ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - October 3, 2003

I am off to Vancouver, BC to spend the weekend with Syd Banks, a teacher and philosopher who was responsible for shifting my thinking and putting me on the track that I run on today. Syd rarely conducts a public program so this will be a rare treat. Then I have a quick trip on Tuesday to northwest Arkansas for a distributor show.

Chairs are for Derrieres
I am forever indebted to my subscribers for sharing their wisdom with me. A case in point is this note from Michael Dalesio in Baltimore. He writes: "It bothers me when a server/busser (and sometimes a manager) walks up to a dirty table with their arms full of all the necessary re-set items and places the new -- and hopefully sanitized -- silver, glassware, china and napkins on the seat of one of the chairs while they clean the table."

"Then they spray Windex all over the place (hopefully hitting the table as well) including on the re-set items on the chair seat and soon into the nostrils of the nearby dining guests. Of course, the next step is to set the table touching the business end of the silverware and the rims of the glasses while their wet and dirty wiping cloth is left on the table, on one of the chairs or shoved in a pocket until next use."

"This is a quote from the bussing and re-setting section of our manual regarding 'in service' table turning. It is boxed and bold: DO NOT PLACE ANYTHING ON THE CHAIRS! THE TABLE TOP IS A SANITARY SURFACE RESERVED FOR OUR GUESTS TO DINE FROM. NOTHING SHOULD GO ON THAT SANITARY SURFACE THAT HAS BEEN ON AN UNSANITARY SURFACE, SUCH AS THE SEAT OF A CHAIR. THE SEAT OF THE CHAIR IS RESERVED FOR THE DERRIERE."

A Note from the Doc:
The devil is ever and always in the details. You may not notice lapses like this but I guarantee that your guests do ... and they don't come back. Perhaps it is time to re-visit your training program for guest contact folks.

Take Advantage of the Wait
One of the easiest way to speed up the table turn on busy nights is to offer guests a menu while they are waiting. It will give them something to occupy their time. If you really want to take advantage of the opportunity, explain the specials when you first hand them the menus so they can make their entree choices before they get to the table. At the least, this will allow them to order more quickly once they are seated.

If you really, really want to take advantage of the possibilities, serve them appetizers and take their dinner order while they are waiting. When you see that their table is leaving, you can fire the entrees and have the salads on the table when they are seated. That will really speed up your turn.

High Energy 2003
High Energy 2003 is the monumental sales-building workshop that Joel Cohen and I are conducting for our Year of the Guest subscribers ... and a few friends.

With an unconditional satisfaction guarantee, the only way you can lose is by not being there. We are putting together an exciting array of great new ideas -- programs that will kick your sales up several notches and re-energize you and your staff! If you miss this session, you will never know how much your sales could have grown. You will never know how many ways you could create a positive "buzz" on the streets or how you could leave your competitors crying in their beer while you take over the market. Now THAT would truly be a loss!

The first session in Raleigh is on October 27, just over three weeks away. This means that any 21-day advance purchase discounts on airfare will expire in the next couple of days. If you are planning to join us, now is the time to make your move and save a few bucks!

You will never be able to rub minds with your peers like you can at this program and you can certainly never get the same personal access to Joel and myself like you can at this program. High Energy 2003 will change the way you approach your business ... forever. We promise!

Click here for the full story on High Energy 2003.

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

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