Authored by David Militello

It was a Wednesday afternoon, an unusually cold and rainy day in August. As the day started to reveal its disposition the phone rang. It was my POS provider with our 2nd mediation call to a less-than-reputable software vendor that couldn’t deliver a product that was supposed to make my life easier. It so didn’t.

“Keep a cool head, Dmil, you won’t be able to think if you don’t,” I say to myself, as we end yet another unproductive conference call.

Many rainy minutes later, “Riiiinnngg.” my phone jumps off the hook again. It’s my operations manager.

“Do you have a minute to chat? We have a situation.”

You see, we have a girl that has written a note. It is about an employee that allegedly has been doing some inappropriate things. As I listen to the letter, my stomach drops and my brow tightens a bit, but I catch myself from going to that bad place known as reaction.

“Don’t go there,” I say to myself. “Not this time.”

I’ve been in this situation before, and this time I know I can handle it with confidence and professionalism.

I say to my operations manager, “I want you to schedule a meeting with her at 4 p.m. Be here 15 minutes before so we can review the letter, and I will show you how we work through a situation like this.”

I proceeded to print out the forms that I created two years before to help automate this process.

You see, the first time around I panicked and called my coach and restaurant expert David Scott Peters. As I explained the situation he said to me, “Have you looked at the sexual harassment prevention training product I created?”

Hmmm, as I glance up at my jam-packed bookshelf I see Running a Profitable Restaurant: from Soup to Nuts, Breakeven Point Calculator, Think and Grow Rich, and aahhh, there it was.

“You mean that thing that says I CAN BE SUED FOR THAT?,” I ask, somewhat sheepishly.

“DUDE!” he exclaims. “YES! Open it up, listen to it and call me tomorrow.”

That tool was extremely helpful in making sure I managed the complaint the right way, following the right legal protocols, while also handling my employee’s claims with sympathy and compassion. As that meeting ended, we all had a feeling of closure and accomplishment.

This time around, it went even better because I was prepared before the incident, not during. In the face of a potential crisis we were able to act quickly and accurately.

In the words of David Scott Peters, “Sexual harassment in the workplace is not a matter of, if, but rather a matter of when.”

Don’t wait for something to happen to you. Train your employees about preventing it in the first place and then what to do if it happens.

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 David Militello

Everyday we’ve all been listening, waiting, watching the whirlwind of news from the recent election to the “goat rodeo” of a stock market. I think it is safe to say this time of year, the economy and the consumer confidence level is affecting all of us on some level. I was on the phone with my coach (restaurant expert David Scott Peters) talking about marketing ideas this past Thursday. “Family style” this and “Kids Eat Free” that…bundle, bundle, bundle!

Through our conversation Coach Peters started me on a journey to take some action, as he does so well. He told me about a statement made by Ted Turner regarding the controversial bail out. He said something along the lines of, and I’m paraphrasing here, If we’re going to bail out anybody, we need to bail out the restaurant industry. Everybody’s suffering in the restaurant industry!

That being said the first thing on my list was to attack my menu because I knew I could get immediate results with little effort. I did some menu engineering and kicked out some “dogs” and changed the recipes on some “challenging” items, I also looked at a few prepared products that wouldn’t sacrifice quality if I changed a few things to save some money.

I highly encourage you to challenge your vendors to find these little gems for you.

I also decided to refresh my menu cover and ended up with a wonderful marketing piece and mission statement clearly defining what YOU as the guest will get when you come to my restaurant. The biggest challenge was to stop telling customers what we (restaurateur) offer them and to answer for them, “Shat’s in it for me(Guest)?”

Here are two versions. One is the original version, and the other is the one I revised to be all about the guest. It’s the final version. Line by line you’ll notice how we turned “what we offer” (as the restaurateur) to “whats in it for me” (as the guest).

Here are some tips to follow:

1. Can you answer this question with a guest mindset? What’s in it for me? Why should I eat here? What does this statement really mean?

2. Stop talking about yourself and what you do for the guest. That’s selfish and doesn’t convey meaning to the guest.

3. Read it aloud…Does it sound pompous? Or does it sound sincere and believable? Are you talking to one person or making general statements to a large crowd?

4. Bold, Highlight and Underline keywords like FREE and YOU.

5. Use headlines to grab the reader.

6. AGAIN….What is in it for the GUEST (not) What do YOU offer to your guests.

7. Use this copy as the foundation of your marketing.

I hope you are all doing well in these tough times and I hope to see and speak with you very soon. If you’re a member of David Scott Peters, everyone’s favorite restaurant expert, please get on the Web site and schedule some coaching time to talk further about this topic or anything else that I can help with. www.therestaurantexpert.com

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 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 David Militello

As a coach with David Scott Peters, I engage in a lot of different discussions with members who own all types of different styles of restaurants – single- and multi-unit owners, fine-dining owners, quick-casual owners, and many, many more.

Below is the exchange between myself and a member of David’s Champion group after the question was posed on the member forum. The discussion was about whether or not to take reservations.

The question posed:

“We are having a debate over seating from a waiting list. We would like to get everyone’s view on this situation.

The waiting list has seven parties waiting. The list is as follows:

1. 3 people

2. 4 people

3. 4 people

4. 8 people

Etc.

