stuff4restaurants

What would happen if your key team members resigned tomorrow?

O.K. you would dive for the Valium and phone your favorite recruitment agent, But that’s not going to solve your immediate problems.

If these key team members, that are now threatening the very survival of your business are your bookeeper and or your best sales person the disruption could be terminal, or at the very least, play havoc with your newly acquired golf score.

When you study businesses that find themselves suddenly thrust into this black hole, you find one common cause.

Their owners have failed to delegate responsibility, they have instead abdicated responsibility.

ABDICATION VS DELEGATION

To understand this a little better we need to go back in time a little, and look at what happens to most businesses as they begin to succeed and grow.

Most businesses start off with owners who are enthusiastic and prepared to work ridiculously long hours to succeed.

With a bit of luck and an enormous amount of hard work, the business starts to generate sales and profit. Over time, the business and profits grow, and at some point, the business owner needs help, so they decide to get rid of the tasks they no longer want to perform, in most businesses, this is the book keeping stuff and the sales stuff.

So, they employ an expert book keeper (often a close family friend who won’t blab the figures) and a sales expert, you know the sort of person, one of those smooth talking delighters who could sell “Ice to Eskimos”.

This frees up the owner from the mundane tactical “Doing It” stuff so they can concentrate on the “Big Picture” strategic stuff , and to take some well earned and deserved “Life Style” rewards.

Most people think this “Life Style” stuff is the problem, it seldom is. Most businesses do function better when their owners take a step back to refresh themselves and focus more on growth strategies.

SO, WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

It is HOW these “experts” are introduced into your business. It’s about delegating responsibility not abdicating it.

If you simply employ an expert and let them “Do their own expert thing” thinking they are the expert and they shouldn’t interfere with how they get their great results, you are in fact, losing control of that part of your business.

Sure, it may be generating the results you want (in the short term) but you have lost control of that part of your business. They (the expert) now own that section of their business, and over time, you will pay dearly for that loss of control.

It may cost you constant salary increases, but worse still, it exposes you and your business to the severe disruptions of a sudden resignation.

SO, WHATS THE SOLUTION?

Systems. Everybody in your business must be working to a system. Every expert in your business must understand, from the very beginning, a prime part of their role is to create a written system for their position.

They must be told from day one, that if they wish to grow their career within your business, they must prove that they can duplicate their expertise.

Only this way, can you maintain control of your business. The test of an expert system (on say book keeping) is: You can take any traditionally trained book keeper and introduce them into your business and have them “up to speed” within 10 days.

APPLY THE DOUBLE DECKER BUS TEST TODAY…

Take a close look at every key member of your team and ask yourself “If they were hit by a double decker bus on their way to work tomorrow, what effect would that have on your business?” If your answer is that it would cause a severe disruption, you need a system for that position, FAST.

.

.…Don’t miss any of our twice daily posts of NEW IDEAS, Subscribe NOW in your RSS reader

Earlier today I posted an article about Simon Pickles excellent use of a Blog and a Community News Site to drive sales and customer relationships…

A reader has since sent me the following cartoon which tickled my bent sense of humor.

I was going to email it directly to Simon and his team of dough spinners, then I decided to share it with everyone.

Simon, here is your challenge: Work out a way to do this and tell me (and only me) about it… If we hurry we could publicly list before Christmas.

.

.…Don’t miss any of our twice daily posts of NEW IDEAS, Subscribe NOW in your RSS reader

.

Simon Pickles the owner of the Domino’s franchise at St Helens in the U.K. has established a very successful blog to promote his business keep in contact with his clients.

Simon’s site is one of the first restaurant blog site I have seen that actually “gets it”. He understands exactly how to make this virtually free Advertising medium work within his local community.

Unlike many, he has NOT filled his site with mere “Brag and Boast” Advertising about him and his business, instead, his site is about his customers and the community he operates within.

He uses his site to announce winners of his competitions, he reports on the success of local sports teams, he posts video clips from YouTube that will interest his customers, he promotes the local fund raising initiatives from his community, and he uses his blog to chat to his clients and build a relationship with them.

DOES IT WORK?

Simon tells me that 32% of his delivery orders come from the internet, the National average is 17%. during busy times, staff are not tied up on phones. The orders by internet are a 10% higher average dollar sale and 1% lower food cost and the order frequency by internet is much higher than by phone.

So, does it work?… More customers, spending more money, more frequently is THE formula for business growth.

