By Jenny Brooks

If it’s not hitting you literally, it should be raising some flags for you.

Some things to think about?
Do you have a disaster recovery plan in the face of a natural or other disaster? This can include everything from your operating system and electronic files to your staff contact list. Do you have a backup of everything pertinent to your business stored off site? If not, visit the Wikipedia site in the above link and learn more about why this is an important and essential part of doing business.

And since I am the communications expert on this site, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you to make sure you consider the communication needs of your business when thinking of recovery after a disaster or other crisis.

First and foremost, how are you going to reach your employees? Do you have a phone list? Is everyone programmed into your cell phone? Do you have a paper list? Also, who is going to call all of these people? Is it you, or can you appoint a manager to be in charge of this task?

Start with a contact list and then think about what you might tell your employees. Will the business be open? What should employees do? Come to work? Not come to work? When will they hear from you again? Who can they contact if they have questions?

This addresses your internal audience, but what about the external audience? What will you tell the people who dine with you? What about the media? Do you post signs on your doors? Do you have an outgoing message on your phone lines? Do you have a “status update” form you can send to media to let them know how you are doing in the face of the disaster or a crisis? This would be a simple fax or email template you can fill out and send in with important information for the public.

What about if you lose power for two weeks, like some of the businesses hit by Gustav? What will you do then?

These are all things that you should be thinking about if you aren’t dealing with Gustav right now. There are plenty of sites online that can be a resource to you and plenty of people within David’s coaching system that can be of assistance as well. Ask. You never know who will come back with a great answer.

Jenny Brooks is a public relations professional providing expert and strategic tactics for businesses trying to increase awareness about themselves and their products. She is also the editor of SMART Systems Insider, a monthly newsletter from Restaurant Expert David Scott Peters. Questions about PR and how she can help your restaurant? Email her.

By Tracy Yandow

There are a lot of positives to being a manager of a restaurant; letting someone go is not one of them. For some it can be a moment of dread, procrastination, and denial – all of which are neither productive nor fair to the employee or the rest of the staff. The good news is that there are strategies that can make this a much smoother process that you don’t have to be scared of. Below are ways to make this process manageable:

• Be prepared. Ensuring that you have been documenting a new hire’s performance from the beginning of his or her employment will provide you a foundation for the termination should it occur.

• No surprises. If the employee is surprised, you haven’t done your job. No employee should ever be “shocked” when they’re let go. As a manager, it’s your job to offer feedback for improvement to employees as needed. By the time you have to fire someone, you should have gone through verbal feedback, written warnings, action plans, etc., so that the person is almost “ready” to be let go.

• Day off with pay. Offer a “D-Day” or “Job Decision Day”. Tell the employee to take his or her next scheduled day off with pay for a “D-Day”. Ask him or her to be prepared on the following day to make one of two choices: 1) To improve in all areas where he or she is lacking; or 2) To accept termination. If the employee opts for improvement, set very specific goals with deadlines.

• Be direct – to the point. Don’t mix the good with the bad. Many managers make the mistake of being too nice when letting someone go. They feel guilty, so they try to sugarcoat it: “Well, John, you really were good with the customers, but unfortunately your inability to arrive on time outweighs the positives.” That sends a mixed message and may confuse the employee. When firing someone, just get to the point.

• Keep it quiet. Firing someone is a traumatic experience, and the temptation is to want to talk about it with others. Don’t. Don’t look for support; don’t try to rationalize it to other managers or your other employees. Talking about it is not only unprofessional, but it could pave the way for a libel lawsuit against your company.

• Control your anger. Often, managers wait too long before firing someone, letting anger and frustration build up. These emotions are likely to surface if the employee starts to question your decision. Be ready for this, and remain professional. Present your facts and documentation, and don’t argue with the employee.

