ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - December 9, 2005

We are more than halfway through our trip ... and so far it has all gone smoothly. Things look quite different in the winter than during our usual spring visits. A lot quieter, a little rougher, perhaps a bit more real.

There is nothing like travel to broaden your perspective. The almost total lack of any news from the US reminds me that at home we rarely get any news of what is going on in the rest of the world, except possibly as it relates to us.

Just get outside of the country for a few days and you start to realize that the world goes on in a number of languages -- and it goes on quite well, thank you. The earth-shaking events that dominate our media don't shake the world much outside our borders. Keep it in perspective.

MY LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH ITALY
I Love ...
... the quality of the food and the moderate prices, at least outside of the cities and tourist haunts. Dining out is a vital part of the culture and for the most part, they make it easy.

...that the attitude of the people is very fun- loving and eager to please. Even when there is a language barrier, the do not lost their patience or their smiles. It got me thinking about how poorly Americans do with other languages ... and seem proud of it.

... that people will try to speak English if you try to speak Italian, even if your Italian is as poor as mine. I did not pick up any feeling of snobbery around language, although I am sure we could get a better deal if we could haggle with them in Italian. Margene has studies some Italian and it is amazing how well she can get along with just the basics. It got me thinking about how arrogant Americans can often be about English. How many languages can you get along in?

... that wine is considered as natural a part of the meal as water. It got me thinking that restaurant who just expect that guests will order wine seem to sell more wine than those who believe they have to "talk people into it" and treat wine as an add-on sales. Granted, we have some societal evolution to go through before we truly arrive at wine with every meal, but we can at least make it easier for people to experiment and develop their understanding of the relationships between wine and food.

I Hate ...
... that the restaurants here don't open until 7:30pm. I suppose with the afternoon siesta, people are not getting home from work until about that time. In that context, it makes sense but I see a lot of folks, primarily visitors I assume, looking for a place to eat much earlier. If I were an adventurous local restaurateur, I would open up an hour or so earlier and siphon off all this business. I do not mean to be disrespectful, but this got me thinking about who you are in business to please -- yourself of your guests?

... that the menus seem to be only in Italian. We certainly bring that upon ourselves by eating more in the local establishments and shunning those who cater to tourists. (Somebody pointed out once that Margene and I are travelers, not tourists -- a totally workable distinction for me.) We can get along OK with an Italian menu but I did find it helpful when we could have a translation as it helped us understand more about the other offerings. Without that information, the tendency was to stick with items we were familiar with ... and that can be boring! It got me thinking. How guest-friendly are you willing to be? What would it take to get your menu translated into several other languages, perhaps even with the prices converted into approximate equivalents in the reader's native currency? Do you think that having a menu in French, for example, would help make you more of a destination for French-speaking tourists? It might be something to think about, particularly if you are in an area that gets a significant number of international visitors.

All in all, travel continues to be a source of education and insight. Be sure to keep up with the daily diary and photos on my website. Ciao for now.

Click here to follow along on the trip.

THE DECEMBER SURVEY
I have received a lot of great suggestions for future topics. Since I know that time is tight this month, let's use the December survey as a way to "vote" on some of the ideas that seem to come up repeatedly.

As a start, I have condensed the hundreds of suggestions you have made over the past several months into 20 representative topics. The survey lists the topics and all you have to do is click on your degree of interest.

This will be a great help in lining up the monthly surveys for 2006. It should also be fairly quick to complete since you won't have to write anything, not even your name! As always, I appreciate your participation in the monthly surveys and hope you find the information as enlightening as I do.

Click here to add your thoughts to the December survey.

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

I learned that I am not the only one with good ideas. I am not the only one that is passionate about the restaurant and what I do. -- Patty, Verzano's, Melrose Park, IL.

In school there may be one right answer to a question ... but in life, there are many right answers. The goal of listening is to discover some of those other right answers. The good news is that people don't argue with their own information. If they learn that if they bring you an idea, you might actually give it a try, they will not bring you junk! Learning to listen respectfully to everyone you meet - - and being intensely interested in what you hear -- will deepen respect and expand your mind.

Never doubt that the most critical management skill you can develop is your ability to truly listen.

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question ... and you can add comments as often as you want. Just click on the link below and contribute your insights for the common good (and your own as well!)

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

[ Home ] [ Top ] [ Email Restaurant Doctor ]

© 2005 Restaurant Doctor