Simon also say’s… (it’s starting to sound a bit like the “Simon says” game)

“The 2 month old site is generating a respectable number of hits, but the key is: they are all from local people who are my potential customers. However it also has the spin-off benefit to me that it has helped me find out a lot more about the town I trade in (I live about 10 miles away and am thus a foreigner). By sourcing stories for St Helens News I have managed to find out a lot more about the local community. For instance, as I write, I have a couple of staff in the town centre handing out leaflets at the Grand Christmas Lights Switch On Party. Yesterday we completed a 40-pizza order for a local school who I contacted while researching material for St Helens News. ”

Savvy bloggers will note that Simon has actually established multiple linked sites to ensure he dominates search engine results in his region, that is to say, whenever potential customers search food or news in the St.Helens region, there is a good chance one of Simon’s sites will register highly, all of which naturally lead to his online store front, as I mentioned above, this gut really does get it.

In Summary:

Simon claims he is only in the early stages of his sites development, but already he is seeing real dollar and cents results from his efforts. Simon has obviously understood the power of having his own communication medium.

He understands the old newspaper theory, that if you want people to buy your paper (visit your web site) fill it with news and photos of them, then you are guaranteed they and their friends will visit to see what you have written about their favorite subject… THEM.

If you do this stuff right, it’s just like owning your own newspaper and television station, and will add real value and sales to your business.

Here’s a link to his site…

Simon, Thank you for sharing this information with us.

.

.…Don’t miss any of our twice daily posts of NEW IDEAS, Subscribe NOW in your RSS reader

.

This new Japanese invention takes breast feeding and fast food to new heights… of the ridiculous.
It must be getting harder and harder to get the press to turn up and cover the release of new under garments in Japan. I guess a new bra is hardly front page stuff… so this company decided to Seth Godinize their product with this little invention.

I have always said that rice and Miso soup make a great pair. I just wonder what their equivalent of “Do you want fries with that?” will be.

If all this titilates your sense of humor, you will find more pics and even a video clip over at Hemmy.net this site always has some really new and off beat stuff.

This is driving me and everyone who sees it absolutely crazy… (I admit, I didn’t have very far to go)

The creators say:

If you see the girl turning clockwise:

You are a RIGHT BRAIN thinker, which apparently means you are a creative thinker, you enjoy the arts, you like the thrill of working on new ideas and enjoy philosophical thinking.

If you see the girl turning anticlockwise:

You are a LEFT BRAIN thinker: which means you are a logical thinker, you enjoy rummaging through concepts for specifics, you enjoy mathematical concepts, science and are very pragmatic.

If you see the girl turning both ways:

You are a genius, (or telling fibs to impress your family and friends)

If you don’t see the girl turning at all:

You are probably brain dead or your computer needs fixed.

This is driving me and everyone crazy and even starting arguments wherever it’s seen. My wife thinks I’m telling lies and my son has started a storm with it on “my space”.

WHAT DO YOU SEE ??? Let me know in the comment section below…

.

.…Don’t miss any of our twice daily posts of NEW IDEAS, Subscribe NOW in your RSS reader

Hold that new menu release, you may just want to add this new product to your list of fine dining delicacies.

I wonder how the good Colonel let this little beauty slip past.

Just think, if they can only squeeze a turkey in there, we will have every family festivity catered for.

Watch out restaurant owners, this could be the end of your ruthless domination of the chicken market .

Note Sweet Sue’s (she’s obviously the one in the pretty straw hat) reassurance that the chicken is “Fully Cooked”

contains “Home Style Goodness” but unfortunately is “Without Giblets”.

I just want to know how they squeeze the bloody thing in there. In fact, I am prepared to pay (not a lot) for a photo of Sweet Sue inserting the chicken and I’m prepared to pay just slightly more for an authenticated photo of Ms. Sue actually eating some of this fine fare.

.

…Don’t miss our twice daily dose of Weird and Wonderful NEW IDEAS, Subscribe NOW in your RSS reader

.

