Moriarty

If any of you watched the RD Jr as Sherlock Holmes, you probably remember the diorama in "Game of Shadows". Making connections to what would seem like unrelated occurrences only to discover how large the web really was. And at the center, Moriarty. 

I started this blog to discuss my isms of restaurant management. It has sat idol for the last few months as I started to embark on a new idea 2 terms for all elected officials. I wrote exclusively, albeit badly, in the other blog. The problem being, I have too many thoughts bouncing around and the ideas, opinions really, just need to be voiced somehow.  So here you are reading more drivel that I have thrown together without so much as doing any research.  For this, I thank you. 

How I would like to use this blog is a bit different. What I post here will actually explain the title. If you ever listen to SaltyTalkRadio, you'll know that I make some crazy leaps and connections when I can join in long enough. A good example was Friday's show and we spoke about Radon in a 3rd floor condo in Venice Florida. My far reaching point was that only a year ago, a Mosaic gypsum stack had a sinkhole and radioactive water leaked into the aquifer not far from Venice and could've conceivably caused the radioactive reaction in this condo that should've been safe at the time of building it. Not a big leap but a leap just the same.

But Moriarty? What I'd like to do is this: as I see different stories and headlines that I feel are connected in some way, put them in the blog and try to make a connection. This is not to prove or disprove a conspiracy theory but after a few short posts, you'll get a feel for where going.

Let's look at the last couple days...

I found this story interesting about the vibration wave sent out from the coast of Africa. When the story made headlines, it was a curious item but not connected to anything in my mind.

http://www.azeritimes.com/science/a-low-rumble-off-the-coast-of-africa-was-felt-right-around-the-earth-and-no-one-knows-what-it-means-insider/

But then this story popped up about mass strandings of pilot whales in NewZealand. The bell ringing made it all the way to Hawaii the experts say.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/672263152/dozens-of-pilot-whales-die-in-new-zealands-3rd-mass-stranding-in-a-week

But what if the vibrations went farther? Maybe as far as Alaska 

https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/earthquakes-in-alaska-today-anchorage-cook-inlet-wasilla-usgs-today-2018-11-30-live-updates/

It's not that big of leap, at least not to me. 3 different stories or events that could very well be connected.  This is how my brain works. Join me in connecting the dots and who knows where it might lead. Maybe we'll find Moriarty. 

Bedtime

I knew this post was coming. I felt it for the last couple months. I have shared all the "isms" that make me, well, me. I don't want to do a play by play as I fix this last one. I want you to envision Shane riding off in the sunset, not knowing if he actually rides on or as some theorize,  his end comes at sunset.
I don't know if I will wake after my bedtime and have "cookies and milk" or a late night snack, that depends on how well I sleep.
I do know that I've given you as much as I can as to what I feel is important in the restaurant industry and I hope a small piece of me lingers in your mind as to how we should view our jobs and treat our employees.
A quick thanks to the 1000s that have read this blog from dozens of countries(which I never understood). If questions need answered, as with my staff, the door is always open.
I won't stop blogging but the future will have a different topic.
My goal when I started this was to change the way we do business. My new goal is to change the world. Stick around, it might be fun.
Thanks,
Andy

Exodus

We opened this restaurant on June 5th. I think the phone call from my former employer came the day after. I don't normally kiss and tell but I think its important to give a brief summary before tomorrow's orientation with new employees.
A member of management was happy in their job. Word filtered down to me and I gave him the site to apply. Simple. He quit and came to work with me. The fact that I had to defend myself against a company that no longer wanted to use my skills was curious.
As managers, our job is to create an environment that allows our employees to be successful. I believe in this style. Success isn't always based on performance inside the four walls but has more to do with how they feel the direction of their life is going. Some are career oriented,  some grounded in family and time off.
Work is a vehicle that should allow them to grow in the areas they feel are important to them and how they measure success. I know I have altruistic views of business but I truly believe that this is the way it should be. Employers should be concerned with the lives of those who help the company be successful. I try to live this.
With the last few posts, I have had the same theme: managers ARE the company.
And tomorrow, orientation starts for 3 former employees of mine that want to be apart of this management style again. To be around an employer that cares about them.
I won't turn good people away.

Ford

The title will have haters. I know this, expect it, even welcome the comments in advance.

