ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - August 6, 2004

I am back from Dallas and the CHART Conference. It is always good to touch base with my trainer buddies and get a sense of where their thinking is these days. One thing for sure, what works for today's workers is a lot different than the way you and I were trained.

At the President's Panel on Tuesday, I asked the group where they thought the industry would be in five years. Their answer was, "Look at today's 14-year olds. They are the workforce we will be dealing with in five years." Scary thought ... but one worth pondering, perhaps with your 14-year old.

A Few Thoughts from Dallas
If you declared that you were in the employee service business, would you treat your staff any differently than you do now? If you would, why not just start taking proper care of them now ... before they leave you to work for someone who will! I used to use the old line that "contented cows give more milk," but I was corrected by someone who grew up on a dairy farm. She said that contented cows really do not give more milk ... but they don't kick the bucket over as often!

If you charged an admission fee to get into your place, would you have to treat your guests any differently in order to justify the fee? If you provide an experience that is memorable enough that people would pay extra for it, you will differentiate yourself in the market. You will not be able to script it, though. You can nail down the technical aspects but you will have to live with a certain amount of unpredictability as far as your staff goes. Coach them well, turn them loose to be themselves and everyone will have a better time.

Get involved in your community ... but it must be a totally volunteer effort directed by your staff. With the proper encouragement and support from you, your crew will create a community service group that will bring untold goodwill to your restaurant. The key is that they choose the projects and participation is totally voluntary.

A thought I have passed on before but worth re-visiting: the only way you can hold your staff to do what they said they would do is for you to do what you said you would do. For better or for worse, it is your values and your methods that create your company's culture.

Leadership Development
Recently I had an interesting conversation with a client. She said, "If my business is going to be able to grow the way I want it to, I must get my managers to a level of understanding where I can talk with them and have them grasp what I am getting at. They know how to handle the mechanics of their jobs but the people skills and a sense of the "bigger picture" are missing. I do not have the time, the inclination or the ability to teach these skills to them myself, but they are critical to our long term success. Can you help?"

If this plight strikes a familiar tone, you will want to know about a year-long management development program that I have created in cooperation with human relations guru Robert Kausen. It is a unique learning experience that we call the Leadership Development Project.

If you ever think ... like my client ... that you need to get your managers up to speed sooner rather than later, if you ever feel that your business has a potential far greater than what it has demonstrated to date, or if you generally think that "there HAS to be an easier way to do this," please take a few minutes to download the full story. Just click on the link below.

There is nothing like the Leadership Development Project anywhere in our industry. It is not for everyone, but if it is a good fit for you, I promise that your business (and your life) will change for the better. The first program starts in September and there are only a few spots left. Act now!

Click here to download a PDF with the full story.

Planning Calendar
Joel Cohen and I have decided to offer just one Year of the Guest Sales-Building Workshop this year. It will be in Las Vegas on Monday, November 15 and will feature our latest thinking on how to jump-start your sales and WOW your guests. YOTG subscribers get a tuition break, so if you are not already signed up for this program, click on the link below to find out about what has to be the best deal in our industry.

On November 16-17, Big Dave Ostrander, Kammon Karington and I will host the Pizza Insight Operations Conference, a two-day marketing conference for the pizza industry, also in Las Vegas. Pizza Insight subscribers will get a healthy discount.

My Super Summit will be held in New Orleans on March 6-8, 2005. The focus will be on "Creating the Effortless Organization" and will feature human relations guru Robert Kausen along with myself. I will have early registration information on that event out to my paid subscribers in early September.

Click here for information on The Year of the Guest program.

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

[ Home ] [ Top ] [ Email Restaurant Doctor ]

© 2004 Restaurant Doctor