The last few days have been slow – business is off from last week as well as the same time last year. Our weekly ad in the paper is consistent, and we posted our specials for the week on Monday. Our seasonal menu has been well received, and our staff members are trained. I’m not sure why things are off – let’s hope that things get better. Does this sound familiar? Unfortunately, HOPE is not a great business strategy. One of your primary responsibilities as an owner, operator, or executive chef is to be responsive to change, to think ahead, to act, and in some cases to react to business cycles. What are you waiting for? Sure, business ebbs and flows and there will always be peaks and valleys in volume caused by a litany of issues from weather to the economy, and from uncertainty in the market to changes in eating habits of the public, but shrugging your shoulders and simply accepting those ebbs and flows as “the way it is” will never set a course for long-term success.

Business is hard, very hard, cooking great food is the easy part (yes, I really said that). Your reaction time to changes in business climate is as important, maybe even more important, than how beautiful those plates are that leave the kitchen. What are you going to do when business starts to slump? Is this a sign of a stale concept, of a boring menu, of inconsistencies in service, of a pricing problem, or is it primarily a communication problem – weak connections with your audience? You need to find out and act to turn things around TODAY! Don’t wait it out, hoping that the market will adjust to the model of business that makes you comfortable. It may be time to shake things up and become a bit uncomfortable. At the same time, you don’t want to always rely on REACTION, even though it might be important in the moment. REACTION should lead to an adjustment in strategy and an ACTION plan moving forward. Here are some thoughts when business is off:

[]       DO SOMETHING!

Inaction is the kiss of death in business. Assuming it will get better is acceptance of poor performance. Try something new without throwing away everything you have. Shake things up a bit and put your guests in a position to say” wow!

[]       DON’T GET BOGGED DOWN IN FAILURE!

Okay, that didn’t work. Chalk it up to a learning experience, push it aside and try something else. Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player to ever tie on skates, said: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”  Take a shot!

[]       COLLECT IDEAS FROM MANY SOURCES!

Don’t carry the burden entirely on your shoulders. You are not the only person with the next great idea. Talk with your staff, your friends, your steady customers; watch other successful businesses and pay attention to what they do successfully, keep your finger on the pulse of trends, read and observe – there are tons of great ideas ready to be borrowed and implemented.

[]       STUDY YOUR COMPETITION AND APPROACH THEM HEAD ON!

Do you know your competition? I mean, do you really know them? Do you watch the flow of guests in and out of their restaurant? Do you count the number of cars in their lot on a Tuesday night? Do you pay attention to their advertising and their social media communication? Have you dined in their operation and experienced the flow of their execution? Don’t be passive with competitors – be pro-active. Figure out how to improve on their shortcomings and spend less time trying to do a better job in the areas that are their strength.

[]       KNOW THAT CUTTING COSTS ALONE IS NOT A LONG-TERM WINNING STRATEGY!

Of course, business is off, you need to pay your bills. It may be time to watch your pennies, reduce labor, search for better pricing from alternative vendors, institute better inventory controls or tighten control on waste. These efforts should be in place no matter the business volume. But too much emphasis on cost cutting as an answer to success may lead to quality shortcomings, portioning distractions, slips in service, or a blind eye to the details that can set you apart. Cost cutting is a tool that should not overshadow the need for exciting new initiatives.

[]       CREATE EXCITEMENT AND TELL THE WORLD!

Yes, consistency is of paramount importance in the restaurant business but so is the need to create some intrigue: “What are they doing next.” Ask yourself a very important question TODAY: “Why would a customer want to pay us a visit tonight? Why would they want to come back again, and again? Why would they want to tell their friends to visit as well? Specialty nights with unique menus, features that reflect the marketplace climate, entertainment, wine tastings, beer pairing dinners, meet the chef nights – again, DO SOMETHING and create an element of pleasant surprise.

That weekly post on social media should be daily or even multiple times during the day. Add great pictures of food and people, short video clips are great – action SELLS! Add some type of coupon to your newspaper ad so that you can measure its performance. Try occasional email blasts to long-term customers. Create virtual subscribers to your communication eco-system.

[]       MAKE THIS A TEAM PROJECT!

Engage your entire staff in the challenge of building business. Create competitions for the next great idea, for the number of positive comment cards from guests, for the most popular creative menu feature, for the most effective upselling by service staff. Give them business cards with a 10% discount value. Make them ambassadors for your restaurant. Remember, they have a vested interest in your success. If you succeed, then so will they.

[]       DON’T PANIC – PANIC LEADS TO TERRIBLE MISTAKES!

Maybe, most importantly, DON’T PANIC when there are dips in business. This is an opportunity to dig in and re-evaluate, to study what’s going on, to be creative, to collaborate, and add excitement and challenge to your job as restaurateur, operator, or chef. DO SOMETHING TODAY!

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

www.harvestamericacues.com – BLOG

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