ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - February 4, 2005

Humming a few choruses of "On the Road Again," I head for the airport tomorrow night for a trip that starts with two programs in Orlando on Monday for the Pizza Expo Conference. After that, I make my 8th consecutive appearance (!) at the New York Restaurant Show in NYC on Wednesday-Friday. If you are in the area during either of these events, please drop by and say hello.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR STAFF TODAY?
I ask you this question every week ... and I often pose this question to operators in my seminars. It is a reminder that if you don't have a fresh answer to this question every day, you are not listening. If you are not listening, you are not learning. If you are not learning, you are not growing. If you are not growing, you are dying!

I recently asked this question of the people who attended one of my seminars and received a reply that might offer a few insights. Particularly memorable is this exchange with Grant Webb who owns East Side Mario's in Ottawa, Canada. He wrote: "I learned several things:"

1) One of my newer but weaker staff is great at suggesting side salads as an add-on at lunch time. I gave her a pat on the back and told her to keep up the good work.

2) I asked my bartender how things were going. She said many of the staff were not following opening and closing duty lists on the patio and she finds this very frustrating. I told her I understood and that I appreciated her feedback.

I will ask some of the other staff the same question in the next few days. I have a feeling that if I ask if they feel the duties were being done right or not, the work will improve on its own -- just due to my interest. The best thing is, no discipline is needed to make this happen.

3) I found out a new dishwasher I have teaches developmentally challenged kids how to skate.

4) I asked one of my servers why she was a little off and learned she was very hung over. I thanked her for doing her best and asked if she felt a little silly for punishing herself and her guests with inferior service.

5) I had a chat with another staff member about gardening and kid's camps (she has two children). I told her I'd bring some info about a camp I was enrolling my son in. Thanks for the reminder. I will try to learn more tomorrow.

I responded: Great news! It's amazing what you can learn if you listen. Amazing what you can get done when you don't try to do it all!

Grant wrote back: It is amazing what you can learn when you really listen and it is also amazing what you can see when you actually "watch." We often find ourselves caught up in the dynamics of this business and forget what our true roles are.

My partner Roy and I used to kid each other that we were the highest paid busboys in the city! Not that there is anything wrong in helping out when you are truly needed. The trick is NOT helping out when you are NOT needed. This is something I always knew, but now am finally putting in to practice.

I think my staff appreciates my feedback and communication more than my running food for them -- especially when they don't need it!

A Note from the Doc:
What did you learn from YOUR staff today?

THE JANUARY SURVEY
The survey question last month asked about your #1 operational concern for 2005 and what you planned to do about it. I will get into some of the remedial ideas next week, but for now, here are the results.

Not surprisingly, the biggest concern was building sales and profit (39.5%) followed by dealing with rising food costs (16.7%) and training for staff and managers (15.8%). Labor costs came in fourth (10.5%). Rounding out the rest of the list were dealing with competition (6.1%), staff turnover (5.3%) and finding workers (3.5%).

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE
The books arrived, all backorders went in the mail last Tuesday ... and I still have about two dozen copies left. Once they are gone, I will not be ordering more.

This book is offered only to my subscribers and it is not listed on my website. If you would like a copy of this dangerous publication (12.95 plus postage), get it while my supply holds out. Just follow the link below.

PS: I just interviewed one of the authors for my Management Insight Series. It is very revealing. MIS and Gold Group subscribers will receive a copy in a couple of weeks.

Order this book ... before your staff does!

THE FEBRUARY SURVEY
Thanks to all of you who took the time to participate in the January survey ... but now it is a new month and I have a new question for you. It was suggested by one of the respondents to the January survey. Thanks, whoever you are.

This month I would like to find out about the quality of one-on-one time that restaurant workers are receiving with management. Unless you choose to leave your name, the survey is completely anonymous, so please answer honestly -- tell me what is REALLY happening, not what you would LIKE to be happening.

At the end of the month, I will summarize the results and post a new topic.

Click here to participate in the February survey.

SUPER SUMMIT 2005 STATUS
We have already received more applications than we have seats at the Super Summit ... and April 17-19 is still over two months away!

That said, there is no guarantee of when -- or if -- someone will register just because they have been invited ... so we will continue to screen applications, interview prospective attendees and extend invitations to those for whom this program would be a good fit. Are you one of them?

We will not have any empty seats in New Orleans, so this process will continue until we have 44 confirmed registrations in hand. Since registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis, it is possible -- even likely -- that some who have already been invited may be closed out.

Once the seats are gone, that's it ... at least for April. Robert Kausen and I have talked about the possibility of a second session on June 6-7 if the demand is there, but it will depend on a number of factors that are still unclear at the moment.

If you want to join us in New Orleans this April, you may still be able to sneak in under the wire ... but only if you act quickly. If you miss out, you can be first on the list for June!

Get the whole story on the Super Summit

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
What did you learn from your staff today?

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