Electronic House Call - June 22, 2007

ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - June 15, 2007

Awhile ago I was talking with a restaurant manager who told an interesting story. He said that when he was an hourly employee, every night the manager would tell him to clean the shake machine, a job that he really disliked. He quickly learned that if he didn't clean the machine, that within 30 minutes the manager would do it himself ... so he never cleaned the shake machine!

In the same vein, I learned that when I jumped in to help the dish crew, they were more than willing to let me do it. However, they quickly adopted the attitude that "Bill's got it. Let's go get a cigarette!"

Start to notice when you find yourself doing someone else's job for them. It is actually disrespectful and it will not help them master the task. ("Step aside son and let a man show you how.")

Don't get me wrong -- it is certainly fine to help out when it will really make a difference. However, help out only until your staff is just about back in control, then step away and let them take it from there. Stay in the game any longer and they will start depending on you to do their work for them.

THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING GUEST
The First Impression Could Be Your Last
It doesn't happen often, but a colleague and I actually did walk out of a restaurant after we stood at the hostess stand like jerks for over five minutes before anyone showed up to seat us.

The hardest part of the whole scenario is that the management doesn't have the slightest clue that they lost our business, perhaps forever. After the experience of being ignored and walking out, we agreed that the odds that either of us would give the place another try are slim to none. We don't have to -- there are too many other choices.

There may be a reason why there was nobody on the door, but the results are still the same ... and it is the results that count.

In my book, you have 30 seconds from the time a guest walks in the door (and it ought to happen faster) to let THEM know that YOU know they are there. How you do that is up to you but if you think you are saving a buck or two by having one greeter on instead of two or asking the service staff to keep an eye on the door on slow night, you are volunteering yourself for a future of slow nights.

In today's competitive climate, you can't afford to let ANYONE get away! This seems intuitively obvious, yet I notice an appalling lack of urgency when it comes to acknowledging newly-arrived or newly-seated guests. What the staff sees from management is what management will see from the staff.

In this case, it appears that management placed an emphasis on getting the tables ready to be re-seated but had not given any attention to their most perishable resource -- the service of their guests.

With a busy summer season coming up for most operators, it might be a good time for an internal audit.

-- Have you clearly established standards for how quickly a guest should be acknowledged? I suggest 30 seconds at the front door and 60 seconds at the table.

-- If you have clear standards, how often are they checked? Is this a point of evaluation on your performance appraisals?

-- Do you have enough greeters on schedule to assure that when a guest comes through the door, someone is moving toward them with a smile?

-- Does the rest of your staff take responsibility to approach a guest who is looking lost and initiating some sort of service? If so, how can you prove it?

-- Are your servers' stations of such a size that they can deliver the level of personal service you need? I know of some very savvy operators that are going to 3-table stations just for that reason. A (very) few servers can handle up to six tables well but anything over that is asking for trouble in all but the very slowest periods.

-- Do you have a sense of urgency when it comes to delivering service to your guests and is that adequately conveyed to your staff? If so, how could we tell?

-- Do you demonstrate an equal sense of urgency when it comes to delivering service to your staff? If so, how could we tell?

-- If you cannot find the staff to provide the proper level of service throughout the entire restaurant, have you had the courage to close enough seats off so that you CAN do a great job for the people you are able to seat?

Just a reminder that if you do not take proper care of your guests, your volume WILL come down to a level where you can handle it! A few thoughts to ponder on an early summer weekend. Enjoy!

I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT
Make More Points With Your Coffee
Most people who use a coffee "whitener" put it in to bring the coffee to a certain color. If you use Half & Half, it takes twice as much product to lighten coffee to a particular color than if you used table cream ... and the cream only costs 35% more per ounce.

Real cream makes for a better tasting cup of coffee (less dilution, less cooling), people would typically not use real cream at home (which makes coffee "out" more special) ... and it costs you less money to do it! A nice side benefit (if you have the courage to do this) is that you get a great story to tell your diners, one they are likely to pass along to their friends.

There is no word-of-mouth without something to talk about! If you are ready to get serious about coffee, this is definitely an idea you should consider.

THE JUNE SURVEY
Technology has opened new possibilities for operators at all levels. POS systems, once considered an expensive indulgence, are now common. The Internet, cell phones, wi-fi, digital cameras ... all have (or can be) adapted to make restaurants more responsive to guests and easier to manage ... or do they?

This month we look at how operators are using technology in the interests of improving operations, service and profitability ... and how satisfied they are with it.

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 collections.

Add your thoughts to the monthly survey.

CREATING THE EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION
CEO Foundation Program
If you are ready to quiet your mind, relieve stress, restore balance in your life and discover how to tap your full potential, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the 2007 Foundation Program. It will be held in Granville, Ohio (just outside Columbus) on July 16-18.

The Foundation Program is totally different from any other educational opportunity you have ever attended, so it should be presented differently as well. So rather than try to describe the program to you, I will just let past graduates tell you what attending this session has meant to them. Either you will be drawn to the results they describe or you won't.

If you sense they may have discovered something that you would like to have for yourself, find out more about the program. If not ... well, it is your life and your choice.

Hear what Jack Stone had to say about his experience.

PS: Because I was out of the country for most of May, I extended the $500 Early Registration Scholarship until midnight tonight, June 15th. Gold Group members also get a $250 Scholarship and there is other financial aid available. If you are thinking about attending this program -- and you should be -- get the details and register.

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
"What did you learn from your staff today?"
For about nine years now, I have owned a fine-dining lakefront restaurant and beach resort on Lake Huron (one of the Great Lakes) in Michigan. And, 90% of my 40 employee staff have stayed with me throughout all these years.

I believe paying above the norm is essential, but more important is to include my staff as my family and friends. Many perks are given such as periodic employee holiday parties and beach parties that include their whole families, 50% discounts on dining when not on duty, rewards for excellence in service and/or "being a hero", assisting them financially through hard times (even had to bail a good kid out of jail one night), being emotionally involved in their lives and being their friend.

And, they respect me as their Boss and Employer more than ever. They get everything done the way they are instructed and go that extra mile to make our customers happy. They are the greatest!! What could be better? -- Dianne Ruth, Breakers-on-the-Bay, Port Austin, MI

Connecting with your staff is not necessarily at odds with your primary job of being the leader. Leaders have to make difficult decisions about their workers from time to time and provide direction to keep the herd on the right path.

This occasionally can be "tough love" but if you take the time to develop a mutually respectful relationship with your crew, you will be able to navigate these waters with grace and enhance the feeling on the job at the same time.

[Note: If you would like to develop your skills in this area, I promise you there is no better resource than the Foundation Program of the CEO Project. The 2007 session is coming up in just a month ... and the $500 early registration scholarship expires tonight! Gold Group members save even more.]

Reading Dianne's comments, you may think that everything she is doing for her crew would just be too expensive. Think again. If 90% of her crew has been with here for nine years, imagine how much more productive they must be than the typical crew of rotating rookies. Think about how much time she doesn't have to spend filling shifts and training newbies.

There is no better investment you can make than in developing, nurturing and retaining a good staff ... and the key ingredient in doing that is your ability to get them involved by asking good questions and being intensely interested in the answers.

Never doubt that the most important (and profitable!) skill you can develop is your ability to listen.

What did you learn from YOUR staff today?

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question until they put me in the ground. Just click on the link above and contribute your insights for the common good ... and your own as well!