ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - February 16, 2007

One more weekend at home and I am back on the road ... this time to Baltimore to sharpen my axe. Just as I suggest that you can take your business farther, faster, with the support of a Mastermind alliance, so it is that I am also part of a Mastermind group. I limit my groups to nine -- this one has almost 75! I will be interested to see how they handle it.

Over the past year I have probably spent in excess of $20K on professional development. That sounds like a lot until you measure it against the income gains that came as a result. Likewise my Mastermind Group is expensive unless -- like the current participants -- it helps you double your sales this year.

[If you received the HTML version of this e-letter] you would also notice a new look to the old EHC. I wanted to try something that had a similar feel to my website ... and offered a way to let you know about available resources without taking up editorial space or beating you over the head about it. (The EHC may be free but I still have a mortgage to cover!)

This should also make the link to the Forums (chat room) more visible to everyone. Drop in, check it out, ask a question or share your ideas to help a colleague. All of us are smarter than any of us.

The new format is still very much a work in progress. Let me know what you think of it.

[Note: click here to sign up for the HTML version.]

LESS IS MORE
This is the time of year when most of us make time to chart the course of our businesses for the next year. We take on new projects, develop the marketing calendar, plan events and generally add a ton of stuff to our To-Do lists for the year.

All this is well and good, but while you are determining what you WILL do, it is equally as important to agree on what you will NOT do, even though you could.

This includes ideas that look appealing on the surface but do not have as much revenue potential as other, less sexy things you might do. It includes those "problem child" aspects of the business that aren't what you would like them to be but aren't doing harm, either.

What not to do includes activities that are not directly related to accomplishing your goals, that divert you from working on your top priorities or worthwhile projects that will just take too much time away from what is important to you -- whether that be time to spend working on your restaurant, time to spend with the family, time on the golf course or time to just have a life.

It is difficult for a compulsive entrepreneur to pass up a money-making opportunity or for a perfectionist to let something or someone under-perform ... but you have to pick your battles. You will always be money ahead by taking on fewer projects and actually meeting your goals than by adding more balls to the juggle and either getting nothing done or doing it haphazardly.

The key objective has to be to maintain control ... of your time, your life, your workload, your money, your sanity, your health and so on. If you heap too much on your plate, you wind up losing balance ... and balance is the prize that makes all other prizes possible.

Superman (and Superwoman) don't live here anymore. Slow down. You'll go faster.

THE FILM FESTIVAL CONTINUES
The Fake Waiter Scam

I have lots of good movie clips yet to go, but I ran across this piece and thought it deserved a look. It will show you how easy it is for someone to rip off your guests by pretending to be a waiter.

It will be much easier to do on an outside patio, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't happen in the middle of a busy dining room when the whole place is slammed. Just click here to watch the video.

KEEP THE CHANGE?
Bob Swaney of Newport News, VA asked:
"When will waiters and waitresses be taught to take the money and just bring back the change? The growing practice of asking 'Do you want change back?' is annoying and with me is an automatic 5% decrease in the tip. It says to me 'I expect a tip and I don't want to have to come back to your table to get it. Once you pay me, we're finished!'"

A Note From the Doc:
What are your servers doing? How do you know? When was the last time you talked about something like this in a staff meeting? One of the stealth problems we create with turnover, a scramble for staff and the tightening labor market is the possibility that our service crew may cop an attitude like this because they think they can get away with it. Unless you set a standard and enforce it, you are abdicating your leadership role. At that point, it is no longer your restaurant.

THE FEBRUARY SURVEY

[Editorial Note: Oops! I just learned that I had a glitch in the survey and it would not permit a full range of answers to one particular question. That was my mistake and it has been fixed. If you tried before and got frustrated, please take another stab at it.]

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 monthly survey.

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

I learned that they stay with me at my restaurant because of the respect and admiration they receive from the ownership/management, over the money they may be able to make at other restaurants in town.

Being great to the the staff creates a great working relationship, which translates into a great relationship with our guests. -- Mac McCaffery, Rub BBQ, New York, NY

Your staff will treat your guests the same way you treat your staff. Although they would deny it, I believe many managers truly think of their workers as errant children who must be closely watched to keep them from causing trouble.

When you treat your staff that way, they respond appropriately. Perhaps it is just a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I know that when I saw my staff as a bunch of crooks who would rob me blind if I didn't watch them every minute, I wasn't disappointed. When I saw the same people as intelligent adults who really wanted to make a contribution if they only had the chance, I wasn't disappointed either.

In some cases, it was the same people. They didn't change ... I did.

When you develop exceptional listening skills, it naturally forces you to get your ego out of the way, connect with others and consider what they tell you. When you can do that, you will be amazed at what you will learn ... and how your level of respect for them (and theirs for you) will increase.

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

So 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