That one thing…They all want So is there a single thing that 99% of all restaurateurs want? We spend a lot of time cogitating on the benefits that we can offer to address all manner of needs. Things like sparkling stemware, gleaming flatware, less slippery kitchen floors. That list of possible needs is pretty endless. […]
Scrapping and racking…not rocket science Funny that something so darn simple (scrapping and racking) can be so utterly madding. We try hard to ensure that our operators get it, but again and again it’s clear that they either don’t … or don’t care. But perhaps that’s because we failed to explain that doing it right […]
ACH, EFT and…Phishing season We hear the sad stories of folks who’re hacked and lose personal information, money and even titles to their homes. And we’ve almost certainly experienced internet phishing in the form of those phony emails purporting to be from some trusted source, or even a Facebook friend. For the most part we […]
Chameleons and the…Challenge of change Kitchens are interesting workplaces. They can be pretty hectic and are often filled with loud even angry sounding voices that reflect the urgency of getting the food prepared, plated and delivered. And the folks who inhabit them are sometimes pretty high strung – especially the head chefs in those otherwise […]
Training by…The numbers Like most things in our world, there’s a proven, time tested method of training anyone to do almost anything. And that includes teaching them skills ranging from from racking dishes to complex tasks like programming a laundry machine. Proper training consists of four steps – the first of which is to explain […]
Our favorite thing…Or not so much? Training machine operators is a job we do so often that we’re likely to “mail it in” rather than giving it our best. Let’s be honest, doing it over and over year after year gets old. And that can result in a kind of lackluster approach to it. But […]
He’s right, you’re wrong…But is that it? If Silent Sam is at one end of the difficult customer spectrum, then know it all Niles (or Nancy) solidly anchors the other extreme. This is the person who disputes just about every utterance you make and always seems (or purports) to know more about whatever you’re saying […]
Natural limits and…Living with them If we consider the wide array of market skills we could master, it can get intimidating. The reality is that for most of us we’re probably masters of two or maybe three big areas – and that’s totally sufficient for our sucess. But being really accomplished in more those two […]
That iron nemesis…And thwarting it Depending on where that iron problem is, there might be some pretty easy ways to deal with it. Let’s start with that laundry account who get dosed with a blast of it from an old iron water main every Monday morning after they’ve been shut down for the weekend. That […]
Failure is…An option Whenever we consider a taking a big step it’s both natural and frankly prudent to have some trepidations. Take that decision you made to initially go into the business as an owner. You probably fretted over it because you knew that many, or even most, new business ventures end in failure. And […]