- Adapted from Leading for Results newsletter

Tracy Yandow is the founder and chief instructional designer for The Manual Solution, a professional documentation writing, instructional design service and partner in product. The Manual Solution provides a wide range of documentation and operational solutions to companies across the nation. Tracy partnered with Restaurant Expert David Scott Peters to produce restaurant specific training manuals for full service and quick service restaurants. Find out more at www.manualsolution.com

Authored by David Militello

As another August “ground hog day” begins, the hustle of the phone attempts to throw the proverbial bag of flaming dung…The phone announces, “Dave, there’s no manager here yet… what should I do?” As the second phone line continues to ring in the background, and people seem to assault me in my office as if to flank me front and rear to avoid my escape, I hear in the background the inconspicuous yet persistent sound of my desktop email alert, followed by my obedient blackberry reminding me of the same new message…Although I don’t quite say it, I’m warming up to the idea that this may be a less than “typical” ground hog day.

I call my beautiful “bride to be” in hopes that she will help me locate my missing manager. She makes it happen almost immediately. As we are conversing about the events of the morning and the top priorities of the day I get the 3rd wave of soliciting soldiers flanking my office, the phone begins its squawking and email is accumulating, Natalie quickly runs out of the office to avoid the chaos and begin her day as the GM of Tello’s. She grabs the phone on the way out of the office only to transfer the call back to me with an almost antagonistic grin.

Today, I learned that two of my great friends and mentors had unexpectedly passed away over the weekend. As I pondered the day I started to notice similarities between them that I had never noticed before. Hell, they never even knew each other.

My flight instructor and 1st employer, John, was a true cowboy and his horse was an airplane A Piper Pawnee to be exact (crop-duster). And my dear brother Nathan, a missionary and visionary, grew up under apartheid rule during Namibia’s occupation by South Africa. Together, we started a World beat band playing a variety of Reggae, Soukous and Afro Cuban music.

This is not to write about their legacy or even to remind us of death. But to offer the lesson that they both offered me in my occasional waffling state. You see, both of these men taught me this thing… it lies somewhere in between forcefulness and indolence. That place that sits in between dancing and flying… dreamlike if you find it, but so grounded it could kill you.

John used to say things like “boy, you have to fly that airplane if you want to get anywhere” “If you want a ride in an airplane, jump in and hit the throttle, it will take you for a ride.”

Nathan, a little more subtle with his words would get that transcendental look in his eye when I would push the band to the edge of the music and keep them there until the whole room would come together.

Nathan and John were both decisive visionary people with the end in mind; they both added an optimistic almost impulsive attitude to their individual path. This place between magic and reality is where I live. It keeps me inspired, confident and passionate.

My point here is not to get philosophical or offer a right or wrong way, but an idea about how these men and I live(d) our lives.

David Militello is a multi-unit, multi-concept restaurant owner based in Southaven, Mich., www.lakeshoredining.com. Dave is a man of opportunity and music. If he wasn’t a restaurant owner, he’d probably be playing drums in a band touring the world. Dave is a part of the restaurant expert David Scott Peters’ coaching team. He offers expertise in managing multiple locations, catering, employee development and systems implementation.

Authored by Linda Peters-Getchell

Customer Service has always been in my mind a huge issue. I firmly believe in most cases people can overlook errors in service if the caring and personalized customer service shines.

A couple of days ago I received a weekly newsletter from Jon Gordon, one of my favorite speakers and authors. He and his family had just returned from a little vacation time in Maine. While there he jotted down five ideas and thoughts he had about business. The following was the fifth one that spoke to me loud and clear.

“5. People, Not Views, Make the Difference - We stayed at a hotel in Kennebunkport for a few days. It was a wonderful hotel that had an amazing view of the ocean. Unfortunately we only encountered several people on the staff who shared positive energy. We loved the hotel but didn’t leave there with a great feeling. We thought about how much better the experience could have been if the staff were trained to be as nice as the view. Hotels need to focus as much on their people as they do their beauty and landscaping. People make the difference.”
Jon Gordon

Our restaurants are no different than that hotel in Kennebunkport, our ambiance, our view, our food is only as good as our people. Just name me a restaurant you want to return to where you were treated poorly, not even poorly, just not well.

