Behind the Slice

You Found a Hidden Staff Talent: A Six Step List To Have Them Showcase It

As you get to know your staff you may come across a skill that they have which could be of benefit for your business. When we find a skill that could be useful for our restaurant we really try to encourage it. We especially try to do this in the summer months where we have more time to develop new ideas. These are the months where we are a little slower and also have more staff that is willing to work extra.
By talking to your staff and noticing what there extra interest are you can gain more insight on what talents they have that they can offer for your establishment. Once you have identified a talent that you can utilize in your business here are five simple tasks to promote it that we have found helpful in our restaurant.
1.  Clearly explain the task and how you want it performed.  Here we would sit down with the person and discuss a schedule with what the objections are and when they would be working on along with the hours involved. We also would list these hours on their schedule form and provide it with a description of what they will be doing. Example: Anthony Tuesday 4:00pm to 6:00pm Video Filming of Scottsdale Restaurant.

 
2. Try to define an end result.  What will the product look like? This is especially important if it is something that is not normally performed in your business. We usually write it down and discuss it with the employee prior to them performing the job.

3.  Establish time-lines for the job to be completed. Here you want to make sure that there is an understanding of when the job will be performed and when it will be fully finished.  We place the hours on our staff schedule and also give the employee a list of hours and a designated day of completion.

4.  Allow the employee to have responsibility and authority of the completion of the job assigned. For instance, with the video filming of our restaurant we did allow the overall decisions of filming to be left with the employee. We did provide an outlook of what we would like to see and what our end result would most likely be, but the overall project was within the person's own delegation to complete.

5.  Provide Feedback and Recognition: During this process we try to give our own feedback that is both constructive and corrective. We also give positive recognition for taking on this type of task. We hope to build confidence in them and also show them how we are sincere in being appreciative for what they are trying to do.

6.  Provide Clear Communication on What the Employee Shall Receive:  Here you need to be clear as to what they will receive for the completion of the hours involved in the task. We usually discuss a payment for the hours worked and also give them recognition for what they have done. We hope that they feel rewarded as well in doing what they truly do enjoy and showing us their talent.

Our most recent project was with our oldest son Anthony. He has been working for us but truly enjoys filming videos. Now we have him film short videos for us to place on You-Tube and to later promote on our website. We are able to showcase our restaurant and customers while also enabling him to practice what he really loves to do. 

He made our introduction video which is on our website Redendos Pizzeria and we have received positive feedback from his work. Currently, he is working on showcasing our Scottsdale location as the prior video was from Scottsdale.  I am so proud of him! I wonder how other businesses have allowed employees to show their talent as I am sure there are many different ways to do this.

Oh No Another Staff Member is Leaving!

In the restaurant business you have the opportunity to meet some great people. There also can be a significant change of staff if you employ seasonal help and students. We have always tried to treat our staff well and provide a great work environment. Fortunately, most of our staff stays for longer periods of time and when they leave it is mainly for relocation or if they are going away to college.  Even though throughout the years we have seen staff go it is still hard each time it happens.

We have really tried to maintain a great work environment and show our appreciation for the staff that we have. Some of the things that we  is to provide gifts on various holidays throughout the year, provide individual birthday cakes for each employee, and have staff holiday parties. Their suggestions are taken into account and we also try to thank them for their work when possible.

Just this past month we ended up saying goodbye to Davina who was working in our Scottsdale location.  She just purchased a home in Phoenix so the commute to work would be to long for her. We enjoyed having her work for us and will truly miss her.

Here she is pictured with her boyfriend Tom as she came to visit us and give us this bottle of wine called Mad Housewife (the lady on the bottle looks just like her). I thought it was so kind of Davian to write us a note on how she enjoyed working for us and to give a gift of wine.

Over the years we have enjoyed having former employees come back and visit. I am so thrilled that they really like to stop in and tell us how they are. In some ways many of them feel like family and it is nice that at times they treat us like that as well.

The Fun Behind a Chef's Tour

I often get asked if I feel lucky to be married to a chef and I have to admit I do. The great dishes that can be put together from our home kitchen is amazing. He is a fantastic chef and has made meals from just a few items that we have laying around.  Just the other day our children were commenting on how he could put a great meal together in the time it took us to set up the table. 