The house is full, all are walk ups, no reservations. All guests are waiting in the same area. Two tables open up that can be placed together for the party of 8. It will be a while before the table of 8 can be seated unless you use the two opening tables. This would mean seating the 8 ahead of the first 3 parties that are on the list first. What would you all do?

We have differing views and we want your input.”

My response back to the member:

“In your situation I would create a large group reservation rule that is flexible so you have some leverage with groups and you can seat according to arrival. Large groups generally know it will be more difficult to get a table, and I use this as an opportunity to ‘work hard for them’ and find them a table ASAP. I could also start them with cocktails and/or apps at the bar. I would rather seat smaller tables first in my restaurant because I know I will get a higher $ per cover with a more intimate table than a group. I have written some more on the topic in general below I truly believe that what applies to my situation does not necessarily apply to a café in New York or anywhere else for that matter.

Reservations…almost as hot a topic as bread! The art of knowing when Mr. and Mrs. Johnson will dine for 3 hours or 25 minutes is nearly impossible. First of all I believe the question of whether or not to accept reservations has many factors that must be considered carefully.

1. What are you trying to accomplish by accepting reservations?

• Are you trying to provide a certain level of hospitality?
• Are you trying to cut prep costs?
• Are you trying to control the flow of your seating?
• Do you want an image of exclusivity?

2. Are you missing out on lost seating because of reservations?

• Make sure you’re not turning people away because 6:30-8: is completely booked.
• I find in my particular situation clients will not make a reservation at 8:45 pm or at 5:30 pm, however they will show up at those times if they perceive higher business levels out of fear of waiting for a table.
• What are other restaurants around you doing?
• How big is your restaurant? If you’re taking reservations to manage the flow of seating because of uncontrollable issues (kitchen is the size of the women’s bathroom) is much different than if you have a 65 seat restaurant where no one will leave because your hospitality, food and service are outstanding!
• If you currently take reservations, how do you take advantage of the empty seats left by the 25 minute diners and accommodate the 3hr campers all the while meeting your reservation deadlines and providing hospitality?

3. Customize a reservation system that identifies your needs first. Remember your ultimate goal is to provide Hospitality, proper service and quality food and beverage (in that order).

• Be flexible require reservations for large groups (but find a way to accommodate them when they don’t make one, use this as an opportunity to teach them about this special system the next time they have a large group.)
• “Call ahead seating” is a great way to give confidence to your clients and offer you time flexibility. Create a scenario where you are working hard for your clients to get them in as quick as possible. You could even create special cards to hand out to your frequent clients; have a special phone number to call to create that same level of hospitality and avoiding the situation of having to nudge table 24 to the bar or out the door!
• Smile at the front door! Communicate regularly with all of your clients to insure the confidence they require to stay with you, different folks need different strokes.”

These were just some of things I posed to this particular member might to consider and adapt within his restaurant and just one example of the worthwhile conversations we have on our member forums. They definitely churn out some good discussions and ideas. Hopefully it gives you some food for thought.

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 and offers expertise in managing multiple locations, catering, employee development and systems implementation.

Authored by David Militello

Hard work (my personal definition): Time spent on courageously dreamt goals and areas of interest that I  do not know or understand; sometimes frustrating or painful; always rewarding and surprising; will deliver your exact intentions thoughtful or not.

As an aspiring music student in a private school in the Big Apple I was enchanted by the different styles of music and their history and heritage. One specific teacher introduced me to the concept of hard work. His name was Fred Klatz. Fred was a passionate teacher and fervent student of the drum. He was a force of energy always tapping and talking about drums as if the notes were pills, and he was some sort of drum junky. The guy could barely keep up with himself, he was always moving fast and to follow him as a teacher… well you better be on your game. He also took it very personally if you didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm or dedication.  

One afternoon about two weeks into my first semester, Fred was watching me all day as I went back and forth from class to my practice room. He stopped me in the hallway that evening as I was leaving my last practice session of the day. He said “Dave, right? I want to talk to you about your practice time.”

A little intimidated, I said “OK?”  

“Dave, I don’t understand something about you. I’ve been listening to you practice on and off all day today, and I am a little confused. All I hear you playing are the same rock ‘n roll beats that you played in your initial audition.”   I told him, yes, I’ve been practicing them! Don’t they sound good!   He looked at me and said “Why are you here?”  Squeamishly I stuttered, “To be a great drummer?”   His face grew purplish as if I said something terribly insulting to him. He stared me directly in the eye and quietly asked, “How do you plan to be a great drummer if you only practice the things that you already know?” He went on to say. “I am here to teach and develop drummers like you. If you choose not to teach and develop the tools I give you, then you are wasting my time and your life. This is serious business, this takes hard work, focus, assertiveness and more so, a clear vision.” “Dave,” he said “If you truly want to be great at drumming, NEVER practice the things you already know. Do you need to practice breathing? Eating? Or driving once you learn it? Stop spending time in your comfortable place, my friend, and you will be great at whatever you do.” 

I know in my life when I spend my time in that place I call hard work great things happen. You have to be courageous and you have to dream and then you just have to buckle down and work your butt off. Where are you spending your time?                                                       
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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 David Scott Peters’ coaching team and offers expertise in managing multiple locations, catering, employee development and systems implementation.