The Re-Launch!
If you didn’t already know, we just re-launched our website at RestaurantCoachingSolutions.com. The look is much fresher, cleaner and better organized so that you can find it easier as well as just flat-out use it to make better decisions about your business.
We also dropped the “GetGame!” moniker (also the GetGame.Biz url – it now redirects you to the new one!) due to the confusion surrounding the video game business and its usurpation of the term, as well as simply deciding to name our venture to correspond more specifically to what we do.
Also, the website is not full by any stretch but we will be adding pages and information every day at a feverish pitch – if you go there now, it won’t be the same 2 hours later! Over 5,000 people in over 37 countries around the world read, download and use the information in our websites to manage millions of dollars worth of food, drink and guest experience. We did not want to slow them down.
It is times like these that you are more than a little proud of the effort and the response to it, but only for a moment, lest it goeth before a fall. There are tons of people to thank for their efforts in supporting our business, but for now let me just thank you for reading, emailing, forwarding, talking, yelling, screaming, arguing, agreeing, praising and just enjoying the results.
Talk to later!
Jeffrey
Popularity: 13% [?]
Kid’s & Your Business!
In a recent NRA poll, 55% of adults said their kids influenced their decision to dine at a table service restaurant. 47% said their kids determined which restaurant.
It’s undeniable that children get hungry and must be fed three times a day. Since dining alone is not an option for children; they exert tremendous influence on a family’s decision about where and what to eat. Children represent an increasingly influential segment of the dining-out market as 129 million are born in the world each year and represent 35% of the world’s total population. Parents want to eat in peace, engage in pleasant conversation, and relax without fear that their children will be a major source of embarrassment or a nuisance to neighboring tables. How can restaurants and their staff members help guests accomplish this difficult mission?
Listed below are the Top 10 initiatives you can take to make children’s dining experiences more enjoyable.
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Seat children as quickly as possible and offer to retrieve high chairs and/or boosters for guests when they have small children.
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When acknowledging the family’s presence, speak to the children as well. Understanding that kids always want to be older than their actual age and treating them as
if they were, will always make you ‘cool’ in their eye -
Offer children coloring sheets, crayons and balloons.
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Speak directly to children when taking their orders. The parents may still order for their children, but always
look at the child and ask them what they would like to eat. -
Offer parents with young children bread or crackers to nibble on while they wait for their food.
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Children want to be waited on by the friendliest server.
Try to be that server! Engage the children and show interest in their needs and what they have to say. -
Always ask parents permission before refilling children’s drinks.
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Speak directly to the parents when offering dessert. If you offer dessert to a child and he or she is not allowed to have it, you may cause the child to be upset which in turn is not a happy event for the parents.
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Make sure tables with children have plenty of extra napkins.
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Offer departing wishes to both the parents and the children. Tell the child your name again and to come back and see you. Make a great impression and create miniature RAVING FANS!
Popularity: 5% [?]
My Latest Rant…Revisited!
My list (rant?) of the most important factors of having success in our business today - and a few things that really tick me off!
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Hire great people! Build great teams! Only “A” & “B” Talent will do!
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Give real-world, experienced training that is cutting edge in it’s delivery so it will stick!
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Have great support systems in place for your staff!
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Make everything a system! Execute the systems!
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Fill positions, do not replace people!
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Ask for help when you need it!
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Execute on the integrity issues every minute of every day!
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People first!
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HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR SUCCESS!
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EXECUTE THAT PLAN!
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Understand that you only build volume one guest at a time!
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Do not spend so much time trying to trim costs without spending at least, an equal amount of time training your staff to sell more and serve better. Most restaurants fail when they try to “save” their way to profitability - kinda like nobody ever shrank their way to greatness!
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Be a coach, not a boss!
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Make your relationships work!
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GetSmarter every day!
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Follow up. Follow up. Follow up!
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Measure everything that is important to your success!
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Stop trying to motivate people and start creating a culture that can inspire them instead!
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Make everything a product of your culture!
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Stop treating everyone the same!
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Face situations head on! Never vacillate!
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Document every action and reaction!
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Challenge behaviors that are not productive when they happen!
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Be a blowtorch, not a candle!
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Embrace change!
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Realize that we are all marketers whether you want to be or not! Because it’s true that marketing is the only thing that can make you money - everything else is an expense!