A restuarant is a machine. And anyone who tuned in on SaltyTalkRadio knows I love to use the phrase 8 cylinder.  Normally, I am joking about the size of a word that the host, Mark Salter is using but the amount of cylinders is as important as to how we got there.
Henry Ford(I may be telling this story in the stylings of CNN and not have ALL or ANY of the facts correct. Fair warning) walked into the engineering dept at Ford and said to his team "I want an 8 cylinder engine. And left. A year later he came back. No 8 cylinder engine. He repeated his demand without instruction. And eventually, yes we know the rest of the story of the V-8 engine. It is the standard of power in the automotive industry . And we accepted it as just that.
In restaurants we did the same thing. A standard was created, a benchmark (love the new clichic lines) and we all accepted it. No need to improve what's perfect. Right?
But the engine is not THE machine. It's a component of it. The power of it yes but not all of it.
A brand is the engine. Franchise, corporate doesn't matter. It may be about strength or speed we just accept that it is about power. In a car comparison, a restaurant is the model.
The sculpting of the body, aerodynamics, the bite of the rubber, yawl, center of gravity. Design.
Many models have come and gone. Some of our favorites have lost favor in our hearts. Why did this, how could this happen? Its was never about power, is was always about handling.

The Bench, continued

Dave Hunt once said to me, if you accept the paycheck each week, then you accept the rules and regulations of the company. Fair enough. I actually turned in my notice to him using the same words, that I no longer accepted the paycheck.
I was no longer loyal to the company.
The bench is about loyalty. Trying to decide how to word it is why I couldn't finish in one sitting.
Loyalty to a nondescript company is hard to define. The words I wanted to use in the first half seemed altruistic, unreal. But it's not the company that I am loyal to, it's me and what how i see things should be that gets my commitment and dedication.
Building a bench is no different than parenting. We all know the song
"Teach, your children well".
We as parents are willing to invest the time in our kids to help them grow to the point that they, hopefully, they can grow on their own.
In business it's a little different.
Managers can be replaced. Train a younger person to take your place could end your career. In today's world, probably.
Good managers build (watch the change in wording) build a family. One that will continue to grow on their own, start a new life away from their parents based on the idea of loyalty.
Companies can not grow without loyalty and do not deserve it unless they are willing to grow as a family. When the bench is left empty and no time is invested in future opportunities, then you are sitting on the wrong bench.

The Bench

Football season is almost upon us again. High school, college and of course, the NFL. Do many amazing sports stories have come out of this one sport. I promise not to be political as the tone of the country is divided with the sport. For the record, Kurt Warner took the Cardinals to the Superbowl in the last game I watched start to finish. 

Regardless, the game, the team, and all aspects of the sport are synonymous with my chosen career, restaurants. 

So let's get to the bench.

Who did Brett Farve replace? Started with a Y and only diehard cheeseheads remember.  And Brady? Similarly, New England fans will know, his name is on the tip of my tongue. And Peyton, who took his place? 

In our business, we don't spend the big bucks to build a bench. The GM will be here for many years and in many cases, this is true. But not always. And definitely not in today's society. We are free agents by nature and quality managers are in short supply. It is only our loyalty or benefits package that keep us from jumping ship in Indy and heading to Denver. 

So what can a company do if Aaron Rodgers is not waiting in the wings? Or we don't have the resources to "buy" the next quarterback?

Build a bench. 

Our process starts with interviews and knowing what answers you want to hear.

Oversee all aspects of training. Train your trainers, teach and coach them, even empower them to make decisions that will benefit the restaurant. 

Invest your time into your people. Everyone is at a different place in their lives and some will grow more quickly than others. Keep an open mind and let some of the newest ones surprise you.

Here is the tough part. Teach someone to replace you. 

Why?

Tune in next time for the answer...

