On many occasions I have been asked by well-intentioned people wanting to provide goods or services to a restaurant company’s development program how they can gain more business. My least favorite question has to be "how can I earn your business?". while its often well meaning its also pretty obvious if you are paying attention. Over the years I have developed some responses to this question and thought I would put a few thoughts out there.
Understand what your customers do in the real sense
This is Ziggy. He may look calm, but he is about to open a multi-million dollar business where he is personally responsible for everything. He has over 100 employees. He is a mentor, a father figure and a true leader. Every second that he has to deal with something other than providing great service to his guests is not only difficult, it hurts a lot of other people at the same time. In just about any restaurant company the two weeks before an opening is completely off limits to any activity other than training. Even the smallest inconvenience interrupts training and that is unacceptable. When I was a trainer, I knew every time I said the words “it won’t be like this when we’re open” meant the trainees weren't getting the training they needed. So don't be the supplier sending in someone with a ladder during this time. Get it done on time.
Take responsibility for things in your control from A to Z
A few years back, I had the pleasure of working with some great people Famous Dave’s of America and they had a phrase that permeated many aspects of the way they did business. They called it "being famous". When I first began working there, everyone was saying "be famous" this and "have a famous day" and "famous, famous, famous"...ugh, enough with the famous already. It sounded like a lot of hooey to me at first. Later, thinking about it lead me to being better at what I did. For me, being famous means a lot of things, but perhaps the most important aspect is taking personal responsibility for things in your control. That means everything from A to Z. For a vendors and suppliers providing goods and services to restaurant companies, there are a lot of specific ways the rubber meets the road on this:
Adding value is one of those phrases people use a lot, but it’s a good one. Adding value to a restaurant company begins with understanding what they do. If you want to provide something to a restaurant company, and you think you get it because you have been to a bunch of other people's restaurants and already know what they need, then you are missing a big opportunity. There are a hundred examples of this, but I recall one equipment rep who not only attended openings to make sure everything was perfect (without being asked), but also kept himself involved by being at the restaurant many mornings to work with the kitchen staff and really see how they were using the equipment. That intimate knowledge kept him completely in the loop on any new products and how the equipment could be better utilized. Who would ever look for another supplier when you have one providing that kind of attention? That, my friends, is adding value.
These simple things aren’t groundbreaking and there are many more ways to know your customer, to get involved with their business, and make yourself a real partner to their development program.
One of my favorite books by a restaurant industry person is Danny Myer’s book “Setting the Table”. I like it so much because it talks about getting involved with those you do business with.
In the case of a restaurants its our guests and our employee's. the same thing applies however no matter what you do. Danny really demonstrates what real service and hospitality is all about. He points out that good service is about the technical way things are done. For example, you are seated quickly and on time for your reservation, your food is delivered at the perfect temp and that bottle of wine is opened with just the right amount of care. True hospitality is the way you are made to feel about the service you are receiving. Have you ever been to a restaurant that made you feel like a king? That’s more than just bringing the food out well, that’s true hospitality. Apply those same principals to what you do. Even something as small as providing a box of pagers is an opportunity to become an irreplaceable partner.
Understand what your customers do in the real sense
If you have never opened a restaurant then it’s understandable you wouldn’t know how difficult it is. It is very stressful and takes a lot of people a huge amount of work. Keep in mind what might be happening on site when something doesn’t show up or doesn't happen when it should. It’s a big deal. One time I remember being on the phone with someone who had sent something to a new location and they didn’t seem to get why I was so upset that it hadn't been send specifically to my attention. They said “Fed Ex says it was signed for by Johnny, so it must be right there.” Looking around, I saw no less than 100 people involved with numerous tasks of training, last minute touch-ups and a bunch of other things and I thought "You really have no idea who your customer is here, do you?"
My point with this example is that things that may seem inconsequential to you is probably a lot bigger of deal to your customer.
