October 2009 Blog Posts (147)

Operator 10 Reason’s Every Chef Should Have A.D.D.

As I read this article on the advantages of A.D.D. or Attention Deficit Disorder by Jennifer Koretsky, I was struck by how many of these strengths are essential to being a good chef. I have dealt with my own A.D.D. most of my life and had always considered it a blessing within my chosen occupation, but reading through this article helped to pin point the corelation between A.D.D. strengths and the characteristics of a successful chef.

Creativity- It goes without… Continue

Added by beingthechef on October 31, 2009 at 6:12pm — No Comments

Operator Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!

“Is your team there to support you or are you there to support your team?”

This was the topic of conversation the other day between myself and a corporate VP. There are times when the work is mostly driven by the Chef and the staff is just there for support, but this tends to work only in small venues. Our conversation started with a comment about how well I take care of my guests, to which I replied that I don’t do much for the guests at all because my job was to take care of my… Continue

Added by beingthechef on October 31, 2009 at 8:57am — 3 Comments

Non-Operator How to remove the fear your customers have

This is my second post from the hospital today and I came across the sign below on the back of a toilet door of all places!

This is a simple sign that lists a number of testimonials previous patients have submitted relating to their time in the hospital.

Each one is more glowing than the next making you almost want to have any future medical work done right here!

It might not seem like a big deal. But we’ve all been afraid in a hospital at some point. Most fear… Continue

Added by Barry Chandler on October 31, 2009 at 3:14am — No Comments

Non-Operator What if your Bar was like a Hospital?

I’m sitting in a hospital waiting room as I type today’s post. My wife is having gall bladder surgery so Dr. Bar Blogger is on call to be there when she wakes up.

Looking around at the systems, procedures and controls in place here in the hospital, it made me wonder what prevents smaller businesses adopt them.

Let me give you an example. When my wife was registered at the desk, she was “tagged” with a bar coded bracelet. From that moment on, we could track her whereabouts… Continue

Added by Barry Chandler on October 31, 2009 at 3:12am — 1 Comment

Developing a best practices guide to in-house wine sales- Two College Seniors Final Project- Your help is greatly appreciated!

Hi professional servers and managers,

We are two college students looking for industry professionals to help us with our senior project by participating in one of two brief surveys, pertaining to the methods used in-house to better wine sales (i.e. suggestive selling, food and wine pairings, etc.). The results of these surveys will assist us in compiling data which will be used to determine which (if any) techniques are most effective in improving wine sales.

There are two… Continue

Added by Justin and Everett on October 30, 2009 at 8:05am — No Comments

Non-Operator 10 Kitchen Secrets your chef is hiding from you

The kitchen is unchartered territory for many bar and restaurant owners who are afraid to question the chef on matters that they are not too familiar with. Well. It’s time to get familiar, because your kitchen could be hemorrhaging money and if its your business, you’ll want to know how and why.

These ten points will help identify where some of your cash could be going:

1. When stock is ordered, it is normally stored by a… Continue

Added by Barry Chandler on October 30, 2009 at 6:19am — 5 Comments

Non-Operator Unintended Consequences -- Scared Yet?

I know I promised a cheerier topic, but it is Hallowe'en, after all ...

There have been many news articles in recent months about the terrible damage done to the lives of homeowners unable to cover their mortgages -- being uprooted, losing perhaps their most valuable investment, and damaging their credit standing for the foreseeable future. I won’t to try to suggest an equivalency, as it’s evident the borrower bears the brunt, but there is also damage done to the… Continue

Added by Rod Guinn on October 30, 2009 at 3:00am — 4 Comments

Congats to FobBoh member Chef Joe Dimaggio Jr on opening his newest restaurant in Montgomery.

UPDATE March 2010

Chef Joe continues to rock the Montgomery Dining Scene.

Here's some photos of the restaurant and the food.…

Continue

Added by Steve Paterson on October 29, 2009 at 6:08pm — 7 Comments

Social Media as a Recruiting Tool, Your Feedback & SM Failures

When asked how sites have worked for you specifically in regard to recruiting, the results were mixed. between My Space, Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook, the site you had had the most success with was Linkedin, with 42% of you claiming success. The least effective by far was My Space with no one claiming any recruiting success at all. Facebook came in second, Twitter in third place, although the actual winner was "other." meaning the most success found for online recruiting was not on any of… Continue

Added by Margie Tosch on October 29, 2009 at 8:39am — 1 Comment

DAWG Talk: Move Over, Passion’s Driving

From the very beginning of my recruitment career, I chose not to think of myself as a headhunter. Instead, I view myself as a relationship builder. Regardless of industry or specialty, I enjoy the chase. I like seeking out talented people and getting to know them. Once I understand motivators and requirements, I can identify opportunities specific to the individual. Clearly, I’m candidate-centric. I want candidates to not only be qualified for the positions they’re interviewing for, but to also… Continue

Added by David Rose on October 29, 2009 at 6:07am — 2 Comments

Customer Opinions: what regulars want you to understand

If you're really paying attention to the customers, what will you hear? They have plenty to share, if you slow down to listen – how many of these would they say?

