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 EHC #532
 Insights for the Professionally Curious
 April 11, 2008 
Good Morning!

While I admit that life on the road can grind me down, the chance to get out and work with the everyday folks who make our industry run is a terrific way to see not only the challenges of daily life in the trenches but the spirit of hospitality in action.

The past couple of days I have been in Elko, Nevada for some staff training and project review with a long-time friend and client. In one regard, there is not a lot happening in Elko. It is a virtual island -- a small community located about 200 miles from any large population center. At the same time, there are tremendous opportunities here for that same reason.

Word spreads quickly in a community like this so poor food and service quickly become public knowledge. The trick is to become the restaurant of choice, even when they don't have a lot of choice. It is certainly an opportunity to stand out by being better than you have to be ... before you have to be that good.

So why am I here? Because I met Scott Reutner, the owner of Mattie's Sports Bar & Grill at the first CEO Program in New Orleans in 2005 and he has been on the path of effortless excellence ever since. He sees what is possible for his operation and has asked me to help his key staffers to dream bigger and start to see how to actually make the dream happen.

His next step is to bring them all to the 2008 CEO Foundation Program, the first step in our Project to Create the Effortless Organization ... and they are excited! This program is only held once a year ... this time on June 23-25 at the Wooded Glen Retreat Center just north of Louisville, Kentucky.

Attendance is by invitation only -- much more appropriate for a program of this impact. I encourage you to go to the website and learn more about what the CEO Project can bring to your quality of life. If you are intrigued by what I am pointing toward, let me know of your interest and we'll talk.

Bill Marvin
The Restaurant Doctor

What Are You Pretending Not To Know?
Excuses Suck

Apologizing or making excuses for the food, service or policies of the restaurant make you seem like an amateur. If you are not proud of it, don't serve it. If you don't agree with a policy, get it changed. If something is wrong, fix it. If you can't fix it, do something to make it right with the guest.

Telling guests why you cannot give them good service does not somehow magically make everything OK. For example, explaining why food is slow coming out of the kitchen does not put the guest at ease. If the kitchen is backed up, inform the table, apologize for the delay and offer to do something (round of drinks, free appetizer, free dessert) to compensate them for your lapse.

Might this cost you some money? You bet! But it is all good news. If you have to comp $2000 worth of food one month because things are slow coming out of the kitchen, I bet you will figure out where the backup is and fix it!

If you don't pay out the money, food is still slow coming out, it is still costing you money in guests that never return ... but you just don't know it. Relish every opportunity to pay off because it puts a dollar value on your shortcomings.

A successful restaurant sets high standards, creates systems that can deliver to those standards and develops its staff to be able to meet them. When you hear your crew make excuses to your guests, it may mean that your systems are dysfunctional ... or your staff has higher standards than you do.
The April Survey
The Secret Ingredient

To stand out from the competition you must bring something unique to the market. What is your secret ingredient -- the special "something" that your guests can't get anywhere else?

This month we look at what you are doing to keep yourself top-of-mind as the economy causes diners to re-think their options.

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.
Here's What You're Passing Up To Save 75 Cents!
In This Week's EHC Special Edition ...
  • Don't Nickel and Dime Yourself Out of Business - the series on how to make yourself recession-proof continues
  • Maximizing Profitability - how to put the most amount of money possible into your pocket ... guaranteed!
  • 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.
Solve the problem of what to talk about in your next staff meeting. Upgrade to the EHC Special Edition and get it all!
Copyright ©2008 William Marvin. All rights reserved.

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