Great service is rarely an accident. It is a learned behavior, and in most cases, a predictable outcome.

Generation Y learns best by watching and mimicking behavior. I hate to break it you, but they feel asleep 140 characters into your training manual or your 30 minute pep talk!

Businesses grabbing market share are demonstrating what EXCELLENT looks like SEVERAL TIMES A SHIFT (not just during the staff induction!).

OK, I know what you are thinking. “I don’t have time to greet customers, take orders, or make a salad with love!”  Yet, somehow the best operators in our industry (you know the ones, the folks who are busy on Tuesday nights) find time to DEMONSTRATE EXCELLENCE hundreds of times a shift. In fact, it is what they do with MOST of their time.

I was recently asked, “What if my managers are not EXCELLENT at greeting guest, taking orders or working the line in the kitchen?”

…I have very strong views on this, but before I comment I would like to hear from YOU in the blog comments. Clicking the button below will take you there…

From the road in Canada this week (check the dates beside to join me for an afternoon),

I can still remember my first week in restaurant management – flung from my comfortable bartender position into the world of management. The business card read, “Restaurant Supervisor” but the role felt more like “Cat Herder”!

Over the years as I rose in the management chain of command, the pace maintained but the issues flying at me became more exotic and fierce! General management often felt more like “Zoo Keeping”!

Looking back, the patches of BURNOUT that I drove through had more to do with the stress that I took home with me than it did the hours/workload. For many years I thought it was my job to take over problems rather than coach people through them (I still catch myself “rescuing” those around me instead of coaching).

Do yourself a favor and take 3 minutes to watch this video by clicking the image at right. It teaches two great lessons:
1. The Power of Purposeful Stories
2. How to Deal with Other People’s Monkeys!

Zoo keeper in rehab,

PS: Sean is touring Canada in June! Click the banner at far right to see when he will be in a city near you.

Ever get home exhausted after a long shift of running around with your hair on fire, feeling like you didn’t accomplish anything?

Happens to me more than I would like to admit!

Multitasking “URGENT TASKS” tends to mean that my IMPORTANT assignments remain incomplete.

Desperate for better results, I started going “unplugged” a couple of times a month. A few hours with my phone off, computer offline, focused on single assignment from a coffee shop.

(NOTE: I used to think the world would come to an end if I was off the grid for a few hours during the business day… I was shocked when it didn’t!)

I am always amazed at how much I get done when I am NOT MULTI TASKING. A few hours here and there have doubled my “important work” output.

What’s YOUR SECRET to getting things done? Click on the comment button to share.

Hair still smoldering…

PS: Sean is touring Canada in June! Click the banner at far right to see when he will be in a city near you.

Recently I asked a colleague about a local pub. “I don’t drink there anymore,” he boldly stated. His reason: “The managers there used to buy me drinks all the time… then they started taking my patronage for granted.”

It seems crazy, giving away free product and creating ILL WILL in the process? I have never understood this practice. In giving away drinks, you devalue your offer and create an ENTITLEMENT MINDSET amongst your best customers.

Am I saying that you should never give anything away? No.

What I am saying is that, when you do, it should be a noteworthy experience, not a simple void. Think of it this way; if you comp two beers that would have been otherwise paid for, you GIVE UP $8 IN REVENUE. You could blow someone away for $8 and create invaluable word of mouth!

Some examples:

Any one of the examples above would be MUCH more meaningful to me as a consumer, and I am willing to bet that most (if not all) of your regulars would feel the same way.

Be REMARKABLE by doing remarkable things,

Dan Sullivan, from Strategic Coach, outlines the 4 simple habits that make you referable:

1. Show up on time.

2. Do what you say.

3. Finish what you start.

4. Say please and thank you.

As easy as these sound, they require remarkable discipline to execute on a daily basis. Practicing these habits have been a great guide for me in my own career.

I have used these questions to screen candidates when helping bar/restaurant owners hire for key management positions.

What I have found is many people disqualify when I ask their employers if the candidate exemplifies all 4 habits; and plenty of others disqualify when I ask their teammates if they do…

Would your team answer YES to all 4 questions about you?

Onward and upward,