ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - February 2, 2007
It's just about time to hit the road again. Sunday night I catch the red-eye to Detroit with an early morning connection to South Bend, Indiana, site of the initial face-to-face meeting of our Mastermind Group.
Joel Cohen and I will huddle for two days with a small group of highly committed operators from all over North America. Collectively, we will examine, dissect and tweak everyone's operation, brainstorming how they can meet (and exceed!) their sales goals for the next quarter ... and we're talking about a minimum volume boost of 200%!
I am SO looking forward to the opportunity to work closely with these courageous operators over the course of the next year. Together we plan to show you what is possible with a little help from your friends. (I understand that I can also look forward to snow and single-digit temperatures in South Bend!)
BTW, we still have one open spot in the group. Find out more about what the Mastermind Group is all about.
THE FRIENDS & FAMILY PLAN
How many seats do you have in your dining room? When the whole place is full, how many fannies do you have on chairs? If you are typical, by the time you figure in the couples taking up those four-tops and the party of five sitting at the table for eight, a “full house” actually means more like three-quarters full.
Ideally your mix of tables would match the mix of your parties ... but the world is seldom ideal and re- configuring all your tables is probably not in the cards. So those seats sit idle in the middle of the rush. But if there was a way to fill up those empty seats during peak times ... well, that would be like getting a 25% increase in volume without having to spend a dime to get it.
So how would you do that? Simply by making your regular guests an offer they can’t refuse. You see, the people who know and love you have friends who have never set foot in your place. If you try to pitch to these strangers, you are just another annoying commercial interruption. But if these folks were invited to join their friends for dinner at their favorite restaurant (yours!), they would certainly come ... wouldn’t they?
So your task is to create incentives for your regulars to bring their friends with them. It could be a free bottle of wine for parties of six or half price bottles of wine on Monday nights. Perhaps a free round of appetizers or desserts for parties of four or more? Use your imagination ... and you can turn those deuces into four-tops and the fours into sixes.
Then make sure these newbies have the most memorable meal of their lives, sign them up for your Birthday Club, give them a reason to return and you’ll add a few more regulars to your herd.
“YES” BEGINS AT HOME
I seem to be running into an increasing number of restaurant staffers whose first inclination is to tell me what they cannot do for me, like the waiter in Stuttgart who told me that they were full and could not serve us ... while he stood in an empty bar and had several empty tables in the dining room.
Was that any worse than the waitress who would not substitute sliced tomatoes for hash browns or the cook who found it impossible to prepare my Caesar salad without croutons?
You are probably familiar with "Coach" Don Smith's mantra that "The answer is yes, what's the question?" You may even have used that as the subject for a sermon to the troops, who smiled, nodded their heads in agreement ... and went out to tell a guests that they couldn't sit in the corner booth.
Where do they get these attitudes? You may have to look no farther than your mirror. When one of your key cooks tells you that he suddenly needs the next two days off, is your first inclination to tell him that it is impossible ... or do you explore the various ways in which you might be able to juggle things so that you can approve his request? Be honest with yourself.
Attitude always begins at the top, so what they see is what you will get. If you want your staff to always look for ways to accommodate your guests requests, it has to start by your showing them the same courtesy. You are the role model whether you want the job or not.
BREAKFAST, ANYONE?
I got back some positive notes about my videofest last week, so I thought I would share another one with you. This is the famous restaurant scene from the movie "Falling Down" starring Michael Douglas. I often use this in staff training sessions to illustrate how behavior changes as the mood drops ... and why you never want to tell a guest what you can't do for them.
By way of setup, Michael's character is a man under stress ... with a bag full of automatic weapons ... and he has not been having a great day!
THE FEBRUARY SURVEY
This month we look at menus and menu items. Never changing your menu is a recipe for boredom. At the same time, abrupt shifts in menu presentation or content can confuse your staff, kitchen crew and regular guests.
How do you balance the need to change with the human tendency to resist change? I think the comments will be eye-opening.
As usual I will send a compilation of the responses to all who participate. In the meantime, you can download copies of all past EHC surveys -- including the massive WOW Ideas collection.
Add your thoughts to the survey.
THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
What did you learn from your staff today?
I found out that one of my cooks wanted to pursue a career in baking ... only when she gave me her notice! Although I supported her decision to look for a job with a bakery, I suggested she could learn the basics here in our pastry department part time while she was going to school. I did not want to lose a good employee when I had the ability to transfer her to the sort of work assignment she wanted.
Fortunately all the job interviews she went to only saw her potential as a cook not as a novice baker. As a result, I now have a more versatile employee willing to do what it takes to contribute to the team.
However, after this experience I am much more receptive to your tips about sitting down, one on one on a monthly basis, to listen! I could have prevented a lot of time and effort on both our parts. -- Mary Lee Newnham, Emelle's Catering, Vancouver, BC
Mary Lee is getting it. I know it seems like there is never enough time to sit down with your crew without an interruption ... but I will suggest you can't afford NOT to make that time.
Every time I have helped a client do this, they find that they actually end up with MORE time ... because all the time they used to spend putting out fires is no longer necessary. As they learn to listen well, they detect issues at an early stage when they can be easily addressed, make the appropriate course corrections and avoid the problems completely.
The end result is happier, more productive staff, lower turnover, higher productivity, a more stable operation and managers who actually have time to manage!
Many operators are surprised to find that their levels of service are measurably higher as well. When the staff has a model of one-on-one interaction with the managers they naturally deal with the guests in the same way.
Never doubt that the most critical -- and perhaps profitable -- management skill you can develop is your ability to truly listen.
What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?
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 above and contribute your insights for the common good (and your own as well!)
© 2007 Restaurant Doctor