FOH

Texas Minimum Wage Increase Set For July 24

The minimum wage rate will increase to $6.55 on July 24, 2008. The cash wage for tipped employees will remain at $2.13, however the overtime rate for tipped employees will increase. continue

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More Service Crap

Two incidents in the last three days while dining out has me thinking that a trend in bad service is developing. I call it “blame the guest”!

Scene #1. Breakfast with my wife, early morning at Waffle House for a quick breakfast before we go out on a beautiful Saturday morning to enjoy life. I order 3 eggs over easy. They are delivered looking really good until I pierce the first yolk - Raw. No problem, tell the waitress and she’ll fix them.

“Excuse me, I need to have these re-cooked a bit, The’re raw. I ordered over easy.”

Waitress, “Well you shoulda ordered them more done!”

Me. “Excuse me?”

Her. “You ordered over easy and this seems to be overeasy.” Me. “They are raw. Can you not see the yolks are raw?” ‘Is there a medium overeasy? Or a well-done overeasy?”

As she points to the check one more time.

Me. “Excuse me, but what I want you to do is take them back and have them scrambled and please stop telling me how I should or should not order. ”

Hash browns greasy, beverage un-brixed and watery to the point of no carbonation. I get my scrambled eggs - they were the ones I just cut up, ate them, paid my check and left permanently.

Scene #2. My wife and I are out celebrating tonight - no special event, she just keeps getting her strength back from the radiation treatment being over - so we are out to have a good time enjoying life - this time at Red Lobster. My wife asks for a booth for two in a non-smoking section. After a long stare at an inanimate object, the host says to “follow me.” We do and are led to a booth in the middle of the highest traffic area on the floor. I say we need something a little less dangerous.

Host scans room for table, then asks us where we would like to sit. I motion to a quiet booth in the corner out of harm’s way. We are seated. My wife ordered a salmon dish - high in Omega 3 - with mashed potatoes and asparagus as sides. Food is delivered. Asparagus is like pasta it’s so flimsy. This was cooked 4 times in the last day and finally served. She requests the side - which was extra - be taken off our bill. Server complies.

Manager approaches our table to ask what was wrong. (Grrr) Lori educates the manager on proper cooking technique for asparagus and that limp, wet and soggy products are not acceptable.

The manager proceeds to tell her, “that next time she should order them a little more well done.”

This has happened several times lately - servers and staff instructing guests that they were at fault for the problems they encountered while dining.

All I can say is to beware the next time I get told I should order blah, blah ,blah hotter, cooked more, deeper, longer, etc… it won’t be a pretty sight.

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Beverage Costs

Beverage cost needs to be broken down into the following categories:

Wine Cost:
Net Wine purchases/ Net Wine Sales
Liquor Cost, Beer Cost, Beverage Cost.
(Same as above)

It is equally imperative to cost out the beverage menus to ensure targeted goals are being met. Next, monitor the costs to make sure the restaurant is hitting acceptable percentages.  The following are some suggestions to help control beverage costs:

• Raise Prices.

• Use spotters to help prevent theft at the bar

• Cost out the beverage menu.

• Use pre-measured pours.

• Install a keg counter. It will count the number of beers sold out of the keg.  This is another good way to minimize theft.

• Formalize a wine program.

• Set up a purchase order system.

• Negotiate prices with vendors for bulk buying. Take vendor discounts when offered.

• Organize the storage room and keep inventory levels to a minimum.

• Purchase based on a budget.          

• Link beverage managers bonuses to
  pre-set percentages.       

Hopefully, these tips will help control the cost of goods percentages. However, do not lose sight of the “contribution dollars”. For example, which dish should you sell? Chicken with a $5.00 profit and a 25% food cost or steak with a $10.00 profit and a 35% food cost? Although the chicken sounds more appealing, the correct response is steak. Think about it, would you rather have $5.00 profits or $10.00 profits? The odds are that a customer will only order one entree, yet, your rent and payroll remain fixed, no matter what the customer orders. So opt for selling the steak and take the $10.00 gross profit over the $5.00 gross profit. You can make up the percentage by having a higher sales figure and a lower payroll percentage.

Another example is wine.  A $50.00 bottle of wine may cost an operator $25.00.  Even though the bottle of wine has a 50% cost, where else on the menu could you make a $25.00 gross profit?

Call us to begin the process of Coaching you to achieve the kind of success you envisioned when you first started your business. It costs you nothing to consult about the kind of success you want and what we can do to help get you there!

877-535-2324
The Call is FREE!

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Is This Any Way To Act In A Restaurant?

Eating out this week, these are actual quotes used by service staff and managers to address myself, my guests or others around us.

