ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - March 26, 2004

I forgot how draining travel can be ... and to think that my schedule was mostly like that for years! I am enjoying my time at home and hope that you are managing to spend some quality time with your loved ones as well. Tomorrow night we host a wine tasting and dinner for a dozen good friends ... just to keep my kitchen skills from rusting out.

The Importance of Acknowledgment
Ours is a business based on personal connection. That means our guests must know that we recognize them as PEOPLE, not just as one more body in the line. I will grant you that when things back up, we cannot always get to people as quickly as we would like ... but we can always acknowledge their presence, and that will make all the difference.

Back in another life, my restaurant in San Francisco poured more booze on Friday night than any other joint in town, so it was not unusual for us to be three and four deep at the bar. We trained the bartenders to acknowledge the people who were waiting with eye contact and a smile. Once THEY knew that WE knew they were there, they would wait patiently until it was their turn. Without that acknowledgment, they would jump up and down, repeatedly shouting their order, trying to catch the bartenders' attention. Does that sound like your definition of a memorable experience?

From the moment a guest walks in the door, your greeters have 30 seconds (and it should happen faster than that) to acknowledge the guests' presence. Even if they are occupied with another guest, they can always excuse themselves momentarily for that all-important eye contact and a smile.

Once guests are seated at the table, the server has 60 seconds to acknowledge their presence. Go to the table, STOP, make smiling eye contact and say something like, "It is nice to have you here tonight. I will be with you in just a few minutes." That will buy you about three minutes. If you cannot start service on that table within three minutes, GET HELP! This is the case for smaller stations ... and that is a topic for another time ... but for now, please grasp the importance of acknowledgment and make sure it is part of your service standards.

End Your Sales Woes Forever
If you are planning to be in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association Show, mark your calendar for Saturday, May 22nd and say goodbye to lackluster sales forever! I will be joining forces with restaurant marketing guru Rory Fatt and catering evangelist Michael Attias for a full-day marketing program that will give you step-by-step resources to kick your sales to levels that will make this business a lot more interesting.

I will have details for you shortly, but in case you plan to buy your plane tickets early, I thought you should know what we are planning. If you cannot make the sales-building seminar – and even if you can -- make a note that I will be presenting a program called, "Three Great Ways to Build Sales ... and One Really Lousy One" from 2-3:30 on Sunday afternoon. I hope to see you at both events!

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