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Don’t serve your guests, give them an experience that will make them raving fans!
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Service is a commodity.
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Build value for your guests in their experiences with you.
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Stop discounting yourself into the poor house!
…now for the things that really get me!
- Operators who say that they never have enough time for themselves or family, but who refuse to hire an “operations manager” because they do not have the ability to trust in one, or the money, or both.
- Operators who desperately need a marketing plan, business plan, operation plan, strategic plan, etc… but never seem to get around to getting it done - then wonder why success is not beating a path to their door.
- Operators who have high turnover and blame it on “the market”, or “the economy” etc…
- Operators who are totally reactive to circumstances.
- Operators who treat all staff the same.
- Operators who do not understand that if you are not able to differentiate yourself in your market, you become a price-driven commodity.
- Operators who do not do their homework.
- Operators who cheat, lie, steal and abuse any or all of their relationships with vendors, staff, colleagues, guests, etc…
- Operators who, when blessed with a great sales increase, do not know where it came from.
- Operators who, not having a days worth of experience in the industry, never ask for help.
- Operators who, when they get in the weeds, never ask for help.
- COMPLACENCY.
- ARROGANCE.
- Operators who think that nickel and diming their guests or staff, will make them rich. No one ever shrank their way to greatness…again!
- Operators who take their staffs, guests, vendors or team for granted.
- Operators who do not embrace change.
- Operators who never seem to be ready for change.
- Operators who do not have a meaningful vision of their business or their brand.
- Operators who do not understand the importance of branding their business as the way of creating a unique selling proposition.
I’m sure there’s more to come! Stay tuned!
Popularity: 5% [?]
The 80-20 Rule Explained
You’ve probably heard about “The 80-20” rule until you want to scream. It’s the notion that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your efforts. Let’s explore the origins of that rule.
It’s called the Pareto Principle, named for the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He developed a planning model about wealth distribution, and took it further. Here are some interesting 80-20 facts:
80% of revenue comes from 20% of customers
80% of profit in most companies comes from 20% of the products
80% of work absences are from 20% of the staff
This is useful information for account planning. Where are you spending 80% of your time and efforts?
Popularity: 4% [?]
Turkey Roasting Times from the National Turkey Federation:
Not sure how long you should roast your bird? The National Turkey Federation (NFT) recommends roasting a turkey in a 325 degrees F oven until a meat thermometer indicates the internal temperature registers 180 degrees F in the thigh and 170 degrees F in the breast. Pop-up timers are helpful as a preliminary step in judging the correct temperature, but are not always accurate. A meat thermometer is the best authority to determine doneness.
A shallow roasting pan should be used so oven air can flow completely around the turkey. Pans with sides higher than 1 inch will shield the thickest part of the turkey thighs from the heat, and the thighs will not cook evenly. For easier clean-up, add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the pan.
If you stuff your bird, do so immediately before you place it in the oven. The center of the stuffing must register 160 to 165 degrees F before removing the turkey from the oven. If you do not stuff your turkey, 2 cups of coarsely chopped celery, onion and carrots in the cavity will enhance the fragrance and add to the flavor of the pan juices.
The roasting times shown on the chart below reflect the shorter cooking times of the turkeys produced today, which take less time to cook than in the past because new turkey breeds produce a higher proportion of white meat. Since white meat cooks faster than dark meat, care should be taken to follow these guidelines to ensure a moist turkey. Use roasting times as a planning guide only; use a thermometer to determine actual doneness.
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“Open Pan Method” NTF Roasting Guidelines for a Fresh or Thawed Turkey |
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Weight |
Unstuffed Turkey |
Stuffed Turkey |
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8 to 12 pounds |
2 3/4 to 3 hours |
3 to 3 1/2 hours |
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12 to 14 pounds |
3 to 3 3/4 hours |
3 1/2 to 4 hours |
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14 to 18 pounds |
3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours |
4 to 4 1/4 hours |
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18 to 20 pounds |
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours |
4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours |
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20 to 24 pounds |
4 1/2 to 5 hours |
4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours |
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24 to 30 pounds |
5 to 5 1/4 hours |
5 1/4 to 6 1/4 hours |
Source: National Turkey Federation
Popularity: 3% [?]
