As an independent restaurant owner you have the luxury and power of writing your own story in a way that many people envy. To not take advantage of that looks more like a wasteful tragedy than missed opportunity. In the restaurant industry, we all know our ticket times and we cancel a reservation on a … Continued
One of my clients leaned into a group of his colleagues where I was sitting at a roundtable recently. He peered over my shoulder, and said in a mock comic tone, “Somebody has drilled the importance of PPA into me.” I could not see his face, but I knew he was smiling. I smiled, too. … Continued
I recently moderated a panel discussion entitled “Beyond Craig’s List: Finding and Keeping the Best People.” It was presented in Austin at the Summit for Texas Independent Restaurateurs, a conference created by the Texas Restaurant Association. A few months ago, I mentioned it to an editor of a national restaurant industry trade publication. He told me, “I’m so … Continued
Management is not about doing things, it’s about growing people and leadership. If you call yourself a manager and you find yourself in the doing mode, stop. Julie Dickson, the managing director of Black Sombrero in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia recently wrote me. That’s right . . . she operates a “Taqueria and Tequilaria” in … Continued
If you want to increase profits and asset value, pay your people more. We all spend a lot of time thinking about employee retention, attracting great candidates, and providing good benefits. It’s vital to have a stable workforce that understands our culture and our systems, and that takes care of customers in the way we want … Continued
Our server forgot to fire our third course. Which would normally lead to eye rolling, dissatisfaction, exasperation or worse. But the first two courses had been so . . . good, each plate so so well-conceived and unique to Dallas, and we had ordered so much food that we were satiated and almost grateful, ready to … Continued
It is human nature to want to influence government in whatever direction you think would be best for you and the people you care about. What I have noticed is that whatever the government throws at business, sometimes beneficial, sometimes not, companies react and respond with intelligence and creativity to make the best of it. … Continued
Recently I discovered a number of entrepreneurs and business owners who hired managers and threw then into the deep end of their pool. When they started to drown . . . they fired them. That’s a poor strategy for a swimming teacher or a cruise ship line, and it’s not a very good one for … Continued
How to Conduct an Effective Weekly Operations Meeting – View Source Article (PDF Format) By Matthew Mabel The weekly operational meeting is an absolute information and innovation machine – the most valuable time for your restaurant in the whole week. It is a time devoted to the issues surrounding how your business can increase its … Continued