I loved playing online poker when it was legal. I won some and lost some. But it taught me how to sit at the table, what I had and what to look for.
Today, I have a good hand.
3 years ago, on the flop, maybe not so much. But the ante was cheap enough that I could call.
So today, I took my last card and pushed in all my chips. I already knew what my opponent was holding, a solid hand but no real surprise. A safe hand of small trips. (Back in the 80's, trip 10's in 7 card stud would only win 50% of the time).
I raised. Was called. And now, on to the next table.
Thank you very much :)
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Collapse
Here are the topics that this is not about:
North Korean tunnel
Spanish Reign
The Anthem or the NFL
Hollywood Execs sex
Spacey and who didn't suspect
Direct TV and cable
to name a few...
But some are symptoms and some are synonyms for what is happening around us in the industry we chose as a profession. Restaurants.
I won't go into my conspiracy ideas of menu price increases (no decreases) from coffee bean shortages to, most recently, avian flu but I will say that the last few decades have had many catastrophes that have directly impacted our lives.
Sears, as a company, made a mistake years ago. The board voted not to leave Chicago, to keep the fluff and expenses of the company centrally located and because a tower was named after them, it would be bad for business to downsize. Maybe they could buy Kmart, that would help.
Our industry is faced with its own collapse. Years ago I asked for budgets that would help us develop a bench of managers. Can't. Don't have it. Not doable.
What we have today is an aging management workforce surrounded by unqualified teams to take over. Growth hasn't stopped with the upstarts of QSRs and coffee kiosks, its put more pressure on the industry. Truth be known, even the suppliers can't keep up with demand.
But people like me, we're tired, broken. Ready to move on. Jumping ship for that last big payday. Leaving the reigns to the next generation. Untrained, unprepared. And we will be blamed for the collapse.
We did bow to the corporate expectations of more profits each year even though we knew that without a team the supported us, we couldn't continue to win, create our dynasty.
We thought that because the music of the 80's lives on, so could our thought process and the way we do business. We wouldn't or couldn't admit it in public because we wanted to portray ourselves in an acceptable light. But the industry was still only about the larger bottom line.
They tell us now that to increase our speed the guests should have the ability to order at the table, bypassing the need for an actual greet from a server or at a counter making the cashier obsolete. Labor costs and insurance have given rise to less actual prep and cooking and opened the door to more ready to eat or heat and serve products.
The introduction of robotics, for all the owners reading this, is just a stop gap measure, prolonging the inevitable.
Streaming is easy. You have one bill. The decision to unplug is a no-brainer. Our industry created the home meal replacement. To go food. Add in the technology of today and its possible to see the end as we know it.
But it didn't have be this way. We crave interaction. We desire a warm atmosphere. But we didn't make the investment in the next generation, we sold them out.
THIS is my prediction
North Korean tunnel
Spanish Reign
The Anthem or the NFL
Hollywood Execs sex
Spacey and who didn't suspect
Direct TV and cable
to name a few...
But some are symptoms and some are synonyms for what is happening around us in the industry we chose as a profession. Restaurants.
I won't go into my conspiracy ideas of menu price increases (no decreases) from coffee bean shortages to, most recently, avian flu but I will say that the last few decades have had many catastrophes that have directly impacted our lives.
Sears, as a company, made a mistake years ago. The board voted not to leave Chicago, to keep the fluff and expenses of the company centrally located and because a tower was named after them, it would be bad for business to downsize. Maybe they could buy Kmart, that would help.
Our industry is faced with its own collapse. Years ago I asked for budgets that would help us develop a bench of managers. Can't. Don't have it. Not doable.
What we have today is an aging management workforce surrounded by unqualified teams to take over. Growth hasn't stopped with the upstarts of QSRs and coffee kiosks, its put more pressure on the industry. Truth be known, even the suppliers can't keep up with demand.
But people like me, we're tired, broken. Ready to move on. Jumping ship for that last big payday. Leaving the reigns to the next generation. Untrained, unprepared. And we will be blamed for the collapse.
We did bow to the corporate expectations of more profits each year even though we knew that without a team the supported us, we couldn't continue to win, create our dynasty.
We thought that because the music of the 80's lives on, so could our thought process and the way we do business. We wouldn't or couldn't admit it in public because we wanted to portray ourselves in an acceptable light. But the industry was still only about the larger bottom line.
They tell us now that to increase our speed the guests should have the ability to order at the table, bypassing the need for an actual greet from a server or at a counter making the cashier obsolete. Labor costs and insurance have given rise to less actual prep and cooking and opened the door to more ready to eat or heat and serve products.
The introduction of robotics, for all the owners reading this, is just a stop gap measure, prolonging the inevitable.
Streaming is easy. You have one bill. The decision to unplug is a no-brainer. Our industry created the home meal replacement. To go food. Add in the technology of today and its possible to see the end as we know it.
But it didn't have be this way. We crave interaction. We desire a warm atmosphere. But we didn't make the investment in the next generation, we sold them out.
THIS is my prediction
Saturday, September 23, 2017
The Code
I woke up this morning on September 23rd 2017 and the world hasn't ended, no surprise. the prophecies were wrong again. I would say that I have stayed away waiting for the inevitable but the reality is, I've been busy.
We sold the house in North Dakota, moved the family back to Tennessee and towed the tired Jeep on a trailer behind the U-haul. The Jeep had a check engine light.
The Subaru I owned a few years before did as well. It was a '99 and you could do the secret handshake to find out what was wrong. I vaguely remember the handshake and I know some are actually wondering what I am talking about.
Before the addition of a computer link to the car for diagnosis, you could do one of two things: go to a shop, pay the hundred bucks to find out the code OR do a series of seemingly random actions while behind the wheel to get the light to flash a certain way thus getting the number of the code for the check engine light and possible fix it yourself. It was a way for your car to communicate with you.
Full stop. Start the car. Drive 1/10th of a mile in 1st gear. Full stop. right turn signal. Reverse with foot on brake. Neutral. Drive. Then Park. (or something close to that) Then the check engine light would begin a series of flashing to indicate a specific number and give you the code and look it up to find out the issue. Code 77 on a '99 Subaru Impreza is a lockout solenoid. Never fixed it. Why?
Because I manage restaurants. What happened with the car was simple to make work properly once it started to fail. The lockout solenoid would cause it to go into an override mode only working in 1st and 3rd gear but if you shifted into neutral while driving, shut the key off and then turned it back on, it would reset to normal operation mode for 50 miles or so.
Being a part of a corporation, they will give you a code to fix the car and most managers will listen. A good manager knows how to keep his/her vehicle running in a forward direction, their goal.
Why not just correct the code?
The Jeep
With a limited amount of time, I took the Jeep to an auto parts store. It has the jack to hook up the computer and find out exactly what is wrong. No handshake required. Miss-fire cylinder 3.
When the powers that be tell you what is wrong and you don't have faith in your own abilities, you listen. You change the #3 plug. Only to find out that 2 other plugs are cracked after you believed the code because you now have a new one. And worse, let someone else climb under the hood, who doesn't care, and loosen a vacuum line and create new problems. (true story)
I drive the car (my restaurant) everyday. I know the shimmies and shakes that it has. When it runs rough and how it sounds when all the cylinders fire. I know there is a light flashing somewhere in an office, desperately trying to get my attention but I also know, if I shift to neutral, turn the key off and then on again, then it will perform like I need it to until I can fix it correctly.
We sold the house in North Dakota, moved the family back to Tennessee and towed the tired Jeep on a trailer behind the U-haul. The Jeep had a check engine light.
The Subaru I owned a few years before did as well. It was a '99 and you could do the secret handshake to find out what was wrong. I vaguely remember the handshake and I know some are actually wondering what I am talking about.
Before the addition of a computer link to the car for diagnosis, you could do one of two things: go to a shop, pay the hundred bucks to find out the code OR do a series of seemingly random actions while behind the wheel to get the light to flash a certain way thus getting the number of the code for the check engine light and possible fix it yourself. It was a way for your car to communicate with you.
Full stop. Start the car. Drive 1/10th of a mile in 1st gear. Full stop. right turn signal. Reverse with foot on brake. Neutral. Drive. Then Park. (or something close to that) Then the check engine light would begin a series of flashing to indicate a specific number and give you the code and look it up to find out the issue. Code 77 on a '99 Subaru Impreza is a lockout solenoid. Never fixed it. Why?
Because I manage restaurants. What happened with the car was simple to make work properly once it started to fail. The lockout solenoid would cause it to go into an override mode only working in 1st and 3rd gear but if you shifted into neutral while driving, shut the key off and then turned it back on, it would reset to normal operation mode for 50 miles or so.
Being a part of a corporation, they will give you a code to fix the car and most managers will listen. A good manager knows how to keep his/her vehicle running in a forward direction, their goal.
Why not just correct the code?
The Jeep
With a limited amount of time, I took the Jeep to an auto parts store. It has the jack to hook up the computer and find out exactly what is wrong. No handshake required. Miss-fire cylinder 3.
When the powers that be tell you what is wrong and you don't have faith in your own abilities, you listen. You change the #3 plug. Only to find out that 2 other plugs are cracked after you believed the code because you now have a new one. And worse, let someone else climb under the hood, who doesn't care, and loosen a vacuum line and create new problems. (true story)
I drive the car (my restaurant) everyday. I know the shimmies and shakes that it has. When it runs rough and how it sounds when all the cylinders fire. I know there is a light flashing somewhere in an office, desperately trying to get my attention but I also know, if I shift to neutral, turn the key off and then on again, then it will perform like I need it to until I can fix it correctly.
