Last weekend I decided to check out a new venue. After perusing their extensive drink list (about 30 cocktails), I ordered a margarita.

The bartender seemed skeptical when smelling the lime mixer and then proceeded to hang a dehydrated lime wheel shamefully on my glass! At that point I noticed how sticky the bar top was and decided against ordering food.

I was shocked when I tasted the drink! It was overpoweringly sour and so strong that I struggled to swallow the small sip I had taken.

I immediately let him know to which he unapologetically replied “Well, have another look at our list and pick another one or just tell me your favorite and I will mix that up!”

I ordered a bottle of beer.

Firstly, if your bartenders cannot make a margarita they should not be standing behind a list of 30 drinks.

Secondly, if your team hasn’t perfected the drinks advertised on YOUR LIST, please don’t let them attempt to make a drink off the top of MY HEAD!

In less than 5 minutes my impression of that business was formed. It’s unlikely that I will ever return, nor will my neighbors, who asked me about my visit.

I took the time to write the owner to let him know that both the cocktail and the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Most customers simply vote with their feet!

To putting our best foot forward,

How long has it been since YOU spent a full shift working the floor alongside your young team? An expo shift in the kitchen or 5 hours behind the bar?

Many of you are thinking “I don’t have time for that!” but it might surprise you to find out that doing so is part of the monthly repertoire of some of our industry’s top operators.

Recently a client took on his first shift in years working the floor at one of his 4 busy restaurants. He called me immediately afterwards and described the experience as “eye opening, extremely productive and long overdue.” During the shift, he drafted a list of issues to address with his management team and came up with several ideas about how to improve operations that would not have surfaced in a boardroom meeting.

There is no better way to transfer knowledge, passion and etiquette “from the root to the fruit.” The occasional shift with your team goes a long way to close the gap between front line staff and senior management (not to mention the invaluable direct contact with your customers).

I encourage you to roll up your sleeves and jump into the trenches with your team for a shift. You will be glad you did!

Onward and upward,

WHEN A 1-oz SHOT GLASS HOLDS MORE THAN 1oz!

The Meniscus Curve

I am certain that I missed the science class where they taught us about the Meniscus Curve but over the last 12 years I have seen its effects cost bar owners MILLIONS of dollars!

A false sense of security often exists when bartenders religiously use a jigger to make drinks (a practice that I advocate in most cases). And here’s why;

1. Some bartenders pour into a “jigger” until the liquid begins to run down the side. This is hard to spot from 20 feet away but it usually results in overpouring 10- 20%.

2. However, most bartenders over fill the jigger and yet don’t spill a drop. This loss ranges from 5- 10 %.

It seems hard to believe that you can LOSE 1 IN 10 BOTTLES of all your spirits and not spill a drop!

Teaching your staff to “Flat Pour” has helped many bars arch up their profits dramatically overnight.

Take a minute to study your staff. You might be surprised how much this hard to detect issue is costing your business.

Onward and upward,

NUTS?

As my flight was taxiing down the runway Sunday evening, our Southwest flight attendant said over the PA, “If you are sitting on the right side of the plane please wave at the Delta plane beside us so they can see what a FULL FLIGHT LOOKS LIKE!” Over the laughter of the passengers she continued,”It has been a looooong time for Delta!”

What struck me as remarkable was how the attendant shared the same sense of humor and attitude as the founder of Southwest, Herb Kelleher. I know this from reading a book years ago about Herb entitled, Nuts that described ‘his way’ of doing business.

This serves as a great example – that if Southwest can employ 34,000+ people who share common values and “live the culture”, it should give hope to restaurant and bar owners who need to do the same with teams of 100 or so!

The book is filled with great stories but also important lessons about how Kelleher and his team really did the impossible by assembling a world class team to make millions of dollars in one of the toughest industries in the world. By the way, they continue to have a blast while doing so.

I am going to pick up another copy of the book and recommend that you do the same.

Onward and upward,

Terrible staff attract a lot of [unwanted] attention!

Only a fool would purchase a million dollar race horse and then hire a fat, washed up jockey to race it. So why do so many business owners invest countless dollars into building restaurants and then employ miserable jerks as hosts, bartenders or servers!?

A client called the other day and asked what they should do about the horrific feedback there are getting on YELP. While on the phone with him I reviewed the comments posted by angry (former) customers and replied, “FIRE the knuckleheads that work for you who are offending your customers!”

Honestly, no training program, pep talk or team building exercise is going to transform a person who HATES their job into being a “A Player” who thrives to deliver happiness 300 times a night, 5 days a week. Like they say, you can’t polish a turd!

I know… YES, they seemed very sweet at the interview. YES, you have invested months of time into them. And, YES it causes short term pain and uncertainty to “free up someone’s future”. But in most cases it is the only choice, so get over it, and get it done!

Have you ever wondered how the top restaurants in your city manage to employ all of those great staff…you know, the venues that are FULL on a Tuesday night?!

They do 2 things that most restaurants simply DON’T DO: 1.  RECRUIT (find GREAT people); and 2. TRAIN (I mean a real induction, not just a couple of shadow shifts).

#1. RECRUITMENT: You encounter A-Players every week (if you are looking for them) working at the grocery store, the woman that lives five doors down or even at your bank (a client recently hired his bank manager as his restaurant AGM). Top restaurant owners approach these folks, offer them a career in our industry (“no experience needed – WE TRAIN”) and to their surprise, many jump at the chance and opportunity. Business cards are cheap and recruitment needs to be a DAILY FOCUS if you wish to find the best operators in our industry.

#2. TRAINING: In a transient industry like ours, YOU MUST employ a manager who loves to train and is good at it (hint: bring one in from another industry). Don’t be afraid to cut staff after 2 weeks if they don’t have what it takes. Employ people who will invest 8 weeks learning “YOUR WAY to do business”.

I know this is harder than it sounds but it is a hell of a lot easier than devising a plan to stop the army of angry amateur restaurant critics that now have a HUGE voice on social media sites.

The restaurant business has changed – it got tougher. Have you?

In your corner,

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