I can’t, how about you? Yet I can name restaurants where there might be a shortcoming of sorts but there is such outstanding service I go back again and again and request a specific server because that individual makes a meal an experience.

Recently a friend and I were out exploring restaurants for David’s Champion Group to go for dinner. We had not been there before and visited for lunch.

We were warmly greeted, seated and the real experience began as up walked Tracy, our server! The restaurant was lovely, the food was very good, Tracy put the added a touch of magic, transforming a weekday lunch into a dining experience.

When Tracy inquired if we had been there before and found out we had not, she was quick to tell us about the menu and some unusual things about it, bringing it to life and making it more interesting. She was quick to offer suggestions when asked with descriptions that make you want it all. She smiled, made eye contact, kept a check on us and how we were enjoying everything.

At the end of the meal I began to ask her a few questions about accommodating a group and she quickly smiled and told us that they had private event rooms, please when we were ready she would show them to us.

She took us on a tour of the restaurant including the private rooms and suggested that if we had the time we could return to our table and she would get the banquet manager. Before she took off we asked if we brought the group there if she might wait on them, and they would order from the menu and want individual checks.

She quickly responded that large groups are usually not given individual checks having something to do with their computer system and the kitchen, but if the manager would do it, she would be happy to wait on the group and do individual checks.

We did just that and momentarily the banquet manager arrives. She agreed to ordering from the menu and making the exception for individual checks and arranging for Tracy to wait on the group.

Well, the group had dinner there and I was anxious to hear how it went. David said it was fine, the food was good, not exceptional, but the server they had was remarkable. She was the talk of the evening — everyone would like to steal her for their restaurants.

I quickly asked her name, was it Tracy by any chance. It was. I had not told him that I had requested her in case something happened that she was unable to work the night they were coming. (She had told me the only thing to prevent her from working would be if her sister went into labor. It was a first baby and she was going to be there when it happened.)

My friend and I have been back since for lunch and had a different server. Our lunch was good, the room was still lovely, but it was not a memorable experience – it was lunch.

People Really Do Make the Difference! How about the people in your restaurant, do they make the difference? Do they know how to make a difference? Might you teach them how to make a difference?

Linda Peters-Getchell has 20 years in restaurant management and food and beverage customer service. She has owned her own restaurant and catering service, developed unique training programs and won two Key Player Awards for her customer service programs at Showboat Casino Hotel. She is currently a powerful creative force for restaurant expert David Scott Peters and his company, Smile Button Enterprises, serving as Fairy Godmother.

FREE TELESEMINAR: August 7, 2008 at 6 p.m. EST.
TITLE: Keys to Taking Control of Your Purchasing and Distribution in a Changing and Demanding Market
TO REGISTER: www.therestaurantexpert.com/free-teleseminar-no-strings-attached.htm

ABOUT: GAS and FOOD PRICES are through the roof and a lot of independent restaurant owners are struggling with what to do to reel in costs. David Scott Peters, restaurant expert specializing in systems for independent restaurant owners, is offering a free teleseminar where listeners will learn what to do today to navigate the sea of rising food and supply prices.

David will interview Rick Salisbury, founder of Salz Associates which is a distribution and purchasing company helping restaurants across the US and Canada understand their purchasing agreements and negotiate and monitor contracts with their vendors and manufacturers to get the best deals at each level.

Lines are limited and registration is first-come, first served. To register, visit: http://www.therestaurantexpert.com/free-teleseminar-no-strings-attached.htm.

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, coach, trainer and speaker, specializing in systems for independent restaurant owners. He is known as the SMART Systems guy who can walk into any restaurant in the United Stated and find you $10,000 in undiscovered cash before he hits the back door … Guaranteed! Visit www.TheRestaurantExpert.com for more.