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doing things right. And we had two very powerful programs that         was. And that made a huge difference too, and it was absolutely at
         encouraged that positive behavior and built what I call a culture of   no cost to my restaurant, but it elevated the team and it drove them
         family.                                                                forward and it helped build our brand.


         It started with a program that I developed called Difference Dollars,   Nick:
         and it was really, really simple. It’s something that any restaurant   Let me ask this too. I know you have a system that helps restaurant
         can do right off the bat. But when you notice employees going          owners, and I’m assuming it could probably help bar owners as well,
         above and beyond and making a difference in either a guest’s           really turn their staff into sales superstars. And before I ask you a little
         experience or a team member’s experience, helping a team member        bit about that, one of the things I’d like to pick your brain on that I’m
         in need, going above and beyond to deliver an amazing guest            sure anybody would want to know, give me one example of how you
         experience – it doesn’t matter if you’re in the kitchen. It doesn’t    are able to get the staff to double their check averages.
         matter if you’re in the front of house. Every week, we recognized
         two to four people throughout a staff of 60, and by recognizing        Roger:
         them, I noticed something that made a difference. And then we          It’s as simple as recognizing an order taker – that’s a term that I use
         would call the entire team together on Friday and Saturday night       pretty loosely because I dine out across the country. I go to bars
         before the doors opened. We’d have 30 or 40 people all gathered        and restaurants all the time. In this business, I’ve noticed so many
         around in the kitchen, and I would get up and talk about what these    operations that aren’t training their staff. These people might be
         individuals did that made a difference, and then I would present       personable and friendly, but they still have that pad in their hand.
         each with a $20 dollar bill and a can of Red Bull. It was something    They take the order, deliver the food, and bring the check, and to
         that – no one knew when they were going to be recognized, but          me those are ordinary experiences. But where I’m going with this is
         it was genuine, it was authentic, and it was absolutely something      an order taker’s M.O. or general way of operating is by asking what
         that made a difference. Those people – you could just see the pride    I call yes or no questions. And any time you sit down in a restaurant
         on their faces, and then when the entire staff applauded for that      and they say, “Does anyone want dessert? Can I bring you anything
         contribution, it just carried the team week after week after week.     else?” that is a path of least resistance, ordinary experience
         Even when we were slamming busy, even when customers were              happening that is not dazzling the customer. That’s not telling the
         coming in the door at 10:00 p.m., it’s like that culture of family –   customer anything about what makes that restaurant unique and
         everyone supported each other and that was like a cornerstone          special, so it all starts with product and restaurant knowledge.
         recognition moment.
                                                                                We have to recognize that every day in our restaurants and bars,
         And then those people would be recognized on a Make a Difference       we are getting new customers walking in the door for a variety of
         board where we would literally print what it was for all to see, who   reasons. Either they drove by your place and it looked appealing
         did it, and what they did to make a difference. And it wasn’t just     and it just happened to be lunch or dinner time, or they saw an ad,
         about the $20 dollars and the can of Red Bull, although that was       or someone said, “Oh, go check that place out.” They’re walking in
         kind of a little incentive kicker. It was really about that recognition   for the first time and they don’t know the first thing about what’s
         that made them feel proud of what they were doing, and it              unique or special about that restaurant.
         encouraged them to just do their best work and best practices. That
         was one example.                                                       So we develop staff to have such incredible knowledge that most
                                                                                of the time, nine times out of ten, any questions that get asked by a
         Another thing I found out in the beginning was all of my suppliers     customer are answered. It’s not an “I don’t know” or “Let me go ask
         in the business, whether they be food service suppliers, liquor        my manager,” which is a negative impression. It’s like they’re on top
         companies, beverage distributors, credit card processors, all the      of this stuff. So the easiest way of doing that is eliminating the order
         people that we did business with in the marketplace, I asked them      taker mentality, absolutely forbidding the yes or no questions, and
         for valuable merchandise that they may have kicking around. And I      instead giving choices. By giving choices and bringing those choices
         quickly found out that a lot of these companies had warehouses full    to life, you can suddenly double your odds of making the sale, and
         of this stuff from past promotions that they didn’t use everything     these choices are opportunities.
         or whatever it was. And they started dropping this stuff off at our
         door, and we got golf clubs and skis and snowboards and stereos        I’ve always said that every table in a restaurant or every seat at a bar
         and television sets and wearables, high tech outerwear and hoodies.    represents a series of opportunities as long as that person is sitting
         So I filled the closet with prizes every single season, because we     in that seat. And opportunities exist across the board – appetizers,
         were only open four months a year, and then whenever I noticed         entrees, desserts, specialty cocktails. Whatever they are, the guest
         somebody going above and beyond and making a huge difference,          may have no idea that they’re really going to enjoy this stuff. So if
         I’d have a little chat with them. I’d thank them personally for their   we’re not educating, informing, and entertaining each and every
         contribution and how much they meant to the team, and then I’d         guest, every table, every time, we’re delivering ordinary experiences
         say, “Hey, let’s take a walk to the closet. Go pick out something.”    and leaving lots of sales on the table. So by giving choices and
         And they’d walk out of there with a pair of skis or golf clubs or      bringing them to life, that’s the way you can double a check average,
         something with tremendous value – neon beer signs – whatever it        and it works nine times out of ten.



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