A recent article on the focus of the new leadership of Six Flags centers on details such as
becoming more family friendly, keeping the place cleaner, and focusing less on “big wow”
rides - and it’s a valuable lesson for restaurant operators.

How often over the last year have you looked for the silver bullet and instant fix? Dropped
a boatload of cash on a huge (and unsuccessful) promotion? Launched a new product just
because the competitor did? Complained that sales are down due to all the new
competition? Wondering why nobody is applying in your restaurant?

Perhaps there are lessons to be learned about changing the focus. The Next Big Thing is
actually the little things — that is, the details. There might be more appeal in launching
frequent new products or expensive advertising campaigns, but if the restaurant isn’t run
properly or becomes run down, or if the staff is inadequately trained, the only thing you
have done is told more people you’re not very good.

Start by taking an honest assessment of where you are — in your eyes, the eyes of the
customers, and the eyes of the employees. Ask customers and employees what they feel is
needed to move service, quality, and the restaurant itself to new heights. Run potential
ideas by them to see what their thoughts and responses are so you know what you will be
facing as you implement the selected changes.

Treat the customer to the basics, such as high-quality food, consistency, accuracy, a
friendly staff, and a clean, well-maintained facility.

Need to attract better talent? Ask the team what you can do to make your restaurant a
better place to work. Focus on the details — rewarding the performers, removing the nonperformers,
maintaining high standards, and providing ongoing development and training.

Now, all you have to do is execute…no big thing!

T.J. Schier is service professional, consultant and speaker with over 20 years experience in operations and training. Founder and president of Incentivize Solutions and podTraining, T.J. has helped numerous clients enhance their service and training programs and spoken to tens of thousands of managers, franchisees and operators in various fields. Visit http://IncentivizeSolutions.com/ for more info motivating today’s employees, training today’s generation and delivering outstanding guest service; or http://podTraining.us/, a unique new system and the foundation of ‘i-learning’ - using the device of today’s generation, the iPod - to train your workforce.

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