Don't Pick Profits Before People - The TGIF Story - Part 2 of a 10 Part Series
- First let me say that I appreciate everyone who has reached out to me to talk about the days when T.G.I. Fridays was the place to be to dine out or people watch from the bar. So we talked about the "Kitty Hawk" theory in part one and today we are going to cover the damage caused when the "Back Dock" theory is ignored. Another of the original Fridays Theories that has been thrown out of the playbook. Our employees are our most important piece in delivering both quality food and service. Imagine what our Guests would think if this is what they looked at when walking into our restaurants. They would turn around and go somewhere else to dine. I probably should have turned around that day and gone home. I went inside and got a broom and came out and cleaned it. The looks I received only told me of the Culture change that happened since I left in 1989. We can not expect our employees to come to work in a crisp uniform or to keep their work areas clean when we show them our standards with a back dock like this. You could eat off a Fridays back dock as it was a part of our mind set that it was to be kept spotless. Employees today have many more choices then employees had in the 80's so as an operator you need to be the obvious choice. Otherwise staffing will be difficult and it was not a surprise when the restaurant was short staffed and always looking for help.
- This is actually a great example of Profits Before People as it sets the stage for everything else in the restaurant to lose its importance. Less than two months out of training I was promoted to General Manager and went back to the store I had trained in and assumed the position. That store was on the same path of most Fridays, struggling to beat prior years sales. When you set the bar for success of your restaurants based on Profits you put your employees in a bad place and what suffers the most is the Guest Experience. The Fridays I took over as General manager had a 90/10 split in food to beverage. In the 80's Fridays had a 60/40 food to beverage split. I immediately started to talk to the staff about our Beverage sales as it was the place that was obviously in need of some improvement. A 20+ year employee set me straight and told me how the Restaurant was when it opened and for years after. As we talked about previously, everyone in town showed up. It was the place to be and the bar was four deep. When I asked what she thought happened she rolled her eyes and told me what had been going on the past six months, as she was ready to leave. The person who was the Bar Manager had instructed the Bar Staff to make all Batch Recipes only putting in 1/4 of the alcohol in the recipe and to short all drinks from the service bar. She made a point to tell me that she made sure the regulars got the correct pour. Fridays does not just work on cost percentages anymore, they have taken it to a new level using "waste" percentages. So if you ask the kitchen manager what their Food cost is they may tell you , .7%? So in my next conversation with my Director about the the Bar having been told to short portion all of the beverage recipes of the alcohol content, I am treated as if I just told the World who really shot Kennedy? I am told, "Kevin, Shut the #@%$ up". You see this Bar Manager has been praised for her beverage waste and has been on GM conference calls being praised and telling everyone how to run their costs. She does leave out the part about not putting alcohol in drinks. The best part of this story is that Bar Manager is now my kitchen manager. Thats will be part of the next part in the series.
- So todays lesson is we as Owners and Operators set the Standard for what our Restaurants will ultimately be to our Employees and Guests. Will we inspire our employees in these trying times or will we make them look for another job. Will we give our Guests more than they expected or will We cut recipes to increase our bottom line. As Owners and Operators we should be looking everyday on how to to motivate our Staff by giving them the support and the Tools they need. Equally we need to be making sure we give our Guests more than they expected as if they were Guests in our own homes. The focus shouldn't be Profits. It needs to be to make your Bar or Restaurant the Obvious Choice for Guests planning to dine out. The restaurants that survive the current climate will be the ones focusing on People, not Profits. I look forward to talking about Food quality and Costs in the next part of the series.
Well said!