Friday, July 28, 2017
Crash and Burn
It's not always rainbows and butterflies (Maroon 5)
It would seem that I have never fallen as you read this blog. That is the last thing that I wish to portray. I have completely rebuilt my life several times. The last time was the worst.
I don't share this story often and I can't honestly say how deep I will go today but I don't want anyone to think, even for a moment that I am the best thing since sliced bread. Hopefully that is enough cliches.
I have been terminated in the past. I put my loyalties in the wrong people, more than once. The first time it pushed me out of a company that I loved. I had a difficult couple years of being self-employed and working less than management positions. Sometimes working 3 jobs for a short time to keep enough in the bank account. After 2 years and the truth showing itself to my former company, they were ready to give me another chance. I had already decided that I would once again pursue a career in management. Learning from my past mistakes of giving up my integrity for what I thought was a friend, I began to keep people at a distance.
2 years of success followed and a closeness developed with my new GM. He wanted to jump ship for a growing casual dining concept. And he asked me to go too. He left, took vacation time and started a new life waiting for me to join as his right hand.
Then he came back. Unknown to anyone but me and his family that he had attempted to do something else. He had did the same as my former GM and crossed me. Sold me an idea I could believe in and then tried to take all back. I wasn't buying it anymore.
I happened to be in a New Store Opening in New Jersey for the company I worked for when I gave notice. I wasn't returning to my home store. The reason, I no longer trusted my GM.
As it turned out, not a bad move at the time. What seemed like success followed me for a fair amount of time. You read these stories and most are the during those years.
Then the "Crash and Burn". A series of small events lead to something bigger and soon no one would take me but a car dealership. It fed the family and made me hungry to return what I thought I loved as a career. Under capitalized, I branched out on my own in the restaurant business and what resulted was what some of my friends would call "a dead cat bounce". I lost everything.
Except a bag of clothes that were decent enough to interview in until I had some pocket money. 800 miles on a motorcycle, countless bottles of liquor and trying to forget, I got back on the horse, yet again.
Humans have the ability to forget how bad the pain is at the end of the day and I just needed time to heal, regroup and refocus. Since those dark days in 2008, I have been knocked down a few times, had a pity party or two and just kept going. Rose to the top, fell back down, kicked once or twice and it looks like this year will be another one of the good ones.
To anyone who wants to do well in this line of work, I will share the words I wrote to a former employee. "I believe in you, you should to."
It would seem that I have never fallen as you read this blog. That is the last thing that I wish to portray. I have completely rebuilt my life several times. The last time was the worst.
I don't share this story often and I can't honestly say how deep I will go today but I don't want anyone to think, even for a moment that I am the best thing since sliced bread. Hopefully that is enough cliches.
I have been terminated in the past. I put my loyalties in the wrong people, more than once. The first time it pushed me out of a company that I loved. I had a difficult couple years of being self-employed and working less than management positions. Sometimes working 3 jobs for a short time to keep enough in the bank account. After 2 years and the truth showing itself to my former company, they were ready to give me another chance. I had already decided that I would once again pursue a career in management. Learning from my past mistakes of giving up my integrity for what I thought was a friend, I began to keep people at a distance.
2 years of success followed and a closeness developed with my new GM. He wanted to jump ship for a growing casual dining concept. And he asked me to go too. He left, took vacation time and started a new life waiting for me to join as his right hand.
Then he came back. Unknown to anyone but me and his family that he had attempted to do something else. He had did the same as my former GM and crossed me. Sold me an idea I could believe in and then tried to take all back. I wasn't buying it anymore.
I happened to be in a New Store Opening in New Jersey for the company I worked for when I gave notice. I wasn't returning to my home store. The reason, I no longer trusted my GM.
As it turned out, not a bad move at the time. What seemed like success followed me for a fair amount of time. You read these stories and most are the during those years.
Then the "Crash and Burn". A series of small events lead to something bigger and soon no one would take me but a car dealership. It fed the family and made me hungry to return what I thought I loved as a career. Under capitalized, I branched out on my own in the restaurant business and what resulted was what some of my friends would call "a dead cat bounce". I lost everything.
Except a bag of clothes that were decent enough to interview in until I had some pocket money. 800 miles on a motorcycle, countless bottles of liquor and trying to forget, I got back on the horse, yet again.
Humans have the ability to forget how bad the pain is at the end of the day and I just needed time to heal, regroup and refocus. Since those dark days in 2008, I have been knocked down a few times, had a pity party or two and just kept going. Rose to the top, fell back down, kicked once or twice and it looks like this year will be another one of the good ones.
To anyone who wants to do well in this line of work, I will share the words I wrote to a former employee. "I believe in you, you should to."
Thursday, July 27, 2017
3 types
I changed the title to protect the innocent (me) from being prosecuted for revisiting an idea that was written while employed by a different company that may or may not have intellectual property rights on thoughts that were shared at the time of employment.
I am a numbers guy. If you think math is not important, I would say you don't fully appreciate math and definitely don't understand what the numbers say when you listen. I have always claimed that I am no different than Neo as I see the code in front of me and can decipher the language.
That being said, let's dive in to the 3 types of restaurants.
I worked for a chain from the late 90's to early 00's, a franchise. I was told, by a company franchise consultant, that our brand would never be a destination restaurant. I accepted that fact to her face and left the conversation alone. I never enjoy having an intellectual battle against a less than adequate foe.
This was the same person that recommended my termination as a GM but I didn't hold that against her, I used it as motivation but we can visit that story some other time.
Overflow, Multiple Choice and Destination
Watching hourly numbers, I was able to see that I had an overflow restaurant.
Odd term but true. We didn't get busy at noon or 6pm, our rush started at 12:40 or 7 pm. Why? Everyone else was busy and we had an empty parking lot and no wait at the door. I hated understanding that we executed so badly that no would trust us during a busy time. I had just got there, been told by the powers that be not to expect anymore than that and the sales level was largely unchanged in the 3 years before my arrival. 1.6 million/year. How do you combat the mentality of a guest that doesn't trust you but has no other choice? Put staff and managers on for when the push starts. Blow them away when they walk in the door. You should have an extra 30 minutes to prepare and then be ready for it. But mostly, accept where you are in the grand scheme of things and change it.
What happens to a guest when they drive through 2 different parking lots and decide they have to settle for you AND you are ready for them? We move to the 2nd type of restaurant.
Multiple Choice
"Hey Honey! Where do you want to eat tonight? Restaurant A, B or C?" Now we've moved from the random chance of visitation to one of the top 3 picks. Most would be happy with that. Big time.
No, not really.
Same restaurant. Florida. Late November, early December. Just before season. For those who have lived through the experience, you have sympathy for what we is about to happen to us.
You don't see the numbers, though. You don't listen to the guest. Many of them begin to say good-bye as season approaches and they will not return with their wallets until after Easter. "We don't want to wait in line as the snowbirds arrive and take our spot that we have enjoyed for the last 8-9 months. We won't fight the crowds." Why? Because as a multiple choice restaurant our machine that is service doesn't always hit all 8 cylinders. Long waits, long tickets and minimal guest interaction. the real question is Why Bother? It's the tipping point when you understand it.
Destination.
My conversation about never being a destination restaurant dealt with a finer dining experience than what I could provide to the guest on a daily basis. She meant 3, 4 or 5 stars. No, I will never be that type of establishment. Remy from "Ratatouille" pulled off what I could never do. A list of names 6 months in advance that anxiously awaited their turn to dine with one of the finest chefs in all of France. I was never fooled by her statement.
To move to a destination is not about being so much better that there is a book with names who choose the times they want to come, that's actually a multiple choice. April with Remy at 7:30.
No, destination is simply "Hey Honey, are we going to Restaurant A tonight?" Of course the answer is yes.( And here is the tricky part for my Southern Friends). "Let's go at 4:30 or 5, before the rush starts and watch the tourist stand in line, sound good? I mean, it is our restaurant, why do we have to wait?"
It all starts with knowing you place and be willing to change your lot. This is a true story of a business that more than doubled its sales in 6 years and I was able to listen to the numbers.
I am a numbers guy. If you think math is not important, I would say you don't fully appreciate math and definitely don't understand what the numbers say when you listen. I have always claimed that I am no different than Neo as I see the code in front of me and can decipher the language.
That being said, let's dive in to the 3 types of restaurants.
I worked for a chain from the late 90's to early 00's, a franchise. I was told, by a company franchise consultant, that our brand would never be a destination restaurant. I accepted that fact to her face and left the conversation alone. I never enjoy having an intellectual battle against a less than adequate foe.
This was the same person that recommended my termination as a GM but I didn't hold that against her, I used it as motivation but we can visit that story some other time.
Overflow, Multiple Choice and Destination
Watching hourly numbers, I was able to see that I had an overflow restaurant.
Odd term but true. We didn't get busy at noon or 6pm, our rush started at 12:40 or 7 pm. Why? Everyone else was busy and we had an empty parking lot and no wait at the door. I hated understanding that we executed so badly that no would trust us during a busy time. I had just got there, been told by the powers that be not to expect anymore than that and the sales level was largely unchanged in the 3 years before my arrival. 1.6 million/year. How do you combat the mentality of a guest that doesn't trust you but has no other choice? Put staff and managers on for when the push starts. Blow them away when they walk in the door. You should have an extra 30 minutes to prepare and then be ready for it. But mostly, accept where you are in the grand scheme of things and change it.
