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 EHC #563
 Insights for the Professionally Curious
 November 14, 2008 
One of my more difficult weekly tasks is to decide what information I am going to leave OUT of the Complimentary Edition of the EHC. It's not that I don't love you all, just that the folks who are paying for my weekly rants deserve to get their money's worth ... even if that money only averages out to 75 cents an issue. So I apologize for the necessary surgery ... and hope you may eventually decide your business is worth another forty bucks a year!
Good Morning!

This weekend I head to New Orleans to connect with Joel Cohen and a select group of independent operators for our Last Annual Birthday Bash. In light of the disturbing financial situation we find ourselves in, it now has a decidedly more self defense orientation, focusing on how operators can outwit, outsell and outlast their competition.

Bill Marvin
The Restaurant Doctor
The Devil In The Details
Always Sweat The Small Stuff

I was at a restaurant recently when the waiter came to the table next to me with a fully-loaded tray ... and a tray jack that was so flimsy that I was expecting the entire tray to topple over before he could get the meals served.

He moved very gingerly (read that as slowly) so as not to disturb the delicate balance of this disaster-in- waiting. It made me wonder how much productivity was being sacrificed to save a couple of buck for a sturdy tray jack. It also made me wonder why the situation was allowed to exist at all?

Had the staff failed to mention it to the manager ... or had the manager just blown it off as whining? What did you learn from YOUR staff today?

A Note from the Doc:
I have seen the same effect at work in the kitchen where workers move cautiously (again read that as slowly) to avoid slipping on a greasy floor. At the least, spreading some salt on the floor will provide some traction ... but why not just take a second out to clean the floor?

As a manager, you have to notice WHAT is happening, but that is the booby prize unless you also address the WHY as well.
Becoming A Place of Hospitality™
Rethinking Restaurants

Past the human dimension, we have identified six functional areas of concern that must be in balance to create a memorable dining experience and create A Place of Hospitality™. In a previous issues, I outlined Fiscal Fitness and Enlightened Leadership. The list continues.

3. All-Star Staff
You must have an all-star staff to truly be A Place of Hospitality. Independent operators complain about the amount of time they spend trying to keep their shifts filled with quality workers so the system will include a proven process to find, select, develop and retain the best of the best.

Without an organized plan for creating a quality staff you are just making things up and you risk making mistakes, either by hiring the wrong person or by violating employment laws. Making it up takes more time, is less effective and produces more stress.

When an operation is making it up, most of the work falls on the manager ... who is already overloaded. Worst of all, without a plan the restaurant doesn't get the best people ... and that is the greatest loss of all - for the house, the staff and especially for the guests.

(more next week)
A Place of Hospitality is taking on a life of its own. I appreciate the 293 operators who have helped the cause by responding to the general survey. Have I heard from you yet? Once I hit 300, I'll cut it off.
The November Survey
Surviving The Downturn

Most areas of the country are feeling the pinch of the down economy and many restaurants are seeing a major reduction in their usual sales volume. One response is to cut costs -- and you should certainly stop any bleeding -- but there is no way to save your way to prosperity.

Necessity is the mother of invention and tough times will surely bring necessity to the fore. This month we want to collect the approaches that operators are using to hold their own ... and hopefully steal market share from less creative competitors.

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 ...

  • Cool Idea Of The Week - a very memorable way to differentiate yourself during the holidays
  • Beating Burnout - advice to a new manager who is over her head and under the gun
  • What Did You Learn From Your Staff Today? - how one restaurant's staff is the source of effective new sales-building ideas
  • Special Offers on Management Resources - while I am still in that business
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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