ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - June 22, 2007
I am just back from Pittsburgh and head for Las Vegas on Monday to talk to the bowling center proprietors at Bowl Expo. They are wonderful, hard-working folks, very much like independent restaurateurs ... except that they find themselves in the food business by default and it is not their area of expertise. My job will be to de-mystify what it takes to increase profitability.
In the meantime, the project is to shovel out my office and get organized enough that I can bring in some administrative support without having them eaten by the pile! We are making progress. While I will never be a "clean desk" kind of guy, it will be nice to see my desk top again ... and it will certainly make Margene happy!
OF COURSE WE CAN!
The High Cost of Saying No
A subscriber asked me what I thought about a chef who went ballistic because a guest asked for a substitution because of a food allergy. The scene ended with the chef screaming and the manager throwing the guest out of the restaurant. That must be a true story because fiction has to make sense!
I know there are chefs whose culinary integrity will not allow substitutions in a carefully-balanced dish. Even I might balk at a request to substitute baked beans for the Risotto al Funghi con Truffe ... but the real issue here is not the substitution itself, it is about making the guest happy. That is always Job One.
The guests' reaction to being told "no" or the house trying to tack on an extra charge for a substitution that costs them next to nothing is all that matters. The likelihood of their returning drops to zero and NO ONE operates in a market big enough that they can let ANYONE get away, much less drive them off unnecessarily.
Never tell a guest what you CANNOT do for them. When you are unable to accommodate a request, tell them what you CAN do. "The chef has carefully balanced the items on the plate to complement each other. The result is spectacular ... but if your food allergies make the risotto unworkable, I'm sure he can create something special that will be equally as wonderful." Or if they ask for something you do not have, don't say "we don't carry that," say "we have this, and this, and this."
If an operator wants to take the aggessive approach described, that is certainly their prerogative. People have the right to screw up their businesses any way they want to. But a serious operator who wants to make their guests happy more often than not will take open a dialogue with their key staff about how to avoid problems like this in the first place. They will start to catalog all the times they have said "no" to a guest and discuss how either the policy or the response can be altered so that they are saying what they CAN do.
(And a hint: If you want your staff to deal with your guests this way, you must deal with your staff this way too. Watch how many times you say "no" to a request from one of your crew ... and see what it would take to say "yes." Often that will look like explaining the conditions under which you could say "yes" ... but try your best to avoid a straight "no." You are the role model whether you want the job or not.)
FEED ME, FEED ME
An Army Marches on Its Stomach
I am a few months late in sharing these words of wisdom from Anthony Sterne of Brickcellar Grille House in South Africa. He writes:
Many operators see staff meals as an unnecessary cost, which they can be. They can also be a huge source of headaches from all sides. I just wanted to point out an excellent example of how food can affect morale, and morale affects your turnover and bottom line.
In the second episode of "The Apprentice," one team member, I think Sam, wanted to eat. The project leader did not want to spend the $1. Eventually he was persuaded to give Sam the money.
Sam was the best salesman -- in fact he won the task for the team. Had he not eaten I am convinced he would have sat in the corner and sulked, which in turn would have affected others and so on and so. As it turns out the $1 for staff food was a brilliant investment.
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 both massive WOW Ideas collections.
Add your thoughts to the monthly survey.
CREATING THE EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION
CEO Foundation Program
"Sometimes one genuine insight is worth all your previous experiences in life." -- Sydney Banks
For months I have shared the comments of past attendees of the Foundation Program. Today I want to go deeper and let you hear from the source -- Sydney Banks. The principles he discovered 30 years ago have provided an answer to the suffering and lostness that seem to be escalating in the world ... and provide the basis for the Foundation
Program.
Aside from the considerable personal benefits, grasping Syd's simple insights will lead to "impossible" results in the way your restaurant operates -- it certainly did for me. (Click here to get that story.) My only regret is that I didn't discover this simple perspective until 20 years ago!
In this video clip, Syd talks about the principles that we will introduce you to at the Foundation Program. You will also hear from several people who have experienced major shifts as a result of experiencing what awaits you in Granville, Ohio (just outside Columbus) on July 16-18.
I cannot begin to tell you how powerful this program is and how it can suddenly cause your life to get very, very easy. If you never attend another program in your life, attend this one. It WILL change your life, both personally and professionally ... and I promise you will thank me.
PS: 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?"
I discovered that our sausage gravy was too spicy. It's the same recipe that we have used for years, but a new employee (who apparently didn't know any better) told me it was too hot.
After I got done "poo-poo-ing" her input, I polled a few customers, regulars and "strangers", to prove that she was wrong ... and lo and behold, she was right on the money! I'm putting this in the "butter my butt and call me a biscuit" file ... right beside the corrected gravy formula! -- Leigh-Ann, The TownHouse Restaurant, Oviedo, FL
There is always more information than you have ... and your staff is a great place to find the missing pieces! It's amazing what you can learn when you listen to your staff with respect, curiosity and an open mind. When you can do that you will learn much, much more ... because people will tend to give you information in direct proportion to how well they feel you are listening.
In this case, it sounds like Leigh-Ann started out not willing to consider what she was hearing, particularly when it was coming from a rookie employee. I commend her for being willing to get past that, do some investigation and get to the truth rather than simply dismissing the idea out-of-hand.
Now that she knows that she doesn't know it all, I suspect Leigh-Ann will ask more questions and be more open to ideas that are contrary to her own idea of "how things are." Her organization will be all the better for it.
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!
© 2007 Restaurant Doctor