Archive for June, 2006
June 30, 2006 at 11:08 am
· Filed under Advice, Article, Competition, Customer Service, Marketing, Menu
excerpt:
“You’re ready for the grand opening of your all-American burger joint when you learn McDonald’s is moving in next door. What do you do? Don’t panic. There are a number of steps you can take to give your independent restaurant the edge it needs to take on a chain.
“The number one way small businesses can compete with chains is by nurturing the relationships they have with the customer,” says Joe Erickson, editor of RestaurantOwner.com, an online resource and networking tool for independent restaurateurs. “Collect their names, birthdays, anniversaries, and their specific likes, and use that [information] to start a direct mail campaign….”
source: “Independent Restaurants, Lose the Chains” by Douglas MacMillan (BusinessWeek,Jun.29,2006)
related segment:
An Edible Game Plan
There are a slew of ways to compete with franchises, according to 10 independent restaurateurs around the country…(click here for more)
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June 30, 2006 at 10:45 am
· Filed under Article, Design, Manager, Menu, Psychology
excerpt:
“Diners may regard a menu as little more than a restaurant’s bill of fare, but chefs and owners know these deceptively simple-looking lists are layered with significance.
…Experts agree.
“The menu is probably the single most important piece of marketing [a restaurant] will ever produce,” says Isidore Kharasch, president of Hospitality Works Inc., a restaurant consulting firm in Deerfield. “What they do with it can make a big difference in how people spend money, how they perceive the restaurant–it’s really the whole package.”
source: “Designs on menus” by Janet Franz (Chicago Tribune, Jun.29,2006)
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June 29, 2006 at 3:51 pm
· Filed under Article, Training, Waitstaff
excerpt:
“The average employee turnover rate for the food service industry ranges from 45 percent to 63 percent annually, according to the National Restaurant Association. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, turnover within food and drinking services hovers around 20 percent in Montana.
Unfortunately, entry-level employees tend to abandon their jobs at the beginning of the summer, just as restaurants are gearing up for the busy tourist season.
In answer, many restaurants have replaced their career ladders with escalators, offering fast-track training programs and promotions in a bid to earn loyalty from top-level kitchen staff while inspiring those further down the chain.”
source: “Dishing up careers – Restaurants in need of skilled help put staff on fast track” by Tyler Christensen (Missoulian)
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June 22, 2006 at 10:56 am
· Filed under Article, Blog, Customer Feedback, Internet, Manager, Restaurant Review, Web Site
excerpt:
"When Nell Ingerman recently discovered that her favorite neighborhood restaurant — a Mexican place in Manhattan called Baby Bo's Cantina — had boosted prices and swapped enchiladas for wild salmon, she was outraged. She planned to collect complaints and present them to the manager.
But she didn't have to. The restaurant's owner, Bo Quijano, emailed her and promised to bring the old menu back. He'd read a message she'd posted on a popular foodie Internet Web site called Chowhound.com. He even posted an apology, confessing that in a good-faith effort to improve the menu, "I simply got carried away."
To the chagrin of some restaurants and professional food critics, a lot of the most influential — and opinionated — advice on where to eat these days comes from Web sites and blogs…"
source: "Laptop Critics:Where the Web's Foodies Dish" by Steve Stecklow (Wall Street Journal, Jun.17,2006)
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June 21, 2006 at 12:34 am
· Filed under Advice, Newsletter, Training
"Every month you'll receive the absolutely best info-nuggets on how to improve service, selling, training, costs, team-building and leadership in your company.
If you want to get a taste of the great content we're known for, just go to our website at www.sullivision.com and click on "Archives" for all the past E-Newsletters. Read 'em and reap!"
link: Sullivision.com's Free Monthly E-Newsletter
Taken from the most recent issue:
excerpt:
One of the most popular topics is how to shave costs without sacrificing speed, quality, accuracy and service. Here’s the top ten most popular cost-control tips: Reward and recognize “waste-watchers.”
