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Newsletter Archives
(Please Note: Often times links point to "current" articles. The link was correct at the time, but new information may have replaced it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.)
E-Mail Newsletter
**** Issue #189 **** November 8, 2005 In This Issue
* Editor's Note ****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...****
EDITOR'S NOTE Welcome back to a new issue of the newsletter. Thankfully, we suffered no significant damage from Hurricane Wilma, but we did lose power for 9 days here in Miami and wow does that turn the clock back on life! We've got a great issue for you today with links to several new articles on the site; a terrific letter from Pamela about industry burnout and how she crafted her solution to the problem; and a post from Australia that hits hard on the US tipping system.
Cheers, NEW @ RESTAURANT REPORT Bob talks with Chef Nish about the "moment" that officially started his journey into the restaurant business. They also discuss the beginnings of March and how the restaurant maintains its success, as well as what it is that makes New York such a great restaurant city.(Read
more...) "Perhaps the most unappreciated friction that can occur within the ranks of today's foodservice enterprises" says Michael "is that which arises between Marketing personnel and Legal counsel over the cost of legally protecting new advertising slogans." Michael covers the issue from both angles and hits all the important points to help your restaurant address how to best handle your next catchy marketing lingo. (Read
more...)
Conserving cash is always a smart idea. Karen shares how bartering meals in exchange for products and service can help conserve cash and help boost a restaurant's bottom line. (Read more...)
Branding is all about how the customer perceives the experience of a company. Find out how a trip to the local furniture store taught Rick a lesson in Branding 101. (Read more...)
LETTER FROM THE FRONT
Service Professional's Soul Survival Having been in the restaurant business for almost 20 years, I have experienced burn out several times in my career. I never completely lost my passion, but it sure has come close. I remember having this discussion with other professionals and laughing about how you burn out and then you burn out again and then you burn out again...and then all of a sudden it's Christmas. The pressure of this industry can be overwhelming, but I think a true passion for food and people never dies. It is merely redefined. I was a waiter who moved up into Management, eventually becoming the General Manager at a very prestigious restaurant in Los Angeles. As GM, I took on E-Marketing to bring in new business as well as Event Coordinating restaurant "buy outs". And then about three years ago, I came very close to having a nervous breakdown. One day, I realized I hadn't celebrated any kind of a Christmas in 10 years. I had lost all sense of balance in my life and it was time to do something drastic. The restaurant was more than just a job to me, it was my entire life. I had to walk away from the day to day restaurant business and reinvent my ability to make a living. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do because I loved so many aspects of the business. I really enjoyed being in the service industry, but like a bad boyfriend, I just decided one night I wasn't in love anymore. I learned to enjoy cooking again and do it almost every day. And then what seemed to be an inner quiet centering came over me. I began to put myself first and not the customer. It took a while for me to be still enough to listen to myself and stop blaming the customers, the servers, the owners, the investors, the purveyors, the computer system and realize that I had let myself become so imbalanced that I was no longer of any use to anyone. How could I still be associated with the restaurant business and have my own life? For six months, I got up every day and worked for myself. At first I tried Catering and then Promoting. I found it to be a lot of work for very little money. Meanwhile I would check the Google indexing of restaurants I knew and watch their movement on the net. I sent out all my proposals for parties via email and started creating templates for other people to use. I wrote a couple of Press Releases which ended up being viewed over 50,000 times. Slowly, I started to realize that I may actually have stumbled upon a job and I could still go hang out in the kitchen with the Chef, get into several swanky places around town, eat better food, drink better wine and have closer friends than 90% of the people I know. I am sure this kind of burn out happens in all industries, but people in the service industry are special. A deep down sense of generosity and a certain level of graciousness are qualities in society we need to nurture. Recognizing when it is time to walk away is essential to maintaining your mental and spiritual health. Hopefully, you will be able to walk away with some of the generosity of your spirit still intact :-) I am currently the E-Marketing Director for 14 restaurants and am trying to adopt a baby with my long term boyfriend. If I am lucky enough to have a family, I would be able to be at home to take care of them. I never would have gotten to where I am today without having walked away from one of the things I loved the most in order to preserve myself. The lesson I learned was that if you don't take care of yourself fist, you will have nothing left to give.
Pamela Saunders
*****
READER FEEDBACK: SERVER TIPPING G'day! I am an Australian who has just visited the United States and am appalled at the idea of tipping! I think you need to make a decent basic wage a part of your demands of Government. Then all would have a good living and customers would not have the impost of subsidizing the owners of business! Let me demonstrate! Here a waiter will receive $15/hour with no expected tipping...so lets say a meal costs $100 here and a comparative one $100 there. We found this to be true. So here we get what we pay for and management knows what to charge for the meal to cover costs. In the US we get the same meal and yet management walks away with more since they are paying a pittance as a wage. We (the customer) are subsidizing the business!!! When I last visited the US it was about 10% NOW its 20%!! Where will it end??? Institute a decent basic wage and stop the rot!! By the way...other than tipping...we had a great time! - PJ
*****
Can you recommend a basic timeline to follow for opening a new restaurant? I know it depends on an overwhelming number of variables, but I'm finding that the most difficult issue is prioritizing. For example, should you secure a site first, look for investors, or design an overall concept? And then what? Thanks,
What is a good way of setting up a bonus system for the kitchen manager and front end manager? Thank you,
What is the proper tip out percentage for a pooled house? We are a 75 seat restaurant. The staff considered for tip-outs is bar, runner, bussers, servers. What would be a proper rate of tip outs? Thank you,
I plan to soon open my own fast casual restaurant, projecting $15.00 average check, and ideally turning tables 30-40 minutes. Debating whether to serve alcohol or not, I know it will increase my average check, but it will also result in less table turns. If only serving beer and wine, how much will my average check increase? And how much of the bottom line will serving Beer and Wine contribute to? Thanks,
Is there a system available today which will monitor draft beer dispensing? Specifically volume dispensed against the POS, dispensing temperature control and line cleanliness? Thank you,
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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