1. “I’m sorry, (…I didn’t get to your table…) I’m just too busy!”
2. “Did you want your change?”
3. “_______________________________.” (Nothing said to us for nearly 20 minutes as we sat wondering if we were in a restaurant or a morgue.)
4. “Hi Guys!” (…My wife and I…).
5. “Hey guys!” (…My wife and I…)
6. “Have you ever been here before?” (Why yes, about 200 time this year so far).
7. “Hi guys.” “Just the two of you?” “Smoking or non?”
8. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.” “I’ll be right back with your food.” “I’ll be right back with your ________(insert anything here.)
9. “Bye Guys” as the female host stood slumped over the podium and texting someone on her iPhone.
10. “”Move stupid!” As one host yanked the arm of another as she was propping herself up in the doorway while a mother with a double stroller entered the restaurant in front of us.
11. “Bye Guys!” (…My wife and I…)
12. “Hi, my name is ______ and I’ll be your server today.”
13. “Hi, my name is ______ and I’ll be your server today.”
14. “Hi, my name is ______ and I’ll be your server today.”
15. “Hi, my name is ______ and I’ll be your server today.”
16. “Hi, my name is ______ and I’ll be your server today.”
17. “Hi, my name is ______ and I’ll be your server today.”
18. “Hi, my name is ______ and I’ll be your server today.”(…once each day this week!)
19. “Where is that “B****h’, (one host asking another host where another host was, because evidently), “… it’s her job to seat these people and I’m not gonna do her job anymore, and if she thinks I am she can kiss my a**!”…There were about 6 guests in line.
20. Not heard, but as our (very much under the age of 18) host was beginning to instruct me about the “Fresh Catch of the Day…” he yanked (no exaggeration!) the menu out of my hands as I was already reading it.
21. “Oh I know…but we are so short handed and you really can’t expect these kids to understand what you’re talking about!”

Not heard this week.

“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome!”
“Yes Sir!”
“Yes Ma’am!”
” Absolutely”
“Hello folks…welcome to _______.”
“Thank you for sharing your evening with us Jeffrey. When can we see you again?”
“I’m sorry, let me correct that right now!”
“I apologize. Let me fix that immediately!”
“Great choice! That’s a guest favorite!”
“What can I do for you?”
“Thank you for the feedback!”
“Why hello Jeffrey, glad to see you back!”

Not seen this week.

1. Doors opened for guests.
2. Guests walked to the restrooms when staff were asked the location.
3. Smiles.
4. Guests given the right-of-way by staff or managers!
5. A clean table when I sat down.
6. Clean silverware or glassware or menus.
7. Clean, pressed uniforms.
8. Clean polished shoes.
9. Guest checks addressed/personalized to/for me.
10. Eye contact while having my order taken or during the greeting or during any conversation with any staff or manager the entire week.

You know you really can’t make this stuff up!

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14 Things To Consider Before Your Shift Hits The Fan

The fortunate thing about time is that it doesn’t stop. And even a bad shift will eventually end. The question is what do you do with the de-brief? This situation offers a tremendous opportunity to learn from and come out on the other side, more aware of what actually went wrong and how to prevent it in the future.

1. NEVER, EVER get pinned down in a position. You have got to train your staff to the point where they can be moved to cover shift critical positions - like the bar. If you get slammed unexpectedly, you have to have a plan to move core staff into positions to support the business and be able to reinforce, not outright work, the weakest position. Make a few drinks, have servers that can make a few of your most basic, as well as get beer and wine tickets filled, make a round of the restaurant, then return to the bar after you have checked on everyone else. When you have multiple fires, you have to prioritize them and then attack them. If you have to, shut down alcohol service and serve only beer and wine.

2. Servers should be trained to check on their tickets as they make their rounds through the kitchen to ensure that they have been received and are working.

3. Once you see that your shift is sinking into the weeds, you need to rally the troops. Call a short 60 second meeting of all staff and explain what is happening (like they don’t already know) and talk about recovery and support for every position. This is your “2 minute drill” and should actually be practiced for just such events.

4. You need to have people who are loyal and talented enough that you can call in on a short notice. If it takes 30 minutes for them to get there, so what, you don’t know how long the rush will last, (in this case it was 2 hours) so you can always utilize them as long as you need. A host or other key employee should be able to make these calls as well as you.

5. You may have to incorporate a false-wait in order to slow down the flow enough to take care of the guests you have. If you have to lose a guest, better to lose them at the door, instead of the table.

