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….
Menu Pricing
Well, here is another one of those very exciting posts. It may not be as sexy as some of the other schlock I have put out there, but it is such an important part of your restaurant’s success. This is often the least understood aspect of the whole ‘let’s open a restaurant’ adventure. The thing…
Give ’em a brake
Okay, break. You don’t mind if I steal one from the road construction workers, do you? I want everyone reading this post to realize that yes, this does apply to you. I’m talking about the way people treat servers when they go out. You know, the ones who will be getting your food and drink for you?…
Bar Costs
In restaurants there are three things that make up your prime costs. Everyone knows that food cost is an important part of the profitability equation. Even more understand that labor cost is often the biggest expense in most restaurants. However, you must not ignore the other third of this trifecta. If you want to be…
Being Nice Counts
My friend sent me a pic and a text message about a place he was eating at the other night. Basically, in a nutshell, it was a list of all of the restaurant’s ‘rules’ (?!), and ended with this final message: “Don’t like our policy? Why are you here?” Wow. A big WOW. I don’t get…
What’s in a Name?
I went to a food cart in my neighborhood this past weekend with my darling (but a little spoiled in the food department), daughter. There is a new ‘pod’ in our part of town with about 20 or so various options. I had been to this particular cart before, when it was previously parked in…
What’s the Competition Doing?
Right now, I am in the middle of the restaurant management program that I teach. My poor wife could tell you on any given day what I happen to be teaching at the time because my enthusiasm level jumps from one subject to another based on what happens to be going on currently in the…
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