TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED
Angelo Eliades - September 13, 2010

The other day I was shopping at my local office supply store and when I went to check out I received some words of wisdom from my teller. As the gentleman was bagging my supplies he commented on how he was going to double bag my goods because he didn't want the bag to tear. He said that this is how he would bag it for himself and then looked at me and said - "we should treat people the way that we would want to be treated".

This made me think about the hospitality industry. We are after all in the people business and this is probably the best barometer of how we should treat others. Before you serve a meal or prepare a drink for your customer ask yourself this simple question - "how would I want my meal and/or my drink?" Make a drink the way you would prefer it and I guarantee you that your customer will be satisfied. Put a little love into your efforts. If you like to shake your cocktail before you drink it because you like blending it, try doing the same for your customer. If it works for you, I am sure that your customer will appreciate the effort.

Like I always say - "this business is simple." Go back to basics and make sure that your staff follows the same philosophy. Today's marketplace requires you to differentiate yourself from your competition. Little details like going the extra mile for your customers will go a long way to securing your ultimate goals.

WHAT'S IN A NAME
Angelo Eliades - April 16, 2010

I was recently interviewed by Metromix Chicago's Red Eye (click here to view article)newspaper for a local contest that was being run to determine Chicago's favorite bar name deriving from local street names. The interview made me stop and think about the thought process that goes into finding a name for your restaurant or bar. Most business owners have a personal connection to the name of their business. The name is one of the only aspects of the business that pays homage to the owner. A great example comes from Nine Group, a hospitality group with restaurants and nightclubs in Chicago, Las Vegas and Dallas. The name Nine is the age when the managing partners first began their friendship. How cool is that?

In many cases, the name is thought of before even the concept. I remember the first nightclub concept that I ever conceptualized. I was walking through the Museum of Art in Chicago when I a Vincent Van Gough painting captured my imagination. The painting was a group of men sitting around a table and drinking - appropriately named "The Drinkers". The original thought was that this painting would make an "awesome" VIP card. From that painting evolved a full concept featuring art, music, colors and other features inspired by Vincent Van Gogh. It's almost like the old proverb - "what came first, the chicken or the egg?". When thinking of name for your new business, make it personal because it's one of the only aspects of your business that you will have a connection to. The rest of your concept has to cater to your customers.

SMILE

How simpler can this business be? What is the first thing that happens when you walk into a Walmart store? A friendly smile and warm greeting by the cute elderly person in the entrance. It doesn't take much for you to begin your shopping experience in a happy mood. This is a lesson, not only for the host, but every staff member of your business. Your staff should never make eye contact with a customer without a smile on their faces. A little thing like a smile can go a long way in securing a customer's dining experience. People spent too much time in a hostile working environment that they are often looking for a little escape. The friendly smiles that your staff provide will go a lot further towards cultivating business for your restaurant. So let's go back to the basics. A simple SMILE will mean more to your bottom line than all the marketing campaigns and public relationship opportunities that you can pay for. Remember that in today's economic environment, people can save a lot of money by sitting home and cooking their own meal. They are not necessarily looking for a well prepared meal as much as they are looking for an escape of their every day grind. They need a happy face to help them forget their struggles. This is when your staff earns their patronage.

Why am I blogging?

What is this world coming to? Face Book and Twitter and now Blogging. How does one Blog and if no one reads your blog, are you really blogging? Kinda like the tree falling in the woods thing. To quote Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, "if you build it, they will come". Now that I think about it, it wasn't Kevin Costner that said that, I believe it was James Earl Jones. Nevertheless, I will make an effort to share my thoughts with my anticipating audience. I am sure that soon there will be a pilgrimage to my Blog Page just so people can see what I have to say. I will try to be profound, philosophical and maybe even a little controversial but most of all, I will try and leave my audience with a few words of wisdom. I will talk about alot of different subjects but I will try and make it a little more work related. Maybe we can create a forum for people in the hospitality industry to share thoughts about how they can improve their business. God knows that in this economy, we can use all the help that we cna get.

Good night my flock and I look forward to seeing you again soon. Stay in touch!