What happens to a guest when they drive through 2 different parking lots and decide they have to settle for you AND you are ready for them? We move to the 2nd type of restaurant.
Multiple Choice
"Hey Honey! Where do you want to eat tonight? Restaurant A, B or C?" Now we've moved from the random chance of visitation to one of the top 3 picks. Most would be happy with that. Big time.
No, not really.
Same restaurant. Florida. Late November, early December. Just before season. For those who have lived through the experience, you have sympathy for what we is about to happen to us.
You don't see the numbers, though. You don't listen to the guest. Many of them begin to say good-bye as season approaches and they will not return with their wallets until after Easter. "We don't want to wait in line as the snowbirds arrive and take our spot that we have enjoyed for the last 8-9 months. We won't fight the crowds." Why? Because as a multiple choice restaurant our machine that is service doesn't always hit all 8 cylinders. Long waits, long tickets and minimal guest interaction. the real question is Why Bother? It's the tipping point when you understand it.
Destination.
My conversation about never being a destination restaurant dealt with a finer dining experience than what I could provide to the guest on a daily basis. She meant 3, 4 or 5 stars. No, I will never be that type of establishment. Remy from "Ratatouille" pulled off what I could never do. A list of names 6 months in advance that anxiously awaited their turn to dine with one of the finest chefs in all of France. I was never fooled by her statement.
To move to a destination is not about being so much better that there is a book with names who choose the times they want to come, that's actually a multiple choice. April with Remy at 7:30.
No, destination is simply "Hey Honey, are we going to Restaurant A tonight?" Of course the answer is yes.( And here is the tricky part for my Southern Friends). "Let's go at 4:30 or 5, before the rush starts and watch the tourist stand in line, sound good? I mean, it is our restaurant, why do we have to wait?"
It all starts with knowing you place and be willing to change your lot. This is a true story of a business that more than doubled its sales in 6 years and I was able to listen to the numbers.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
APSOlutely
This seems to be relevant today as uncertainty swirls around friends of mine. I am not worried about change, I embrace it.
I moved my family from SW Florida to Wisconsin in 1997 on the hope that I could become a GM in a short time with Apple South. I liked the company. They were in a growth mode and the concept of Applebee's was a good fit for my personal style of management. 12 weeks of training later took me to the end of September. Rockford IL, State St. Associate Manager lasted a month. Madison East, WI, Kitchen Manager lasted 3 months. Madison West, GM. January 1998. Anyone who knows the history of Bee's and Apple South know what happened next.Tom DuPree with all his infinite wisdom and infighting with the smaller parent company decided to sell all of his restaurants. 293. I happened to be in charge of one of the them.
I have be to honest, I wanted to work for APSO. I chose my employer and performed for them. They rewarded me and advanced me quickly. I wasn't the happiest about the sale but I did get to the coveted position I wanted and began to have some success in the transition. I was an infant learning to walk.
The company knew that they could not sell closed restaurants for the same dollar amount as operational ones so they offered an incentive bonus to stay until the store was sold and books were closed out. Some of the stores sold quickly in desirable markets. Others, like mine, took awhile. 9 months to be exact. I still remember the first official meeting with our soon to be new owners. Good bunch of people, probably doing extremely well but I was so hung up on wanting to work for
APSO that I wouldn't even give them a chance. I sat crossed armed through the entire meeting.
2 things happened next.
My restaurant sold and I walked away with a lot of bonus money. I was picked up by a former APSO store in Florida that was just getting its bearings and we had an exciting run together. The only thing I ever pondered was What could've happened if I stayed with the new company?
In times of change, there will always be questions that have better answers with 20/20 hindsight. My situation turned out the right move for me and my family. For some, I am sure that the transition into a new life was not smooth, not without turbulence. But change will come in all of our lives. Wallow in the self-pity of the next chapter that you have no control over or embrace it and run as hard as you can to the end.
And know that it will probably find you again.
I moved my family from SW Florida to Wisconsin in 1997 on the hope that I could become a GM in a short time with Apple South. I liked the company. They were in a growth mode and the concept of Applebee's was a good fit for my personal style of management. 12 weeks of training later took me to the end of September. Rockford IL, State St. Associate Manager lasted a month. Madison East, WI, Kitchen Manager lasted 3 months. Madison West, GM. January 1998. Anyone who knows the history of Bee's and Apple South know what happened next.Tom DuPree with all his infinite wisdom and infighting with the smaller parent company decided to sell all of his restaurants. 293. I happened to be in charge of one of the them.
I have be to honest, I wanted to work for APSO. I chose my employer and performed for them. They rewarded me and advanced me quickly. I wasn't the happiest about the sale but I did get to the coveted position I wanted and began to have some success in the transition. I was an infant learning to walk.
The company knew that they could not sell closed restaurants for the same dollar amount as operational ones so they offered an incentive bonus to stay until the store was sold and books were closed out. Some of the stores sold quickly in desirable markets. Others, like mine, took awhile. 9 months to be exact. I still remember the first official meeting with our soon to be new owners. Good bunch of people, probably doing extremely well but I was so hung up on wanting to work for
APSO that I wouldn't even give them a chance. I sat crossed armed through the entire meeting.
2 things happened next.
My restaurant sold and I walked away with a lot of bonus money. I was picked up by a former APSO store in Florida that was just getting its bearings and we had an exciting run together. The only thing I ever pondered was What could've happened if I stayed with the new company?
In times of change, there will always be questions that have better answers with 20/20 hindsight. My situation turned out the right move for me and my family. For some, I am sure that the transition into a new life was not smooth, not without turbulence. But change will come in all of our lives. Wallow in the self-pity of the next chapter that you have no control over or embrace it and run as hard as you can to the end.
And know that it will probably find you again.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Debbie does the Galaxy
I decided to change the subject slightly. Today is porn.
Well, food porn anyway.
I would like to tell you that I have been in the restaurant business for 30+ years. Food cost for the stores that I worked in were in the 22% range up to 28% for casual dining. Today, with the cost of food as we see in the grocery stores, we run a food cost in the general vicinity of 23%. How is that even possible?
Debbie does the Galaxy is how it is possible.
I honestly don't remember how much Hostess Ho Hos cost when I was a kid but they were a favorite.
Chocolate covered devils food cake rolls filled with an amazing creme. I would save my allowance for them and the berry filled pies that they made. Heaven for a 10 year old. Soon we discovered Little Debbie's. You could find them in vending machines and in the discount markets. The first time I tried them, expecting the flavor of a Ho Ho, I begged my mom to never buy them again. I knew, at 10, what quality was and Debbie's Swiss cake rolls was not it. Sadly, Hostess could not compete with the economic demands of the public. The last time I actually saw them was in a 7-11, priced more than one dollar for 2 while Debbie had a box of 12 (6 packs of 2) for 99 cents. My taste buds finally learned to accept a flavor I wasn't fond of and eventually looked forward to during the midnight run to the kitchen with a glass of milk and a quick snack.
Fast forward 20 years
2 weeks ago, my wife brought home a box of Swiss cake rolls. Instantly I knew something was different. They were longer. My uneducated guess said 25% longer, not bigger, which to me, is important. Ok, they are bigger but not thicker, just longer. And even though they are an inferior substitute for Ho Hos, they have become that late night staple I dream of. They didn't make the Milky Way mistake.
I know its hard to believe that the most sought after candy bar in the world (based solely on numbers) could possible make a mistake but the Mars company did. Worse, they never consulted with me to inquire about the problem.
The current Milky Way candy bar is 2 3/4oz. It has been down sized slightly over the years but proportionately still the same. That is the key. In their attempt to increase sales, they did 2 things. First, the mini. Tasty yes but not a Milky Way. Too much chocolate for the nougat and caramel. Throws the flavor off. You buy the bags at $7/lb and think nothing of the taste difference.
The worst came second. Big Size. This was to gain more sales per purchase in the hopes no one would notice the discrepancy in flavor. The bar was thicker, more nougat, more caramel. The balance of chocolate was now out of whack. They could've went the Debbie route and just made the bar longer.
Last week, I made the decision to write this blog. My wife brought home a new abomination. "Great Value Swiss Cake Roll" I've decided NOT to settle for another change in a favorite. And if Hostess would box of 12 of their original Ho Hos, I would gladly pay the asking price, maybe enjoy them less often but savor every bite.
As the menu prices rise, understand one thing...you are eating GV and not Hostess.
Well, food porn anyway.
I would like to tell you that I have been in the restaurant business for 30+ years. Food cost for the stores that I worked in were in the 22% range up to 28% for casual dining. Today, with the cost of food as we see in the grocery stores, we run a food cost in the general vicinity of 23%. How is that even possible?
Debbie does the Galaxy is how it is possible.
I honestly don't remember how much Hostess Ho Hos cost when I was a kid but they were a favorite.
Chocolate covered devils food cake rolls filled with an amazing creme. I would save my allowance for them and the berry filled pies that they made. Heaven for a 10 year old. Soon we discovered Little Debbie's. You could find them in vending machines and in the discount markets. The first time I tried them, expecting the flavor of a Ho Ho, I begged my mom to never buy them again. I knew, at 10, what quality was and Debbie's Swiss cake rolls was not it. Sadly, Hostess could not compete with the economic demands of the public. The last time I actually saw them was in a 7-11, priced more than one dollar for 2 while Debbie had a box of 12 (6 packs of 2) for 99 cents. My taste buds finally learned to accept a flavor I wasn't fond of and eventually looked forward to during the midnight run to the kitchen with a glass of milk and a quick snack.
