ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - July 22, 2005

I am off to Boston this weekend for the Council of Hotel & Restaurant Trainers (CHART). I have been a member of this group for 20 years now and can honestly say there is no finer network for multi-unit hospitality trainers. (They party well, too!)

After that, I will spend a few days on Cape Cod visiting family, then it is off to Clearwater, Florida to spend a day with the Club Managers Association.

ARE YOU PART OF THE PROBLEM?
A subscriber of mine had an ongoing dissatisfaction with a good number of her staff, particularly their single-minded preoccupation with money. They were constantly evaluating the worth of any given shift or event solely on the basis of how much cash they walked out the door with. Then she had a blinding flash of the obvious: THAT was exactly the sort of person she was targeting with the benefits she highlighted in her recruiting ads and the questions she asked in her interviews.

She changed her ads and interviews to focus on her great work environment, commitment to community service and environmental protection, and devotion to "right livelihood" and all that entails. Servers will always be interested in and motivated by money, but she is now attracting servers who are looking for more from their employment experience and who recognize and appreciate the subtler quality of life benefits associated with working at her restaurant.

Once you realize that all aspects of your restaurant are in some way your own creation, the question becomes "what changes can I make?" rather than "how can I make my staff/customers/vendors change?" and then no problem seems insurmountable.

A Note from the Doc:
The first corollary to my Principle of Creative Laziness says, "Never waste time solving a problem you can eliminate." What problems are you wrestling with? What behavior of yours might be contributing to the problem? How might you change your approach to eliminate the problem?

LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS ...
Along the lines of never wasting time solving a problem you can eliminate, I share a letter from subscriber Beth Krammes of T-Bones in Derry, NH. She writes:

"I am wondering if you have a good resource to find quotes I can use on my reader board to attract business. Do you know of any books or websites that would have catchy phrases?"

I responded: "I don't know of such a book ... but how about making it a contest among your regulars? Whoever comes up with the quote of the week gets dinner for four. That would allow the winner to introduce two new prospective customers to your place. It would also tap the creativity of your diner base and get them more involved with the restaurant."

A Note from the Doc:
Entrepreneurs tend to look for ways to do things themselves, but you would make your life a lot easier if you first looked for ways to get others involved in solving your problems. If you can give up the ego-driven need to be in control, you can get your life back and tie more people closer to your operation. In my book that is an excellent exchange.

THE JULY SURVEY
We are halfway through the year ... a good time to re-examine goals and priorities. This month's survey asks how the first half of your year went and what you hope to accomplish in the remaining six months.

Why would you take time to share information like that? First of all, because it will force you to think about what you want and how you are going to get it. That discipline in itself would be worth the effort. Without a plan, you are just making it up.

The second reason is that it will help me determine what I should be looking for and writing about in the coming months to give you as much assistance as I can in your quest. Without some sort of guidance, I would just be making it up, too!

So in the immortal words of Jerry McGuire, "Help me help you." Take a couple of minutes to participate in the July survey and help us both out. (FYI, we are up to 20 responses so far. Can we break 100 before the end of next week?)

Click here to add your thoughts to the July survey.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT
At the end of the June survey, 127 of you had shared some great ideas on what you were doing -- or what you had seen other doing -- to create the WOW with your guests. I was particularly pleased by the International response. Canadians are always strong contributors but this time we also had great ideas from South Africa, Bulgaria, Mexico, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. That global perspective really broadens the possibilities.

After he reviewed the list, Jeffrey Summers raised an interesting point. He said: "It is very interesting to see that to some people a certain practice is a 'WOW' when to others it is just a 'doing your job' kinda thing. Lots of opportunity still left, isn't there?"

There is a LOT of opportunity left. A particular practice is only a WOW if the market hasn't seen it before. Once it becomes commonplace -- even in your own operation -- you must do something different to delight and amaze your guests. To me, the real benefit of a compilation like this is that it gives you ideas for what you can do next ... and you must always be looking for what you can do next.

So what do these tips look like? As Jeffrey suggests, they range from ideas you may have already seen to some that you probably never thought about. Here is another example:

We set up a welcome canape and sparkling wine stand for all guests arriving for dinner. You exit the elevator, are greeted by the hostess with a big smile, a sincere welcome, a glass of Bulgarian sparkling wine, and a canape (some days sushi, some days salmon, some days a new creation of the executive sous chef). Additionally, this welcome cocktail is conveniently located by our wine displays.

We have increased the sale of before dinner drinks over last year and generated an interest in our wine selection before guests even have a chance to be seated. Everyone likes to look at a nice display of wines and it gives us the chance to start up-selling and suggesting from the first instance we greet the guest. -- Tryon Lowry, Radisson SAS, Sofia, Bulgaria

Would you like to have 24 pages -- nearly 17,000 words of wisdom -- that outline hundreds of great ideas to make your guests happy and set you apart from your competition? This information, properly applied, could be worth thousands of dollars in additional sales.

This is the last week I am going to offer this compilation in the EHC. To get an instant download of your own copy of WOW Ideas for only $27, just click here.

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

Last night, one of the staff members told me that someone on the PM pantry staff was going to quit because his pay rate was incorrect. I asked him if it had happened before and if the Executive Chef knew of the mistake. He answered no to both questions. I encouraged him to talk to the chef tomorrow and it would be taken care of. -- Zach Salapack, Mitchell's Steakhouse, Columbus, OH

My perpetual question is really a lot deeper -- and a lot more important -- than it may sound. Zach attended the Super Summit in June and picked up an appreciation for the importance of listening. You can say that what he learned was not all that earth-shaking ... but if he hadn't thought to ask ... or if he had not really listened, the restaurant would have lost a good worker.

The answers you get do not have to be life-changing, but just the fact that you ask ... and really listen ... will do more to improve the climate in your operation than anything else I can think of. If you have ever worked for someone who didn't listen, you know what I mean. Now just don't turn into someone like that yourself!

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

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

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