Take responsibility for things in your control from A to Z
A few years back, I had the pleasure of working with some great people Famous Dave’s of America and they had a phrase that permeated many aspects of the way they did business. They called it "being famous". When I first began working there, everyone was saying "be famous" this and "have a famous day" and "famous, famous, famous"...ugh, enough with the famous already. It sounded like a lot of hooey to me at first. Later, thinking about it lead me to being better at what I did. For me, being famous means a lot of things, but perhaps the most important aspect is taking personal responsibility for things in your control. That means everything from A to Z. For a vendors and suppliers providing goods and services to restaurant companies, there are a lot of specific ways the rubber meets the road on this:
1. Be my only contact. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to get a call from someone other than the person I ordered from. Deliveries are a good example. Sometimes I'll receive a call from a person I don't know saying “I have this box (they don’t know what is in the box) that needs to go to (name of company) and I need the delivery address." Now, there is no way I gave someone an order for anything without giving them a delivery address and probably an on-site contact to receive the delivery. But even if I had, it’s the vendor’s responsibility to personally make sure all these details are firmly established before anything is headed to a location. If a vendor intends to delegate any part of doing business with me, they better make sure it’s completely invisible to me. And there are even worse examples. How about a person who calls saying they have an order for a sound system and want me to review the installation and answer questions? Wait a minute. I have already done this extensively with the person I ordered from. Why do I have to go through it again? That's a vendor I won’t be calling again.
2. Be involved in the whole process. If a vendor sold me something and has to call me to find out if I received it or if the install went alright, than we have a problem. If it was me, I would know the day it was to be installed and how it went and I wouldn’t do it by calling my customer. I would have known ahead of time who would be dealing with it on-site and would have made sure the install went well. Then I would send my customer a summary telling them how it went that day. I would do this no matter what I was selling, be it a light fixture, a toilet or even something as small as a box of pagers.
3. Invoice smart. This is huge pet peeve of mine. If you send an invoice for something, it better clearly outline, in simple terms, what I'm being billed for. It should be addressed to the person who sent you the PO or the person who ordered it from you. If I'm being invoiced for a partial payment list the agreed upon price, what this payment is for, and the balance. You wouldn’t believe how much time I have to waste following up with vendors and sorting out the billings. It costs money for us to sort out your unclear billings.
4. Take time to understand the schedule. Be in contact with the right people on the ground and make sure you fully understand the time schedule involved. If you need help on-site to unload something or have any needs, they need to communicated to the right people. Putting a line on your order saying it’s the customer’s responsibility for something doesn’t get it!
I recall talking to a supplier once about why some furniture didn’t show up and his telling me all about the person doing the shipping and how it was "out of his hands". He didn’t seem to get it when I told him I didn’t care about anything he had just said. I ordered the furniture from him and he was the only person responsible for its arrival. I was, of course, also thinking this would be the last time I would be having this - or any - conversation with him at all after this project.
Add ValueI recall talking to a supplier once about why some furniture didn’t show up and his telling me all about the person doing the shipping and how it was "out of his hands". He didn’t seem to get it when I told him I didn’t care about anything he had just said. I ordered the furniture from him and he was the only person responsible for its arrival. I was, of course, also thinking this would be the last time I would be having this - or any - conversation with him at all after this project.
Adding value is one of those phrases people use a lot, but it’s a good one. Adding value to a restaurant company begins with understanding what they do. If you want to provide something to a restaurant company, and you think you get it because you have been to a bunch of other people's restaurants and already know what they need, then you are missing a big opportunity. There are a hundred examples of this, but I recall one equipment rep who not only attended openings to make sure everything was perfect (without being asked), but also kept himself involved by being at the restaurant many mornings to work with the kitchen staff and really see how they were using the equipment. That intimate knowledge kept him completely in the loop on any new products and how the equipment could be better utilized. Who would ever look for another supplier when you have one providing that kind of attention? That, my friends, is adding value.
These simple things aren’t groundbreaking and there are many more ways to know your customer, to get involved with their business, and make yourself a real partner to their development program.
One of my favorite books by a restaurant industry person is Danny Myer’s book “Setting the Table”. I like it so much because it talks about getting involved with those you do business with.
In the case of a restaurants its our guests and our employee's. the same thing applies however no matter what you do. Danny really demonstrates what real service and hospitality is all about. He points out that good service is about the technical way things are done. For example, you are seated quickly and on time for your reservation, your food is delivered at the perfect temp and that bottle of wine is opened with just the right amount of care. True hospitality is the way you are made to feel about the service you are receiving. Have you ever been to a restaurant that made you feel like a king? That’s more than just bringing the food out well, that’s true hospitality. Apply those same principals to what you do. Even something as small as providing a box of pagers is an opportunity to become an irreplaceable partner.
