O’Dell Restaurant Consulting Blog

Question:
When you work in an excuse-driven culture, how do you change the mindset and teach others to become accountable?
Answer:
Unfortunately, the most effective method for me to implement quick changes in attitude is through forcing it. That almost always requires “executing a hostage in front of the firing squad”.
Words are the first step. Accountability has to [...]

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If you don’t already have 2 to 3 primary colors you use in your logo, signage, marketing, and indoor and outdoor decor, then pick some! A color scheme will help people identify you. If you keep the same color scheme congruent in all facets of your restaurant, new customers will find you more easily, and [...]

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A great way to make your menu stand out, and to draw people to certain items, is through the use of color. When you add color to your menu, use the color scheme you’ve chosen for your restaurant. Use other colors to highlight, surround, or shade menu items you want people to notice. Color icons [...]

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Large menus have a lot of downfalls. Large menus require excessive prep, cause long ticket times, are hard to educate service staff on, need too much storage space, and generally drive down the profitability of your restaurant. Keep your menu as small as you can, focused on your concept, and easy to produce.

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A good way to make your food stand out, and to communicate what your food is all about is by creating a signature item in each of your menu categories. These items should be your highest gross profit earners, and the centerpieces of your direct marketing efforts. They help define you and your restaurant. You [...]

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One of my favorite shows is Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. If you haven’t seen it, and you’re in the restaurant business, you’re missing out on a lot of free lessons.
Gordon Ramsay is a bit of bully. He likes to push people’s buttons. I think one of his other shows, Hell’s Kitchen, is just a stage [...]

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How to make sure your products will sell
Pretty confusing main title, isn’t it? I’ll bet you’re wondering exactly what I’m talking about.
Along with the other biggest mistakes restaurants owners make, offering customers what the owner thinks is good, instead of what the customer thinks is good, is a surefire way to lose money in the restaurant business.
Here’s [...]

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Marketing is maybe the most important function of running a restaurant. It is also the function that most restaurateurs have the least skill at. That’s why I consider having “no marketing skill” one of the biggest mistakes restaurants make. You can read about the others here: The biggest mistakes restaurants make, and why they have a [...]

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Listen to learn, not to defend!
by Andy Swingley
Regional Manager
Thomas & King
Applebees Restaurants
http://www.fohboh.com/profile/AndySwingley
 
 One of the skills we should all take time to be better at everyday is listening. Many opportunities pass us by each day when we don’t engage in “active” listening. There is a positive benefit to be gained from everyone you interact with on [...]

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This is one of my favorite quotes. Maybe because I’m the one who made it up.
It could also be that I love this quote because it deals with another major reason for failure in the restaurant world, and really, in every industry. Most managers don’t know how to delegate. That is a simple, but true, [...]

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