Fast forward 20 years
2 weeks ago, my wife brought home a box of Swiss cake rolls. Instantly I knew something was different. They were longer. My uneducated guess said 25% longer, not bigger, which to me, is important. Ok, they are bigger but not thicker, just longer. And even though they are an inferior substitute for Ho Hos, they have become that late night staple I dream of. They didn't make the Milky Way mistake.
I know its hard to believe that the most sought after candy bar in the world (based solely on numbers) could possible make a mistake but the Mars company did. Worse, they never consulted with me to inquire about the problem.
The current Milky Way candy bar is 2 3/4oz. It has been down sized slightly over the years but proportionately still the same. That is the key. In their attempt to increase sales, they did 2 things. First, the mini. Tasty yes but not a Milky Way. Too much chocolate for the nougat and caramel. Throws the flavor off. You buy the bags at $7/lb and think nothing of the taste difference.
The worst came second. Big Size. This was to gain more sales per purchase in the hopes no one would notice the discrepancy in flavor. The bar was thicker, more nougat, more caramel. The balance of chocolate was now out of whack. They could've went the Debbie route and just made the bar longer.
Last week, I made the decision to write this blog. My wife brought home a new abomination. "Great Value Swiss Cake Roll" I've decided NOT to settle for another change in a favorite. And if Hostess would box of 12 of their original Ho Hos, I would gladly pay the asking price, maybe enjoy them less often but savor every bite.
As the menu prices rise, understand one thing...you are eating GV and not Hostess.
Friday, July 21, 2017
BB-X-Y=M?
I hope you like some of my old stories because we will delve into my past to explain some present frustration.
In 1968, I had my first job. Illinois State Fair. My father had a cotton candy, sno-cone stand and in '68 had the opportunity to add a second location for lemonade across the street from the grandstand at the state fair. He took a small shed and converted it with water and the bare minimum required by the health department. Great money making idea. 950 lemonades in one day! One small problem. 2 locations and 1 man who happened to have 2 kids. One was 10 and the other was 8 with no other help available.
At 8, I learned how to multiple 30 and 35 cents, and to add the two totals together. Cotton Candy was 35, sno-cones, 30. We made the syrup in the bathtub a week before the fair, Mom loved that. My 10 year old sister was in charge of breaks for both of us and to actually jumped in during the rush from the grandstand.
Illinois State Fair 1968. Opened on Friday and ran through 2 weekends. A 10 day event. The gates may have opened at 8 am but people lived on the grounds during the entire fair. After 19 years of doing that fair and we graduated from Floss to Corn Dogs, I learned that people will eat Corn Dogs for breakfast if you will cook them at 7.
There were no turn-styles to count the number that came thru and actually left and in reality, the gates never really closed. We stayed opened from 8am til the blow off from the grandstand. Usually around 10 pm. In '69 with Sony and Cher, they ran longer. Maybe because the Hell's Angels lit cigarette lighters to encourage extra encores but I'll save that story for a different time.
14 hours a day. 10 days. 8 years old. I was raised to work. That's one of the few things I understand. Yes it was child abuse, yes it was in direct violation of child labor laws, although they couldn't stop me from working for a family business. They changed the laws in '76 and finally got me out of the trailer after 7pm each night.( I cut lemons in our stock truck after that time each day).
This is not a plea for pity. I'm okay with the way I turned out, mostly. This is just background for a conversation from today.
Baby Boomers grew up different.
One of my current employees came to me today and gave notice. She is a Millennial. This kid would make a boomer proud. Not over endless abuse at work but a work ethic that some managers from a different time dream of. Why did she give notice?
Recently her step-sister got a job too, but not at my company. Her step-mother wanted me to work around the 4 day only schedule for my employee plus only schedule her when she could drive her step-sister 35 miles to work. Not impossible, not easy either. Then the step-mother said she could NOT work Sundays even though she had to drive the step-sister to work on Sundays and make 2 round trips just to be the shuttle service. I started having a hard time understanding the restrictions. Today the final complaint came, not from the employee, who wanted to work as many hours as I could give her but again, from the step-mother.
"My step-mom is not happy and is making me quit. My scheduled out time is not the time I actually get out. She doesn't like it that I have sidework to do before I leave."
Valuable employee. Long term lifer, for those who understand.
I don't know if the step is an X Gen or Y but I do know that she is standing in the way of a refreshing change of employees. Maybe this one is unique, I don't know but I will gladly take more chances on these kids based on the one who had to give notice today.
In 1968, I had my first job. Illinois State Fair. My father had a cotton candy, sno-cone stand and in '68 had the opportunity to add a second location for lemonade across the street from the grandstand at the state fair. He took a small shed and converted it with water and the bare minimum required by the health department. Great money making idea. 950 lemonades in one day! One small problem. 2 locations and 1 man who happened to have 2 kids. One was 10 and the other was 8 with no other help available.
At 8, I learned how to multiple 30 and 35 cents, and to add the two totals together. Cotton Candy was 35, sno-cones, 30. We made the syrup in the bathtub a week before the fair, Mom loved that. My 10 year old sister was in charge of breaks for both of us and to actually jumped in during the rush from the grandstand.
Illinois State Fair 1968. Opened on Friday and ran through 2 weekends. A 10 day event. The gates may have opened at 8 am but people lived on the grounds during the entire fair. After 19 years of doing that fair and we graduated from Floss to Corn Dogs, I learned that people will eat Corn Dogs for breakfast if you will cook them at 7.
There were no turn-styles to count the number that came thru and actually left and in reality, the gates never really closed. We stayed opened from 8am til the blow off from the grandstand. Usually around 10 pm. In '69 with Sony and Cher, they ran longer. Maybe because the Hell's Angels lit cigarette lighters to encourage extra encores but I'll save that story for a different time.
14 hours a day. 10 days. 8 years old. I was raised to work. That's one of the few things I understand. Yes it was child abuse, yes it was in direct violation of child labor laws, although they couldn't stop me from working for a family business. They changed the laws in '76 and finally got me out of the trailer after 7pm each night.( I cut lemons in our stock truck after that time each day).
This is not a plea for pity. I'm okay with the way I turned out, mostly. This is just background for a conversation from today.
Baby Boomers grew up different.
One of my current employees came to me today and gave notice. She is a Millennial. This kid would make a boomer proud. Not over endless abuse at work but a work ethic that some managers from a different time dream of. Why did she give notice?
Recently her step-sister got a job too, but not at my company. Her step-mother wanted me to work around the 4 day only schedule for my employee plus only schedule her when she could drive her step-sister 35 miles to work. Not impossible, not easy either. Then the step-mother said she could NOT work Sundays even though she had to drive the step-sister to work on Sundays and make 2 round trips just to be the shuttle service. I started having a hard time understanding the restrictions. Today the final complaint came, not from the employee, who wanted to work as many hours as I could give her but again, from the step-mother.
"My step-mom is not happy and is making me quit. My scheduled out time is not the time I actually get out. She doesn't like it that I have sidework to do before I leave."
Valuable employee. Long term lifer, for those who understand.
I don't know if the step is an X Gen or Y but I do know that she is standing in the way of a refreshing change of employees. Maybe this one is unique, I don't know but I will gladly take more chances on these kids based on the one who had to give notice today.
Monday, July 10, 2017
Where is Nantucket?
I can't find the title to explain what I want to say today, hopefully, by the end I will find it.
Most of my ramblings have been about a not-so-distant past but this one is about today.
Progress. The use of technology to make life easier. Seems simple and there's hardly any need to expound on the idea. We do have microwave ovens, computers that are handheld, and soon those flying cars we all dreamed of AND self-driving!
The future appears to be an amazing adventure that is on the cusp of exploding each day with something we barely could imagine only a few scant years ago.
Today, I understand the truth.
30 years ago I was new manager in a corporate world. Low man on the totem pole, as it was. I was desperate to find the right staff for my kitchen crew because I always seemed to be 2 or 3 cooks short of having an efficient team. I asked my regional manager for a series of questions that I could use during the interview process, 15-20 good, revealing questions to ask every candidate, slowly seeing what it was that I was looking for in that potential employee based on how they answered, body language, or any other outward sign that they displayed. In time, I would see a pattern of success or failure based on a face to face conversation. A bonding.
I didn't get those questions from my regional that year and it would be many years before someone other than me came up with standard to follow. This is about today, however.
Today, when you apply with a company you simply go on line. No need to even leave the comfort of your own home to line up a possible interview with a small catch...you have to complete an assessment. What I wanted was 15-20 questions, what we have is 100 or more that delve into the psychology of what the company is hoping to find in a generation of work ethic challenged youths.
The captain of the ill-fated whaling ship "Essex" that inspired the Melville book "Moby Dick" only had one question. Can you get to Nantucket before we sail? Didn't work out for him. He didn't choose his crew and his men chose a job and he happened to be the boss.
The assessments by the big boys like Snag-a-Job, cull the field by accident. They really only ask the same question, Can you get to Nantucket? It will be difficult for people to accept this idea so I will explain it as I did to my Regional Manager today.
Two former employees scored "serious concern" on the psych test for attitude, not that I ever experienced a problem with either one. I want both of them back.
I am the leader of a small restaurant, people choose to work for me or not. I hired my crew based on that face time that we had, bonded with them through orientation, oversaw their training. If recruiting companies wish to profit off of me, the questions should be geared to the type of leader I am, not the type of cookie cutter employee the company thinks they are looking for based on a demographic the recruiter thinks we want.
As managers, we want to build a team. We need the face time with everyone so we can make the judgement call of who wants to work with us. We need the ones who will stand with us when the shift goes wrong not jump ship during the first crash and burn. Ones that want to be apart of something.
