Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Drowning? Here's a life raft!
Good morning my folks! Today I want to talk about professionalism.
If you have been struggling to get people through the doors of your establishment perhaps you should look at how professionalism or a lack thereof can effect your level of customer service.
For instance, there is a local business that I used to work for. I was brought in as a manager under the pretense that I was there to improve the companies image with the public. The owner told me that he was $800,000 in debt and needed help getting his employees back on track because they caused too much drama.
My first day there after training, I had the opportunity to see why this place was failing so badly. The first problem that I saw was that the employees had no respect for the management. The other manager I was working with was too buddy-buddy with a handful of the staff. While the other employees who were not "friends" with this manager felt like there was too much favoritism. They had tried to be great employees when they began working there, but just didn't care anymore because no matter what they did, they couldn't win.
Even though this place was supposed to be a friendly restaurant, I heard servers on the floor telling hosts they didn't want this customer or that customer because of what they looked like. They walked around with their shirts hanging out of their pants, one of the cooks looked really dirty all of the time and in his grease stained clothes would play video games in view of the customers. Many of the employees would show up either high or drunk, and if we sent them home we would get chewed out by the owner.
By the time we approached the dinner rush on that first day, the other manager was no where to be found. The restaurant was understaffed, and the hosts were not seating properly. The kitchen began to get so backed up that it crashed, servers who had no tables would go smoke a cigarette, while servers who had all of the tables struggled to keep up. The ice cream counter was slammed and while this ship sank, it was every man and woman for themselves.
The lack of organization and professionalism had begun with the owner, (who also was very friendly with select employees), and had trickled all of the way down to the dishwashers.
At the peak of the night, while the rest of the place was falling apart, I found the other manager out back smoking pot with some of the cooks. At that point, they should have all been fired. No excuses.
However, the next day the other manager was questioned and simply told "you can't do that anymore", a few of the employees who had participated in the illegal activities were told that they were also not allowed to smoke during their shifts and that was that.
As a business owner, if your employees are not doing their jobs properly, you have to look at how your business operates. Are your managers roommates or friends with other employees? Do you grant special favors for people? If you have allowed things to get out of hand because of the development of personal relationships, it's time to draw a line and separate your personal and professional life.
After an entire summer in this environment, I did everything I could to build a team environment. Those who participated loved what we were doing. Those who didn't like it were allowed to continue their paths of selfishness and continue to bring down this place.
As a manager there, I was constantly apologizing for things that never should have been allowed to go on, but without the support of the owner (who was also part of the problem) there was little I could do. The employees in this place knew that nothing would change so why should anyone try?
To this day, when I mention this business, I always get looks of disgust.
I had a manager at another local restaurant tell me that he would NEVER step foot in that place again after an experience he had there with his wife.
You may have a great product, but if the people you have representing your product are not professional, your customers will move on to another place and or another product.
When people go out to eat, it's because they are trying to have a night out. They want to relax and don't want to have to cook or just don't have the time to cook.
If the owner of the above restaurant would have been sincere about improving his establishment I know that we could have completely changed the way the community views this place.
Think about your own business. Do you have problems like the ones I mentioned above? Do you have employees who don't respect you or your management team?
Let me give you some advice:
#1) When you are managing people, you have to make the rules very clear. Stick to your guns on rewards and reprimands. DO NOT change these rules for anyone, not even your managers.
#2) You have to maintain a safe distance from employees. Check the personal stuff at the door. No one wants to or should have to hear about how drunk they were last night, or what your babies daddy does in his spare time.
#3) If you find that you have already developed a personal connection with employees, the best thing you can do is put some distance between yourself and them. Hire a manager who will be unbiased.
#4) Focus on team building. I have never seen a successful restaurant or place of business run without it.
#5) Don't forget to recognize the little person. Maybe you have people who are strong in one area but weak in others. When you notice them working on those weaknesses, reward them.
#6) Have some fun and let your staff integrate a touch of themselves in their job. Everyone has a light that shines, but if you are too tough on your staff they stop having fun and their performance will decrease.
#7) When in doubt ask for a fresh set of eyes. Perhaps participating in a mystery shop, or having a temporary employee can help you understand what's going on while the boss isn't around.
If you have been struggling to get people through the doors of your establishment perhaps you should look at how professionalism or a lack thereof can effect your level of customer service.
For instance, there is a local business that I used to work for. I was brought in as a manager under the pretense that I was there to improve the companies image with the public. The owner told me that he was $800,000 in debt and needed help getting his employees back on track because they caused too much drama.