6. Every time a guest walks into your restaurant, it’s because it’s an occasion in their lives. Birthday, anniversary, first date, last date, job promotion, bad mood pick-me-up, divorce final, winning the championship, etc….And even when a guest has a coupon for a free meal, they are still a guest in your business and are still choosing to celebrate their special event with you. Why do we want to discount their discontent about poor service or food just because they are getting it for free in the first place? The first rule of recovery involves hearing the guest out, then taking action. This is about more than a lost ticket. Which no one ever wants to take responsibility for. It’s about the guest and his family being in your restaurant on a very important occasion in their life, with very high expectations because you do have a good reputation for good food and service, only to be disappointed because they received the ultimate act of disrespect - a forgotten order - and on their birthday. I wouldn’t stick around to talk to you if you lost my order on my birthday. And to be upset because you didn’t get to apologize first? That’s just plain hubris. I’ve lost tickets before, but I also never let a guest leave unhappy. Understanding that guests don’t necessarily want a comped meal but rather better service is paramount to being in the restaurant business in 2008. The zeitgeist of our culture isn’t about apologies, although they are the first point of good manners for a host, it’s about correcting the wrong done to a guest because IT IS PERSONAL TO THEM, because it’s a celebration of a day in their life. It’s never “just food”. And your response to them should be as personal as the slight. A bottle of champagne or an invitation to a special night of entertainment and dining on you, or something even more personalized would have been appropriate. AND NEVER EVER SEEK REVENGE FOR WHAT YOU CONSIDER UNRULY BEHAVIOR ON THE PART OF A GUEST! If you tell them you are comping their meal, changing your mind because you think you were insulted or abused is simply you not keeping your word. Which is worse? Did the guests at the next table hear you and now see you not keeping your word? What word-of-mouth will you get out of that? We’re not in the food business; we are in the EXPERIENCE business.

7. Servers have to be trained to guide guests to choices that don’t further bog down a bad shift. If you don’t have enough talent behind the bar, servers should let guests know up front that a non-alcoholic, beer or wine (servers can pour beer and wine), choice can be made later in the dinner (entree order or at dessert) or when the pressure from the bar has eased to the point that regular patronage of it can be resumed.

8. Talk to your staff once the doors are closed and seriously ask them what could have been done better to manage the shift.

9. Servers never “screw up” orders. This kind of thinking will only serve to alienate more people. Your staff doesn’t get up in the morning and try to think of ways to “screw up”. Where was the expediter? Was there an expediter? Other servers? Why didn’t the server ask for help? Why wasn’t the server trained to never take out an incomplete order? Why wasn’t the culture in the restaurant established to inculcate the server that he/she MUST ask for help if needed to satisfy a guests order? EVERY SERVICE FAILURE IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF A PROCESS BREAKDOWN. If not, then the breakdown was a direct result of not having a process in the first place.

10. POS systems lose tickets. But it’s not the POS’s fault. You are the professionals who should have had a system in place to double and even triple check on orders if necessary, to make sure all tickets get worked in a timely fashion. Everything that occurs in your restaurant is a direct reflection of you. Relying too much on a system that you know will eventually lose a ticket is unacceptable. Why? Because you may have more guests after you lost the guest whose ticket was lost, but they only have to lose you once to start talking bad about you. That’s way too much “losing” for my tastes.

11. If it’s the last night of a promotion or coupon drop (You know I hate coupons!) assume it’s going to be busy- period! You should actually manage your business to expect every shift to be busy anyway. Otherwise, you’re never going to get busier. Work each shift like it’s the volume you expect and want and you will eventually get it.

12. Staff look to you for leadership. You need to do whatever you need to in order to maintain balance in your emotions to the point of being able to take “unreasonable crap” and still make good on your promise of great experiences for your guests. And continue to offer smiles and encouragement to your staff that still have to work in those weeded shifts. If you don’t keep your cool, who will?

13. Stop looking at “comps” as the answer to every problem. If you are in the FOH, you need to have the skill to talk to people and make them happy without giving away your profit. This is what a true host does. If you’re just looking at each guest as a transaction, they will know and treat you accordingly. Everyone gives a comp for mistakes. We have trained the public to demand them if they feel wronged. This is our fault. Stop the madness.

14. Train your staff on recovery! Then train them again. And again. And again. And train yourself while you’re at it. Look at getting some help with trying to understand the recovery event better and creatively dealing with these situations when they happen.

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Where Did The “Wow” Go?

Did you ever have it?
What happened to it?
Can you get it back?
Do you really want it back?
What’s different about it now that needs to change in order to have it back?
What does “Wow” look like today? Tomorrow? Next year?
Is “Wow” a core value? Why not?
What did you do today to create “Wow”?

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Death To Napkin Rolls

Barry Chandler reminded us of one of our “Top 10″ pet peeves - napkin rolled silverware. Take a read.

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FOUR QUESTIONS . . . for Michael Stachura

Stachura is a behind-the-bar chemist. Every few months, the former bartender loosens his tie, rolls up his sleeves and experiments with new and interesting cocktails. The best of the best make it onto Marlow’s specialty cocktail list. How does he do it? We find out what’s in the mix.

Q: How do you approach adding cocktails to Marlow’s menu?

