ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - August 10, 2007

The CHART Conference in Tucson was a great learning experience. As an operator, I always felt that my only real job was to learn as much as I could and pass as much as I could along to the staff. In practice, this really made me more of a trainer than a manager.

You can count on the CHART Conference for a few good "ahas" ... and I share a few of mine with you in this issue. I am always surprised to realize how close you can become to people you only see once a year. (... and it doesn't hurt that trainers certainly know how to party!)

I am home now for another week or so -- time to (try to) finish getting the office sorted out and the books up to date. (I'm running out of tax extensions!)

CREATING CONSISTENCY
It is obvious that the key to operational consistency is an effective training program. This has to start with a thorough orientation program, of course. You probably do a reasonably good job of training the newbies because you know that they don't know anything.

But what sort of ongoing training are you offering to your veterans? What do your senior servers know this week that they didn't know last week? What new skills did your kitchen workers learn this week? Do your newbies ever again hear the things you taught them in orientation?

My point is that training is not an event but a continual process ... really a way of thinking. In my experience, the best restaurants also have the best training programs. Is it important? Well, as a colleague of mine once said, "My training program is the only thing that really makes this MY restaurant. If I didn't train, I'd just be a caretaker for the bank!"

SEARCHING FOR TRUTH
Words of Wisdom from The Doc

If you have followed the EHC for more than twenty minutes, you know how much value I place on listening to your staff. People who are new to this idea may attempt to save time by talking to their employees in a group ... but it is false economy. You will never hear the truth in a group!

Either people will be reluctant to "get real" when their peers are in attendance or the dominant personality in the group will monopolize the discussion and everyone else will just go along. One negative person can foster negativity in the rest of the group and the conversation will spiral into a gripe session.

Hospitality is based on establishing a warm, personal connection with your guests. In the end, ours is truly a one-on-one business. If you want to create a place of hospitality, it is important to deal with your staff one-on-one as well. It more respectful of your staff and you are more likely to create a climate where workers feel safe enough to tell you the truth.

Will it take more time? Of course it will ... but is your purpose to foster trust and learn something ... or just to get it over with?

THE AUGUST SURVEY
Grocery prices have increased substantially over the past several months and many areas have seen increases in minimum wage.

This forces operators to face some tough decisions. Do you absorb the extra cost? Do you raise prices? Can you tighten up your cost controls enough to compensate? What to do?

This month we look at how operators are responding to this double-whammy ... and how their changes are working for them.

As usual, I will send copies of the survey results to everyone who participates. In the meantime, you can download copies of all past EHC surveys -- including the massive WOW Ideas collections.

Add your thoughts to this month's survey.

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

Today I learned that it actually doesn't take that much at all to please them. We have had a high management turnover rate in the recent past and I learned that the staff really wants to know if we (managers) are going to be here "permanently" or are we also "temporary?"

I thought a lot about what it was they were really asking, and I had a one on one with one of the veteran servers. I found out that the staff is confused because with different managers every few months, they're always being held to a different standard, or different rules.

All they want is for there to be one way of doing things ... and they don't want it to change too often. They don't mind having to follow rules or policies, they just want it to be consistent.

I learned that they are hungry for true leadership, not management. I totally agree with them. The one thing I do know is that we don't manage people. We manage things ... but we must lead people. Scott Josephitis, Kitchen Manager TGI Friday's, Evansville, IN

People will give you information in direct proportion to how well they feel you are listening to what they have to say. It is true when dealing with your guests and equally as critical -- perhaps even more so -- in interactions with your staff.

When you quiet your mind and learn to listen, not only will you learn things you never expected but you will also start to see how those insights relate to the larger picture of what is happening in your business.

In this case, Scott reflected on some offhand comments from his crew rather than just accepting them at face value or jumping to his own conclusions. This led him to dig deeper into what was really behind those feelings which, in turn, got him in touch with why his staff was feeling uneasy.

Armed with that insight, he knew exactly what had to be done to address the issue and put them more at ease. Simple ... and time-saving.

Never doubt that the most important (and profitable!) 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 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!

LIGHTEN UP!
A Noble Experiment

Here is the weekly report on my personal project to lighten up:

Goal: 50 This Week: -2 Total: -7

I thought this was pretty good for a week when I was on the road in very social situations and did no exercise. Now that I'm home, it's back to the nightly walk in the woods.

Several people have agreed to join me in this experiment. I have goals but no progress reports ...

Cindy Casady -- Goal: 30 Last Week: -3 Total: -3
Trice Micheals -- Goal: 50 (she starts this week)

What do you say? Do you have the courage to put yourself on record? We all work better when there is someone or something to hold us accountable.

If you are interested in how it's going, scroll down to the bottom of the EHC each week and check out my progress. If you could care less, don't!

 


© 2007 Restaurant Doctor