The World Does Not Need Another Place to Eat!

Bill Marvin overviews the examples he gives this way:1) Many you’ll know. But does your crew know them? And are you doing them?2) Some won’t work for you directly. But can you adapt them.3) Some are good ideas that you can implement easily. So do it! But don’t dump ideas on your staff. Involve them and implement one or two "gently."Many things that you spend you time on are really just "prices of admission" to the restaurant game. You get no credit for them. For instance, good food doesn’t count. Everyone claims to have good food. Can you implement it with signature dishes that people will remember and talk about? Friendly service doesn’t count. Everyone claims it. But how are you actually training for it? You need to serve people, not process them. Often you’re just getting through people, but people want to be thrilled, not processed.Marvin doesn’t mention the term USP (unique selling proposition), but many of the things he says are pushing you to do things that are distinctive and different. New menu items and décor are simple examples. An interesting point was that you need to have some dramatic failure at least every three months. If you don’t, you’re not trying enough new things to thrill guests and stretch the boundaries.You and your staff should be having fun, not just doing a job.Remember, your biggest advantage may be that you know your members. But are you greeting them by name and remembering their preferences? One restaurant requires staff to remember 50 customers’ names before they are hired. Then they’re rewarded for every additional 100 names they remember. If Starbucks baristas can do it, why not your people?He recommends Danny Meyer’s book Setting the Table as a must read. It is now available in paperback and on CD.You don’t have to be the best restaurant, just people’s favorite! Your food and service don’t have to be best, but your hospitality must be. You are staging an experience for patrons, like a play. Lights, music, action.The bulk of the disk is devoted to pictures of real restaurants with ideas you could adapt. These include ads, parking lots, outside décor, menus, signs, staff, the entry, gift shops, the check, and the restrooms. There are things you can do to stand out for all of those, plus more.One simple example is having an unusual statue in the front that people take their pictures with. Another is to chalk on the sidewalk a welcome for people with special events. If people have to wait, offer them something.In conclusion, you must do the work to set the mood that will keep your patrons wanting to come back..

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	Price
The World Does Not Need Another Place to Eat!	$39.95

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