Electronic House Call - October 27, 2006

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - October 27, 2006

Ah, the good life at home! Travel is great ... and it was nice to see family and friends in Buffalo ... but I really like this idea of waking up in my own bed! The downside of being away as often as I am this time of year is that the mail and projects pile up while I am gone, so it seems like I am always playing catch-up.

Next week it is off to Atlanta for a marketing conference (I have to keep learning new things, too!) After that, the only projects left for the year is the Birthday Bash in Las Vegas on November 13-14, a houseful of friends for Thanksgiving and two weeks in Italy in early December. Sweet!

DO THE WORK!
Do you send Christmas cards to your regular guests? (If not, why not? ... but that is another issue.) This is surely an unexpected touch -- one that will set you apart from the competition -- but there is a problem: there are a ton of cards arriving at that time of year and yours can easily get lost in the pile (and have less impact as a result).

My suggestion is that you send a Thanksgiving card. Because people don't typically receive cards on this holiday, yours will stand out ... and it is a perfect occasion to acknowledge your thanks for their business over the year. It is also a great time to pitch anything special you have going on during the month of December while the pace is still slow enough that they can absorb it.

SMART MOVES - PART 3
I continue with an article on preparing for the holidays by my colleague Phyllis Ann Marshall. Phyllis Ann is my co-conspirator on Super Summit 2007 -- Your 100,000 Mile Tune-Up -- in Charleston next February and her recent articles reflect her evolving thinking on how to re-energize your operation.

For the sake of brevity, I broke her holiday article into several pieces and have shared them with you over the past couple of weeks. This concludes the series.

5. Everybody Get Ready:
Involve the entire staff. Ask not what they can do for you, but what you can do for them. Take inventory and make sure your staff has the tools they will need, including ample glassware, silverware, and china. Repair all equipment, purchase that time saver you’ve been thinking about.

Review the phone system and make sure directions are clear, reservation policies in place, and private party space reserved. Have a special area set for gift card purchasing. Cross-train your staff so everyone can help each other in the spirit of the season. Plan the maximum efficient use of your space to accommodate large parties and shift table size. Check chairs and storage. Develop rapid room and table recovery plans without disrupting the guests.

6. Make the Menu “FOODproof”:
Simplify wherever and whenever possible for ease of ordering and seamless service. Redo menu items, giving them a holiday spin while maximizing their popularity and profitability. Be sure to pedigree your meats and produce when possible, listing purveyor, farmer, grower and/or the way the food was grown or raised.

Make sure your to-go bags and boxes are impressive. Make special souvenir menus with guest names on the computer. Offer limited menus to groups of 10 or more. Involve the chef, inviting today’s celebrity to make an appearance in the dining rooms and visit tableside when possible.

7. Consider a Sweet Ending:
Like the comedians say. “leave them laughing” or at least smiling at the finale with a gift to add surprise value just before the check arrives. Restaurants have often presented the check with individually wrapped candy for each guest, but that is so often done that it’s lost its “wow” factor.

Imagine the buzz if you gave the host or hostess or all of the ladies a wrapped or boxed gift, with your name on it of course, as a thank you. I recently was presented a beautiful brioche wrapped in clear plastic wrapped with a velvet ribbon, thanking me for my patronage. OR if you prefer, jump on the trend band wagon and create a “smart” candy cart.

Joel Robochon of the Mansion at the MGM in Las Vegas wheels a gorgeous candy cart tableside, as the final course just before the check arrives, and it is the talk of Las Vegas. The cart has more than twenty varieties of candies from strawberry marshmallows and lollipops to monogrammed and flavored chocolates in every flavor and shape imaginable.

These smart moves will create lasting memories that will travel literally on the lips of your guests creating the word of mouth advertising so critical to restaurant success today.

A Note From the Doc:
Thanks for your insights, Phyllis Ann. The only thing I can add is my standard advice. If you want results that your competitors are not going to get, you must do the work that your competitors are not willing to do. Do the Work!

