I’d better be careful here. I have mentioned on more than one occasion that I am a front of the house guy. Yes, I’ve worked in kitchens, but the bulk of my experience has been out in the front. I still believe all of the things that I did during my waiter days. Every customer…
Category: Consulting
That Mess in Front of Your Restaurant
Customers connect everything they see to your restaurant. They don’t care that they are only walking through your parking lot, or on the street by your place, they will hold you responsible for anything they see that they judge to be messy or unacceptable. Jack-in-the-Box I had a whirlwind three day stint at Jack-in-the-Box when I…
That $1 Tip
This is a tough one. Like I have mentioned before, I am a front of the house guy. I made my bones getting tips at Beverly Hills steak houses and West Hollywood trattorias. The absolute last thing I want is for people to stop being generous with their gratuities. Ahh…New York Lately, I have found myself taking…
Managing Employee Conflict
Let’s face it, there is no way you can end all of your employee conflict. Human beings are human beings after all. The trick is to minimize it. Front of the house vs. Back of the house I took a minute to think of all of the restaurants I have worked over the years, and…
Restaurant Marketing
Everyone (except those with masters degrees in marketing) is confused by the whole marketing thing. Including me. But let’s sort this one out together. First of all, marketing does not mean just going out and spending a bunch of cash on T.V. or newspaper ads. Quite simply, it is figuring out who your customers are,…
A Good Manager
Not often, but occasionally I am accused of coming across a bit cynical, maybe a little too negative. I am not here to argue that point, but rather to combat that idea by putting out a more positively-toned post. Don’t get used to it. I don’t mean to point out only the faults of Portland…
Eat it. Don’t Tweet it.
Yeah, that’s right, eat it don’t tweet it. I suddenly find myself in an awkward position. These recent years I have found myself making fun of people who can’t seem to simply enjoy their food, they need to take a picture of it and share it with whoever is following them on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat,…
Tell Your Server
Okay, the last thing that I want customers to do is start complaining about their dining experiences. However, if you are having a problem with your meal–your meat is over done, your fish is under done, there is a piece of glass in your drink, a bug in your salad–let your server know! Customers, for…
Location Location Location
Location means so many things. Not just what your realtor tells you. In an earlier post, I talked about the ten reasons why restaurants fail. Let’s talk about the first one on that list: Location. Location People often hear that word without really knowing what it means. Especially restaurateurs. Yes, location is very important, but…
Mixologist?
Mixology? Trends come and go in this industry, which is a good thing. We all need change, even in the restaurant business. At the risk of sounding whiny (I suppose it’s too late for that), I am ready for the current craft cocktail craze to move along. I found myself in a local bar recently (hmm,…
Goal Setting
It is a widely known fact that if you want to accomplish anything, you need to have goals. If you are a chef and you want to open up a restaurant, what are your goals going to be? The thing is, you can’t just say, “I want to open up a place and make money.” …
Harshest Critic
It’s amazing to me to think that my wife has put up with me all of these years. When I think of how many times she and I have eaten out together, it’s a wonder she still goes out with me at all. I wouldn’t want to go out with me. Come to think of…
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