Conundrum

Subtitled: HR Nightmare
I told you a few weeks ago that I was with a new company that embraced the social media platform. Share, like, emoji, means more activity for your location. More activity equals more views equals more, more, more. Sound theory on paper, in a digital world.
Tonight I was scrolling through my Facebook alerts and came to "people I should know". Most of mine have links to wineries in the area or growers of a particular grape that I enjoy ;)
Tonight, however, a current employee came into the feed. 4 mutual friends. 4.
Deep breath, a cigarette and an a little bit of an overpour of wine before I continue.
Still here? This post will require some comments, hopefully a full discussion with some back and forth. I'm ready...
Hypothetically we have Joe. Joe is a hugger. He hugs everyone. Then one day, for some unexplained reason, he didn't hug someone that he was working with. And just the one person. Discrimination, of one, harassment of all others? I don't know but it's not about Joe. It's about me and 4 mutual friends.
I said this is a new frontier a few weeks back but today I found myself in a conundrum. If i embrace the social media aspect and go for likes, shares, etc., then have I put myself in an HR nightmare? I can send a request that the employee may feel forced to accept which is wrong or not send the request which is the equivalent to Joe not hugging. Still wrong.
Will the future of business be decided by how we snub or accept co-workers on social media?
Asking

Betrayal

My wife is listening to an audio book, sorry that I don't know the name of it but it sounds intriguing.  She likes to update me when she gets to an interesting idea the author is expressing. This one is a psychology book based on your behavior to different situations. When the author got to the part where he or she spoke of betrayal, the cheating spouse, it is okay if they cheat and accept it! That was the brief intriguing part :)
When I worked with Perkins, there was a required book for all managers to "read". Strength Finders. The quotation marks are there because you don't actually read the book. Buy the books, rip open the secret page with a code, go online to take an assessment. After you find out your strengths,  then you read about what you are good at.
8 years ago, my boss was surprised at my number 2 strength: Relator. I can be a hard man to deal with sometimes so the name of the attribute caught him off guard. The truth of it is that yes, I can relate to people, understand what it is like to be in their shoes, draw a few close in a circle of friends but at a cost.
It was explained to me once that the circle of friendship and/or confidence that a relator has is, at best, precarious. It is more like the old albums playing on 33. The record spins slowly toward the center and much faster on the outer edge. When an inner circle member is guilty of betrayal, they slide outside the slow moving, tight center to the quicker pace of the album's 2nd or 3rd song. A most likely they will never return to the slow moving middle.
The writer of Sveta's book claimed that if your spouse needs to find a lover, accept it. It's your fault. You are not what that person needs. And to make that person happy, allow them to continue in this behavior.
Just move on with your life without them. Leave. Get out. Let them be who they are but not drag you down with them. Let them slide out to the first track.
6 years of friendship and trust came to a screeching halt today in my work life, my inner circle. Now the only decision to make is do I flip to 45rpms or 78?

10 bucks

The money always comes.
It's the only advice I can give to the up-and-coming employees. It always comes.
I remember a conversation I had with an assistant who wanted to be salaried 10+ years ago. "Do you want the position for the money or because you want to make a difference?" His response was "both". I tried to explain my concept but he didn't want to hear it and he never got promoted. It wasn't my decision to hold him back but the decision was made and he moved on, selling cable subscriptions or cars shortly after.
Restaurant management is a passion you must have inside. No different than a solider, doctor, or mechanic. You have to love it and know that the money will come.
A cook who worked for me almost 30 years ago asked one day for a raise to $10 per hour and "I'll never ask for more money again." I told him the truth. Yes, I'll pay you that, no I won't ever give you another raise and until you learn to live within whatever budget you set for yourself, you will never be happy with what you earn.
One employee I had in the last few years trusted what I said and took a pay cut (on an hourly basis) to take a position i offered. I know he is struggling at times but he was able to take over a restaurant that I suggested and trained him to run.
20 years ago, I offered an employee a less than minimum wage to bartend at a bar that had no regular guests. She accepted the position and built an amazing clientele over the next 5 years. It was difficult to find an open seat on any given day of the week.
I believe that the parable of 10 talons from the bible would, if it was written today, include the first employee. So focused on himself that he couldn't invest what he was given and would undoubtedly waste it. The second would have it taken away and given to either of the other last 2. 
I don't quote the bible often but the basic principles that it teaches are sound, proven techniques. 
As a word of caution, not all employers are equal. Many don't recognize the talons that lie in front of them. The corporate world is, after all about building wealth. Choose one that focuses on the success of employees and believe that the money will come.