While you are looking at getting the most out of the holidays, think about getting the most out of your restaurant concept. 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. In February, Phyllis Ann and I will host our “100,000- Mile Tune Up” conference in Charleston, South Carolina where a select group of restaurant operators will spend three intense days re-examining, re-energizing and re-positioning their mature operations.

Find out more about Super Summit 2007.

THE SILVER BULLET AND YOU
I suspect that you have been accumulating "good ideas" all your professional life.

* Did you ever wonder why you haven't implemented more of them?

* Why is it that even when you know what you need to do, you still don't do it?

* What will it take to bridge the gap between good intentions and implementation to finally turn your restaurant into the money machine you always imagined it would be?

The solution to these situations is THE SILVER BULLET.

You know what we mean by the silver bullet:

* THE SIMPLE FIX that will suddenly kick the effectiveness of your marketing into high gear

* THE SUBTLE SECRET that will have people lined up at your door long before you open, waving money and begging you to let them spend it

* THE MINOR TWEAK that will take the struggle out of building volume and lets you sleep soundly without worrying about making payroll

* THE ONE BIG THING that will finally change everything.

On November 13 & 14, 2006, at Bill and Joel's Third Annual Most Excellent Restaurant Marketing Birthday Bash in Las Vegas, marketing guru Joel Cohen and I will reveal the secret of THE SILVER BULLET to a select group of restaurant operators. If you are part of the group, we will show you how to use this potent insight to finally get off your butt, dominate your market and crush your competition.

(If you are not part of the group ... are you about to be crushed?)

Tuition goes up another $100 on November 4th and Birthday Bash alumni can attend at a special reduced price. We have even devised a plan that will allow you to attend at no charge ... and get Joel and me as your personal coaches for a year to increase the odds that you will actually see those big sales increases after the program.

If you are ready to give up excuses in favor of real results, you really need to consider joining us in Las Vegas. Click on the link below to find out more about this event and how you can attend at no charge.

Find out more about the Birthday Bash.

THE OCTOBER SURVEY
During the holiday season, your operation is likely to be exposed to lots of people who have never dined with you before. This month we look at what you can be doing to turn these newbies into regulars.

I am interested to know what you are doing to make special occasions more special and turn first-timers into regulars. As usual, I will make the collected information available to all those who participate in the survey.

BTW, you can download copies of all past EHC surveys – including the massive WOW Ideas collection.

A Note From the Doc
I thought this would be a potent topic ... but the response to date has been disappointing. With over 4000 of you receiving this note, I must believe there are more good ideas than what I have received so far.

If the number of participants stays low, I am leaning toward making an exception to my standard practice and NOT making the collected information available to non-responders. If you want to know how others keep 'em once they get 'em -- and you do -- take a second and add your thoughts to the October survey. There are only a few days left.

Add your thoughts to the September survey.

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

I learned that one of my team members took the initiative to go to Radio Shack and buy batteries to fix seven stop watches because he saw the need for more stop watches during the semi-annual Navy physical readiness training. -- Bill Bonser, Naval Air Station Jacksonville Gymnasium, Jacksonville, FL

How do you react when one of your staff members does something "without your permission?" If you go ballistic, you only assure that 1) they will never take the initiative again and 2) no future actions will be taken without passing it by you first.

The downside of #1 is obvious but think of the downside of the second outcome. If nothing can happen unless you sign off on it, you are guaranteeing yourself longer workdays, less-involved staff and a generally slower response time.

Somebody once asked me, "How can I make my staff feel like they are part of things?" My answer? "MAKE them part of things!" Duh! I can't make you feel like you are if you aren't.

Does this mean that every decision they make will be the most effective response to the situation at hand? Certainly not. But when they make a decision that you question, a good coach will sit down and discuss things with them to find out why approaching things that way made sense to them.

Often when you understand the logic of their thinking, you will see why they did what they did and it will give you an idea of what they need to learn or where they misunderstood something. But first you must grasp that people do what they do because it makes sense TO THEM and start from there.

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?