Actually that is not the case.

So we all have had those pesky,  little (or big), repetitive, unending lapses in standards at our restaurants. It might be the counter girl failing to introduce the newest promo; or the server not selling the newest menu item; or the cut gloves not being worn regularly, mop buckets left out, bathrooms not being checked…. I could bore you and continue but you get my point. These are things they know how to do, they don’t need training, they just don’t do them. Why is it we allow substandard practices to continue after we have identified them? Because “we are better than we were than before, right?”…….. WRONG. If you allow a substandard practices to continue because “things are getting better” you run the risk of watering down your message and never meeting the standard.
Don’t water down the message and don’t make excuses. You don’t need to tell your wife “twice a week isn’t good enough” (and if you do, you shouldn’t be reading this now!) If you have had the conversation, then the standards have been set. If you make an excuse, or allow your team to make excuses claiming things are getting better, you are numbing down your standards.   Follow these four steps to put an end to annoying bad habits.

1. Clarify the vision and set the standard: Make sure everyone know what the correct behavior looks like. (“No dear, a even little kiss with the neighbor when I am out of town is NOT okay.“)
2. Get verification of understanding: A verbal commitment that the responsible party knows what the standards look like. (“So the labor report has to be out EVERY Thursday before lunch, correct?” “Yes, every Thursday before lunch”)
3. Discuss a deadline: A drop dead date that the issue can be put to bed once and for all.
4. Verify with revisit: Trust yet verify when you come back and revisit situation. Make sure you praise the responsible party, or hold the party accountable to send a message and get your directives followed in the future. (“So Josh, I noticed my last couple of visits you have all your kitchen staff all wearing the appropriate cut gloves, thanks  for putting that to bed!”)

Standards were put in place for a reason. Sometimes its a culinary reason, sometimes its a financial reason, sometimes its a safety reason. But no matter the reason for the standard, it is our moral obligation a the operators to follow up on it. We owe it to our guests, we owe it to the health of our staff, and we owe it to the owners of our companies.

Our teams need to be guided. We all need some direction sometimes, but the flow and energy of the shift is directly proportional to the involvement of the manager. It does not mean the manager needs to micro-mange and brow beat the staff into submission (the beatings will continue until morale improves.) Sometimes the manager needs to get out of the way of those who can do the job better. There was a time I could hang with the best of the saute cooks during a Friday night, not quite so much these days. But do I give up directing a slow cook to get a plate out?  Absolutely not! A manager needs to be present and directive throughout the shift with each area he is supervising and not hiding from the staff or hanging out in their comfort zone (office, host stand, cashier, etc.) This benefits the staff, the business and most importantly the guest. Being directive does not mean being bossy or irrational….

Stability is a keynote of the restaurant leader. Strength without stability is nothing more than a loose canon. You cannot start the night being calm and then flip out when the first rush slows down the line. Yelling at an hourly team member does nothing but freak out the guests or at least creates tension with all the hourlies that heard it… or heard an especially embellished version of the incident later! Stability without strength is nothing more than a clay hammer. You look the part, but are ineffective. An effective leader must exhibit strength and engagement while also having a stabilizing presence on the staff in order to be most effective during all sorts of shifts!

http://www.buffalonews.com/obituaries/story/845779.html

Indie restaurant operators do not have this problem. The struggle to make make money in the restaurant business has always necessitated owners to be a jack of all trades. In addition to opening, running, and closing their restaurants, owner-operators are part time electricians, plumbers and painters. They know that a $250 repairman visit actually costs well over $1000 in sales (in order to profit $250 you would need sell over $1000 in sales to pay off food costs, labor, etc.) Managers of chain restaurants need to be taught sound practices to save thousands of dollars per year. Here are a couple of practices to get started on today:

• Know where everything is! : All shut-offs, fuse boxes, light panels, fan switches, and every other thing your restaurant has in its four walls. The ten minutes you invest in sharing this information may save you a visit to the restaurant on your day off. You will get more than your time back when technicians (who get paid by the hour) are not on your dime searching for electrical panels to complete their work.
• Make sure you know how all the defrost timers work for your reach-ins :  What might have seemed necessary to get a technician out to repair a cooler, actually could be nothing more than cooler plug coming out and resetting of the timer, sending the unit into a defrost mode at the wrong time.
• Get on your roof! : When was the last time you checked the work of your HVAC guys? I saw in a restaurant that had the same HVAC company for 13 years (and the entire life of of their a/c units) apparent directions from a tech that said “Stage 3 Evap Cooler in F—– up” written in indelible marker on the unit’s door (with letters in place of the dashes). If they are this unprofessional, do you really think they are doing all the other things you are paying them to do? Make this an Area of Responsibility for one of your managers and make sure all of them know their way around the roof.
• Have a tool box in the restaurant: Yes I know tools disappear, but having a hammer or screwdriver can really save the day. A small tightening of a screw today can save a call to the repair man tomorrow.
• Have a R&M day once a month for your most handy manager: Repair, replace, remove, or paint things that can be done easily. Remember, they are not technicians, nor painters; so no major projects. Just touch ups. Make it a work day, but you can still have fun. Get them in and out at a good time and make it more of a reward than a punishment. If you play your cards right, the staff will get into too and they may want to help.
• Keep a file on each piece of equipment: There is nothing more aggravating than finding out you have had three managers all call technicians on a piece of equipment that  they just can’t seem to be fixed… but you have paid for it anyway! By keeping a file on each piece of equipment you will be able to reference repairs easily and hold your repair company accountable.

These are only a couple of ideas, more will follow. But just keeping these few practices can save you literally thousands of dollars in unnecessary repair and maintenance costs.

And how did I repair the flux capacitor? I didn’t. The 30 top walked-in and we went to battle stations and went to DEFCOM 2 and we went into warp drive and…..You get the picture. But if you want to build your own, follow this link.

See you in the restaurant.

We are all followers to some extant. Following is safe. Following is predictable. Following another’s lead is effective, after all, we are following the leader and they got to be the leader for some reason, right? We follow the __________ (fill in the blank: rules, regulations, standards, etc.) We follow because for the most part what we are following are proven methods of managing. And we want younger managers to follow what has worked… to an point…. The restaurants that come through on the other side of this economic crisis will continue to flourish and grow. With expansion (or even the success of an individual unit) comes the need, not only for a strong management bench, but also leaders that can convey a vision and get others to follow their lead.

General Managers and Area Directors can only be in their restaurants so much, both for their sake and their families. So that leaves a vacuum of leadership if you do not have a manager on duty that knows how to think, solve problems, direct and be a brand cheerleader. One of the problems of a well-known, now defunct, BBQ chain was their growth. They reached a critical point where the restaurants didn’t have enough effective leaders although they were opening up everywhere. This could be pointed out as an issue with many chains.

At the level of an individual restaurant, this is also the case. The need to have a brand cheerleader who can lead the staff in the newest promotions is always present in this ever dynamic business. Staff these days want to know “why” they are expected to do what they do. (I remember working a a server in a Italian place in Las Vegas, that made you do push-ups if you were late to a pre-shift meeting. Our generation didn’t ask why, we just did it.) This wont work today. We need people in charge who exemplify the best, can direct, and give others a sense of purpose, not just be a glorified server.

Its true, young managers need to follow directions. They just got out of college or the hourly ranks and need to be molded into corporate thinking managers. In order for the break from an hourly team member  mentality, they need to believe the corporate message and understand why they do what they do, otherwise they will continue their nightly pilgrimage to the local late night watering hole and continue to look at their new management position as an hourly position. But once you have given the newbie manager a compelling reason to fully embrace their new position, and trained them in their job functions, its time to move forward with graduate studies in leadership skills. The restaurants that encourage the development in young managers of thinking skills, with mentoring by the General Managers and development of true leadership skills will be the most successful in the future!

First, a big thank you to all of you who have served and sacrificed so much for our country! My hat is off to our veterans this day!

