Worst Up Sell of All Time

Dining at a high end, well known, restaurant in downtown Chicago last week my waiter tried to "up sell" me on a cup of soup with my entree. The question came out out in a robotic almost automated manner. When I asked what the soup of the day was I had broken his trance like state and he answered with "Well, um... it's an earthy broth type soup" almost half apologetically. I noticed he was shaking his head slightly as he spoke. The opposite of the Sullivan nod? Sounded like dirt soup to me--so I went with he clam chowder.

What's your "Secret Sauce"?

People are creatures of habit. My 89 year old mother in-law is no exception. Every visit finds us taking her to dinner at her favorite restaurant. I am not complaining mind you--I enjoy visiting and dinner out. She likes this particular place because-- well they know her and make her feel welcome. I like it because it’s clean, well run, with good food and service. They’re located in a small college town in a very rural part of Northern California. This visit was no different than any other with one exception--we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. While waiting in the lobby I noticed two framed pictures hanging, unassumingly, in the corner of the lobby. The pictures were actually letters mounted and framed, each frame containing two letters. I am sure I had seen these before but had never really paid attention. Looking a bit closer I realized each frame contained written correspondence from two different nationally published magazines; Gourmet and Bon Appetite. For foodies these are two must have publications.

The letters, while from two competing publications, were essentially the same. An official request from the Editor in Chief, made at the behest of their readers, for the recipe of the dressing served on with their signature dish, the Tostada Salad. The magazines wanted to publish the recipe for their loyal readers. In fact both letters mention “numerous reader requests” for the recipe. Mounted to the right of each letter was the owners response. The equivalent of a “Thank you for your interest in our company, but...” a rejection, a politely worded thanks but no thanks. Wow, not one but two, nationally circulated publications with readership in the 6 figure range denied. Who is this guy?

While the owners response, at first blush seemed like a remarkable act of hubris; “No thanks Gourmet and Bon Appetite, I have enough business, so I’ll pass on the free advertising.” I know a lot of operators who would kill for that kind of publicity. Reading the owners response to both requests however, reveals a less arrogant answer. The restaurant, founded in 1948, built it’s reputation on the ”Secret Sauce”. A family recipe decades old. When the founder sold her business to her daughter and son-in-law, requesting as part of the deal, they keep the secret recipe just that-- a secret. The son-in-law, for his part, was keeping his word and used the two sets of correspondence to market his business to his best customers. The ones who already knew him. The ones who felt like part of the tradition. You could argue the benefits of the kind of free press these two magazines could offer his business, but really what’s the point? Most restaurants rely on a customer base of people who live or work within a 3 to 5 mile radius of the business. Another word for that is “Locals”. Reading these two letters made me feel like I, a loyal customer, was part of the buzz--in on the secret. So what’s your “Secret Sauce”?

Les Lent, FMP

Book Review

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin

Most days I call myself a Sales Professional. My team thinks of me as their boss. My boss expects me to be a coach, a leader, a mentor. Some days those words feel like tired cliché’s, over used and cheap. On those days I find my self reaching for this book. I have read it cover to cover a twice and referred back to specific sections over and over again. “Why”? You ask. The simple answer is “Because it lifts me”.

Not a how to book; as in how to rise to the top, how to get rich quick, or any of the other things people seem to be chasing. Seth Godin loaded his compact book with stories and examples of people doing remarkable things, simple things, “Ah Ha”! things. Anecdotes of people creating Tribes of other, like minded followers, doing, building, and helping make things better.

These days it’s easy to fall victim to apathy, self pity, rage, despair and even hope. For most of us we can control our fate, the fate of our business, the fate of our followers, if we choose to. Looking for a “pick me up”? read the book. If you want a bigger lift give a copy to someone else.

Pros: Fast read—no fluff.
Cons: Left me wanting more.

Awesome New Website

I was recently invited to a very cool new website called fohboh It is a social networking site for foodies, restaurant folk and the like. Check it out!

Supply Side

How Rising Fuel Costs Are Affecting Your Bottom Line

Prices at the pump are hurting your business—no doubt about it. Customers are spending less, not driving as far, or not going out at all. No real surprises here.

Another place fuel prices are hitting you is on your vendors invoices. Rising fuel costs are built into the cost of goods all along the supply chain. Manufactures are paying increased freight on raw goods for production. Distributors are paying higher freight to get the product into their warehouses. All these factors lead to a higher cost of goods for the distributor which get passed on in the final invoice price. Lastly the distributors are paying more for the fuel they need to deliver your product—in some areas twice as much as last year. Their cost increases on fuel now show up in the form of a fuel surcharge.

Believe it or not decisions about fuel surcharges are not made lightly. Small niche distributors and broadliners alike agonize about what to do. Factors like competitive pressure, customer push back, and fiscal responsibility all play a part in what each distributor decides to do regarding fuel surcharges.

So what can you do to minimize the impact on your bottom line? Well for starters I recommend you call the management of each vendor you deal with and ask for a clearly defined—ideally written explanation of their current policy and rates for fuel surcharges. The policy should include a surcharge schedule tied to an index for your reference. Once you know what each of your suppliers is doing you can calculate what the surcharges cost you on a weekly or monthly basis. Armed with these two pieces of information you can start to make potentially easy decisions like consolidating vendors, or frequency of delivery.

Tougher more complex strategies will require you to look at your current product specifications and now—point of origin. Does your west coast bistro really require those ovenable french fries made in New England?




-Les Lent