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 EHC #569
 Insights for the Professionally Curious
 December 26, 2008
One of my more difficult weekly tasks is to decide what information to leave OUT of this edition of the EHC. It's not that I don't love you, just that the folks who are paying for the Special Edition deserve to get more ... even if that incredible investment only averages 75 cents an issue! I apologize for the necessary surgery ... and I hope you will eventually decide that your business is worth forty bucks a year!
Good Morning!

Congratulations! The good news is that you made it through the Christmas craziness and with one more pause for a New Year's eve celebration of some sort, another year is behind you.

The bad news is that you are not likely to see business this good again for months ... and your professional skills will be tested like never before in your life.

In consideration of what's left of the holiday season, I will still keep the conversation minimal today ... but I am going to give you a little more to think about today than I normally would. The sooner you come to grips with what is likely to lie ahead, the more likely you are to stay ahead of your competition.

Bill Marvin
The Restaurant Doctor
Beware ... Or At Least Be Aware
The Next Three Months Will Be Rough

 Enjoy this last bit of the busy season ... because the bottom is about to drop out. The combination of economic uncertainty and holiday withdrawal will make a crowded dining room as rare as a snowplow in Key West. John Foley put it this way in The Restaurant Blog:

The dilemmas facing restaurant owners today will seem light come January 2, 2009. Then and only then will we all see the true effects of the so called "recession". You can bet the first quarter of 2009 will be the most difficult any of us who are in business have experienced over the past 4 decades.

Keeping that in mind, now is the time to trim as many frivolous costs as possible, promote as much as we can, and plan, plan, plan, for the first three months of next year.

Understanding that frivolity is not in the cards for most restaurant owners as cash dries up and customer counts decrease, I use the term to describe simple, trim-able items such as over staffing during slow shifts, managers refusing to cut staff in order to keep payroll in line, expensive food items, and electric bills that soar. Advertising is something that also needs to be analyzed as now is the time to switch from brand building advertising to value-added ads.

For many of us, even though times are tough the few holiday parties we do have are keeping the eternal flame of hope burning. And that's a great thing. However, the flame will dim immediately following the last toast on New Year's Eve.

(John goes on to give ten tips on what to keep your eye on to make the next three months a little brighter. I don't agree with all of them but his list is worth reviewing.)

Here's What You're Passing Up To Save 75 Cents!
In This Week's EHC Special Edition ...
  • Doing The Work! - a different perspective on what sort of work you really need to be doing and how to get it done
  • Meet The Enemy - if your restaurant is in trouble, don't blame it on the economy ... YOU are the reason
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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