Progress is not an answer in hiring in the service trade but 15 questions are as long as one is not Where is Nantucket?
Most of my ramblings have been about a not-so-distant past but this one is about today.
Progress. The use of technology to make life easier. Seems simple and there's hardly any need to expound on the idea. We do have microwave ovens, computers that are handheld, and soon those flying cars we all dreamed of AND self-driving!
The future appears to be an amazing adventure that is on the cusp of exploding each day with something we barely could imagine only a few scant years ago.
Today, I understand the truth.
30 years ago I was new manager in a corporate world. Low man on the totem pole, as it was. I was desperate to find the right staff for my kitchen crew because I always seemed to be 2 or 3 cooks short of having an efficient team. I asked my regional manager for a series of questions that I could use during the interview process, 15-20 good, revealing questions to ask every candidate, slowly seeing what it was that I was looking for in that potential employee based on how they answered, body language, or any other outward sign that they displayed. In time, I would see a pattern of success or failure based on a face to face conversation. A bonding.
I didn't get those questions from my regional that year and it would be many years before someone other than me came up with standard to follow. This is about today, however.
Today, when you apply with a company you simply go on line. No need to even leave the comfort of your own home to line up a possible interview with a small catch...you have to complete an assessment. What I wanted was 15-20 questions, what we have is 100 or more that delve into the psychology of what the company is hoping to find in a generation of work ethic challenged youths.
The captain of the ill-fated whaling ship "Essex" that inspired the Melville book "Moby Dick" only had one question. Can you get to Nantucket before we sail? Didn't work out for him. He didn't choose his crew and his men chose a job and he happened to be the boss.
The assessments by the big boys like Snag-a-Job, cull the field by accident. They really only ask the same question, Can you get to Nantucket? It will be difficult for people to accept this idea so I will explain it as I did to my Regional Manager today.
Two former employees scored "serious concern" on the psych test for attitude, not that I ever experienced a problem with either one. I want both of them back.
I am the leader of a small restaurant, people choose to work for me or not. I hired my crew based on that face time that we had, bonded with them through orientation, oversaw their training. If recruiting companies wish to profit off of me, the questions should be geared to the type of leader I am, not the type of cookie cutter employee the company thinks they are looking for based on a demographic the recruiter thinks we want.
As managers, we want to build a team. We need the face time with everyone so we can make the judgement call of who wants to work with us. We need the ones who will stand with us when the shift goes wrong not jump ship during the first crash and burn. Ones that want to be apart of something.
Progress is not an answer in hiring in the service trade but 15 questions are as long as one is not Where is Nantucket?
Monday, July 3, 2017
Agape
Agape. Unconditional love.
Yes, this does relate to restaurants the same way Memphis Raines does. Experiencing something that has such a profound impact in your life that it can be transferred and absorbed into your being. That was what I had when I went on the "Gulf Coast Walk to Emmaus #31 and sat at the table of Peter". I will proudly be forever know as that person.
I won't share the specifics, it is a private group and divulging information would or could ruin the experience for another. It's a spiritual retreat. Men go one week and , hopefully, their wives go the next week, although it is actually harder to get the men to commit. Doctors and religion are not big on our agenda.
On my weekend, I learned about the word agape. Peter and Jesus had a simple conversation in Greek. "Peter do you love me? (agape, unconditionally) "Yes, I love you like a friend." (he actually used a different word to respond) "Peter do you love me?" he asked again, same context. The response was the same in a variation. "Yes,I love you like a brother." The third time he asked is what I want to talk about.
I moved from "pilgrim" to worker by the next year and all the "walks" after my own. I think walk 34 was the first one and I was, naturally, a cook. And I learned what it was like to give your all to something you loved.
Service is agape. The restaurant business has 3 different stages of agape, answers, as Peter would attest.
The first being, I'll give you some service, bare bones minimum so I continue to draw a paycheck or get a fair tip for the service I provide. Unfortunately, this is what we usually get from a typical food service staff member. The cook doesn't want to lose their job, host, server, etc. Mistakes are okay after all, we're buds!
The second stage of agape. Largely, no mistakes. You got exactly what you ordered, with a refill of a drink, timely clearly of plates and maybe I asked if you wanted dessert. We are family and you can even see ketchup on a different table if you really needed it and I forgot.
But agape is more. Its the unconditional love of what we do.
It's the anticipation of what someone needs, be it a guest, employee, or community and making it something that causes them no distraction during their time with you without an expectation of anything in return.
Yes, this does relate to restaurants the same way Memphis Raines does. Experiencing something that has such a profound impact in your life that it can be transferred and absorbed into your being. That was what I had when I went on the "Gulf Coast Walk to Emmaus #31 and sat at the table of Peter". I will proudly be forever know as that person.
I won't share the specifics, it is a private group and divulging information would or could ruin the experience for another. It's a spiritual retreat. Men go one week and , hopefully, their wives go the next week, although it is actually harder to get the men to commit. Doctors and religion are not big on our agenda.
On my weekend, I learned about the word agape. Peter and Jesus had a simple conversation in Greek. "Peter do you love me? (agape, unconditionally) "Yes, I love you like a friend." (he actually used a different word to respond) "Peter do you love me?" he asked again, same context. The response was the same in a variation. "Yes,I love you like a brother." The third time he asked is what I want to talk about.
I moved from "pilgrim" to worker by the next year and all the "walks" after my own. I think walk 34 was the first one and I was, naturally, a cook. And I learned what it was like to give your all to something you loved.
Service is agape. The restaurant business has 3 different stages of agape, answers, as Peter would attest.
The first being, I'll give you some service, bare bones minimum so I continue to draw a paycheck or get a fair tip for the service I provide. Unfortunately, this is what we usually get from a typical food service staff member. The cook doesn't want to lose their job, host, server, etc. Mistakes are okay after all, we're buds!
The second stage of agape. Largely, no mistakes. You got exactly what you ordered, with a refill of a drink, timely clearly of plates and maybe I asked if you wanted dessert. We are family and you can even see ketchup on a different table if you really needed it and I forgot.
But agape is more. Its the unconditional love of what we do.
It's the anticipation of what someone needs, be it a guest, employee, or community and making it something that causes them no distraction during their time with you without an expectation of anything in return.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
A Fish's Tale: A Call from Hawaii
A Fish's Tale: A Call from Hawaii: I was in my car, sitting outside one of the restaurants that I oversaw, when I got a phone call from the president of the company. He was in...
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Blood and 911
Get involved in your community.
It's hard to explain the events of September 2001 and questions in the conspiracy group always surface but here are a few things that I know, first hand.
I had blood drives every 8 weeks at the restaurant I managed in Pt. Charlotte, FL. I liked to donate and wanted my staff to join in. I chose paydays back when we issued actual paychecks to have the bloodmobile come. I sat inside with the checks and signature roster hoping that one or two might let the phlebotomist strap them down for a quick withdrawal of a pint. No pressure but I wanted it to be conducive for a successful blood drive.
We had been doing this for almost a year. And in the same time frame, we had been executing our service standards to a higher level inside the four walls. I had amazing crew. The guest's dining experience was one of consistency to the point that they knew they didn't have to think about how it was going to be only about what they would have that evening.
Tuesday morning came and my kitchen manager called...turn on the TV . What channel? Doesn't matter.
We all remember where we were on 9/11/2001.
As the horrible images flashed across the screen, the update bar along the bottom asked for blood donations. Thursday was an 8 week cycle of payday and a phone called confirmed that the bloodmobile would arrive as planned on the 13th.
This isn't about rising to the top for a chance tragedy, this is about doing what is right, all the time. I could coax the tears if I shared the story of that day but that's our private memory, the staff and the community. We were consistently involved and there when we were needed.
We, as managers, don't realize the importance of what we do everyday, coaching the staff, establishing the systems, delivering on expectations, being involved in our community but we do it or try to at least move the needle forward.
The economy tanked. Fear in the markets ripped through the country like a California wildfire.
Why were we up 30% in September of 2001? Because the guests didn't have to think about how their dining experience would be in a world turned upside- down. They knew they could count on my crew. And this gave them the time they needed to absorb something that would forever change their lives. Consistency stabilized my market, my world, my staff's world. Promise them stability then deliver. You'll weather any storm.
It's hard to explain the events of September 2001 and questions in the conspiracy group always surface but here are a few things that I know, first hand.
I had blood drives every 8 weeks at the restaurant I managed in Pt. Charlotte, FL. I liked to donate and wanted my staff to join in. I chose paydays back when we issued actual paychecks to have the bloodmobile come. I sat inside with the checks and signature roster hoping that one or two might let the phlebotomist strap them down for a quick withdrawal of a pint. No pressure but I wanted it to be conducive for a successful blood drive.
We had been doing this for almost a year. And in the same time frame, we had been executing our service standards to a higher level inside the four walls. I had amazing crew. The guest's dining experience was one of consistency to the point that they knew they didn't have to think about how it was going to be only about what they would have that evening.
Tuesday morning came and my kitchen manager called...turn on the TV . What channel? Doesn't matter.
We all remember where we were on 9/11/2001.
As the horrible images flashed across the screen, the update bar along the bottom asked for blood donations. Thursday was an 8 week cycle of payday and a phone called confirmed that the bloodmobile would arrive as planned on the 13th.
This isn't about rising to the top for a chance tragedy, this is about doing what is right, all the time. I could coax the tears if I shared the story of that day but that's our private memory, the staff and the community. We were consistently involved and there when we were needed.
