Making Dough Show | Restaurant Show

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

When the cat's away, the mice will play.

Sometimes, it happens when people will do as they please in the absence of their supervisor or manager, especially in neglecting or breaking the rules.

As a restaurant owner or manager, did this ever happen to your operations?

Do you notice a shift in your operations or standards, whether you are there or not there? How about the performance of the team, does it change when your manager is present or absent?

We recently went through this season in our restaurant that whenever the manager is there, everything goes well and fast. The staff is out, and things are spotlessly clean.

But the moment the manager steps out of the restaurant, the team's standard suddenly goes down. It's as though people are quite not on top of it without supervision.

And this is quite alarming.

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

What is the best productivity advice you can give to a fellow business owner?

Today I have an absurd practical tip for you in increasing the productivity of your team.

We all know that in the restaurant business, efficiency is very crucial.

To ensure that we don't waste time and deliver our desired results, we have this one rule in our company that may apply to your team as well:

Never assign more than one person to work on a simple task.

When two people need to do a simple task together, the amount of time it takes doesn't decrease. It does not divide by two, but in fact, it multiplies by two.

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

How to walk purposefully?

A few days ago, our front of the house manager was talking to me about our team. She said, "Did you know that we need to teach our people how to walk purposefully?"

Puzzled, I asked her what she meant by that.

I got blown away with her answer. She stated that we must train our people on how to walk purposefully -that is to walk with urgency, walking with an awareness of their surroundings.

To walk purposefully is not about being rushed, nor ignoring details. It is about being laser-focused on a task at hand.

For instance, you need to read the body language of the customers in one table who probably need a to-go box. Or that other table is almost done as you bring them the check.

To walk purposefully is having to anticipate what the customers would require next and provide them with the service that is needed.

It is going to require an enormous amount of multi-tasking and presence of mind that our servers need to implement, and I admire my team for that.

Today, we are talking about one of the greatest sins in customer service. And that is complaining about your customers.

Have you ever caught yourself complaining about your customers in front of your people?

If you are the owner or the manager, or you are in a leadership position, it's a huge NO-NO!

No matter how demanding a customer can be, we should NEVER complain   babout them.

It has nothing to do with the customers, but what you do with the culture of your company.

It's about the practices of your company on how you deal with demanding or rude customers.

How you manage this kind of situation sets the tone for your whole team, how they roll their eyes because you roll your eyes.

You and I must remember the long term effects of the different attitudes, the gestures, or the words that come out of our mouth. It's because everybody is watching.

As they are watching you, your people will do what you tolerate. Just like parenting, they will do what you do, not what you tell them to do.

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

Working in the restaurant business can be very tough. The hours can be long and dull because the operation can be remarkably busy or too slow. It's exhausting.

As restaurant owners, what can we do to overcome the stress and make things easier for us in managing our business?

Apply the 80/20 rule.

Here's my question for you:

What is 20% of the different aspects of the restaurant business that is going to have an 80% impact?

For instance, what is 20% when it comes to your marketing?

What is 20% of your menu offering? Or management?

What is the 20% when it comes to things you're stressed about and your frustrations?

What is going to have the most impact?

What problems can you solve that will have an 80% impact instead of solving little problems with no outcomes?

If you find yourself completely stressing over too many details in your business, you are solely putting your health and your team in a disservice.

Stop stressing over things that nobody cares about. It's perfectly fine to relax and stay calm. Don't get too overwhelmed with so many issues that you may be dealing with.

Be disciplined. Dedicate your time and energy in solving problems that are going to have a tremendous impact on your business.

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

Our people are the greatest asset of our company. That's why it is imperative to create effective retention strategies that will keep our staff in our restaurant.

In today's episode, we are sharing with you, our best strategy to make our people stay with us - hosting weekly meetings with our team.

As a business owner, you must realize that the performance of your people at work can be heavily influenced by what they are going through with their personal lives.

There are five reasons why having weekly meetings are vital in managing your restaurant staff:

1. It is a simple way of gathering some intel.

2. It helps you check the pulse and the health of the team.

3. It allows you to cast the vision of your company.

4. It is an excellent opportunity for you to give feedback in a casual setting.

5. It is notably relevant for receiving feedback from your team.

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

Watch how our very own Hengam Stanfield shared her knowledge and expertise in this exclusive interview by Shane Riggs, Restaurant Owner-Entrepreneur, and the CEO & Co-Founder of Brightside Consulting & Restaurants Secret Weapon.

As restaurant owners, Hengam, and her husband Matthew believes that every restaurateur should own a profitable restaurant that does not own them.

Five years ago, they envisioned to have the freedom of time, to run a restaurant that does not run them. So they can have the freedom to spend as much time with their kids and loved ones.

Let's take a quick trip down memory lane as Hengam tells the story about her family's journey in putting up their own restaurant business, how it has grown over the years, and how they turned their vision for their restaurant into reality.

>>> Special thanks to Shane Riggs for this insightful interview. Follow Shane on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/socaldelicious/

Check out  https://www.restaurantssecretweapon.com/main

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

Adding menu offerings, hosting new events, changing decor... so many things you're trying to plan for your restaurant, two questions in your mind... will it work, or will it flop?

All that matters is understanding what our customers want and give it to them. That's what success in this business is all about.

So you are probably wondering how you would know what your customer's desires are.

A simple tip is to ask them! Aside from directly getting the information from your customers, asking them will make them feel valued.

Indeed, we must always give importance to our customer's feedback. Be sure to ask a variety of people and ask for their opinions.

Never assume that people would love your ideas, instead ask them. Gather intel, so you can make a wise choice on what's going to serve your customers.

Also, another way to know what your customers want is to read your online reviews. As well, read the reviews of those restaurants within the 3-4 mile radius of your establishment.

By doing all these things, you can discern what your customers want to see more of, and what they don't. Keep in mind that having great ideas isn't bad at all. However, you have to ensure that customer feedback should be put into consideration, first and foremost. Give customers what they want.

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

SPEED and ACCURACY.   

Why am I, as a restaurant owner, obsessed with these two words?  

It's solely because our customers are obsessed with their time. No matter how great or delicious your food is, it will ruin the customer's experience if it's served late and inaccurate.   

If you know something that matters to your customers, that should matter to you and to the whole team. 

You and I need to be obsessed with things that matter to the customers, and let go of the stuff that doesn't really matter to them. That should be our focus.   

So the question I have for you is, are you aware of the things that matter to your customers? What are the three things that make or break their experience in your establishment? Do your managers and the rest of the team know about that?

The Ultimate Restaurant Marketing Guide  and all our FREE Resources at https://www.makingdoughshow.com/resources

Restaurant owners, can you define exceptional service? Do your managers and the whole team understand what it takes to have it?   

You must ask specific questions to your managers or team members and even your servers to ensure they know what distinguishes an extraordinary service:  

-What is their favorite restaurant where they had the best experience? -What was unique about that experience?  

-Why is it their favorite?  

-Why do they think it was an exceptional service?  

Listen to how they define outstanding service. For us, sadly, most of our servers have not gone to any fancy restaurant yet and apparently did not experience what excellent service is.   

So be mindful of that, don’t expect your servers to provide that high level of service if they have no idea how it looks and feels like.   And for those who experienced outstanding service, ask them what they can do for the team to level up your service.   The bottom line is, you must work together as a team, share your thoughts and ideas on how you can provide your customers with a service that will keep them coming back to your restaurant.

#RestaurantMarketing #CustomerService