Points
of Profit NewsÓ
Points of Profit News-the newsletter that promotes service excellence, leadership building and enhanced profits in the restaurant and hospitality industry. This monthly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use right away to instill a passion for service in your business, build real and lasting profits and help develop your managers into leaders.
October
17, 2001
Issue 18
Ron Yudd,
Editor, www.ronyudd.com
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Welcome
back to Points of Profit News. We hope you had a moment to reflect on our last
issue’s Leadership Thought of the Month, about keeping the dream “awake” for those
that work for you. Now more than ever the concept of providing hope for others
is critical to the success of our individual businesses and our industry.
Thought of the
Month. Although it’s been difficult at best to concentrate the last several
weeks we have seen something that all of us in this industry knew all along. We
are made up of an industry of tremendous “givers”. When the chips are down and
others are in need, people in our business always seem to be there to be the
first to help out. The stories are all out there-from feeding the rescue
workers in NY to the grass roots start up of Dine Out For America, to operators
trying to keep their employees working while their cover counts disintegrated.
These experiences and stories define who we are as an industry. It reaffirms
what we, as individuals, knew all along. Be proud of your service to others and
encourage others to follow your lead.
For
those of you that are just joining us-previous issues of the Points of Profit
NewsÓ can be
found on our website on the resources page at www.ronyudd.com.
New Tool Is Now Available! We have
released our newest audio tool-“50 Points of Profit” –The Fifty Steps to
Build Lasting Profitability in Your Business. This audio series explores 25
Points of Profit in the Back of the House and 25 Points of Profit in the Front
of the House.
Keep in mind that the sales from
all our audio tools go to support our Leadership Cares Foundation’s
initiatives. Go to www.leadershipcares.org
and see the two press releases about our upcoming October and November
activities.
To hear a six-minute sample of our
best selling Leadership Legacy audiotape visit our web site www.ronyudd.com and click on audio/video. Order
through the website or call us now at 301-540-5791 to order any of our audio
tools!
On the Front Lines of Service
Last issue we worked on how to keep service standards alive
in the day-to-day operation. We explored creating competitions to keep the
staff interested, investing time during the orientation process and actually
having the staff work with you to construct the service standards that they
will be expected to perform.
Today’s discussion: Your role as the leader in making
service standards effective. The leader has four major responsibilities when it
comes to keeping service standards alive. The leader, whether the owner,
general manager or floor supervisor must:
-Model the standards in their actions with guests and staff.
Staff will always reflect the action of the leader/supervisor.
-Act as a coach to ensure that staff has a clear
understanding of the specifics of each standard.
-Ensure that the tools of service are available in proper
quantities so the service standard can be performed.
-Let the staff know how they are doing as it relates to
performance of the standards.
Building Leadership Skills
In our last issue we talked about Selflessness.
Selflessness is when you don’t worry about who gets the credit. You are so
focused on the success of your business and the success of those that work for
you that you don’t have time to worry about whom is getting the credit.
Selflessness involves:
-Present yourself with quiet self-confidence - Let others
talk about your accomplishments.
-Deflect praise away from yourself and make sure it is
heaped upon your associates.
-Work from a position of humility. Your actions become your
reputation.
This
month it’s the concept of Sharing the Power. This means that you share the power of decision
making with your team. Now this doesn’t mean that the staff votes on how much
money is deposited in the bank and how much is divided up at the end of the
shift amongst the crew. It means that you create parameters in which your team
can make independent decisions and that they don’t have to “get the manager” to
decide what to do in a particular situation. You entrust them, after you train
them to make the right decisions.
Keys to Sharing the Power Success:
-Clearly defined parameters. This means: In this situation
you can do the following on your own.
-Measurement and review of parameters. This means: Consistent review and appraisal of the parameters.
Profitability Plus
Last issue we talked about an area that is often over looked
in the flow of food. Issuing of products into production/preparation. We
offered the following five things to take a look at in your particular
operation. These apply across the board from quick serve to fine dine.
Here’s the list again.
-Issue as close to production time as possible
-Issue only enough products for that production or meal
period
-Issue to a person-not a department-Hold someone accountable
for issued products
-Issue products along with information on the expected yield-Relate
it back to accountability
-Issue only to secured space- (locked reach-in) Stainless
steel tables in the middle of the kitchen are not secured spaces
Point 1-Issue food only when it is needed. Food for lunch
production doesn’t always have to be issued at 7:00 in the morning. Consider
quality, food safety and security and then decide when it is really has to be
in the hands of the prep staff.
Point 2-Decisions on how much to issue should be driven by
passed history not what the line cook would like to work with.
Point 3-Accountabilty at this stage is critical. Someone
should be designated as responsible for the issued foods.
Point 4-Let the
prep staff know exactly what the expected yield is. Example: 5 lbs of Ground
Beef = 20-4oz. Chop Steaks.
Point 5-There has be a secured space that the food is
issued, it cannot simply sit on a cart or on a work table.
Over the next month take a look at how your operation is conducting the issuing process. Use the five guidelines to tighten up this part of your profitability points.
On-Line Success Coaching Program. Do You Have a Coach? Check out
our website www.ronyudd.com to
explore our coaching service. We have three levels of personal coaching
services available. Give us a call about information that can help you go to
the next level in your career or improve your effectiveness in your
business-301-540-5791.
Take Home Idea of the Month
This month’s take home idea is a training tip for your
service staff. Each day as part of the line up bring the wait staff back to the
kitchen and demonstrate the preparation of one entrée. Show them the process
from start to finish-rough prep through finishing and plating. Remind them to
use what they’ve seen to describe the items to their guests. Remember the more
your staff knows about an item the more comfortable they will be when it comes
to selling it. Everyone wins-Your guests will know more about the item, the
servers will be more comfortable recommending a particular entrée and the back
of the house crew gets a little respect for all they do to produce a beautiful
finished product.
Bonus Take Home Idea-Top Forty Food Safety Training Tips for
Success: www.ronyudd.com/resources.shtml
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Web Site of the Month----- This month we have three web
sites for you to explore. The first is www.windowsofhope.org
This is the family relief fund for restaurant families
affected by the WTC attack. As I mentioned at the beginning of this issue this
is the purest example of what we are all about. The second site is www.nrn.com, whether you subscribe to the paper
or not this is a great site to stop by each morning and see what’s happening in
our industry. The third site this month is a recent discovery and I am still
exploring it. Visit www.ehotelier.com.
It has the best list of resources for chefs I’ve seen and also an extensive
list of books for hospitality professionals. I think you’ll love this site as a
starting off point to exploring the web.
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Points
of Profit Leadership Inc. helps companies develop their managers into leaders. We are a “one stop
shop” for resources and tools for enhancing customer service levels, increasing
profitability and developing leadership within your operation.
Points of Profit News is an online means of sharing
information of interest to the restaurant and hospitality community. You are
encouraged to send questions, make observations and share items of interest.
E-mail your ideas, thoughts and contributions along with your name, address and
phone number to: ron@ronyudd.com
Ron Yudd is a recognized expert on
developing profit strategies and customer service solutions. Ron provides his
clients with the tools for their success. He accomplishes this through
keynotes, seminars, workshops, facilitation, consulting and personal coaching.
His keynotes and seminars- Leadership Legacy, Leadership for the Bottom Line,
No One Escapes Customer Service and Mentoring Today for Leaders Tomorrow have
helped business operators focus in on building leadership skills, improve
customer service and enhance the profitability of their operations. He combines
a motivating style with practical “take home” ideas. You can reach him at www.ronyudd.com or email him at ron@ronyudd.com. His office number is
301-540-5791. Copyright 2001 by Ron Yudd.