Page 40 - foodservice news - July 2018

40
MANAGEMENT
TONY ELDRED
FOOD SERVICE
One of the constant issues we have to deal with in both the training and consulting
side of our business is the attitude that restaurants and cafes are ‘all about the food’. This is especially prevalent in business owners who are, or were chefs; but a disturbing number of other people echo these same sentiments either overtly by argument, or subtly by their behaviour.
I’m quite happy to accept that at lower market levels it is pretty much all about the food. Customers who frequent fast food businesses seem happy to forgo offhand service and simple surroundings in return for consistent, tasty meals – but there are limits on what they are prepared to pay for no frills dining. My concerns lay at higher market levels, where table service is the business model.
The more you pay for a meal, the less the experience is judged purely by the food. Yes, you may choose to go to a certain cafe or restaurant because they are known to feature good food, but there are a number of other considerations that come into play with your selection, and a
failure to recognise them and manage them will inevitably stifle your business growth.
The first one is the customers’ perception of service – and I hardly need to state the obvious – but bear with me and think about your business. I define service simply – it is a positive perception of human interaction. It can be warm and friendly but lacking in technical skill and you might still get a tick from customers, but if it is cold and offhand while being technically correct it is far less likely to impress. Many a fine meal has been nobbled by inept human interaction.
You may think you get this right, but 30 years of reading thousands of Mystery Shopper perception reports tell me that very few food and beverage businesses get this right consistently. We are used to getting brief negative comments about food quality or menu options, but we often see ‘essays’ on the negative perception of staff who are obviously going through the motions, but who make no real attempt to fulfil the acting role that is required to produce a perception of hospitality.
Moving on, I am next concerned with the selling and merchandising skills of front of house staff. The current reality is that you don’t make much money out of main meals and there is no point being in business if you don’t make a profit. Your profits will largely come from the sale of beverages, entrees, desserts and add-ons.
If your staff don’t engage and accept the modern sales role and maximise potential customer average spend, no matter how good your main items are you are unlikely to make much from your customers.
Putting this another way, for your business to be successful you need skilled, efficient production combined with effective and efficient selling. To this end when we are training managers, we characterise a restaurant or cafe as a food factory with a sales office attached. If the managerial focus is largely on the food we get quality production with substantially less than optimal sales – which usually manifests itself in higher than acceptable wage costs.
Finally, the third influence on customer perception is your environment. Dining is often
Tony Eldred operates Eldred Hospitality Pty Ltd, ‘The Hospitality Specialists’. Contact him on (03) 9813 3311 or at eldtrain.com.au.
LAYING IT ON THE TABLE
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE FOOD. THIS MONTH MANAGEMENT GURU, TONY ELDRED, LAYS BARE THE THREE PILLARS FOR GOOD HOSPITALITY AND TURNING A PROFIT.
G
N
E
A
T
M
E
A
M
N