Last Friday he was invited to a local chef's tour to visit downtown Phoenix. The tour was the idea of Christopher Gross with the assistance of Terry Madeksza.  We arrived a few minutes late since we were trying to get our restaurants in line for closing in the evening as we would most likely be late from the tour. Unfortunately, we missed the group as they had just left on a trolley from Christopher's Crush Lounge.

We went to the first stop which was Hanny's.  This was such a neat restaurant. I especially liked the slicer at the bar and the vacant elevator that you could walk inside and look down or up as the floor and ceiling were made out of glass. We met the group while having great appetizers and lemon drops. To join the group we left our car (hoping we would not get a ticket if the meter ran out) and joined the trolley to proceed to the Ruby Room. I especially remembered the shots and velvet paintings on the walls.By the time we went to Sens the chefs really started to get along. Soon Aaron May was signing his autograph on James Porter's chest.

The selections of drinks and food were well planned out. At the PastaBar we sat at a long table to a wonderful meal that was great. We continued to The Roosevelt where we had a nice selection of appetizers.Our next stop was the Lost Leaf where it was interesting to see how the bar was an actual kitchen as the place was a restored house. Our last stop was Conspire to get coffee and it was a nice way to end the evening.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sloan Burwell who was very knowledgeable of the dowtown area and the establishments that we went to.It was so enjoyable to be able to talk to her as we sat together at certain times in the trolley.  Actually, she wrote a great recap of the tour at the Chow Bella blog. She really did an excellent job in describing the evening. 

A Memorable Way to Promote Your Business From Networking

The other week I had gone to a chamber networking event where we practiced our elevator speech to each other by sitting in groups of two and eventually changing partners. This was similar to a speed dating type of set up. During this time we also exchanged business cards. I have in the past kept a notebook where I try to keep track of business cards that I get. I have found this to be difficult in finding the best way to sort and refer to them for future use.
Now the other day my staff had told me that someone had stopped by the restaurant and left a package for me. When I opened the packaged this is what I found:

There were two notepads and two "while you were out" pads printed with the company name Print Time , four customized notepads with my full name on them, and a business card from Steve Halter.  He was one of the business contacts I made from the chamber networking event.  I thought the gesture of leaving the products that he made was a great idea. Two days later he called to confirm that I had received the items and mentioned that he can assist with any printing needs that I may have in the future.
This was so unique and a memorable way to follow up with networking contacts. I was very impressed and will consider using this company. Now I am also wondering how I could apply this same type of idea in following up with my contacts beyond filing business cards. I now realize being creative and thoughtful is much more memorable.  Do you have any ideas on this?

Giving Back to Those Who Donate Blood

We recently participated in our local blood drive sponsored by the Noon Kiwanis here in Fountain Hills. Margaret Davis and Liz Smith do an excellent job in coordinating the event and having large amounts of participants. For the two days that the blood drive takes place we provide small versions of our Roman Empire Spinach Salad. They are dropped off and prepackaged with dressing on the side. After someone has donated blood they are welcomed to have a salad to take with them.

 

We have done this a few times and really enjoy it. The original idea came from a customer who asked for a spinach salad after they had given blood. They mentioned that their doctor suggested to have some spinach after donating blood in order to obtain more iron. We thought why not provide salads for all of the people who donate blood in our community. So we coordinated it for the next blood drive and it was well received.

During the last blood drive,  Sara Goodnick was kind enough to make this video of  Fountain Hills Noon Kiwanis Blood Drive .  It was nice to see how a community gets together in providing for others. We are looking forward to the next blood drive.

Restaurants Support Local Golf Tournament

This past weekend we participated in a local fundraiser for our community. The event was the Fountain Hills Community Foundation Golf Tournament that raises funds for local charities in the area. The Fountain Hills Community Foundation provides this event annually. It was a day long event held at FireRock Country Club in Fountain Hills.

This was my first time participating in a golf event and I was amazed by the amount of preparation needed.   Prior to the event there were weeks of advance planning. The other directors from the foundation had already provided such a well organized format for the tournament. They really dedicated their time to organize a memorable day.

For the event we provided raffle tickets for free pizzas along with a small item for each golf bag that was given to the golfers. The bags contained peanuts, a Slim Jim, and a $5.00 gift card to our restaurant. We decided the gift cards would be more valuable to others rather than a discounted coupon. The peanuts and Slim Jim were a last minute addition that seemed to work out well. These bags were prepared by our staff days prior to the event.

