Restaurant Doctor Hospitality Resources
 

HOW TO BECOME THE RESTAURANT OF CHOICE
A Fresh Look at Service, Hospitality and the Bottom Line

How to Become the Restaurant of ChoicePrint Version

Trade paperback, 280 pages, 6"x9"
Copyright 2013
Published by Hospitality Masters Press

order from amazon.com

 

AUTHOR'S SUMMARY:

What is the Restaurant of Choice?

Steve and Nancy Butcher own the modest Nutcracker Family Restaurant in Pataskala, Ohio ... a typical small town diner and gathering spot, seemingly nothing special. One weekend in 2005 they had an electrical fire and the original restaurant burned to the ground.

On Monday morning, their neighbors showed up to help them rebuild. The community simply felt the town wouldn't be the same until they had the Nutcracker back in their lives and took it upon themselves to make that happen. The new restaurant was built ... and Steve was elected town mayor!

Do you think there would be that level of community support if an Applebee's or a McDonald's burned down? More to the point, would YOUR patrons instinctively show up to help rebuild YOUR place if such a tragedy struck? They would if you were truly their Restaurant of Choice.

If you were their Restaurant of Choice, it would mean they think of you as THEIR place. They feel a personal connection to you and your staff. They trust you to always be working in their best interests. They know the names of most of the crew and the staff knows theirs.

They feel comfortable, like old friends when they come in. And even though they are more like family than customers, they know you never take them for granted and consistently work hard to earn their continued patronage.

Becoming the Restaurant of Choice is a high honor to shoot for ... and you can't get there by following a formula or a checklist. It takes a combination of seamless service and personal caring ... hospitality ... delivered in a way that keeps you financially viable.

This book is about what it takes to do just that. Written in Bill's conversational style, it is the coming together of many of the ideas he has espoused over his lengthy career as an operator and a perpetual student of the industry.

How to Become the Restaurant of Choice
A Fresh Look at Service, Hospitality and the Bottom Line

CONTENTS

Part 1: A NOTE FROM THE DOC
Life is Like a Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzling it Out
This Book is Another Puzzle
The Dilemma

Part 2: THE RESTAURANT OF CHOICE
What Do We Mean?
The Magic in the Mix
Seamless Service
Terminology Traps
A Business of Details
What Makes Trivialities Monumental?
Where Minutia Becomes Momentous
Picky, Picky, Picky
Why Guests Don't Come Back
What You Can Do About It
The Soul of Service

Part 3: PLAY A BIGGER GAME
Know Where You're Headed ... and Why
Define Your Purpose
Putting Purpose in Context
Purpose and Goals
Clarifying Your Purpose
What Does Purpose Look Like?
Profit is Part of Purpose
Seek Alignment, Not Agreement
The Key to Alignment
Creating a Cohesive Culture
Be in Alignment With Your Guests, Too!

Part 4: COOK UP SEAMLESS SERVICE
Service Is Efficiently Doing What is Expected
1. Have a Great Recipe
  Stages of Table Service
  Other Operating Formats
  Fill In the Blanks
  Get Your Staff Involved
  Implementing Service Sequences
2. Use High Quality Ingredients
  Find the Right People
  Build a Better Mousetrap
  Do the Right Thing
  Do the Work
  Making It Easier
  Start With Screening
  Success Characteristics
  Administering the Screening Interview
  Scoring the Screening Interview
  Validating the Screening Interview
3. Prepare the Dish Right
  Get a Good Start
  Orientation
  Probation
  Confirmation Period
  Training
  Develop Certified Trainers
  How About You?
4. Observe Proper Sanitation
  Keep Things Clean
  Dealing With Non-Compliance
  Keep It Fresh
5. Give It Some WOW
  Serve Hot Food Hot
  Service is Not Just For Guests

Part 5: SERVICE STUMBLES
The Devil in the Details
Annoying Attitudes
System Slip-ups
Horrible Habits
Frustrating Focus
Poor Policies
Coaching Concerns
Professional Problems
Cafeteria Calamities

Part 6: BECOME A PLACE OF HOSPITALITY
Hospitality is Doing What is Unexpected
What is Hospitality?
Recognizing Hospitality
So What is Hospitality?
The Impact of Climate
The Climate Always Starts at the Top
Understanding Climate
What Changes the Climate?
Create a More Positive Climate
The Power of Presence
Distractions
Presence and Productivity
Presence and Service
Presence and Enjoyment
A Natural State
Start to Notice
Hospitable Practices
Hospitality is a State of Mind
The Ripple Effect

Part 7: RECOVER GRACEFULLY
What Is a Guest Worth?
Do the Math
The Cost of an Unhappy Guest
The Numbers Add Up
The Service Staff Loses, Too
Implications
Regulars
When It's Not Your Fault
Cashing In On Complaints
The Importance of Complaints
Undiscovered Complaints are Expensive
General Rules for Handling Complaints
Goals When Handling Complaints
The Energy Equation
Dealing With Difficult People
Fatal Mistakes
Calming Language
Powerful Language Habits
Answering Complaints in Person
Complaints With Potential Liability
The Positive Side of Complaints

Part 8: THE BOTTOM LINE
Building a Business
Building Sales
The Low Road: Marketing
Discount Coupons Are the Cocaine of the Clueless!
Not All Coupons are Discounts
Give Current Guests a Reason to Return
The High Road: Connection
Create Community
Before We Move On
Hospitality and the Bottom Line
A Universal Truth
The Cost of Turnover
The Cost of Recovery
Dollars and Sense

Part 9: MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS
1. Keep Tabs on Your Service
  Mystery Shoppers
  Scoring Shopper Reports
  Comment Cards
  Rewards and Punishments
  Comment Card Design
  Suggested Comment Card Questions
  The Need to Respond
2. Watch the Big Picture
3. Monitor Your Stats

Part 10: DEVELOP YOUR STAFF
The Best Employer in Town
Productive Positions
Position Titles
Performance Appraisals
The Coaching Report
Peer Appraisals
Frequency

Part 11: YEAH, BUT ...

MANAGEMENT RESOURCES
In Case You Were Wondering ...

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK:

The Soul of Service

So far we have talked about service in fairly typical terms based on the actions performed (or not) and the results they produce. But there is another critical dimension to the guest experience that has been largely taken for granted: Hospitality.

It always seems ironic that the competitive element most responsible for success in the hospitality business ... and the piece most visibly absent ... is hospitality itself!

You can be adequately fed and reasonably served in most restaurants, but how often do you experience heartfelt caring and personal connection -- that warm feeling that tells you the restaurant's staff is delighted you are there and it matters to them that you have a great time?

Most operators will say the word hospitality but talk about service. They seem to think the words mean the same when in reality, the two elements are quite different. Understanding that difference will elevate your game in ways that will astound you, your guests, (and your accountant!) Here's a start on how to understand the difference:

We will explore both dimensions of the service experience in more detail in later chapters. For now just be aware that the overall guest experience that draws your guests back is made up of two separate aspects that often just get lumped under the broad title of service. The competitive edge belongs to those who understand and appreciate the distinction.

Once you grasp (and internalize) the principles that govern human behavior, you will instinctively know the appropriate actions to take, regardless of the situation.