In honor of Vets Day, the USA Today is reporting some nice promotions being offered to men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces from some major chains.  They are also sharing some promotions that leave some scratching their head:

• Applebee’s, with nearly 2000 locations, is offering a free entree
• McCormick & Schmick’s with nearly 87 locations, is offering a free entree also. They were actually offering it last Sunday to allow it to be a family affair!
• Golden Corral a chain with 485 units is offering an entire free buffet meals

Other restaurants not in the article that are or have made  entree special offers include:

• Uno Chicago Grill with its 200 locations is offering veterans a free entree or a pizza with the purchase of another entree or pizza.
• Texas Roadhouse is buying dinner for Vets
• Abuelos Mexican is buying dinner.

In addition to these, again since 2002, OSI Restaurant Partners (with nearly 1500 units) had volunteers  visit and support  soldiers by serving food  from OSI’s five restaurants: Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine.

Now I do not want to knock any free offers to our vets. There are approximately 1,400,000 in active duty and another 19,400,000 living war veterans and they deserve more than they get from us.  Although I believe someone ought to share something with these restaurant’s leaders. That is if you are going to be promoted in a national publication like USA Today for sharing with men and women who risk their lives to defend our freedoms, then do you want to be known for giving them a free doughnut? HUH?? Why cant it be doughnut and a coffee? A free doughnut…

“Thank you so much for your service to our country. Here is your free doughnut.”

I am not saying a free doughnut is bad. But if you are going to try to cash in on some publicity to serve veterans then make it worth it. Otherwise do it quietly, or don’t do anything at all.

Could Performance Ranking Reports on effective leadership skills should be instituted?

Eleanor Biddulph wrote an excellent article on ranking of leaders. Basically the premise is that leaders would have a score board. Do something worthy of a good leader, get a couple points, do something boneheaded, loose a couple of points. Many restaurants have performance rankings for their hourly staff, now is the time to score the leaders of restaurants.

For restaurants we could have all the standards that she mentions in her article:

• Ability to influence action
• Impact on team morale
• Leads with compassion
• Spends time in service to others
• Makes the tough decisions
• Develops other leaders

But we also can use some others or modifications of the above list, including hybrids.

• Score on keeping morale during a short-handed shift
• Score higher for leading by example
• Score higher for effective training that results in policies carried out when not in building
• Score lower for bad preparation (of training sessions;  meetings; shifts, etc)
• Score lower for mico-managing
• Scored lower for loosing patience during shift

Check out the article at Linked2Leadership.com and think of ways to rank your managers as leaders.

See you next shift!

51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.

56. Do not ignore a table because it is not your table. Stop, look, listen, lend a hand. (Whether tips are pooled or not.)

57. Bring the pepper mill with the appetizer. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment.

63. Never blame the chef or the busboy or the hostess or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right.

68. Do not reach across one guest to serve another.

77. Do not disappear.

80. Never insist that a guest settle up at the bar before sitting down; transfer the tab.

88. Do not ask if a guest needs change. Just bring the change.

89. Never patronize a guest who has a complaint or suggestion; listen, take it seriously, address it.

99. Do not show frustration. Your only mission is to serve. Be patient. It is not easy.

“Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”

- James Allen

Are you a positive thinker keeping the end goal in mind? Or do you only see whats wrong with your operations? Stay balanced and see all the positives in your restaurants as well as the things that are improving.

A while back I had to terminate a team member. He was a dangerously unclean kitchen worker, although he was very amiable. Staff liked him and he had a pretty good attitude most of the time. When I finally had to terminate him (if I remember the fianl offense was that  he picked up a dirty broom off the floor and used the handle to break up the ice in the ice machine), his repsonse was “you are firing me for being dirty?!, it not like something serious like being late or somethin’!” I promptly informed him that one of our highest moral responsibilities was serving safe food and asked him to leave.

The following is a beautiful letter that should be required reading for everyone who prepares food. The author, Nancy Donley went on to to found SafeTables.org.  Share this at your next BOH meeting.