Probably. Don’t think it is possible to reverse a trend that has been years in the making. When you get old like me, you reflect back on the years and try to see how you got from there to here. It can be an interesting thing to ponder. That arc of our lives. How did…
Category: Consultant
OMG, Another Customer
I see that look all of the time. At restaurants. At bars. Even at food carts. That look on the face of a restaurant employee when a customer dares to walk in to the place to get something to eat. Can we all just take a moment and remind ourselves of the business we have…
Northwest Hospitality
I do love living in the Pacific Northwest. Especially Portland. Nothing against Seattle, but people here are quite nice (except, of course, at a few select restaurants). They have nothing on us… I recently had the chance to visit Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. I had a wonderful time, and everyone in those places…
Everything Matters
Every single thing that goes on inside and outside of your restaurant matters. Yes, even outside. When customers walk up to your front door, I promise you they have already made a couple of observations and judgments about your place. Is there a pile of something left by some dog out in front of the…
I Like them Because They are Nice to My Daughter
There are a couple of restaurants in my neighborhood that my daughter likes to frequent. Yes, I know, she is spoiled. However, I do love it when she comes back with positive things to say about these places. Were they nice? Often, I don’t even have to ask her about her experiences. She will come…
Get Off Your Phone!
I ride up on my bike the other day to the farmer’s market to stop for a little lunch on my way to work. I stop at one of the prepared food stalls to get a sausage sandwich only to find both of the guys working–one of them the owner–fingering their phones. Seriously? Put that…
95%?
No, not 99%. This isn’t about Wall Street. I am not talking about the rich 1% (although maybe I should be), but rather I am talking about the consistency that we should be striving for in both the kitchen and the front of the house of our restaurants. We aim for 100% Obviously our goal…
What is the Standard?
This is one of the most important things you can do to set your restaurant up for success. Make sure that you have a clear standard for everything that happens in the entire operation. If you have clear standards, you have a starting point for training your employees. Without standards you are lost at sea….
Tip-outs
After a discussion with my class today, and after my meeting with a consulting client the other day, I realized that I should revisit this topic again. I have written a few of times on this subject before: https://tabletalkpdx.com/2014/04/01/ https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/07/18/ https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/10/16/ But those all had different slants than the one I am going to approach…
Someone Pleeze Say Hello
In most of the lectures I give my students, or any time I meet with a consulting client, I revisit the same theme: It is all about getting them to come back. By them, I mean the customer. We are never in it for one transaction, but multiple. We are interested in the lifetime value…
I’m a Freak
I probably don’t need to remind anyone reading this blog of this fact. If you happen to be reading this now, odds are that you have read some of my earlier rants/posts and already have a pretty good understanding of my freaky nature. Okay, I admit it I am reminded every single time I go…
Do You Like Working Here?
You can always tell when people like their job and when they don’t. It is true in the restaurant business, and it is true outside of the restaurant business. It is palpable the second you walk in to the joint. I was asked recently by a consulting client to help them replace a departing manager….
tabletalkpdx 