Now before you start throwing rocks and chase me off the web, let me explain why I chose these sites.
These 16 sites are the ones I visit on a regular basis to keep up to date and entertained about this industry we are all so passionate and dependent upon.To put this list together, I personally have viewed literally thousands of sites, and let me tell you, it was a fairly depressing journey at times.
I discovered hundreds of sites that were poorly designed and contained content that was little more than the tired re-hashing of the self appointed sales and self improvement gurus.The sites I have provided links to below, I regard as sites that have content worthy of my and your limited time, and provide information that is useful.
1. FoodService.com
   A site that is jam packed full of up to date Restaurant and Food Industry Information and highly active forums where you can pose questions and get sensible answers.
2. Restaurant Marketing Blog:
   A blog by well known Restaurant Guru Joel Cohen. you will always find something up to date and well worth reading here.
3. Profitable Hospitality
   This popular membership site has a huge collection of in depth information for restaurant owners covering all topics.
4. Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter:
   Here you will find witty, upbeat posts about what it’s like to recruit chefs, servers, managers, and other restaurant employees.
5. WaiterBell Blog:
   This editor obviously enjoys the restaurant industry, the posts cover the lighter side of customer service, dining etiquette, negotiating the dietary preferences of picky children, and restaurant finance issues.
6. Diner’s Journal:
   As the food and dining blog from the New York Times, the Diner’s Journal is always the first to announce up-to-the-minute trends and industry news.
7. Customers Are Always:
   This blog explores the dos and don’ts of excellent customer service. Brief your staff on the principles found here, and your clientele will be impressed.
8. The Restaurant Blog:
   The Restaurant Blog, from AllBusiness.com, posts articles like “Staffing Errors Can Cost You” and “Do Your Menu Prices Shout Welcome” to help you improve your guests’ dining experiences.
9. Restaurant Talking Points:
   Browse their categories on sales, training, and customer service to get some great tips on restaurant management.
10. Bickell’s Blog:
    Bickell’s Blog is for restaurant owners looking at buying restaurant supplies, also info on industry news, and restaurant management.
11. Restaurant Spy:
    A respected independent, London-based blog that has reviews on the best restaurants in the UK. Members are able to share news and opinions on the message boards or advertise their site.
12. Vinography:
    Here’s one to go to if you want to extend your bar’s wine selection. You will also find great serving tips and wine ideas.
13. Diners From Hell:
    A fun read all about “dining disasters” readers share their experiences on the forum, and discover what customers really want when from their dining experiences.
14. Diners Nation:
    Diners Nation is a comprehensive resource for restaurateurs. Meet up with other owners and managers on the forum, post and look for restaurant jobs with the help of Employment Guide, and catch up on industry news from all over the U.S.
15. Musings from a Restaurant Maven:
    This passionate restaurant lover posts clever, insightful articles about customer service, dining experiences, tipping, and eating out with children.
16. Barista Brat:
    This is a must read for all coffee lovers. The editor of this great site “rants and raves” from the perspective of a bemused coffee shop barista. You will find all sorts of tips and wisdom for dealing with those “challenging” customers.

I hope you enjoy and benefit from these links. should you have favorites not listed here, I would love to hear about them and, if appropriate, will add them to this list.

The owners of a Chinese restaurant in south-west Moscow are to be charged after it was found they were serving dog meat to customers - disguised as beef, pork and lamb.

I’m always looking for ways to get FREE media attention and generate “word of mouth” Advertising stunts but this is just plain sick.

Read the full story here: because there is NO WAY I want the photo’s and sickening details on this site.
Source: foodservice.com

On the recent World Series Game Two telecast on Fox, Taco Bell, received $4.1 million worth of additional exposure thanks to the restaurant’s free tacos for a stolen base promotion.

O.K. sure they must have paid for the initial right to present their promotion, but, this time around, Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury successfully stole the first base of the Series, insuring free tacos and helping Taco Bell realize another $4.1 million of television exposure in the process. According to research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, which specializes in measuring the impact of sponsorships across all forms of media, Taco Bell amassed three minutes, 15 seconds (3:15) of clear, in-focus exposure time, while the restaurant chain was also mentioned 11 times.

So we all better get used to some more of this in game promotion, as the major advertisers realize the leverage that is available to them.

On a smaller scale, there is nothing to stop even the humblest of budgets sponsoring local team Events and offering additional incentives for outstanding achievements during the game, which will provide a great deal of focus on the prize and the provider.

My point here is: When you see how one of the major companies engineer these clever leverage concepts, don’t merely dismiss them as games for the “Biggies only” by using the same principles on a smaller scale, you too can leverage and stretch your promotional dollars far beyond merely taking “donation space” in local newsletters.

