Friday, June 10, 2011
A WEALTH OF INFORMATION
The Small Business Administration has a wealth of information on everything you need to know to operate or start a business. Read, read, read. The resources available are endless. One interesting page on the SBA site gives you 10 steps in the planning, preparation and operation of your new business. I also highly encourage you to follow the official SBA Blog. Most financial institutions will require a good Business Plan before they will lend you money to start or expand you business. This includes the securing of SBA loans. There are excellent outlines and templates for preparing your business plan right on the SBA site. The more you learn, the better your chances of success.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
TWO MINUTES OR TWO BITES
Four of us went out to dinner last night. A family style restaurant. Imagine, the server never came back to the table to check on us until we were finished eating. I guess it's a good thing that I didn't drop my fork on the floor.
There are obviously several steps to good customer service. Missing the 2 minute check back, as I call it, is probably the worst of service. Actually, this is not the server's fault. The problem lies with management and the lack of training. The server was not busy, or lazy, she was actually somewhat conscientious otherwise. This tells me she just didn't know any better. I visit this restaurant about once a month and have never seen a manager on the floor. No one observing the operation. No one doing any training.
All new food servers must be given at least a 3 hour sit down orientation, preferably by a manager, a certified trainer, or even the owner. I usually spend about 1 hour on the restaurant policies. This hour also includes a tour of the entire restaurant. The second hour covers the menu. Go through each menu item in detail. Explain how things are ordered by the customer. For example, some entrees come with choice of soup or salad, etc. The last hour I spend on your point of sale computer system. The important thing is to develop your own written check list for this orientation. Get this down to a routine where everything is covered in the allotted time. Immediately after the orientation, go right out into the dining room for the new employee's first shift. The trainer should stay with the new employee every step of the way. Start with just one table. The trainer should tell the hostess when they are ready for another party. Train just a couple of hours this first shift so that there is time to sit down and review before the new employee goes home. No matter how much previous experience the new server has, a trainer should be scheduled with that person at least one more shift.
I have had just a good, or better, luck, thoroughly training people who have never worked as food servers. This has been especially true with college students. Some of these servers came back to work for me every summer.
There are obviously several steps to good customer service. Missing the 2 minute check back, as I call it, is probably the worst of service. Actually, this is not the server's fault. The problem lies with management and the lack of training. The server was not busy, or lazy, she was actually somewhat conscientious otherwise. This tells me she just didn't know any better. I visit this restaurant about once a month and have never seen a manager on the floor. No one observing the operation. No one doing any training.
All new food servers must be given at least a 3 hour sit down orientation, preferably by a manager, a certified trainer, or even the owner. I usually spend about 1 hour on the restaurant policies. This hour also includes a tour of the entire restaurant. The second hour covers the menu. Go through each menu item in detail. Explain how things are ordered by the customer. For example, some entrees come with choice of soup or salad, etc. The last hour I spend on your point of sale computer system. The important thing is to develop your own written check list for this orientation. Get this down to a routine where everything is covered in the allotted time. Immediately after the orientation, go right out into the dining room for the new employee's first shift. The trainer should stay with the new employee every step of the way. Start with just one table. The trainer should tell the hostess when they are ready for another party. Train just a couple of hours this first shift so that there is time to sit down and review before the new employee goes home. No matter how much previous experience the new server has, a trainer should be scheduled with that person at least one more shift.
I have had just a good, or better, luck, thoroughly training people who have never worked as food servers. This has been especially true with college students. Some of these servers came back to work for me every summer.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
The Interview Process - Wait for the Right One
The interview process is soooooo important because hiring the right people will save you much time and money in the long run. It is important not only to make sure that the applicant is good for you, but also, that you are good for him or her. By this I mean, are you able to pay this person the money that they need to meet their personal financial obligations. You don't want to waste time giving an orientation and training, only to have the employee quit when they get their first paycheck. Frequently, especially with younger applicants, the excitement of getting hired will cloud their thought process regarding the amount of their take home. Even more often, it takes about two or three paychecks before the employee realizes that they really aren't making enough money to make ends meet. You are back to square one!
If you are interviewing for a food server you should definitely tell the applicant this is how much money in gratuities you can expect to average each shift. If anything give a slightly lower average. Follow through by saying, for example, "so if you make $75 in tips plus $50 in pay, times 5 shifts each week, you should expect to take home about $575 each week. Is that what you expected?"
It is better to be a little patient and wait for the right person to apply. Don't worry, there are plenty of great applicants out there.
If you are interviewing for a food server you should definitely tell the applicant this is how much money in gratuities you can expect to average each shift. If anything give a slightly lower average. Follow through by saying, for example, "so if you make $75 in tips plus $50 in pay, times 5 shifts each week, you should expect to take home about $575 each week. Is that what you expected?"
It is better to be a little patient and wait for the right person to apply. Don't worry, there are plenty of great applicants out there.
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