My first day there after training, I had the opportunity to see why this place was failing so badly. The first problem that I saw was that the employees had no respect for the management. The other manager I was working with was too buddy-buddy with a handful of the staff. While the other employees who were not "friends" with this manager felt like there was too much favoritism. They had tried to be great employees when they began working there, but just didn't care anymore because no matter what they did, they couldn't win.
Even though this place was supposed to be a friendly restaurant, I heard servers on the floor telling hosts they didn't want this customer or that customer because of what they looked like. They walked around with their shirts hanging out of their pants, one of the cooks looked really dirty all of the time and in his grease stained clothes would play video games in view of the customers. Many of the employees would show up either high or drunk, and if we sent them home we would get chewed out by the owner.
By the time we approached the dinner rush on that first day, the other manager was no where to be found. The restaurant was understaffed, and the hosts were not seating properly. The kitchen began to get so backed up that it crashed, servers who had no tables would go smoke a cigarette, while servers who had all of the tables struggled to keep up. The ice cream counter was slammed and while this ship sank, it was every man and woman for themselves.
The lack of organization and professionalism had begun with the owner, (who also was very friendly with select employees), and had trickled all of the way down to the dishwashers.
At the peak of the night, while the rest of the place was falling apart, I found the other manager out back smoking pot with some of the cooks. At that point, they should have all been fired. No excuses.
However, the next day the other manager was questioned and simply told "you can't do that anymore", a few of the employees who had participated in the illegal activities were told that they were also not allowed to smoke during their shifts and that was that.
As a business owner, if your employees are not doing their jobs properly, you have to look at how your business operates. Are your managers roommates or friends with other employees? Do you grant special favors for people? If you have allowed things to get out of hand because of the development of personal relationships, it's time to draw a line and separate your personal and professional life.
After an entire summer in this environment, I did everything I could to build a team environment. Those who participated loved what we were doing. Those who didn't like it were allowed to continue their paths of selfishness and continue to bring down this place.
As a manager there, I was constantly apologizing for things that never should have been allowed to go on, but without the support of the owner (who was also part of the problem) there was little I could do. The employees in this place knew that nothing would change so why should anyone try?
To this day, when I mention this business, I always get looks of disgust.
I had a manager at another local restaurant tell me that he would NEVER step foot in that place again after an experience he had there with his wife.
You may have a great product, but if the people you have representing your product are not professional, your customers will move on to another place and or another product.
When people go out to eat, it's because they are trying to have a night out. They want to relax and don't want to have to cook or just don't have the time to cook.
If the owner of the above restaurant would have been sincere about improving his establishment I know that we could have completely changed the way the community views this place.
Think about your own business. Do you have problems like the ones I mentioned above? Do you have employees who don't respect you or your management team?
Let me give you some advice:
#1) When you are managing people, you have to make the rules very clear. Stick to your guns on rewards and reprimands. DO NOT change these rules for anyone, not even your managers.
#2) You have to maintain a safe distance from employees. Check the personal stuff at the door. No one wants to or should have to hear about how drunk they were last night, or what your babies daddy does in his spare time.
#3) If you find that you have already developed a personal connection with employees, the best thing you can do is put some distance between yourself and them. Hire a manager who will be unbiased.
#4) Focus on team building. I have never seen a successful restaurant or place of business run without it.
#5) Don't forget to recognize the little person. Maybe you have people who are strong in one area but weak in others. When you notice them working on those weaknesses, reward them.
#6) Have some fun and let your staff integrate a touch of themselves in their job. Everyone has a light that shines, but if you are too tough on your staff they stop having fun and their performance will decrease.
#7) When in doubt ask for a fresh set of eyes. Perhaps participating in a mystery shop, or having a temporary employee can help you understand what's going on while the boss isn't around.
Monday, April 5, 2010
How to get reviewed
Now that we are getting the ball rolling over here @ Vitalogy Designs, I want to invite all business owners to email me if you want to be reviewed. I will be visiting random places and "mystery shopping" them and then writing my review here. Let me know if you'd like to be part of this!
Myrtle Beach Blogger is LIVE!
If you are reading this it's because you are perhaps either a local of Myrtle Beach, SC or a fan of the area.
This blog is dedicated to making our city a better and more friendly one for all!
Brought to you by Vitalogy and VitalogyDesigns.com we will be weighing in on topics of interest for locals, including reviews of businesses. Hopefully our tips will help you to help your own business or if you are visiting, we strive to show you some of the areas best businesses to frequent!
This blog is dedicated to making our city a better and more friendly one for all!
Brought to you by Vitalogy and VitalogyDesigns.com we will be weighing in on topics of interest for locals, including reviews of businesses. Hopefully our tips will help you to help your own business or if you are visiting, we strive to show you some of the areas best businesses to frequent!
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