

Here is the point to remember: Being on the floor does not do any good unless you are doing some good by being on the floor.

We call it Management by Walking About, but walking about is not the same as hanging out, milling around or wandering aimlessly. It is surely more than bussing the occasional table or seating a party here and there. To be effective, you have to know why you are out there, know what you are looking for, know what to do when something is "out" ... and when something hits your radar, you have to take the appropriate action!

Sometimes the appropriate action is to step in sometimes it is to step aside, sometimes it is to offer encouragement. There is no harm in helping out when you are needed. The trick is to NOT help out when you are NOT needed. As Grant Webb, owner of Eastide Mario's in Ottawa told me, "I think my staff appreciates my feedback and communication more than my running food for them -- especially when they don't need it!

Mark Your Calendar
There is only a recession for some people. I have dozens of stories from subscribers who are having their best year ever ... and want to do even better! If that sounds like your idea of a good time, mark your calendar for the following sales-exploding events coming your way in the next few months.

First up is High Energy 2003: Year of the Guest Plus. Most of you know about our Year of the Guest program -- 50 weekly tips for a modest donation to charity. Well, Joel Cohen and I are offering YOTG subscribers a day jam-packed with great sales-building ideas that we just can't pass along as a weekly tip. We are holding two of these events -- one on October 27 in Raleigh, North Carolina and the other on November 10 in Seattle, Washington. Click here for more information on High Energy 2003. If you are not already a subscriber to Year of the Guest, you can find out more about that series when you click here.

The big one -- Super Summit 2004 -- will be held at Disneyland in Anaheim, California on January 12-13 with an optional "Kick in the Concept" tour on Sunday, January 11. The theme this year is "Re-Inventing Your Business ... and Your Life" and will feature some of the sharpest minds in our industry. It is designed as a forum where serious operators can get together and explore ideas that are outside their present thinking -- definitely a place for the dangerous people! To find out more, click here.

Now For Something New ...
You know that I am always looking for good new toys, particularly toys that can help build sales. About a month ago, I stumbled onto a new online technology that I think has some real promise!

My colleague, Armand Morin teamed up with a former Microsoft employee to develop a totally cool way to add audio to your marketing. Their system lets you record sound clips, testimonials and the like and have them play instantly on your website with the push of a button.

You can also create an Audio Postcard(tm) to send to your data base. Imagine what you could do with a quick message where guests actually hear your chef describe the unique specials he has on the menu this week! I think the possibilities are really exciting and I thought you might want to know about it ... before your competitors catch on!

Click on the link below to get a sample of how the postcard idea might work for you. If you find that interesting, you can click through to Armand's home page to see the website application at work, get more info and even arrange a free demo.

To check out this slick new marketing idea, click here.

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

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