Don’t just read books about business; read books about art, history, biography, music and science to learn new ways of doing things. Practice not being an expert. - Robert H. Lengel

There is never enough time unless you’re serving it. - Malcolm Forbes

Never ruin an apology with an excuse.
- Jim Buelt

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Jokes of the Month:
- A salesman rang the front door bell at a suburban home, and the door was opened by a nine-year-old boy in pajamas who was drinking a martini, playing Mario Brothers on his Nintendo DS and puffing on a large cigar. Hiding his amazement, the salesman asked the young man, “Is your mother home?” The boy took the cigar out of his mouth, took a strong pull on his martini, flicked ashes on the carpet, and replied, “What do you think?” 
- Johnathan Dingler

- As the zero said to the eight, “Nice belt, man.”
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Stats of the Month:
By the numbers:
28%: average food cost as percent of sales among Top 400 limited-service chains
30.4%: average food cost as percent of sales among Top 400 full-service chains
60.5% Percent of consumers who say they “often” or “sometimes” get takeout dinners to eat at home or at work.
46% Percent of kids who say they help their parents choose the restaurant when dining out. (KRC Research)
Source: As seen in Restaurants & Institutions, November 2006.

Option-rich and time-poor, American consumers are impatient. A 2005 study for Orlando-based Bahama Breeze found that 48% of adults say a long wait for a table is the most stressful part of dining out. Only the average wait at a gas station (2.17 minutes) was shorter than the waits at a QSR (3.16 minutes) or casual/fine-dining restaurant (3.28 minutes). Across all retail categories, service was swiftest in Phoenix; Portland, Ore, and Minneapolis and longest in Baltimore.
Source: As seen in Restaurants & Institutions, November 2006.

13,000 Average number of U.S. births on Tuesdays in 2003, making it the most popular mothers day. July is the month with the most births.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
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How to Get Your Team to Think Like Owners
Copyright 2007 Sullivision.com all rights reserved

Most of them are unaware of it, but foodservice owners, operators and managers have a huge credibility gap with their hourly team members. In fact, you’ll laugh when you hear it, but your employees believe it to be true: did you know you’re making a fortune? Yep. Hand over fist. Boatloads of bling. Most employees believe that if you sell a menu item for $7.99, that $7.97 of that sale goes right into the owner or manager’s pocket. Maybe it’s time to teach our team to run it like they
own it.

Granted, a server or cook is never going to think exactly the way you do, but if you could teach them to at least wear the same lenses while they work, you’ll find the team simpler to manage and your goals easier to achieve.

Where do you start? Here’s 7 ways to run it like you own it:

1. Food safety/cleanliness is job number ONE. You can’t sell, serve or be profitable in a closed restaurant. Make sure that each team member knows how serious an issue that food-borne illness is, and that their behavior reinforces the safe handling, prep and service of food each and every shift.

2. Show them the money. Hang up a poster with a big one dollar bill on it representing the customer’s payment. Divide the bill with  proportionate lines that indicate how much of that dollar goes to: labor, food, beverage, marketing, napkins, utilities, rent, insurance, taxes, etcetera. Show them the average profit is only a nickel. Move this poster every 7 days to a different part of the kitchen, storerooms and break areas. What you reinforce is what you get. Click HERE to order this poster.

3. All restaurants are sales-controlled but not all are sales-driven. The number one way to cut costs? Teach your team how to sell more. Set team goals every shift, and stress what an owner would: that selling an entrée covers costs, but selling an appetizer, beverage or dessert is our best shot at being profitable. Lay out these goals in your daily pre-shift meetings. If you don’t know how to conduct effective pre-shift huddles, check out our 60 minute award-winning DVD called JUMPSTART: How to Plan and Execute Effective Pre-Shift Meetings.

4. Reach them “why” before “how”. Too much of what passes for “training” is managers telling team members what to do and how to do it instead of first telling them WHY we do it. Give people context and meaning before you tell them how or what.

5. Appreciate your assets. Employees are like spouses; if you don’t show appreciation, they will go somewhere else. Recognize team members who achieve high sales or identify ways to cut costs.

6. Focus on the 99 not the 1. For every one hundred customers we serve, 99 are awesome, and 1 can be challenging. How we re-channel our emotions and energy after interacting with the Customer from Hell is a reflection of our professionalism and ownership mindset. Turn that frown upside-down after interacting with the cranky customer. Focus on the 99% majority and don’t sweat the 1% who suffer from cranial-rectal inversion.

7. It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. In any successful business, there’s no greatness without goodness. That’s the biggest lesson that owners and managers can ever teach their team.

Jim Sullivan is the CEO and founder of Sullivision.com, and a popular speaker and trainer at manager conferences worldwide. See our full product catalog of training tools at www.sullivision.com