ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - August 4, 2006

While the rest of the country is melting, the Northwest has been in the mid 70's and sunny. Of course, I am obligated to tell you that it rains all the time up here ... but it ain't necessarily so!

I don't have to get on a plane for another week and a half, which should give me time to finish up all the pending projects I've taken on. I might even get to see the top of my desk for the first time in years!

I KNEW THAT ...
Sometimes the best insights are not the things that never occurred to you, but the things you already knew and that just hadn't really registered. Here are a few that came up this week:

Jump In, Jump Out
It can be a great morale booster for your staff to see you jump in to help out when you are needed. The trick is to know when to jump out. My rule was to leave just before they got caught fully caught up. Certainly to continue to "help" when they are capable of handling it on their own is disrespectful.

Plate Placement
I saw too many instances of servers dropping the plate on the table. What I noticed is that they would look away from the table toward their next activity before finishing the one they were doing. It is equivalent to a football receiver starting to run before he has complete possession of the ball. As in football, talk to your servers about looking the plate all the way onto the table. The idea is to PRESENT the plate, not just deliver it.

Think Ahead
As you might imagine, our meals during the conference were banquet service. When it was time for dessert at lunch one day, I realized that they had cleared all my silverware and I needed a fork.

The servers were not making eye contact with the diners (if they don't look at you, they won't have to do anything) ... but I finally got the attention of one of the supervisors and told him what I needed. I was astounded to watch him walk all the way around the edge of the entire room (400 diners!) to the kitchen and all the way back again with a fork.

Could that be the first time anyone ever had a need for additional silverware? Why didn't someone think to bring some spare silver to more convenient places in the room to save all that running?

DEAR DOC ...
Are there any tips you can give a manager who is starting at a new store within a company? I was at the 2nd largest store in our company (3.2M in sales) and am now at the 3rd smallest (2.3M). It just such a slower pace that I don't feel like I'm contributing as much. I know its only been one week but within the year a new General Manager will be named when we open our next store. I'm on the so called 'short list' for GM and I don't want 'get lazy' at a slower store. -- Antsy in Abilene

Dear Antsy --
Don't equate effort with results. As managers, our contributions are not measured in what we do ourselves, but in what we bring out in others. If the pace seems slower to you, that should give you more time to coach your staff and take on all those little improvement projects that you never had time for in your previous assignment. It is OK to let it be easy (and have a life) as well. Who knows? Maybe the store you are in now is really a 3M operation and nobody but you knew it! -- Doc

NOBODY ASKED ME, BUT ...
... am I the only one who is annoyed by people who wear those Bluetooth earpieces all the time? The message I get is that they are very special people and whatever is going on ... or might be going on ... in their life is far more important than being with me 100%. Not a great way to win friends and influence people.

100,000 MILE TUNE-UP
Just as your car needs a major tune-up from time to time, your restaurant periodically needs some detailed diagnostic attention to continue to perform to its full potential.

When a concept has enjoyed success in the market over time, it is easy to start taking it for granted. The concept gradually – almost invisibly – gets stale. With the quantity and quality of the dining choices that consumers have, stale concepts can't survive for long.

Super Summit 2006 will provide you with specific skills, ideas and plans to make your operation more competitive and allow you to appeal to newer, larger, (younger?) markets. If your primary customer base is graying -- and many are -- your future success depends on your ability to diversify before your concept gets stale.

Respected food consultant Phyllis Ann Marshall will be joining me for this two-and-a half day, hands-on event that will rekindle your passion for your work and reposition your restaurant for long term success. In over 45 years in the industry, I have never heard of a program like this one!

If you have 100,000 miles on your present operation ... and would like it to run smoothly for another 100,000 ... you definitely want to look into Super Summit 2006.

Don't Miss This!
The $250 early registration scholarship expires on August 15. Why not save an extra $250 while you can? The true entrepreneur does not hesitate when opportunity presents itself. See the preview of Super Summit 2006.

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

I learned from one of my teenaged waitresses that a short shift doesn't work well for her because of the price of gas. She drives from a little further than some who work here, but the price of gas IS high right now, so it is a problem. She wants me to consider how long I may need her when scheduling, even in this business where the big crowd isn't always to be counted on! -- Kathy, Grant, NE

This seems like a simple realization, but I am always amazed at how many managers will make a schedule based only on what the restaurant needs and never consider (or ask!) what the staff needs.

While I certainly agree that the staff has a duty to meet the needs of the business, I also think that the business has a duty to meet the needs of the staff. When both duties balance out, you have a happy work environment, happy staff and very few turnover issues.

For example, do you have someone who is always coming in late? Before you let them go for failing to maintain their schedule, you might want to ask a few questions. You might find out that the problem is that they need to take the bus to work and their work schedule doesn't align with the bus schedule. If you just change their work hours by a few minutes the problem goes away ... and a good worker stays with you.

When was the last time you asked your workers how their schedules were working out for them?

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!)

NOTE: Enhancing your listening ability is just one of the skills you will develop at the annual Foundations Program of the CEO Project. The 2007 program is scheduled for June 11-13. Mark your calendar. We are also offering a no-cost year-long intern program to those who sign up early ... along with the ability to lock in tuition at the 2006 level and spread the payments over ten months. Those options will go away as the months pass. Get the story on the CEO Project.

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

© 2006 Restaurant Doctor