Restaurant Management Tips:
Make Them Have to Say "No"
Here is a real change from our usual practice! We are always telling restaurateurs to give the guests a reason to say "yes" - "yes" to big contributors, extra services, celebration amenities, etc. In this case, we are
going to require them to say "no" to extra items.
I got this idea while taking a cruise last year. Each night, when we arrived at our table, there were two bottles of wine sitting there. One was a nice, chilled white. The other was a carefully selected red. Both of them fit into the theme of
the dinner for the evening, and were appropriate for various menu items. The wines weren't FREE of course. If the guest wanted them, they had to pay. (You understand that this is a GOOD thing from your perspective as a restaurateur!)
The key, is that everyone had to make a decision about those bottles of wine. Instead of saying "yes" to a waiter's suggestion of the wine from a wine list, each table of guests had to say "NO" in order to get rid of the
bottles. Many tables did refuse them - on the first night. On the second night, fewer people said "no". As we settled into the routine of the ship, it became easier and easier to just accept the suggested wine and enjoy it.
This same principle can be applied to so many items. Darrell Wilde, Assistant Director of Food and Beverage at the Breakers Hotel
in Palm Beach, tells of their incredible success with desserts. On an average night in their steak restaurant, they would sell desserts to about 10% of the diners. Daryl did not consider this to be an acceptable percentage.
The management decided it would be better to have the guest refuse a dessert then to actually request one. So, they constructed a very visible dessert cart, with a wonderful display of pastries, pies and cakes. The cart was wheeled around the
dining room. It was so beautiful, that it really became part of the excitement of dining in this restaurant. And to make it even more appealing, the restaurant's managers made it even harder for the guests to say "no" by using a simple, yet elegant approach.
There were so many wonderful choices on the cart that some guests would say "no", simply because they couldn’t decide. So, the Breaker's staff created a dessert combination. For the same price as a full piece of one dessert, the
diners could get a small slice of EACH dessert. Now, who could say "no" to that?
Under the dessert cart program, dessert sales increased from 10% to 40% of all diners in the steak house. Imagine what an increase in dessert sales like that can mean to the bottom line! Desserts are generally high contribution margin items.
Certainly, the average contribution margin per person SHOT UP in the restaurant.
What can you do in YOUR restaurant to improve the bottom line? Are there places where money is hidden because you are forcing the guests to say "yes" rather than making it impossible, OR UNNECESSARY, to say "no"? Think of
the items that could increase the per person contribution margin, and at the same time, increase guest satisfaction. Remember that increased sales can only be sustained if guests are satisfied with the total product at your property. Which guest is more satisfied with the TOTAL experience? Is it
the person who has an entrée only, perhaps with a glass of water, or is it the diner who enjoys a bottle of wine, appetizer, dessert, and the entrée? If your guests are not taking full advantage of your menu, then you either have the wrong menu, the wrong approach, or the wrong guests. (See
the chapter on finding the right guests for more information.)
Put your creative team to work on this one. The money is there, just go dig it out. You will increase customer satisfaction AND make a positive impact on the bottom line. What could be better?
And, if you are still at a loss for ideas for your restaurant in this area, go take a cruise. Or, look up Darrell Wilde at The Breakers. Either way, you are going to come out a winner!
|