Remember that all money is not created equal; $100 in sales is $100…less taxes and expenses. $100 in savings is $100. If a team member contributes an idea that saves you $100, why not reward them with a $20 “commission”? Make it a habit to recognize and compliment your crew members who stick to the proper specs, portions and recipes. If you see it, say it…"
source: Sullivision E-Newsletter (Sullivision.com, May 2006)
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June 20, 2006 at 12:15 pm
· Filed under Article, Manager, Waitstaff
excerpt:
"With restaurants closing faster than it takes a soufflé to rise, Brooks is celebrating a milestone: its 25th year in the South Florida market.
Its recipe for success is occasionally edited to keep up with trends. Mostly it focuses on fine dining. Add a signature rack of lamb, some theatrical entertainment, customer loyalty and niceties from sticking a birthday candle in a diner's dessert to gracing a couple's special anniversary celebration with a complimentary bottle of champagne.
Bernard Perron, who started Brooks in 1981, says, though, the recipe is mostly dependent on one practice: being good to your staff."
source: "Good communication with staff is key to Deerfield restaurant's longevity" by Jennifer Heit (Sun-Sentinel, Jun.19,2006)
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June 19, 2006 at 4:01 pm
· Filed under Advice, Article, Financial
excerpt:
"After 20 years in the restaurant industry, fifteen as an independent owner/operator and the last five as a consultant, I have experienced and observed just about every type of financial problem imaginable.
As all restaurant veterans already know, this is a business that is very unforgiving when it comes to achieving bottom line profits. Based on the 2004 Restaurant Industry Operations Report published by Deloitte & Touche LLP, average pre-tax profit margins range from 4-7% (4% for Full Service and 7% for Limited Service restaurants). Not only is there little room for financial management missteps, the problem is compounded by the lack of business experience and basic financial skills that most startup restaurateurs bring to the table."
source: "Restaurant Financial Red Flags" by John Nessel (4Hoteliers, Jun.12,2006)
For more restaurant related articles from 4Hoteliers, click here.
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June 16, 2006 at 12:42 am
· Filed under Article, Financial, Training, Waitstaff
excerpt:
"We know three things about staff retention:
1. The cost of replacing a staff member is typically at least $2,500, and the cost of replacing a manager generally costs upward of $15,000.
2. The average turnover rate in the industry is 165 percent per year.
3. The favorite lament about staffing is, "You just can't find good help these days."
I've been hearing the same story for 30 years. Enough already. You can find and keep good help if you stop investing in turnover and start investing in retention. So forget the cliches. Here's how to radically improve retention with a Six Sigma approach–the quality-oriented philosophy that drove GE for years–to personnel management…"
source: "Ditch the old methods and keep your staff by investing time and money in retention" by Rudy Miick (Nation's Restaurant News, May 29, 2006) [via FindArticles.com]
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June 14, 2006 at 11:46 am
· Filed under Advice, Customer Service, Free, Newsletter
"This monthly email newsletter is packed with ideas, insights and inspiration on how maximizing service and sales. It goes out to people all over the world. And if you ever want to unsubscribe, you can do so with just one click."
link: Service Talk
related blog: Restaurant Talking Points
Here is a sample excerpt taken from Service Talk (6/12/06):
excerpt:
"…But wait a minute. Now the restaurant has a problem. They have to hope that this first time customer will come back. And they are not doing one thing to ensure that happens. And as we all know, hope is not a plan.
Email Marketing to the rescue!"
source: "Email Marketing and your Service Team" by Jeff Hookham (4remarkable.com, Jun.12, 2006)
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June 13, 2006 at 1:08 pm
· Filed under Article, Beverages, Training, Waitstaff
excerpt:
"As a restaurant operator, if you asked your servers to explain the differences between Syrah and Petite Syrah, would they be able to tell you? It has always been a continuous struggle for most restaurant operators to keep everybody on their service staff capable of recommending, describing, selling, and serving everything on the wine list that management used many hours and resources to create.
…As mentioned, most restaurant operators face a challenge when it comes to implementing an effective wine training program in order to get their servers educated and their wine sales on the rise. There are several reasons this can be difficult for an operator (corporate and independent alike)…"
source: "Pop the Cork on Wine Training" by Jorge Castillo (Hospitality Net, Jun.9,2006)
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