All Blog Posts Tagged 'service' (229)

‘Twas three nights before Christmas, a time to prepare

For the mad rush of diners -- a hope we all share

We’ve menus all hung by the entry with care

In hopes that…

We all enjoyed being wowed from time to time. 

We especially like being wowed when we are not expecting to be. Who hasn’t been dragged to an event that we expected to be a yawner, and have benn pleasantly wowed?  It’s nice.

I’ve spent the better part of 20 years managing food service sales reps.  In that time, I interviewed hundreds of candidates for those positions.  I never…

A few years ago the National Restaurant Association reported that48% of the average American household food budget is spent dining out.  That’s pretty high for an average, but some of us eat out far more than the average person, in particular those of us on the road.  Those of you who I see around the restaurant trade show circuit know what I am talking about; eating three meals a day (at least, sometimes there are happy hours and parties) either in…

I recently stumbled upon this article from Health magazine: America’s Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants.  As a secret lover of fast food (a treat that I only enjoy on road trips) I was intrigued. Surprisingly, there were more restaurants listed that I haven’t I have never even heard of, much less visited.

Time to investigate.

Jason’s…

Strolling along a country path with a meditative mind, I observed how many different colors canvassed the landscape I tread upon.  As I listened to the sounds of the earth and watched the falcon soaring trough the winds strategically above me, I stumbled upon a young pensive man sitting on the pier ahead.

With his feet dangling from the worn fishing pier, his toes simply…

The following is an actual transcript of a cassette tape that was discovered in the basement of a warehouse to a long gone company called K-Tel Records that produced “greatest hit” compilations from the 70’s through the late 80’s.

The date on the tape is labeled 1989 and the handwritten black marker…

I believe that everyone should work as a waiter at one point in their life.

Not because the money is pretty darn good or because you get one shift drink that can turn into two or three if you are good chums with the bartender. Rather, they should become a waiter to learn the true value of great customer service and its rewards.

It worked for me and I can say, with no…

The joints of their knuckles ached. Their wrists were stiff as the first sign of primate related Carpal Tunnel Syndrome waged war on their usually limber joints. Many of the Apes had gone to be fitted for reading glasses as the hours spent in front of computers had taken its toll. The hunt for those filthy human pests,…

We are all familiar with the Planet of The Apes storyline yes? How the apes evolve, take over the planet, enslave man and, as we saw in the first 5 movies, they lived a very technologically free existence. Now comes the new updated movie “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and my question becomes; since we have changed so much…

Communication is the key to success!   If we have heard it once we have heard it a gabillion times.  It’s easy to say and much harder to do.  Why do organizations typically struggle with communication?  I realize opinions are like noses - everyone has one.  Allow me to offer several on this important topic.

The Telephone Game

If you are of a certain…

Copyright 2011 by Jim Sullivan

I recently had lunch with Tim Kirkland, the best-selling author of The Renegade Server (2009, Indian Creek Press, $19.95). If you haven’t read the book—a 21st Century treatise on how to motivate, inspire and direct iPod Generation waitstaff to better serve and sell—I highly recommend it.

Our conversation centered not on servers, but on the current state of—and frustrating lack of progress in—foodservice training. We…

Soup and Sandwich.  Bacon and Eggs.  Love and Marriage.  Peanut Butter and Jelly.  Culture and Customer Service. 

Some things just go together !  Like the lyrics from a song my Mom used to sing “you can’t have one without the other”!  If there’s any truth to this premise, why then are there so many organizations that seem unable to admit it?

(Break out…

On my block there is a gentle eerie calming sound of semi silence that drapes the area with the slight disturbance of an air conditioner straining under the heat. Perhaps it was the same on Norwegian Island on Friday except it was the snap of a rifle disturbing the silence and the lives of 68 predominantly…

I’m going to mention four sitcoms and I want you to close your eyes and try to remember each ones theme song. It doesn’t matter if you remember just the tune or some of the lyrics. Just see how you do:

Cheers…

When I go to Kroger I am inspired.  No kidding!  The Kroger I frequent is really no different than any other.  Okay, their produce is significantly better than Meijer and they do a fair job with customer service but it’s really not all that special.  That was until…

I preach this over and over and over again -If your customers leave you a bad review or critical remark on any of your social media sites or even your company website, do NOT delete it.

Let me say that again.  Do NOT delete it.  The only thing you’re going to accomplish by  deleting them is ticking them off even more.

The only time that you should…

Chance the Gardener: As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And…