ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - October 17, 2003

I'm a bit later than usual getting this out. The phone was ringing most of the day yesterday with inquiries about the Year of the Guest workshops coming up in Raleigh in ten days and the Seattle area on November 10. There are still a few seats left ... and you can still get advance purchase airfares ... so now would be the time to register.

I am also sending out the first information on the January's Super Summit to the alumni of our 2002 conference. Members of my Gold Group are next followed by Coaching Program and MIS subscribers. These groups all qualify for substantial discounts. If you are not part of these groups, you will only find out about the programs in the EHC.

The Question:
Normally I would not explore an idea like this in the EHC but make it a case study for members of my Gold Group and Coaching Program. Those folks should already understand the real issue here, but I thought this one might start some of you thinking in a new direction and give you an inkling of what we talk about in the Coaching Program. With that in mind, let me share a recent Q&A that I received from an operator in Florida. She writes:

Do you have any info, tips or advice for servers working with busboys? Our servers are complaining about having to "tip out" if they had a slow night or their tips weren't as good as other nights. They also do not want extra servers put on shifts.

Because of the way we started out with our servers, they expect that our managers will pick up their slack, run their food, bus their tables and get their drinks until they are out of the weeds. They do not offer any tip out to us, they expect the help ... and they make all the money.

We are trying to upgrade our level of service and do not want the servers to appear "too busy" all the time so they are not able to get back to the table, pre bus, etc. They are resisting and rebuking. Any advice?

My Response:
The busboys are not the real issue. What you are seeing from the servers are symptoms of a low mood. This could be brought on by the fear that they are not going to make enough money to survive or that feeling might just reflect a low climate in the organization. Behavior is just a reflection of their thinking, so the first approach is to raise their level of thinking. As their mood improves, they will be more tolerant and easier to get along with. As they lighten up, their tip percentages will tend to improve and many of these symptoms to disappear. This is not to suggest that the solution is more tips -- higher tips actually follow the solution (coming to a higher level of thinking).

The best thing you can to raise their mood right now is to sit down with each server one-on-one, in private, with absolutely no interruptions ... and listen. The questions are something like "What's wrong with this chicken outfit? What's making your job tough? If this were your place, what would you change about it? What do you want to do with your life and how can we help?" You can ask and answer questions, but do not make unsolicited statements. Your goal is only to listen and learn. You are listening for an insight -- something that never occurred to you before -- and you will recognize it when you hear it.

When you get done talking with everyone, you will have a much better idea of what the real issues are (and they are probably not what you first thought) and the appropriate course of action will start to become apparent to you. Anything you can do to eliminate distractions and clear their heads will raise the level. As the level comes up, things will not look so dark and they will tell you more. Listen, learn and take the obvious next steps. While you are clearing up the current irritations, you should initiate some serious sales-building activities ... with the assistance of the servers, of course. Nothing brightens everyone's mood and takes their minds off their problems like making money! Let me know how all this turns out.

A note from the Doc:
You will never get seeds to grow if you toss them in the parking lot -- you must first prepare the soil. Most operators try to force things to happen because they lack the understanding of WHY they are happening that way in the first place. Don't make your life any tougher than it has to be.

Click here for more information on the Coaching Program.

Year of the Guest
If you are new to EHC you may not know about the Year of the Guest program that I created with marketing guru Joel Cohen. YOTG subscribers receive a marketing tip a week ... for a year ... for as little as 12 bucks! Not only that, but all the money raised goes to the Chef & Child Foundation of the American Culinary Federation.

The upcoming workshops in Raleigh and Seattle are just one of the additional benefits that subscribers receive in addition to 50 proven ways to build sales, enhance personal connection, build repeat patronage and create the WOW with your guests.

Twelve bucks (to charity) for all this is a total no-brainer. If you are not already part of Year of the Guest, sign up before your competitors catch on. The link below will take you to the whole story.

Click here to find more information on the Year of the Guest

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

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