A: With our signature drinks, I almost do a seasonal menu every three months. We have categories like Late-Summer Sippers, Fall Antidotes, Winter Warm-Ups and Spring Fling. In the winter, we’re looking at warmer drinks, and we definitely wouldn’t have those in the summer. In the springtime, I’m looking for stuff that’s maybe rum driven. In the summer, the drinks are light and refreshing. In the autumn, you can start really going into drinks with a … heavier base. And we also look at what’s popular and see if we can do something with that.

Q: How long does it take to come up with a new cocktail?

A: It just depends on the cocktail. For example, we were the first place in town to serve a pomegranate martini about three years ago. I really thought pomegranate was a cool mixer, but there was only one pomegranate juice on the market at the time. [It] took probably a week trying different vodkas and schnapps, and looking for the perfect recipe. It worked out well. It’s our No. 1 seller. In the past two years, pomegranate juice is everywhere, and there’s about five or six pomegranate vodkas and cordials. Sometimes it takes a while. Sometimes it’s as quick as making a few drinks.

Q: What’s been your most surprising creation?

A: Probably the Orange Marmalade Martini. It contains real orange marmalade, and it’s the first time I’ve ever used jelly in a drink. It just turned out very good. It’s my favorite out of all of our signature drinks. And people have actually become more accepting of it.

Q: What’s really hot right now at the bar?

A: Mojitos are still a really big deal with people. And our signature drinks do really well. One of the ones I really like is the Bomb Pop. Remember the red, white and blue popsicles we had when we were kids? We have a drink like that that’s separated into red, white and blue, and tastes just like the ice cream.

Marlow’s Tavern, 2355 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 10, Atlanta. 770-432-2526, www.marlowstavern.com. Additional locations in Alpharetta and Midtown.

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Benchmark’s Top 5 Dining Trends 2007

Benchmark Hospitality International, which manages 30 award-winning hotels, resorts, conference centers and condominium resorts throughout the United States and in Japan, has just released its Five Tasty Dining Trends for 2007, as observed by its properties. The trends were announced by Bob Zappatelli, vice president of food & beverage, and his team of 18 food & beverage professionals.

Benchmark Hospitality International, an independent hospitality management company based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, operates resorts, conference centers, hotels and condominium resorts both domestically and internationally. For locations of Benchmark Hospitality properties and for additional information, visit Benchmark’s Website at www.benchmarkhospitality.com.

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Dessert Beers Are A New Trend In Restaurants

There’s nothing better than a cold beer right after work - and now restaurants are suggesting New Yorkers drink it right after dinner.

Dessert beers are popping up on city menus as the perfect pairing for sweet meal-enders.

Renee Lipski’s husband, Michael, thought she was crazy when she ordered a beer float at the Chocolate Room in Brooklyn, but ended up finishing it off for her. The dessert pairs a chocolate stout with vanilla ice cream, and while it’s reminiscent of a root beer float, it’s decidedly less sweet.

“I ordered it because I didn’t want something that would be overly sweet, and it was really refreshing,” says the Brooklyn homemaker.

Rich Lindy, who lives on the upper West Side and works in real estate, liked the float for another reason: “It sort of keeps the buzz going,” he admits.

The reasoning behind the trend: Beer’s flavor is better suited to sweets than most wines, says Julie Bradford, editor of the magazine All About Beer.

“Few wines pair well with sweet foods,” she says. “But while wine with dessert is problematic, beer and dessert is a great combination.”

Spiced, malt-heavy beers (as opposed to bitter lagers and pale ales) are the best at the end of a meal, experts say. Fruit beers, especially Belgian fruit lambics, work, too.

Kevin Garry, assistant beverage director at Gramercy Tavern, serves Harvey & Son Imperial Extra Double Stout with chocolate bread pudding, and J.W. Lee Harvest ale with cheese.

“A lot of beers work well with dessert because their flavor profile is similar to tawny port or sherry,” says Garry, who has 30 beers on his vintage list. “Beer with dessert is a concept that really works.”

At the Chocolate Room, owner Jon Payson pours Brooklyn Brewery’s pumpkin spice ale to go with pumpkin spice ice cream.

At Gotham Bar and Grill, pastry chef Deborah Racicot offers fig focaccia, cheese and nuts paired with a Belgian lambic. She takes the frothy business one step further, freezing beer right into her blackberry ice cream and scooping it onto a peach and blackberry crisp.

When Racicot paired cheesecake with Guinness ice cream, customers requested a scoop of the ice cream on its own. Neville Stoddart, executive chef at Markt, garnishes a lemon tart with a sorbet made with a cherry-flavored beer.

Sometimes a beer is so sweet it makes dessert on its own. New this fall is Barons Black Wattle Superior, which has a nutty caramel flavor and is served at Tribeca Grill.

Source: NY Daily News

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