Tag Archives: management

October 4, 2013 · 10:23 am

The Name On The Door

Today’s Foodie Friday Fun is about the business side of food, a restaurant, so if you’re here today for cooking tips I apologize. You probably know chef Gordon Ramsay from his incessant TV appearances and, if so, you’re aware of his obsession with quality and high standards. What’s happened here in New York to his Gordon Ramsay at The London restaurant is a great lesson for any business.

Ramsay at BBC Gardeners' World Live 2008

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The restaurant opened in 2006 and soon thereafter won two Michelin stars. For any of you non-foodies, suffice it to say that there are currently only 14 places in NY that are two or three stars – they’re hard to win.  Unlike the Zagat ratings, these are all done by professional inspectors who are totally anonymous.  That was 2008.  In 2009 Ramsay sold the restaurant to the hotel (he needed the money – that’s another story) and licensed his name as part of the deal.

Fast forward.  The new guide came out and both stars are gone.  In a year (he had the two stars last year).  That’s pretty unheard of and shows a significant decline in quality and standards.  The chef’s response (via Eater)?

“Gordon Ramsay is not involved in the day-to-day running of the restaurants or kitchens, as this is a licensing agreement, but is in communication regarding updates and changes at the restaurant.”

In other words, although my name is on the door I’m not involved.   We heard something similar out of Donald Trump when the Trump casinos went bankrupt (how the heck do you lose money running a casino?!?!):

“Other than the fact that it has my name on it – which I’m not thrilled about – I have nothing to do with the company.”

I’ve done licensing agreements and one thing that is always a part of them are the product standards.  Since it’s your name, you always have the right to examine the product and if it’s not up to your standards, to demand that it’s fixed or not sold.  You might shrug and say well, that’s the restaurant business but it’s your business as well.  If the quality of whatever product or service you’re providing – even through a third party – isn’t up to snuff, it’s your name and reputation, not the third party’s.  Given that many of Ramsay’s other places – where he is more hands-on apparently – have held on to their stars – his place in London has three! – it’s clearly not that the chef has lost his touch.  It that he was out of touch with the New York place.

If your name is on the product, you need to be involved and maintain the standards that warranted your name on it in the first place.  When people knock on your door, they see you, not the landlord, not the builder, not the cleaning crew, not even the people who actually do the work.  You.  I’m all for meeting the customer expectations that my name engenders.  Aren’t we all?

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September 20, 2013 · 8:35 am

Skirt Steak

It’s Foodie Friday and I want to blog a bit about skirt steak.

English: uploaded for an infobox

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m a big fan of it and have been for a very long time. So long, in fact, that I remember when it was hard to find because it was so inexpensive and so underused that most butchers put it in with the trimmings from other cuts to make ground beef. Then again, many of them took the skirt steak home for supper which is how it came to be known as a butcher’s cut. Other steaks of which you might be aware – the hanger steak, the tri-tip, and flap meat (which they sell as sirloin tip here) used to be hard to find and very inexpensive.

Then the fajita craze hit. Skirt steak – the best cut of meat for fajitas – became more in demand.  What was once a downright cheap, delicious protein became as expensive as all but the high-end steaks such as porterhouse and rib eye.  While it remains so, one other thing has happened.  There are two parts to the part of the steer that’s skirt steak (the plate).  One (the outside plate) was rarely sold since it’s chewier and less tasty.  With the increase in demand, suddenly stores would have sales of skirt that was the lesser cut, confusing consumers and offering a lesser experience.  Consumers moved on.

It’s happened with fish too, as we can see with the monkfish.  Once a “trash fish” and known as the poor man’s lobster, it grew popular because it was tasty and inexpensive.  That led to it becoming very expensive and overfished.  In some cases, other fish were sold as monk that weren’t.  Consumers moved on.

The business point is pretty simple.  People are drawn to high-quality, low-cost products, whether they’re proteins or electronics or services.  The ebb and flow of the market will make some price increases happen and demand will support that up to a point.  What the market won’t support is a changed, lesser product or a price point that makes other products viable options.  I’d rather eat a porterhouse that’s on sale for what it costs for skirt, as an example.

We need to be cognizant of why people came to our products in the first place and not undercut those fundamental reasons.  That’s business suicide.  Thoughts?

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September 12, 2013 · 10:06 am

Eye-Yi-Yi

Nothing like a bad customer experience with a medical professional to begin one’s day on a happy note!  OK, so I don’t wear sarcasm well, but it’s either snark or anger (it’s a fine line!) so I’m going with the former.  Let’s get your take.

English: A human eye after the pupil was dilat...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I generally schedule my medical appointments early.  In fact, I try to be the first appointment of the day if possible.  In theory (and today proves it’s JUST a theory), I should be able to get in and out quickly so the entire day isn’t disrupted.  As it turned out this morning, not so much.  However, it is a nice lesson on how not to treat your customers.

The doc opens up at 8 which is the time of my appointment.  I present myself on time, walk to the reception desk, and am greeted with…nothing.  Oh, the receptionist is there, but she’s arranging papers, printing out forms (and not the day’s calendar of appointments – that’s sitting in front of her), and generally doing her best to ignore me.  After a minute or so, there’s a mumbled “I’ll be right with you”.  Three minutes later (I only know because it was 5 after 8 when she spoke to me) I get a “yes?”  OK, so I get it’s a little weird that I’m noticing how long I’m waiting, but remember the premise:  first in, no waiting, out quickly.

I tell her “I’m Keith.”  “Last name?”  My immediate response:  “the schedule is right in front of you. How many people named Keith are scheduled to be here at 8?” stayed inside my brain while I told her.  “Have a seat.”  8:06

I know who is going to examine me and she’s right there in the office.  Chatting and drinking coffee.  For the next 10 minutes.  8:16 is when I was called into the exam room.  I don’t generally bill by the quarter-hour, but if I did, these folks would now owe me more than I’ll owe them for the appointment.  It was a 5 minute eye exam, and when I asked about some results she informed me she didn’t have my chart because the doctor had it at his house.  Oh.  But he’d be right in. OK.

5 minutes later, in walks the doctor, chartless.  Looks at the results of the exam, takes a quick look at my eyes, and says he’ll call me but if he doesn’t I should call him to discuss the results.  Visit over.

Here are my takeaways that I think apply to any business:

  • An appointment is something that’s binding on both you and your customer.  You expect them to be there on time, you need to be as well.  I totally get that people might be delayed due to traffic or other issues.  Which leads to the second point.
  • When you break the above agreement, a little apology is called for.  I got none.
  • The person greeting customers (and patients are customers!) needs to be personable and customer-focused.  Grumpy, even first thing in the morning, is never acceptable.
  • When you are not prepared, don’t put the onus on your customer to fix your mistake.  Not having the chart is your problem – don’t make it mine by asking me to call you.
  • Finally, no customer should ever leave your business angry.  Not ever.

Maybe I’m overreacting, but compare it to yesterday’s experience.  I walked in at the required time and within 5 minutes I was out of the waiting room (in the middle of the day in a busy office) and into an exam.  Well-run businesses are easy to spot!

That’s my take – what’s yours?

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