I love going out to eat at places where they really know what they are doing. It is surprising to me, however, how infrequent that is. It’s not like the recipe for this kind of success is like a Tolstoy novel. It is–or at least should be– short and simple. I recently wrote about how precious Portland…
Precious
Is it me? Wait, don’t answer that. It seems though, that every time someone asks me for a dinner recommendation, or if I have the chance to go out to eat, I am thwarted by the latest surge of ‘preciousness’. Feels like I am part of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Let’s all remember, we are in…
CRM
Customer relationship management. Yeah, I know, it sounds boring. And you are right, it is a marketing term after all. However What an important element to this whole hospitality business. One thing I have learned through my decades in the business, my many years of teaching restaurant management, and talking to many clients, is that the only…
Support!
Want to be an effective leader in your restaurant? Be a presence on the floor, observe what is going on, and send help where it is needed. https://tabletalkpdx.com/2013/05/28 Did you just slam a server with 5 new tables? Send someone over to help get a drink order, say hello, get wine glasses for that bottle…
Learn From Your Mistakes
They tell me that you learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes. If that is true, I have learned a lot. https://tabletalkpdx.com/2014/08/09/ https://tabletalkpdx.com/2015/11/13/ As I consult with clients and lecture everyday to my poor students, I am reminded of all the mistakes I made through the years. The examples I write…
Figure it Out
Most people don’t know what they are doing when they go out to eat. It doesn’t matter if it is a fine dining restaurant or a neighborhood joint, they just don’t know. But, that’s ok. It’s not their job to. That’s what we are there for. Fine Dining Ahh, the sophisticated fine diner. They eat…
Pro Forma
Pro Forma: Latin for ‘as a matter of form’. In the restaurant business it can mean a document that captures and measures financial success (or failure). When I meet with consulting clients, and they are in desperate need of figuring out why they can’t make ends meet, the first thing I ask them for is to…
Take a Seat!
I always feel that it is a good idea to crawl inside the skin of your customers once in a while. Walk around in their shoes for a bit. Look at things from their perspective. Okay, enough with the clichés. It is important for the owner–or the manager–to try to see what it is like to be…
Empower the Employee
At the Ritz-Carlton, they allow the employees to spend up to $2000, if necessary, to take care of a customer’s problem. Without management approval! That is the way to do it. No micromanagement here. That is the main reason that their labor turnover rate is less than a third of most hospitality places. Get them to…
What, No Mustard?
I ordered a burger the other day at a place that someone told me had the best burger in town. No, it wasn’t in Portland. When the burger was put down in front of me, I asked if they had some Dijon mustard. The server came back apologetic, apparently no Dijon. “That’s fine, can I get…
What Are You Going to Do About It?
When I meet with consulting clients, they are all about solutions. A take that I find quite refreshing after years in the restaurant business. Too often, in the passive aggressive world of restaurants the emphasis is put on blame, not on solutions. Solutions I teach on many different subjects–all relating to the restaurant biz–and a…
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