During the day of the tournament there were volunteers who assisted in various tasks. The day started early with setting up the registration table and placing all the sponsor signs on the holes. Everyone seemed to work well together and things ran smoothly.

  Overall, the day went fantastic along with raising funds for the foundation. In assisting with this event I learned how much goes into preparing a large fundraiser and how there are so many committed people who give a large amount of their time for others. I was even able to have my husband be of assistance as he checked in on the volunters stationed at the contest holes.

The golf tournament went well and the golfers seemed to have a great time. There were three contest holes and the event lasted almost five hours with a continuation of a dinner reception and raffle drawings. I learned how a golf tournament works and how a groups of people working together can do so much in raising funds for others.

The Small Details Get Noticed in a Restaurant

We took our kids to see the Disney movie Up in 3D. Later, they all wanted to eat at a restaurant called Cheeburger Cheeburger.  As we ordered hamburgers the server brought our drinks and they were all in given in canning jars that had the name of the restaurant. This brought about so much conversation from just getting our drinks. They were amazed by the jars and were asking questions about them.

During our meal, the server started to give us more of the jars for refills and for extra water.  At one point we counted eighteen jars on the table.

 

By just serving water and drinks in a glass that is unique from most water glasses this place has set a small detail to distinguish them from other places. The most memorable part of eating there was the canning jars.  The glasses probably do not cost much more from regular glasses but it does set them apart.  At times it is the small details that really count which do not necessarily have to be expensive to implement.

First Impressions; Here's Looking At The Outside

Our second restaurant location often gets the remarks of how people are so impressed by walking inside. They are often surprised by the interior. The outdoor exterior is plain but when you walk in you see the following.

Thinking it over we decided to add the same feel of the dining room to the exterior of the restaurant. First, we started to look at other patios from different restaurant and realized we needed to think of the theme and message that we wanted to convey. We thought why not add some more of the 1940's look. Next, we needed to decide what where the items we needed and how would we arrange them so that they would work well together.  We started with a plain outdoor area with no furniture.  To keep the cost low we found items from a local antique mall and craigslist.  Here is what we added: two patio sets, two wooden stands, an old parking meter, an old cabinet, and vintage radios.  We went to Target and purchased an array of flowers and herbs to decorate the stands. On a final note we needed to adjust some of the items by adding wheels to the stand so that we could bring in the items at night. Due to the heat we also put together a schedule for taking care of the plants and to clean the vintage items. This is what we ended up with.

We have had such positive feedback from the change that it does seem like first impression do really count.  We realized that as much as we concentrated on the inside of our operation, some people make the final decision to enter our door by the appearance of the outside.

Pass Along A Word of Encouragement

 As I was leaving this morning pick to up produce that is almost an hour away for our Friday rush at the restaurant I got an e-mail from a friend with this video that was done by Grasshopper.

Entrepreneurs Can Change the World 

It was such a great way to start the day and my outlook was uplifted. I started to think how we can all use a word of encouragement and it really does not take long to do it.

In the restaurant at our Fountain Hills location we do a majority of take-out and you constantly see people coming and going. Most of the time they are in a hurry since our parking lot is so small. We try to make a point to not only great the customer but also ask them questions to see how they are doing. Just a little attention can really make a small difference.  At times you can see them leave content. Sometimes it is the small things we do that count so much.

Problems and Surprises; The Restaurant Business Are You Committed?

In any type of business you will get surprises and problems that arise. A restaurant business is no exception. There are days that everything will go smooth and times that you are juggling different  problems.Yesterday, I needed to rearrange the schedule due to a staff person having football practice, have my car checked, empty out a salad prep station since the temperature was low, get extra flour, re-order food items that did not arrive on the delivery truck,and cover a night shift. Meanwhile, having the two restaurants function normally.

The way this has been done for me is by commitment but not necessarily from me. I am surrounded my people who are committed. The staff that performs and problem solves on a moments notice.  The customers that keep me aware of how we are doing. The positive friends, business owners,and family who share advice. My sons who will help out whenever needed for a slice pizza. My husband who is behind the recipes and overall concept of the restaurant. Even on our 18th anniversary (which was yesterday) he just asked what can he do to help.  We worked together and had a late evening dinner celebration.

The commitment I have around me has not always been so easy and has varied over the years. I do feel like I have found something that I am passionate about and that makes me feel committed. It has not been easy but it has been rewarding.