Bump in the Night

Got out a little early tonight. Dinner with the family and a little wine. Life is good?
Bump
The upside of social media is that you can reach a targeted audience, the bad thing is that audience can target you.
I promised to share my experiences as I grow in a new world that I have not been exposed to in the past. I have dipped my toe into the world of social media and tonight I found the water a little chilly.
Professionalism is difficult sometimes when an attack seems personal. My years of experience has taught me that it is never personal, only a matter of perception. And when a difference of opinion comes front and center,  leaving emotion out of it is almost impossible.
Tonight I had the chance to respond to a guest in a post that was directed towards the new management and changing of the guard. I didn't like what was said but understood how the guest felt. I also know some of the history and issues with the prior staff and management. Here's the rub. I did nothing wrong and the guest or group of guests only hate me because I am not the old regime. I can say nothing and ignore but ya'll know me better than that. I can attack the poster and start a mini online war. We know that no one wins this.
And oddly, page for the restaurant, is not run and monitored by me, the corporation responds as they see fit and may or may not like what I have to say. Jeez, the politics of social media. And those who really know me KNOW how much I love politics.
Choose your words carefully and don't lash out in anger. I did ask Sveta to give me a few minutes to concentrate on an appropriate response. (She is more emotionally driven, go figure).
So the set up is a guest was not happy that a former employee is a former employee.  Mind you, the store was closed for 8 months and now we suck because that person is not here.
I'm not happy someone posted publicly that they will never return because of something I had no control over.
Before I post my response, I again want you to remember, it's not personal but it is their perception and your job is to change their perception and make them loyal to you.

In the world of professional sports, even great players like Brett Favre or Peyton Manning move on by choice or force.
I turned the key on June 5th to reopen a great restaurant with no knowledge of the memories and talent of the past. I am building a championship team for the continuation of a brand that is to me, as operating manager, unequalled in the industry. Join us for the resurrection of name synonymous with quality.
My promise is to win you over with my team.

A New Frontier

In my career, it has always been taboo to associate with employees and as the dinosaur corporations emerge into our technologically advanced age, they do become extinct. I didn't understand why, mostly because I am of the reptilian breed as well. 

Recently I was exposed to a marketing idea that was cooked up by some city leaders that included my new boss. Money. The idea and execution of it was money. 

Now I've always built the business inside the 4 walls and that concept still works. Execution and quality of food and service. I also mentioned the big no no. With most companies that would extend to social media. Don't friend the staff. Big mistake, unless you suck as a boss. 

If you have the confidence in your product and staff, a click, like, share, etc. equals a half a cent of advertising money you didn't have to spend. If the staff believes in you and your product, viral is only a click away. 

I'm a quick study but I will admit, I was close to becoming a fossil.

The Last Rodeo

I've been away for a few months. Had to really decide if I even wanted to give it one last go. Then I woke up one morning and was in the middle of something interesting. Success or failure,  I don't know. I just know this will be the last one.
Right now, it's late. And typically I'm tired. So a brief update with a promise to share each week. So leave the group quick or buckle up for the next couple years.
I did manage to land myself in a bar and grill type setting. It is close to home and currently I really like the owner. He owns 2 locations of a fairly new franchise whose menu is largely focused on wings.
We quietly unlocked the doors on June 5th and didn't even tell anyone. Crazy right? By design. This will be a rebuild done differently. So stay tuned for all the fun. For now, Gnight

Home

"So why did you leave your last company?" Doing the best Dorothy impression I can manage in non-skid shoes..."I want to go home, I want to go home, I want..."

"So you're from this area then?"
No, but this is where I want to be.

"What makes this home to you?"
My heart is here.

These are not unexpected questions in an interview process. What is a little confusing to me is that potential employers find it hard to believe that someone would walk away from a long term career making good money just to come home, to a place that hasn't adopted me or even where there are family ties.

Most of them have never sat on the front porch, on a mountain, in a forest, while the rain beat down on a metal roof during a cool summer evening. Most of them never came face to face with a black bear, 12 point buck, or wild turkeys. Most of them never fed their families with what grows in or wanders around in the yard.


In the 3 years that we were gone, our empty home waited for us to return. The vacant dog house on the front porch, an empty litter box anticipating its need. Fruit trees, grape vines, and berry bushes hoping to be gleaned of fruit by human hands.Wanting the chickens to groom the yard. Bees and humming birds, bats and squirrels all whispering in the night, infecting our dreams with promises of peace. A place where we belong. Home.

Most of them won't get it, some of YOU will.