Blathnaid Bergin

Best Tips for Success in 2012

In spite of the unrelenting doom and gloom being portrayed in the meejia, there are so many positives out there that someone has to tell it like it is. In my travels around the country working with small, medium and large operators, with cafes, pubs, restaurants and hotels, I find a very high level of optimism in spite of an absolute deluge of rules, regulations, petty interferences from officialdom and fending off broadsides from some uninformed critics. The greater part of my work is with people who are continuing to invest in their businesses and who see opportunities around every corner. There are challenges no doubt, one of which is the scarcity of culinary talent i.e. people who understand food, who love food, who respect food and its origins and people who can manage a team of similarly committed people. A further challenge is meeting the never ending demands of some officals who have a woeful lack of understanding of the multi faceted nature of getting a food service business to work at all, not to talk of getting it all right. What a great community of people entrepreneurs are, creating jobs while others grouse and complain, smiling or trying to -when the toilet is blocked, the chef has walked out/had a strop/made a horlicks of someones meal; the waiter has insulted a guest by ignoring them, an offical bearing a clipboard appears at 1.15pm just as service is gearing up to a crescendo. Best Tips for Doing it for Yourself in 2012 1. Have an honest look at your premises from the back door to the front and make a list of what absolutely has to be improved, what should be improved in the next three months and what would be nice to do when the money is in the bank. 2. Keep serving great food at a value for money price. 3. Take an honest look in the mirror and decide if you look as fabulous as you might when you greet customers. Is your shirt sharp, clean, bright, colourful; are trousers clean, pressed and fit well; are shoes shining, is hair neat? Now, do the same for every staff member. 4. Buy a full length mirror and put it up where each and every person working can see themselves as they walk towards the front of house. 5. Looking sharp, clean, well groomed and professional is the easiest way to make an impact on customers today. 6. The second easiest way is to know how to give great customer service - both of these points are in danger of fading away forever. 7.Smile, recognise friends, welcome strangers, use the oldest skills of the industry to give the best service- if you dont know them, get someone who does and make sure that all your staff know their service skills. Its still the same as it was when Escoffier was creating his masterpieces.. 8. Standards/ Systems, Standards/systems, Standards/ systems - the big boys do it because it works; in other words 'How we do things around here'- This is how we serve coffee, this is how we greet customers, this is how we clear tables, this is how we make soup, this is how we recycle, this is how we prevent waste, this is how we value our customers. If you dont let your staff know what your standards are how will they know and how will they pass onto your customers. 9. Dont apologise to anyone for setting the highest standards for your business - if you would like your staff to wear a smart shirt, trousers, badge, hair tied up, smile plastered on face - that is your standard- that is your business - that is your future - do not apologise for wanting to be the best.