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Newsletter Archives
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**** Issue #172 **** April 25, 2005 In This Issue
* Rant & Rumble Editorial - Cheeseburgers in Paradise
****Please forward this issue to friends and
colleagues in the restaurant business**** ****You can appear in the next issue of the newsletter. Write in with comments/questions. Submit an article. Place an ad. Email us...****
RANT & RUMBLE EDITORIAL
Cheeseburgers in Paradise I avoid the fast food joints because I have come to believe that fast food has a tendency to hasten your demise. Having said that, I have also come to believe that the fast food industry is making a terrible mistake by reacting to all the bad news concerning the crisis of obesity in America. The entire industry has panicked and the public relations people have convinced the powers to be to concentrate on salads instead of all those greasy cheeseburgers. From a business standpoint, this is not going to work. It’s a sad truth that Americans want the greasy cheeseburgers. It's the same in the upscale sector. People don't go to restaurants to diet – they go to eat. Small portions work for a very small percentage of the dining public. Desserts are more popular (and necessary) than ever, and all this low carb stuff is a noble thought, but not the real world in the great majority of restaurants. I spoke to my friend, Chef Robert about this, and his philosophy regarding portions is interesting. He has an upscale Italian concept with the highest prices in the area (his Osso Buco is 35 bucks). People are happy to pay the higher prices because he gives them lots of food. They perceive the value in terms of the quantity and everyone is happy. This is a chef who doesn't believe in small plates and "heart-healthy" entrees. He believes in keeping his customers happy (at least for a few hours). Obesity in America is a real problem that keeps getting worse no matter how much we talk about it. Restaurant survival is also a real problem, and it’s not up to our chefs to solve this particular issue. It's perfectly legal to eat and the main responsibility of our restaurants is to keep our guests fat and happy (so to speak). *****
***** TELESEMINAR: "Lefts & Rights of Service" 
On Tuesday, May 3rd from 3:30PM - 4:30PM EST (2:30 CST, 1:30 MST 12:30 PST), Restaurant Report will host a teleseminar with Ian Maksik, "Professor of Service" and "America's Service Guru". Ian will get you all on the Same Service Page!
Ian will Enter-Train you, amuse you and challenge you to finally serve only one way -- "The Right Way". If you practice what he preaches he guarantees that your sales will soar, morale will build resulting in an increase in both associate retention and repeat business. This 60-minute seminar will seem like ten-minutes. Mr. Maksik has kept 1700 hospitality executives spellbound from the stage of the Rio in Vegas. He's appeared as a Lecturer, Trainer and Keynoter at every major hospitality industry conference. Ian is a Cornell Hotel School Graduate, Professional Opener for the Hospitality Industry, former Hilton GM and Catering Editor of CUE (NY magazine). His A to Z's of Professional Table Service Program is a worldwide hit . He just finished a four-city tour on behalf of Starwood, opened his second School for the Service Arts on the West Coast and is off again after this broadcast to train the Trainers and Owners of hotels and restaurants in five more Caribbean countries on behalf of OAS, AH&LA and USAID. Whether you're an owner/manger seeking training tips for your staff or a professional server looking to increase your tips, you will not want to miss this broadcast. It will be a most memorable experience. Register to join us! Registration: $39.95 Registration includes a copy of the CD from the seminar shipped to you after the event.
To Register for the teleseminar, click here to go to the teleseminar registration page.