John Cricket has shown enormous courage by publishing what he regards as the top 100 business blogs on the internet, on his Business Opportunities and Ideas Site.

And it’s not all based on opinion alone, in what must have been a mamoth task, he has combined ratings from two of the leading number crunchers Technorati and Alexa.

The major task, as John explains, was sorting out the real business sites from all the rehashed “Get Rich Quick” merchants.

I’m quite sure he is “eagerly” awaiting the inevitable “Bouquets and Brickbats” that follow list publishing.

I’m just grateful that someone has done all the hard work that many of the serious players will now benefit from.

And yes, I do admit to, just a small (well maybe more than “small”) tinge of self pride that both my sites having made the list.

I thank him, and most importantly YOU dear reader, for making my humble efforts over the past few months, result in much more than a mere glimmer of hope in my imagination.

To see his full article and the list visit his site NOW at: Business Opportunities and Ideas

.

… BUT, before you go please Subscribe NOW in your RSS reader

.

A new company CleanScores, is offering the residents of San Fransico the ability to check out a restaurants Health Inspection Records online.
Look up the name of a restaurant on CleanScores’s website and the first thing you’ll see is the score awarded to the eatery during its most recent health inspection. In addition to listing health code violations (ranging from major to minor), there’s also a graph comparing scores during its three most recent inspections, along with a form for visitor comments.

Companies, governments, and public thought leaders now routinely have their actions scrutinized and evaluated by anyone able to post their opinions online.

Millions of visitors regularly check out online reviews of the products or services they’re considering consuming. Which leaves no place to hide for the incompetent. However, it also brings with it, a whole new set of potential problems, say, from frivolous and vexatious attacks by over-zealous ex staff and competitors

The ad revenues for those who publish rants, raves and inspection records are fueling this trend and are giving rise to a whole new area of potential litigation.

.

…Don’t miss our twice daily dose of NEW IDEAS, Subscribe NOW in your RSS reader

.

Visitors to Japan are always amazed at the variety of products that are available from vending machines on street corners.

You can get every food imaginable simply by inserting your coins and pressing buttons.

But, this has to be one of the silliest yet, canned bread. Just imagine the hours of research and development that went into squeezing a perfectly good product into a can. Is this the best we can do with all our modern technology?

Surely we can use our “loafs” better than this!

…

A Chinese chef managed to bake an impressive 2,008 chickens in 100 minutes in a move to welcome the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the 17th China’s Chef Festival & 2007 Nanning-ASEAN International Tourism and Food Festival.

The performance is expected to challenge the Guinness World Record.

WOW!, that’s a lot of chicken (and not one secret herb or spice in sight)

This is a rather extreme example of how “Events” can be used to advertise your restaurant.

You know the sort of stuff: The worlds Largest Pizza, Longest Hotdog, The Worlds Hottest Chilli Sauce.

It really doesn’t matter what it is, if you turn it in to a public event, it is a great way to involve your local community and get major chunks of FREE Advertising for your restaurant.

I found this HERE on SPLUCH which has a few more photo’s.

Well, here it is the final part in the five part saga…

18 proven Ways to Increase Your PROFIT MARGINS

HERE IT IS To read it simply click HERE

For the past two days I have been publishing lists of ideas on: How to increase your number of : NEW CUSTOMERS, AVERAGE DOLLAR SALE, FREQUENCY OF PURCHASE and (still to come) PROFIT MARGINS.

I have been merrily typing away and publishing these lists on both my sites (The other is stuff4business.com ) because I believe they are vitally important to all business owners.

Well, John Cricket of Business Opportunities and Ideas has just emailed me and informed me that, if I publish the same material on more than one site, Google’s search engine thingy, may penalize my search rankings, thinking that I am trying to set up “Spammer Ghost Sites”. “EEEEK!!!”

Thanks for the tip John, I really appreciate you taking the time to warn me.

So, I have now removed the articles from this site and they are now on stuff4business.com

HERE ARE THE LINKS TO EACH:

Part one: Introduction, The Only Four Ways You Can Grow a Business and Make More Profit.

Part two: 15 Proven Ways to Increase the Frequency of Purchase of Your Customers

Part three: 21 Proven Ways to Increase Your Average Dollar Sales to Your Customers

Part four: 46 Proven Ways to Attract New Customers

Part five: 18 Proven Ways to Increase Your PROFIT MARGINS

.

Please forgive me Google! I am merely a mortal little human being. (on a good day)