ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - June 3, 2005

I am off to New Orleans in the morning for the second session of this year's Super Summit. This is the program I have always wanted to offer ... and the chance to do it twice is particularly sweet.

After we wrap it up in New Orleans, I am off to Charleston, South Carolina to explore possibilities for next year's Super Summit.

ITALIAN LESSONS
I've been thinking about the restaurants I visited in Italy and what quality most distinguishes them in my mind ... and I had a sudden insight. The big factor is personal pride.

You see, with one or two exceptions (AutoGrill located in the service areas of the autostrada and, of course, the ubiquitous McDonald's come immediately to mind), there are no chain restaurants in Italy. Every place we ate was an independent operator, often a family, making a personal statement ... and you could feel (and taste!) the love.

I am not slamming the chains, but in my mind, they tend to represent the business of restaurants rather than the pure heart of the restaurant business. When you can go anywhere in the country and eat in the same restaurants that are serving the same menu, what does that say about regional identity and sense of place?

(OK, so I guess I am slamming the chains!) I realize I am opening a can of worms here, but I truly think that while the momentum of the industry may be created by chains, the soul of our industry lies with the independent operator ... and always will.

Independent restaurants are where the great new ideas are born and nurtured. In most cases, chain restaurants were once just a good independent idea that had legs (but which risks losing its heart when it expands too far.)

There are good chains to be sure, but in my experience they tend to be regional rather than national and they allow their local operations a lot of flexibility. They do not impose a menu, beer/wine list or suppliers. They embrace local products and producers. In short, they are more like independent operators with a good set of systems in place.

I mentioned personal pride ... and that clearly comes through in restaurants in Italy. When they present a dish they want you to enjoy it. Food quality is a big deal and your reaction matters to them. (They watch you eat to be sure!)

The pace of Italian service often seems lax by US standards, but I am coming to think it is just that Americans have made the meal into something to "get done with" on our way to doing something else. To the Italians, the meal experience -- and the sociability around it -- is the reason for dining out. When you slow down your personal pace, the speed of service in Italy makes perfect sense.

In a good independent restaurant -- like most in Italy -- you come away feeling well fed and well served. In a US chain restaurant, you come away feeling efficiently processed. There is a difference ... and I hope we never lose sight of it.

SLOW FOOD
Given the devotion to independent family-owned restaurants, it stands to reason, then, that Italy is the home of the Slow Food movement.

In case you are not familiar with it, Slow Food is an international association that promotes food and wine culture, but also defends food and agricultural biodiversity worldwide. Slow Food is all about local, regional, unique foods, recipes and raw ingredients, heritage fruits and endangered food species.

Slow Food opposes the standardization of taste, defends the need for consumer information, protects cultural identities tied to food and gastronomic traditions. It tries to safeguard foods and cultivation and processing techniques inherited from tradition and defends domestic and wild animal and vegetable species. It has a firm base of support in Europe and is becoming a presence in the US.

Slow Food is also simply about taking the time to slow down and to enjoy life with family and friends. On a personal level they believe that every day can be enriched by doing something slow -- making pasta from scratch one night, seductively squeezing your own orange juice from the fresh fruit, lingering over a glass of wine and a slice of cheese -- even deciding to eat lunch sitting down instead of standing up.

The group reports that people have responded to the growing movement because they have become tired of buying the same things, eating the same foods and living the same lives. There might be a lesson here ... and an opportunity .... for an alert restaurateur.

Click here to check out Slow Food USA.

THE JUNE SURVEY
The world does not need one more place to eat. If you want to be successful, you have to stand out in the minds of your guests.

This month's survey asks about what you are doing to create a WOW in your restaurant. This should generate some great ideas. If you don't have any ideas from your own operation (shame on you!), then tell me about the coolest idea you have seen in someone else's place!

Click here to add your thoughts to the June survey.

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

I learned that a manager has misunderstood a key concept in my business. I have always said you don't have to serve jerks -- abusive mean, etc. We all know who I mean and I will back them up.

Well, today, my manager thought it meant who he personally thought was a jerk, so he didn't serve him. He left the guy waiting for 20 minutes and told him he could wait until the waitress got there, but that she probably wouldn't wait on him either.

Needless to say, he got irate, the police got involved, and then I showed up. I'm sure I learned something, but I'm still in shock and sorting it all out. -- Mike Chlanda, The Freeze, Yellow Springs, OH

My perpetual question is really a lot deeper -- and a lot more important -- than it may sound.

Improving your listening skills may be the most valuable management talent you can develop. You may see that in a moment of personal insight ... and you may not get it at all. It all depends on how serious you are about finding out what you and your company are really capable of becoming.

The most effective managers I know can give a fresh answer to this question every day -- no problem. If you do not have a response readily at hand, what does that say about the quality of your listening?

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question. Just click on the link below and contribute your answer for the common good.

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?
Let us know at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=27753923815

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