PR IDEAS: EVERYBODY EATS Every one of your customers and people you'd like to become your customers have one thing in common: they all eat! They may eat at your restaurant or another, they may order take out from another or they may cook at home, but they all eat. Where is this leading? Most of them have to do some food shopping, whether at a supermarket or specialty food store. If they shop at a supermarket, what a perfect opportunity for you. Every supermarket has a weekly flyer advertising their specials. Contact the main office, suggest giving them a recipe with your chef's photo and a line or two about your restaurant. They could print the recipe every week or every other week. This helps them because it makes the market more valuable to their shoppers and it certainly helps you. Why advertise when you can get the market's implied seal of approval? They will probably want some gift certificates for dinners for two to be given away. Many large markets today, especially outside of the big cities, have kitchens. Offer to appear and demonstrate a recipe. They might even want you to station your chef near the produce department, for example, and talk to shoppers about how to cook certain produce they might not be familiar with. No supermarket is interested or another restaurant got there first? Artisinal cheese shops might be interested in giving out a cheese recipe. You photocopy the recipe with your restaurant's name and address on top and the shop gives out the recipe with all orders. As you can see, this could work with a small, gourmet market as well as a large supermarket. In fact, the smaller places might be more accessible, both in terms of contacting them and open to try new ideas. Small business owners are always interested in bringing in new customers--no experience necessary! Small shops might even be interested in putting together a flyer with you as the supermarkets have. You share the cost and give a copy to all market (not restaurant) customers. You could have recipes and food-related articles (for example, squash is in season, how do you prepare it?) Again, as in the larger markets, you could station your chef there to answer questions or even give out samples. This brings buzz to the market or gourmet shop, making it more valuable and important to shoppers. Busy housewives and career women are always looking for quick and easy recipes. Who better than you to provide them? If they like the recipes, it's only natural for them to think of you when dining out. This definitely increases your business because it gives your restaurant exposure, you get a chance to give shoppers your recipes and thus, an idea of what they will experience when they dine with you. Above all, do not be shy. You have to be proactive and aggressive. If you're not, your competitor will. Don't go to the market hat in hand, with the attitude of "please help me." Approach these people as if you're doing them a favor--which you are. They want to increase their business as much as you do, so get going.
*****
READER FEEDBACK: SERVER TIPPING The word tip DOES NOT stand for anything! Check out the urban legend site www.snopes.com to find out more. The American tipping system works the way it does because of the tremendous power of the restaurant industry lobbyists working to keep costs low. It is unbelievable that one industry is excused from paying a fair wage to a specific class of workers. This exempts it from a host of other costs that come along with paying employee wages. I worked at a large chain restaurant and saw materials the company sent to its managers urging them to support the Republican Party in order to further efforts to keep the minimum wage low. (Even though servers only get a portion of the minimum, when the minimum goes up, so does the paltry wage the server receives, even if it is only a few pennies.) It is grossly unfair that food servers must be paid based on the whims of the dining public which has a vastly varying perception of what good service is. Many diners simply don't tip because they are cheap. My site, www.stainedapron.com, decries the tipping system and gives disgruntled servers a place to vent. I look forward to the day that this ridiculous system is abolished. Kim S.
*****
REFER-A-FRIEND CONTEST Win a great prize package with over $1,450 dollars in products and services!
Restaurant Report is hosting a contest to award an incredible prize package with a variety of tools to help improve your restaurant's business. The prize package includes:
HOW TO ENTER... For every new subscriber during the contest period (4/15 to 5/15) that you refer you will receive one contest entry. So, ten referrals equals 10 chances to win! Also, each new subscriber will also be entered for a chance to win! So, yes--referring folks from your restaurant organization increases the chance that your restaurant will win! Simply send your friends, co-workers, colleagues an e-mail (or forward this e-mail) with the below link to the newsletter sign-up page and ask them to include your name on the sign-up form.
Newsletter Sign-Up Link: Remember, both the referring person and the new subscriber will receive one contest entry for a chance to win the prize package. Thank you for sharing the Restaurant Report E-mail Newsletter & Good Luck!!!
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We've just released three special packages that offer a never before available combination of placements in the Restaurant Report E-mail Newsletter. If you're a purveyor or supplier to the independent upscale/midscale restaurant industry and you're interested in reaching one of the most targeted list of restaurant professional readers available anywhere, you'll want to take a look at these new programs. Full details are online at: WAYS TO SUPPORT & CONTRIBUTE TO RESTAURANT REPORT If you find RR helpful and believe in our mission of building a helpful resource for the independent restaurant community we would appreciate your help...
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