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 EHC #525
 Insights for the Professionally Curious
 February 22, 2008 
Greetings!

As my favorite swamp philosopher, Pogo, once put it, "We have met the enemy and he is us!" When it comes to figuring out who is responsible for the state of your business, you don't have to stray very far from the mirror.

An operator in Florida told me the March Madness seminar is just what he needs right now and he would love to attend ... if it was held in Florida. The difference in airfare for him to fly to Minneapolis or Orlando? Ten dollars! He is willing to pass up the program to save ten bucks ... and perhaps avoid a few moments of feeling the cold!

Another said he really needed to be there but he can't attend because he would have to be out of his restaurant on a Saturday night. With tough times ahead, he is willing to miss out on a competitive advantage rather than let his place run for one night without him!

I don't mean to suggest that if these folks don't attend the Minneapolis session in a few weeks that they are doomed to failure ... but with recession looming it only makes sense to take advantage of every opportunity to make your business as strong as possible before it all hits the fan.

In life you either have reasons or results. If you want the results that your competitors are not going to get, you must do the work that your competitors are not willing to do! It is your business and your choice. Choose wisely.

Bill Marvin
The Restaurant Doctor

March Marketing MadnessMaking Yourself Recession-Proof
The Secret To Supremacy

I was talking with Danny Meyer at the New York Restaurant Show last year. Danny is the guiding force behind Union Square Hospitality Group, owner of five fine dining restaurants in New York plus two very interesting mid-scale concepts. He is also the author of "Setting the Table," a must-read book for any serious restaurateur.

Danny told me there are 18,000 restaurants in the New York area -- 22,000 if you count pizzerias. When the Zagat (consumer) survey comes out every year, his five fine dining concepts are always in the top ten ... and his Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern have alternated betweem #1 and #2 ... out of 22,000 ... for the past five or six years!

He said, "We don't get voted as having the best food. Never have. And we don't win best service. But when people are asked what their favorite restaurant is, we consistently come out on top."

The message here is clear: to dominate the market you don't necessarily have to be the best ... you just have to be their favorite. When people talk about their favorite, it is about what the place does FOR them ... and when they are talking that way, it means that hospitality is present.

When you are their favorite, your guests will give you the benefit of the doubt when something doesn't go quite right. When you are their favorite, they are easier to please, they return more often ... and they stay loyal to you when times get tough. Yes, the simple secret of sustaining sales is to become their favorite dining spot.
The February Survey
Recession Strategies

Since the state of the economy has everyone concerned, the February survey looks at what you have noticed about the state of your business these days and what, if anything, you are doing about it. Forewarned is forearmed.

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.

Click here to add your thoughts to this month's survey.

PS: I goofed. On the January Priorities survey, I forgot to include a spot for contributors to identify themselves so I can't send them free copies of the survey results. The only way to make it right is to offer free copies of the survey to everyone!

So for the rest of the month, you can download a copy of the January survey at no charge. Just click here.
Here's What You're Missing
In This Week's EHC Special Edition ...
  • Being #1 - what is really the difference between finishing first and finishing tenth?
  • A Blinding Flash of the Obvious - why you want your service staff to be storytellers rather than salespeople.
  • "Yes" Begins At Home - how your attitude and behavior impacts the way your staff treats your guests.
  • What Did You Learn From Your Staff Today? - an insight into how the most important lessons you learn from your staff ... are about yourself!
  • Special Offers on management resources and services.
Copyright ©2008 William Marvin. All rights reserved.

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