ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - February 24, 2006

The office-clearing process is moving along. Much to my wife's amazement, I can now see several square feet of desk top, something that was unthinkable a week ago. (That sounds great until you realize that I have over 100 square feet of desk top!)

I have come to accept the fact that I do work in piles and somehow manage to keep track of everything ... but every so often it is necessary to shovel out the debris and see what lurks at the bottom of the stack. No real surprises ... but I did find a couple of lost checks!

THINKING LIKE A MARKETER, PART 1
Most independent operators I know are obsessed with marketing. Well, that may not be quite accurate. They are obsessed with increasing sales ... which leads them to think about marketing a lot.

I think they equate marketing with building sales. That is understandable ... but is it an accurate comparison? Perhaps you would get better results if you shifted the way you think about marketing.

First of all, instead of equating it with advertising, think of marketing as the process of putting (and keeping) yourself first in the minds of your market. So the first step in marketing has to be to gain a clear picture of your market. Who is drawn to purchase your products and services ... and more important, WHY?

Make up imaginary people who represent the typical characteristics of your target market. (If you have trouble doing this, it means that you really don't know who your target market is.) Make up the back story on these folks. Where did they grow up? What is their family situation? Education? Jobs? What cars do they drive? The more detail the better.

Don't forget to get your staff involved in the identity project. Kick the descriptions around until everyone has a clear picture of "Bert, Jeanie and their teenage children, Scott and Heather" (or whatever names you give them). I don't have to remind you to write all the details down, do I? Good!

Then take every sales-building idea you come up with and run it past Bert, Jeanie and the kids before doing anything else. How would it play with them? Would it move them to action? How does it fit with their image of your restaurant?

Try this exercise -- you'll like it.

In future installments, I will look at other important steps in learning to think like a marketer.

JAMMIN’ UP THE KITCHEN
My colleague, financial guru Jim Laube, is the brains behind RestaurantOwner.com, a terrific resource for (primarily) independent operators. While most of the goodies on the site come as part of a modest paid subscription, one of the freebies is his Profit Tips e- letter where he shares industry best practices.

Your own depth of experience will determine whether you find the content to be earthshaking or just a reminder, but his notes are always provide a good nudge ... and are a great training resource for managers in training. Here is an example of what I mean ...

Do Large Parties Put Your Kitchen in the Weeds?

Most operators will agree that while they welcome the sales generated by large parties, the logistics of serving them can sometimes be overwhelming. For some kitchens, even groups of 8-10 guests can disrupt ticket times and overtax cook lines.

When larger parties such as 16, 20 or even 25 guests are present, some kitchen lines go down in flames while cooks struggle with the task of coordinating and assembling so many plates.

Most cook lines are designed for efficiency in preparing orders of 2, 4 or even 6 plates at a time. Cook stations and warming windows are simply not equipped to handle 15 plates at a time. One way to overcome these constraints is to break large party orders into smaller, more manageable orders. This can be accomplished on most POS systems and virtually every manual ticket system.

Servers should take the orders for large parties in groups of 6-10 guests, depending on what size of order your kitchen can best handle. Precede the table number with a group number to let everyone know there are multiple groups for the table.

For instance, let’s assume a group of 20 has just been seated and table #12 has been assigned. The server rings in table #112 for the first group which is represented by 8 guests. The next group has been assigned table #212 with 6 guests, and the final group of 6 is assigned table #312. This allows the kitchen to work each check individually while working other tables in between.

At the end of the meal service the checks can be combined for payment, or if necessary, the server can separate the checks on the POS system as needed. Check out the Profit Tips e-Letter at http://www.RestaurantOwner.com

TAP THE NETWORK
One of the cooler features on the Restaurant Doctor website is the Forums -- an online bulletin board where you can post questions and share your expertise for the good of the group.

In addition to picking the brainpower of the subscriber network, I also monitor the forums and offer my thoughts on the questions and concerns raised by the contributors. The forum also provides a written record of past conversations for future reference.

The forum was down for several months due to a change in the hosting company, but we are back in business again ... and waiting for you.

You will need to register the first time you use the forum. After that, it is all automatic. All of us are smarter than any of us ... and the Forums are a way to tap that expertise. The link to the Forums is always at the bottom of the EHC ... or look for access under "Freebies" on my home page. See you online.

Click here to take a look at the Restaurant Doctor Forums.

TROLLING FOR TESTIMONIALS
The response to the training survey has been so good that I am ending it a week early. In its place, I would like your support for a special one-week survey.

I am planning a drive to increase the readership of the Electronic House Call with some small ads around the industry. I am thinking that the best way to attract new subscribers is to share the experiences of current readers.

So I am asking for a few brief comments on the EHC - - what you like, how it has impacted your business, affected your attitude, wasted your time ... stuff like that.

In exchange for these few minutes of your time, I will send every a complimentary copy of my 15-page Special Report, "Building Sales Without Selling" to everyone who makes a contribution to the cause. (This Report is also available on my website for $27.)

Click here to add your comments to the special survey.

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

I learned that my staff wants to be treated in TWO ways in ONE time: 1) as colleagues/friends AND 2) as employees/wage earners. It is my duty to find out every second which way is best. -- Daniel Voss, Café Konkret, Bochum, Germany

Daniel's comments point out the importance of approaching your staff (and every other person in your life) with a clear and quiet mind. We all have many mood changes during the day. A savvy manager understands that it is arrogant to assume that you know where someone else is mentally or emotionally without first connecting with them to find out.

In the "Leadership From the Inside Out" program, we talk about the need to "Slow Down, Know Less, See More." This is a great place to start practicing that. Before you do anything else with a staff member, pause a few beats and establish rapport (personal connection). It will give you natural guidance in how best to proceed.

If you think those extra seconds take too much time, just recall how much time was wasted the last time you had a "failure to communicate." Never doubt that the most critical -- and perhaps profitable -- 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?

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