I love it when you play good music – it sounds like you’ve got people on staff who really know how to build atmosphere.
I like to get treats that no one else does - it makes me think I'm special!
When I refer my friends and they have a great time, it makes me look smart. I like that.
My busy…

Continue

Added by Ken Burgin on October 29, 2009 at 5:05am — 2 Comments

Building Local Business with your Website

Most internet searches are for terms such as “pizza delivery Hilltop” or “wedding caterer in Waterside’ – people commonly use 3 or more words in their search, including a location. If you’re not competing nationally or chasing tourists, use every opportunity to show up in the local market: tightly focused, and deep.

Here’s how to make your website easy to find for a local search:

* Include the Name and Address on every Page. Search engines look for this level of detail to…

Continue

Added by Ken Burgin on October 29, 2009 at 4:56am — No Comments

Non-Operator Stop Me In My Tracks, Please: 5 Suggestions for Advertising your Bar

When businesses first put signs outside their door, they had a couple of goals in mind:

1. That passers-by would read what was written on the sign

2. That these people would then become customers based on what the sign was offering.

The first sign must have been a surprise to potential customers! Such a novelty!

But things have changed considerably from those days (whenever they were!) and we are now bombarded with advertising from every angle: radio, TV,… Continue

Added by Barry Chandler on October 29, 2009 at 12:36am — 1 Comment

Non-Operator Mr. Business Owner, Tear Down That Sign…

I like to think that I can weigh up several solutions to a problem before making a decision without relying on “the way it’s always been done” . I haven’t always questioned the status quo though.

I think I can pinpoint when that change took place. I still remember that afternoon when a simple conversation with a french tourist made me think differently.

I was an assistant bar manager in a hotel in Galway, Ireland about ten years… Continue

Added by Barry Chandler on October 29, 2009 at 12:29am — No Comments

Non-Operator Increase Wine sales with this one simple menu change

If you sell wine in your business, there is a simple way that you can increase wine sales today. I was reminded of this on a recent visit to The Wine Guy Wine Shop in Gahanna, Ohio. The Wine Guy Shop is a retail wine store with a bar and dining facilities.

There’s something special about sitting in the middle of a wine store surrounded by wines from around the world while… Continue

Added by Barry Chandler on October 29, 2009 at 12:24am — No Comments

Non-Operator Could a dating couple bankrupt your business?

It’s bad enough when you have a thieving staff member or a manager that thinks it’s their right to fiddle the accounts while they line their pockets, but it’s double the trouble when the staff member and manager collude to defraud you and your business.

It’s more common than you think and a recent conversation with an industry consultant reminded me that you can never underestimate the potential for fraud in the bar.

Here… Continue

Added by Barry Chandler on October 29, 2009 at 12:13am — No Comments

Non-Operator How to get the most from FohBoh and build the FohBoh community

FohBoh is a the leading online community for the foodservice industry. Our membership is made up of industry professionals who are interested in connecting, collaborating and networking… Continue

Added by FohBoh on October 28, 2009 at 7:04pm — No Comments

Non-Operator Health Halos

In business and marketing we’re always trying to hit on the latest buzzwords; what are people looking for right now? In nutrition I like to use the words “empower” and “satisfy”; when looking for good place to eat the two hottest words in the industry are “value” and “fresh”. According to report by Hartman Group the importance of freshness to consumers has not only increased the popularity of farmers markets, but has also changed the way people look at foods when dining out.

The term… Continue

Added by Alyson Mar, RD on October 28, 2009 at 5:22pm — No Comments

Non-Operator Financial Webinar for Independent Restaurant Owners

By David Scott Peters

Join me on my next Webinar…

Title: Planning For Profitability And Staying On Course – A Step-by-Step Guide to Financial Success!

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009

Time: 4 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. EST

Space is limited – Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/903220248

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert,… Continue

Added by David Scott Peters on October 28, 2009 at 3:27pm — No Comments

Amazing Social Media Statistics - updated as you watch...

Want to understand the speed and size of social media development?

Check these fascinating counters, updated second by second to show you what's happening. Share it with someone who's unsure about whether social media is something they should be venturing… Continue

Added by Ken Burgin on October 28, 2009 at 2:01pm — 3 Comments