We, as managers, don't realize the importance of what we do everyday, coaching the staff, establishing the systems, delivering on expectations, being involved in our community but we do it or try to at least move the needle forward.
The economy tanked. Fear in the markets ripped through the country like a California wildfire.
Why were we up 30% in September of 2001? Because the guests didn't have to think about how their dining experience would be in a world turned upside- down. They knew they could count on my crew. And this gave them the time they needed to absorb something that would forever change their lives. Consistency stabilized my market, my world, my staff's world. Promise them stability then deliver. You'll weather any storm.
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Holidays
The country celebrates holidays. Joyous occasions where families get together, and depending on the time of year or weather, have cookouts or BBQs, the beach, movies, bowling, or dinner out at a place like my establishment.
I can remember the first time I worked Thanksgiving. Broward County Youth Fair. At 1am, We went to Rascal House in North Miami Beach and had turkey legs for dinner.
The first Christmas and New Years working was spent in Key West with a small carnival at an east end strip mall. An ideal setting and we really only opened long enough each day to hang out on Duval St each night or the beach first thing in the morning, bleary eyed and most often hung over.
My company chooses not to be open on Christmas, currently. I remember, all too well,the last one I worked. Nightmarish still 20 years later. I would most likely resign if they decided to chase the profit line on that day. Not because my christian beliefs forbid me to work on, what is considered by many, to be a true holiday (this is arguable at best) but it is a day that almost everyone else gets to spend with their families and I get to partake in it as well.
I have good friends, not in the restaurant business, that have the same self-imposed lifestyle that I do. We miss our families while we are miles apart. We hate the separation from our loved ones. And what we MISS the most is: the standing in lines at the local restaurant, fighting for the space at the park, the nasty words exchanged at the boat docks when we try to launch, splashing by the obnoxious fool at the pool...because our holidays begin when we get home during the week without the competition and annoyance of the rest of the world...because they are all at work.
I can remember the first time I worked Thanksgiving. Broward County Youth Fair. At 1am, We went to Rascal House in North Miami Beach and had turkey legs for dinner.
The first Christmas and New Years working was spent in Key West with a small carnival at an east end strip mall. An ideal setting and we really only opened long enough each day to hang out on Duval St each night or the beach first thing in the morning, bleary eyed and most often hung over.
My company chooses not to be open on Christmas, currently. I remember, all too well,the last one I worked. Nightmarish still 20 years later. I would most likely resign if they decided to chase the profit line on that day. Not because my christian beliefs forbid me to work on, what is considered by many, to be a true holiday (this is arguable at best) but it is a day that almost everyone else gets to spend with their families and I get to partake in it as well.
I have good friends, not in the restaurant business, that have the same self-imposed lifestyle that I do. We miss our families while we are miles apart. We hate the separation from our loved ones. And what we MISS the most is: the standing in lines at the local restaurant, fighting for the space at the park, the nasty words exchanged at the boat docks when we try to launch, splashing by the obnoxious fool at the pool...because our holidays begin when we get home during the week without the competition and annoyance of the rest of the world...because they are all at work.
Friday, June 16, 2017
The garage and restaurant employees
23 minutes. That's what we have together today. It's 9:30 in the morning and I have a pizza in the oven and a glass of wine in my hand. I've been to work for 4 hours today and going back to work the overnight shift and stay until lunch is under control.
Crazy? No, it has to do with the garage.
In today's competitive market of quality staff, loyal ones that do work, its necessary to do things you don't always want to do for a long term goal.
None of this has anything to do with a garage but not everyone sees things the way I do.
My garage has always been my place for a bit of chaos in what is normally a very structured life. Everything has its place at work, organized, easy to reach, well planned. But I need balance. Too much organization requires disarray. An area that allows expression. Mine place has always been the garage.
In my first life, this caused friction. My wife hated looking at the haphazard way things were stored, even though I knew, at any given time, where anything was. I defended my theory for the clutter numerous times. Made no difference.
One day, she came home and the screws were in jars, the tools hanging from peg boards, rakes and shovels in a bin. The office organization skills finally filtered into my private domain. I announced with great pleasure "I cleaned the garage for you!"
I never knew how many problems this one proud statement could cause for me. Mostly because she would never understand why I would be having dinner and wine at 9:30 in the morning.
Her hateful response was something to the effect of Don't clean the garage for me, clean it because you want to.
Here's the problem. As managers, we only focus on our needs, wants, and desires. For recognition, compensation, and advancement, like my ex. But when an employee needs a day off for a special occasion, emergency, or illness, it speaks volumes about the manager or supervisor when they are willing to eat dinner at 9;30 in the morning so enough sleep can be gotten before a grueling shift begins.
"Cleaning the garage is not important to me but it is important to you. And YOU are important to me."
Crazy? No, it has to do with the garage.
In today's competitive market of quality staff, loyal ones that do work, its necessary to do things you don't always want to do for a long term goal.
None of this has anything to do with a garage but not everyone sees things the way I do.
My garage has always been my place for a bit of chaos in what is normally a very structured life. Everything has its place at work, organized, easy to reach, well planned. But I need balance. Too much organization requires disarray. An area that allows expression. Mine place has always been the garage.
In my first life, this caused friction. My wife hated looking at the haphazard way things were stored, even though I knew, at any given time, where anything was. I defended my theory for the clutter numerous times. Made no difference.
One day, she came home and the screws were in jars, the tools hanging from peg boards, rakes and shovels in a bin. The office organization skills finally filtered into my private domain. I announced with great pleasure "I cleaned the garage for you!"
I never knew how many problems this one proud statement could cause for me. Mostly because she would never understand why I would be having dinner and wine at 9:30 in the morning.
Her hateful response was something to the effect of Don't clean the garage for me, clean it because you want to.
Here's the problem. As managers, we only focus on our needs, wants, and desires. For recognition, compensation, and advancement, like my ex. But when an employee needs a day off for a special occasion, emergency, or illness, it speaks volumes about the manager or supervisor when they are willing to eat dinner at 9;30 in the morning so enough sleep can be gotten before a grueling shift begins.
"Cleaning the garage is not important to me but it is important to you. And YOU are important to me."
Monday, June 12, 2017
Memphis Raines and the dining room
Memphis Raines.
I love movies. You can watch them a hundred times, fall asleep at the slow parts and wake up when things get interesting. I like naps.
"Gone is 60 seconds" is where we meet the (and some of my friends will be haters when I mention his name) Nicholas Cage character Memphis Raines. Car thief trying to save a brother and a very heated, back burner relationship with Sway, Jolie, pre-Pitt.
To understand the connection, first you must know one thing about me, I see everything as it relates to the world I have chosen to work in for almost 50 years. The life or death of Memphis impacted me in a dramatic way.
At the time the story actually unfolds, I work for a casual dining chain, our company is a franchise with 40+ stores. Everyday we do a line up with the employees discussing specials, soups, features and how to execute the task at hand.
I watched this movie before going in that afternoon and became angry. I'd say it wasn't my style to become angry at work but I think there is enough documented and/or physical evidence to prove otherwise (please don't move any oddly placed pictures).
We went through all the normal specifics of information flow for the day and one of the staff commented that my mood didn't seem upbeat. I responded. I was only thinking about the dining room.
I explained which movie I had been engaged in before work, getting nods of approval before I continued. Then I made sure I had made eye contact with each of them as I was making the statement "If you were cast in the movie, you'd all be dead at the end of the movie, broken body on a wooden coffin in a room in a junkyard!" You couldn't believe the looks I received from the staff.
"I, on the other hand, would be loading my 49 cars on a barge and making millions off the stolen cars that I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO PAY FOR!"
Silence
I continued. You walk through the dining room, you don't see the napkins dropped on the floor, the empty glasses of the guests still waiting for their food, the empty plates in front of them or a any other service that the people who pay you a majority of your weekly salary might need. You don't see that Memphis has fallen through the floor, hanging by his fingertips, an inch from your shoes with a gun in your hands, and you wonder, as your falling from 3 stories up, to your office with the coffin, how you could have missed that tiny detail!?!
In my world, I shot Memphis Raines.
I love movies. You can watch them a hundred times, fall asleep at the slow parts and wake up when things get interesting. I like naps.
"Gone is 60 seconds" is where we meet the (and some of my friends will be haters when I mention his name) Nicholas Cage character Memphis Raines. Car thief trying to save a brother and a very heated, back burner relationship with Sway, Jolie, pre-Pitt.
To understand the connection, first you must know one thing about me, I see everything as it relates to the world I have chosen to work in for almost 50 years. The life or death of Memphis impacted me in a dramatic way.
At the time the story actually unfolds, I work for a casual dining chain, our company is a franchise with 40+ stores. Everyday we do a line up with the employees discussing specials, soups, features and how to execute the task at hand.
I watched this movie before going in that afternoon and became angry. I'd say it wasn't my style to become angry at work but I think there is enough documented and/or physical evidence to prove otherwise (please don't move any oddly placed pictures).
We went through all the normal specifics of information flow for the day and one of the staff commented that my mood didn't seem upbeat. I responded. I was only thinking about the dining room.
I explained which movie I had been engaged in before work, getting nods of approval before I continued. Then I made sure I had made eye contact with each of them as I was making the statement "If you were cast in the movie, you'd all be dead at the end of the movie, broken body on a wooden coffin in a room in a junkyard!" You couldn't believe the looks I received from the staff.
"I, on the other hand, would be loading my 49 cars on a barge and making millions off the stolen cars that I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO PAY FOR!"
