On the Front Lines of Service

How Much Does Your Staff Really Know? Last month we talked about the five things servers should always do for their guests. This month we take a look at the top three things every staff member (both back and front) should know about your operation:

• Points of Guest Interest-sounds simple, but its really important stuff--salad bar, phones, restrooms etc 
• Menu and Menu Items-We mean really know the menu-signatures, ingredients, prep methods etc 
• History of the House-How it evolved, how long its been around, background of the owner/chef, community involvement, other locations if applicable and other interesting stories about the operation.   

Real Succession Planning-The Nuts and Bolts of Your Company's Future: One of the most difficult things we face as an industry is effective succession planning to ensure a flow of genuine talent through our units. Last issue we talked about three things unit level managers should consider as part of their succession planning. Here are five things to consider at the leadership level as your organization implements its plan.

• Identify the top ten technical skills and the top ten life skills you want your future GMs and leaders to master. This critical task should be done by collecting input from all levels of the organization. This list of skills will really define what it means to be a successful manager at ............. (you fill in the blank).
• Create a written, super specific, and time-lined path for your up and coming supervisors and managers to follow in order to learn and master those identified skills.
• Teach accountability from the "Get Go"-Place the burden on the shoulders of the developing managers and remind them it is their responsibility to work on practicing and mastering the skills.
• Area Directors and GMs must act as mentors to help assistants learn and master the skills.  
• Commit from the very top to "live" the plan. The Training Director, Area Directors, VPs and CEO each time they address the team (in writing as well as in person) always use the commitment to the plan as a springboard to frame every company discussion. This will help create focus for your entire team. Everyone will be on the same page as you develop future leaders!

This month we continue to explore a tool we use called the Menu Gauntlet. It's a ten step checklist that we advise clients to put every new item through that they intend to add to their menus. The checklist applies to all menus from menu boards to full service to catering menus. The thought here is that if the item survives the ten steps along the menu gauntlet it will be strong enough to be placed on the menu and be a genuine contributor to the profitability of the operation. This month step nine and ten of the menu gauntlet:

Review previous steps in last four newsletters: http://www.ronyudd.com/resources.shtml 

• Step Nine-Ease of Handling- How will the item be handled from back door to storage, production through prep and then on to guest service? Is easy to handle to or does it present some logistical problems?
• Step Ten-Potential For Growth- What else can we do with this item? Can this item or a version of this item be part of a combination, an appetizer, served on our brunch buffet, used as a special feature etc.? If it, in fact, does become a big seller what is it's growth potential on the current menu?

Take Home Tip: Send your existing menus through the ten step process and also use the checklist each time you create a new item that you are considering for your printed menus. 

 

It's going to be a very busy Fall for Leadership Cares and its three outreach programs. Please keep in mind that our greatest need is for caring adults to step forward and become mentors. Just two hours per month can help a young person learn the leadership and life skills that will help them be successful in the marketplace and in their community. Mentors also learn how to apply our concepts in their workplace!!! It's a win-win! 

Several important dates to note:

• September 6th, 2004-MentorCares™ Youth Mentoring-Northwestern High School Career Academy-Hyattsville MD  

• October 8th, 2004-LiteracyCares™ Award of Excellence Dinner-Capitol Hilton-Washington D.C.   

• November 8th, 2004-LiteracyCares™ Director's Forum-Teaching Others to Read-Washington D.C.  

• November 22nd-23rd 2004-ThanksgivingCares™ Feeding Families in Need-Silver Spring MD 

If you have an interest in mentoring a young person, getting involved in literacy issues and helping feed families in need please drop us an email at: ron@leadershipcares.org  

We're repeating this from last issue because of your response. Several ideas on how you as a leader can help your staff communicate their personal brand and create individual and operational win-win scenarios. Work to help your individual team members develop their own personal brand by:

• Helping Them-Build their own fan club with their guests-Make them the stars!! 
• Reminding Them-About what they are really good at! Remember it's about building on strengths.
• Coaching Them-Push them to work on and improve their technical skills and life skills.
• Protecting Them-Their self-confidence drives everything that they can accomplish---Protect it as a good teacher does.