farm-to-table

     

 
   Getting Culinary & Service Teams United

Before you begin

Where to begin? The first thing to do before you even think about training is to evaluate where you are, and where, and what, you want to be, as a restaurant. Then, create the vision and roadmap with steps to get to that vision. Try to be clear in what it is that you really want your team to work on and the steps that will bring you closer to that goal. Only then can you start the journey to making that vision a reality.

 It’s not as easy as it sounds, though. First, let’s take a look at what you want your restaurant to be.

Answer these questions. Describe your service vision [there is no right or wrong]

a.    Casual                         …..1…..2…..3…..4…..5…..      Formal

b.    Approachable             …..1…..2…..3…..4…..5…..      Reserved

c.    Know the basics         …..1…..2…..3…..4…..5…..      Knowledgeable

d.    Get it out fast              …..1…..2…..3…..4…..5…..     Leisurely

e.    Jeans & T-shirt           …..1…..2…..3…..4…..5…..      Jacket & Tie

f.     Fun & Sassy …..1…..2…..3…..4…..5…..      Mad Scientist

g.    Grandma’s House      …..1…..2…..3…..4…..5….. Emily Post Book of Etiquette

Just a little fun to get you to think about what your vision really is! Many restaurants start training without giving it much thought. Write down the vision of what your restaurant will be.

 

     

 
   What's HOT in 2017

What to expect in Food & Beverage - Let’s look at the trends

 

Cuisine – We seeing movement from overly manipulated food to simpler, cleaner preparations with lighter food, maintaining flavors that are bold and edgy. Here are a few trends we will see more of:

 

·      Chef-centered concepts

 

·      Locally sourced, but not necessarily organic or health foods

 

·      Reasonable portions – walk away satiated, but you can still walk!

 

·      Underutilized meats and seafood – rebirthed with sexier names

 

·      Exotic grains and seeds

 

·     

     

 
   Keep the Social Media Buzz - Buzzing!

Keep the Social Media Buzz - Buzzing!

 

Managing your social media buzz can take 30 minutes to an hour a day, tops. While this may seem like a lot, many customers are making their choice based on what they see and read. Most people understand that you will not always be perfect, but will usually browse back a couple of pages worth of comments.

Chat with your team; seek and enlist someone that is passionate about this, and let them go at it. Use these tips, and you will see fruitful rewards!

POST PICS DAILY - AT DIFFERENT TIMES

You should do this no more than once a day but to all social media. It can be done in minutes. Mix it up with food, drinks, and restaurant atmosphere shots.

 

TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING – WHY SHOULD I GO THERE?

Let the world know what is happening: specials, new menus, the patio, etc.

 

SOFT-SELLING ONLY

Talk about an offer once in a while, but you should not be seen as a used car salesman.

Be authentic.

 

TALK ABOUT YOUR TEAM

Do you have a new Chef, a rock-star server, a great mixologist? Use your team member’s name [if they ok it]. This will make it personal and get your team in the game.

 

ALWAYS RESPOND TO COMMENTS

Responses should be ideally as same-day as possible. Positives can be as simple as a “like” or a “thank you” or “our team will love to hear that!”

     

 
   Scores going down?

Are your hotel scores declining?

 

Revenues are going down, customer service feedback is going in the wrong direction, expenses are going up - and your boss is asking a lot of questions. How did we get here? Well, it happens easily, and happens to most of us at some point. We get caught up in the whirlwind of the daily business and fail to realize how a couple of small things start to grow into a larger problem.

 

 More importantly, how do we go about the task of fixing it? Really making a difference and actually improving the operation? Let’s review.

 

·         Identify - Confirm that you really have an issue is step number one. List out all of your metrics to last year, sixth months ago, last month. What has changed? Is this a short-term blip that will auto-correct or is it more?

 

·         Analyze - Doing some type of analysis is the next step. I found it best to call in an independent contractor rather than someone from corporate office or someone that is too involved in the daily operation. Have a full review of the hotel conducted by an unbiased outsider, who will review the operation, look at what people are saying, and work with the team to figure out where the issues are. Working with the whole team will bring real answers and also make sure that they are more likely to be on-board in leading the improvement, once identified. All aspects of the operation should be evaluated: service, quality, speed, atmosphere, cleanliness, marketing, culinary operations, purchasing, systems and efficiencies. Any review should include the hotel leadership team dynamics; are they the right fit? How do they work together? Are there training opportunities or other needs? Review the concept: is it working, congruent, and current?

Don’t think for a moment that this is too much for the team. I guarantee you that everyone [ok, most!] on your staff wants to work in great location that they can be proud of!

For help with a comprehensive assessment and a detailed plan to get your organization moving in the right direction, contact me anytime…..

 

Author, Russ Blakeborough, has extensive hospitality leadership experience and is Managing Director/Senior Consultant at Focus – F&B    www.focus-fb.com