Silence
I continued. You walk through the dining room, you don't see the napkins dropped on the floor, the empty glasses of the guests still waiting for their food, the empty plates in front of them or a any other service that the people who pay you a majority of your weekly salary might need. You don't see that Memphis has fallen through the floor, hanging by his fingertips, an inch from your shoes with a gun in your hands, and you wonder, as your falling from 3 stories up, to your office with the coffin, how you could have missed that tiny detail!?!
In my world, I shot Memphis Raines.
A Call from Hawaii
I was in my car, sitting outside one of the restaurants that I oversaw, when I got a phone call from the president of the company. He was in Hawaii at an annual convention. "I get what you have been trying to tell me,"
It was a core value statement.
I have a simple thought process. Let the people who surround you know what you believe in and they can choose to be apart of your organization, based on some core values that the company has or they can choose a different path. Here's the problem, the hierarchy of the company must be on board with the concep,t this is where it all comes together.
What I believe is that if I give my employees a quality of life, based on schedules, time off, empowerment and financial needs, then they in turn will take care of the guests that enter each day and eventually help me with my quality of life, insulating me from different issues that have a direct impact on my time off. I try to put them first and they respect this and respond. I am, however, just a GM, not the company. As an employee of a company, its important for me to know my role, so that I can project it correctly.
As a newly purchased franchise of 40 stores we didn't have direction. We had no idea what the company stood for. I know, I know, for some of you, it doesn't matter but to me. it is a defining moment.
After my promotion to multi-level, I began to have the conversation with the president of the company. My reason for discussions was simple. Many times I would come to a crossroad and could only rely on my own experience for decisions. It may or may not be congruent with the goals of the company. I didn't know. So I pressed for direction. The president didn't understand my point. " Just do what you do, you're good at it" was the typical answer.. I wasn't the company and my core values were mine.
The call came just after Horst Schulze with Ritz-Carlton gave a seminar. He spoke of mission statements, core values and of course, the success of his business through empowerment. It could've been a turning point for the company. It wasn't.
Yes, there was initial excitement from the understanding of what I was trying to say but what we developed was not what the company believed in but what the company thought the employees could believe in. For lack of a better phrase, a restaurant religion.
The phone call from Hawaii proved to me that I was on the right track, that someone important could understand what I believed in but it taught me more that the people who are important to me, my employees, will trust and believe in me because I believe in me.
It was a core value statement.
I have a simple thought process. Let the people who surround you know what you believe in and they can choose to be apart of your organization, based on some core values that the company has or they can choose a different path. Here's the problem, the hierarchy of the company must be on board with the concep,t this is where it all comes together.
What I believe is that if I give my employees a quality of life, based on schedules, time off, empowerment and financial needs, then they in turn will take care of the guests that enter each day and eventually help me with my quality of life, insulating me from different issues that have a direct impact on my time off. I try to put them first and they respect this and respond. I am, however, just a GM, not the company. As an employee of a company, its important for me to know my role, so that I can project it correctly.
As a newly purchased franchise of 40 stores we didn't have direction. We had no idea what the company stood for. I know, I know, for some of you, it doesn't matter but to me. it is a defining moment.
After my promotion to multi-level, I began to have the conversation with the president of the company. My reason for discussions was simple. Many times I would come to a crossroad and could only rely on my own experience for decisions. It may or may not be congruent with the goals of the company. I didn't know. So I pressed for direction. The president didn't understand my point. " Just do what you do, you're good at it" was the typical answer.. I wasn't the company and my core values were mine.
The call came just after Horst Schulze with Ritz-Carlton gave a seminar. He spoke of mission statements, core values and of course, the success of his business through empowerment. It could've been a turning point for the company. It wasn't.
Yes, there was initial excitement from the understanding of what I was trying to say but what we developed was not what the company believed in but what the company thought the employees could believe in. For lack of a better phrase, a restaurant religion.
The phone call from Hawaii proved to me that I was on the right track, that someone important could understand what I believed in but it taught me more that the people who are important to me, my employees, will trust and believe in me because I believe in me.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Baltic Ave vs Boardwalk
I've been blogging and doing seminars for decades now. Just didn't realize that I was doing it.
Yesterday I was reminded of a topic that started my sharing career. "Real Estate", in reference to restaurants, was mentioned on SaltyTalkRadio.com by the host, Mark Salter, who is a very close friend that I have known for almost 20 years. I join him most Wednesday and Fridays from 4pm EST to 7pm. His comments drew me back to the computer.
We are in the process of selling our North Dakota home to move back to Tennessee where the mountains and forests have been calling us. No, I won't start singing a John Denver song right now. Well, maybe in my head. But it seems like this story is trying to come out again, after years have passed since it first was shared with a fellow GM that asked for some inspiration to move his own restaurant forward. Thank you Dwight Satchell for the request and teaching me I am always willing to share.
I doubt I can recall verbatim so please indulge me as I take artistic liberties with the first edition.
Baltic Ave
The general scene of a rush at the restaurant looks like the low rent district of Baltic Ave. "Two today?" This way. The race to a table by the host (he or she always wins) throw the menus on the table before the guests actually arrive, pass them on the way back to the staging area.
The server arrives. Anything to drink? Off they go to bring water to the table, with lemon. Ready to order? Computer punch in, food cooked, delivered, check down with a smiley face and "Thanks" written on it. NEXT
An interesting stat about guests. 68% of those who chose not to return to a restaurant do so over what happens when then first come in the door.
We will assume that the entrance, lobby, and restrooms are spotless.
Connecticut Ave
Slow it down. Smile. Hi folks, how many? Right this way.
At a pace that is comfortable for them we walk to the table. Invite them to the table. Place the menus in front of them and talk about the specials. And introduce them to their server who will be with them in a moment.
St Charles Place
Suggest. (still the host because it plants the seed) The soups today are... This may seem like a silly step but people love soup. So much so, that in SW Florida I could go through 100 gallons of only one type of soup each week because we were at least to this level of the real estate market. Talk about what's happening today.
Tennessee Ave
No plates in hand as you stop. Can I start you off with an Ice cold (no product placement here, did that at the top of the story), cup of coffee, my favorite from the bar? They don't know what we offer so if the server doesn't tell them some options, water...with lemon is the response. But before you leave with a commitment for beverages,We have some great starters, I like...
Illinois Ave
Half way there.
Drink delivery. Did the host tell you the soups? We have some new sandwiches that go perfect with them. My new favorite is... Remember, rent is perceived on the value given. At this point, the server has become a tour guide. In a bar and grill, I would go for the pairing drink When I bring your food, at breakfast, I get the OJ or milk with your entree today? Commitment made and move to an upgrade.
Marvin's Gardens
Obviously, everything is correct on our end for ordering. No mistakes from the kitchen, no mistakes from the server. But did we ask ahead of time with the burger Mustard or Mayo, or the steak A-1 or 57? They can't start eating until their meal is perfect for them. Its the little things that lose us the rent money at this point. The check back, table clearing, refills. Each time we visit the table, they must feel like they are the reason you're there, not on your way by and oh, by the way or while I'm here.
Pennsylvania Ave
As I rebuilt a store in Florida, I had a heated discussion with a corporate officer about this stage of the dining experience. You're too busy to suggest dessert and it's only $2 more for profit.Turn and burn the table, get the high dollar entree. Didn't end well for the rep.
The only reason anyone ever orders dessert is because they are not ready to leave you yet. It's not about a sweet tooth, it's only about the experience and the desire for the spell not to be broken yet. The snooze alarm, so to speak.
Boardwalk
The table visit. You can fire on all but one cylinder and grow your business but it is the last step that makes it worth while for the guest. You, as the manager, must interact with the guest at the table. Today was a perfect example. A table was satisfied with the visit but the little extra I personally did made them feel they had an awesome dining experience. On Friday nights, I would plan on leaving at 7pm at a store I worked in Florida. 45 minutes of shaking hands and patting backs was required every week because I knew them personally and they had bought little green houses and big red hotels and placed them on Boardwalk.
Yesterday I was reminded of a topic that started my sharing career. "Real Estate", in reference to restaurants, was mentioned on SaltyTalkRadio.com by the host, Mark Salter, who is a very close friend that I have known for almost 20 years. I join him most Wednesday and Fridays from 4pm EST to 7pm. His comments drew me back to the computer.
We are in the process of selling our North Dakota home to move back to Tennessee where the mountains and forests have been calling us. No, I won't start singing a John Denver song right now. Well, maybe in my head. But it seems like this story is trying to come out again, after years have passed since it first was shared with a fellow GM that asked for some inspiration to move his own restaurant forward. Thank you Dwight Satchell for the request and teaching me I am always willing to share.
I doubt I can recall verbatim so please indulge me as I take artistic liberties with the first edition.
Baltic Ave
The general scene of a rush at the restaurant looks like the low rent district of Baltic Ave. "Two today?" This way. The race to a table by the host (he or she always wins) throw the menus on the table before the guests actually arrive, pass them on the way back to the staging area.
The server arrives. Anything to drink? Off they go to bring water to the table, with lemon. Ready to order? Computer punch in, food cooked, delivered, check down with a smiley face and "Thanks" written on it. NEXT
An interesting stat about guests. 68% of those who chose not to return to a restaurant do so over what happens when then first come in the door.
We will assume that the entrance, lobby, and restrooms are spotless.
Connecticut Ave
Slow it down. Smile. Hi folks, how many? Right this way.
At a pace that is comfortable for them we walk to the table. Invite them to the table. Place the menus in front of them and talk about the specials. And introduce them to their server who will be with them in a moment.
St Charles Place
Suggest. (still the host because it plants the seed) The soups today are... This may seem like a silly step but people love soup. So much so, that in SW Florida I could go through 100 gallons of only one type of soup each week because we were at least to this level of the real estate market. Talk about what's happening today.
Tennessee Ave
No plates in hand as you stop. Can I start you off with an Ice cold (no product placement here, did that at the top of the story), cup of coffee, my favorite from the bar? They don't know what we offer so if the server doesn't tell them some options, water...with lemon is the response. But before you leave with a commitment for beverages,We have some great starters, I like...
Illinois Ave
Half way there.
Drink delivery. Did the host tell you the soups? We have some new sandwiches that go perfect with them. My new favorite is... Remember, rent is perceived on the value given. At this point, the server has become a tour guide. In a bar and grill, I would go for the pairing drink When I bring your food, at breakfast, I get the OJ or milk with your entree today? Commitment made and move to an upgrade.
Marvin's Gardens
Obviously, everything is correct on our end for ordering. No mistakes from the kitchen, no mistakes from the server. But did we ask ahead of time with the burger Mustard or Mayo, or the steak A-1 or 57? They can't start eating until their meal is perfect for them. Its the little things that lose us the rent money at this point. The check back, table clearing, refills. Each time we visit the table, they must feel like they are the reason you're there, not on your way by and oh, by the way or while I'm here.
Pennsylvania Ave
As I rebuilt a store in Florida, I had a heated discussion with a corporate officer about this stage of the dining experience. You're too busy to suggest dessert and it's only $2 more for profit.Turn and burn the table, get the high dollar entree. Didn't end well for the rep.
The only reason anyone ever orders dessert is because they are not ready to leave you yet. It's not about a sweet tooth, it's only about the experience and the desire for the spell not to be broken yet. The snooze alarm, so to speak.
Boardwalk
The table visit. You can fire on all but one cylinder and grow your business but it is the last step that makes it worth while for the guest. You, as the manager, must interact with the guest at the table. Today was a perfect example. A table was satisfied with the visit but the little extra I personally did made them feel they had an awesome dining experience. On Friday nights, I would plan on leaving at 7pm at a store I worked in Florida. 45 minutes of shaking hands and patting backs was required every week because I knew them personally and they had bought little green houses and big red hotels and placed them on Boardwalk.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Ping Pong and restaurant management
In the 90's a regional manager posed a question, a riddle to me that left me stumped. No matter how I wrestled with the idea, I couldn't understand what the answer could be. And for me, this was irritating.
I was overwhelmed at work, trying to turn a kitchen around. Control food cost, reduce labor costs, improve overall quality and service. I had very few qualified employees that I felt I could trust the daily execution to, let alone, see the company goals for my restaurant.
I had to rethink my strategies but anyone that has been in a similar situation knows that it seems impossible sometimes when there is a new fire that needs put out popping up daily and in reality, almost hourly.
I have an analytical mind. I also have a work ethic and the stamina that surprises many at the energy i can put out trying to achieve a goal. What I needed was direction.
The regional came in. I expressed my frustration He knew I wanted to be good at what I did. He knew that I wanted to arrive. He knew that I needed to grow first before I could comprehend what goal setting was all about. He knew how to speak to me at my level.
"Andy, imagine a swimming pool covered in ping pong balls. Your job will be to get all the balls under the water, all at the same time. All by yourself."
My mind started racing because I knew there was an answer and that it could be done. But as I came up with one crazy idea after another, my analytical mind dismissed it as an impossibility. Buoyancy, physics, volume, weight, nothing worked, in my problem solving skills. I gave up even though I knew it could be done.
I have told this story to almost every employee that I have hired in the last 30 years for 2 reasons. One to be the same type of teacher that John was for me and secondly, to find that mind that could work out the answer by themselves.
"Take one ball Andy, poke a hole in it. Hold it under the water until it fills up. Move on to the next one.
One thing at a time and fix it for good.
I was overwhelmed at work, trying to turn a kitchen around. Control food cost, reduce labor costs, improve overall quality and service. I had very few qualified employees that I felt I could trust the daily execution to, let alone, see the company goals for my restaurant.
I had to rethink my strategies but anyone that has been in a similar situation knows that it seems impossible sometimes when there is a new fire that needs put out popping up daily and in reality, almost hourly.
I have an analytical mind. I also have a work ethic and the stamina that surprises many at the energy i can put out trying to achieve a goal. What I needed was direction.
The regional came in. I expressed my frustration He knew I wanted to be good at what I did. He knew that I wanted to arrive. He knew that I needed to grow first before I could comprehend what goal setting was all about. He knew how to speak to me at my level.
"Andy, imagine a swimming pool covered in ping pong balls. Your job will be to get all the balls under the water, all at the same time. All by yourself."
My mind started racing because I knew there was an answer and that it could be done. But as I came up with one crazy idea after another, my analytical mind dismissed it as an impossibility. Buoyancy, physics, volume, weight, nothing worked, in my problem solving skills. I gave up even though I knew it could be done.
I have told this story to almost every employee that I have hired in the last 30 years for 2 reasons. One to be the same type of teacher that John was for me and secondly, to find that mind that could work out the answer by themselves.
"Take one ball Andy, poke a hole in it. Hold it under the water until it fills up. Move on to the next one.
One thing at a time and fix it for good.
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Carnival life and the restaurant business
The "tip"
In my early days of food service, I came to understand this phrase as a line, or queue. It helped form my thought process later in life in the restaurant business. Most of my bosses never understood the concept but I saw it first hand.
In a world based on ultra fast food, carnival food, 2 things had to happen in order to "cover the nut".
As hundreds milled past on their way to the favorite ride, their child's 4-H showing, or the concert that would sellout the grandstand, one, just one needed to slow long enough and decide that this was a perfect time to grab a quick bite.
That's the first thing. They chose you. A corndog fried to a golden brown texture, with so much mustard that the heat from the dog and the vinegar in the condiment as you inhale for that first bite, nearly leaves you breathless.
Part one is presentation, opportunity, and preparedness. It's a 30 second transaction and off ya go.
The second half is the "tip". Linger during the transaction. Slow it down. Keep them at your window just long enough for the masses that want to blow past you notice there is activity at your establishment. Then get ready.
We all know that no one wants to be first on the dance floor. But once a brave couple starts shaking to a beat, others follow.
That empty parking lot you have because the employees park in the back is like waiting for that first guy to stop. That, of course, is the first part.
But the restaurant owners teach us to not be on a wait. And this is where they blow it. Get the "tip" to build based on the activity. The slow, steady moving of the line. I know this concept is hard to understand so I'll tell you briefly about Jackson, MS
The state fair. 100s of 1000s came out on the weekends. Once I was able to establish the "tip" out of 2 windows I could maintain 6 across and 10 deep for 12 hours solid. That was my lobby. All I had to do was deliver, keep the line moving. And I did it everyday of the week.
As we hurry to get them sat in our chosen field think about letting the tip grow.
1st day of fishing season.
I share stories. Some people like them, some are offended. I use the stories from my life experiences, real or made up, to find a reference for the listener. Kind of like all those Sundays you spent in church, sometimes you fell asleep, sometimes the pastor was only speaking to you. Trust me, he was speaking to you every week, you just chose not to listen.
That's what this will be like. I'll try to get to the entrée in the first couple sentences. Grab you interest or let you move on, I really don't want to see bobbing heads as they try to read.
Over the next few months, I'll be writing about the service industry, well, restaurant service. I won't bore you with my accomplishments but I have been successful in the field.
We'll shift gears towards the start of the new year as I prepare my mountain home for spring planting and the addition of small livestock and land modification. I must warn you, I don't like chemicals and I'm not an expert in this realm but we have fed our family mostly on home grown food for the last 4 years.
We can still talk about the service industry if you want.
I've been involved with an internet radio show for the last 3 years, saltytalkradio.com , the station and stream belong to a good, long time friend of mine. Yes, we talk about a million different subjects, drink too much sometimes while we're live and don't really care about who gets offended.
So you're welcome to participate in this blog. bash me on Instagram, troll me on Twitter, report my channel on YouTube, or block me on Facebook. I'll still post because sometimes they wake enough just before the message to actually hear that I was speaking to you.
I share stories. Some people like them, some are offended. I use the stories from my life experiences, real or made up, to find a reference for the listener. Kind of like all those Sundays you spent in church, sometimes you fell asleep, sometimes the pastor was only speaking to you. Trust me, he was speaking to you every week, you just chose not to listen.
That's what this will be like. I'll try to get to the entrée in the first couple sentences. Grab you interest or let you move on, I really don't want to see bobbing heads as they try to read.
Over the next few months, I'll be writing about the service industry, well, restaurant service. I won't bore you with my accomplishments but I have been successful in the field.
We'll shift gears towards the start of the new year as I prepare my mountain home for spring planting and the addition of small livestock and land modification. I must warn you, I don't like chemicals and I'm not an expert in this realm but we have fed our family mostly on home grown food for the last 4 years.
We can still talk about the service industry if you want.
I've been involved with an internet radio show for the last 3 years, saltytalkradio.com , the station and stream belong to a good, long time friend of mine. Yes, we talk about a million different subjects, drink too much sometimes while we're live and don't really care about who gets offended.
So you're welcome to participate in this blog. bash me on Instagram, troll me on Twitter, report my channel on YouTube, or block me on Facebook. I'll still post because sometimes they wake enough just before the message to actually hear that I was speaking to you.
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