San Francisco Restaurant Blog

In any relationship, if a person feels you have cheated, used or tricked them, they will begin to seek ways to “get back” what they perceive you took from them. In their mind, you have taken advantage of them and now they want “it” back.

Customer Service Professionals want to make sure their Customers do not develop these feelings and do so by practicing relationship building during their transactions. You can begin the process of building these relationships by using specific “rules of engagement” and thereby prevent the unhappy circumstances described above.

First, be as transparent as possible in your transactions. You can do this by stating everything upfront, pointing out limitations of your service or product, verifying that the information received by the Customer is reality and not conjecture on your end, describing specific courses of action with timelines and answering any question posed to you as honestly as possible. By becoming transparent in your business, you allow the Customer to see you as an asset and someone that they can count on.

Subterfuge and delay tactics only serve you and tell the Customer that you may be doing something untrustworthy, thereby opening the door to accusations and the never ending cycle of mistrust/retribution/mistrust.

Second, take the time to view yourself and your organization from the set of shoes you do business with, your Customer. Take a walk through your shop, call in, ask for a brochure over the phone, read through all the material on the website, read all the signage posted, ask for help from someone in your organization, talk to another Customer visiting your store as a Customer (this one sometimes gets you information that the rest of your staff wish you would not find out) or do anything that gives you a true picture of your company and your personnel.

Now you can see what your Customer sees and hears. This might come as a surprise to you. It’s not the experience you think it is.

Next, start taking an extra step. That step is the extra minute to explain something, the extra second to point something out, the extra smile to show you care, the extra walk across the floor to greet them personally, the extra 5% off, the extra cup of coffee, the extra training session for all new staff, the extra in stock item, the extra personnel on duty during the busiest time of the day and the extra attention to detail that separates good service from a fantastic experience!

Then, ask them for feedback, and take action when necessary. There is not a survey company out there conducting surveys for their health. They conduct surveys to gather information about a product or service and companies use that information to make changes. Good surveys ask about issues, great surveys ask about actions.

Actions by definition, are what a company does in the interest of the Customer. Actions by the company in the interest of the company is a very different thing. Great surveys are good at getting to this information. Asking for feedback the right way is respecting the Customer and their preferences. Taking action on those items that require attention is respecting the future of the company’s business.

Finally, Thank Your Customer. Thank them for continuing to use your service. Thank them for spreading the good word about what you do. Thank them for choosing you over ten other competitors. Thank them for just “stopping by” ( one of several signs that you are on the right road), Thank them for trusting you to take care of their needs and Thank them for the future.

A future that includes them continuing to do business with you.

Doing these things does not guarantee that someone will not feel “cheated, used or tricked.”
Not doing these things guarantees that they absolutely will feel that way though. And in today’s “give it to me now” world, can we afford to give away any one thing that separates us from the other guys?

The relationships we forge with our Customers?

What are retail display cases?

Retail display cases are retail fixture displays that help you merchandise any item that you want locked up. They are useful if you intend to securely display merchandise while presenting in an appealing manner.

Alternatives to retail display case. What are my options?

Built-in display cases and modular shelving are alternatives to this type of display. Here are the pros and cons of these options. Built-in display cases will give you more flexibility when designing your store, but may cost more. Additionally, a local cabinet builder may not be able to reach the same level of design that a display case company has reached with their products. Modular glass shelving will definitely save you money, but doesn’t have the same security element as retail display cases.

Considerations when choosing the best retail display case for your store.

1. Are you going to stock the merchandise that you put in your display cases underneath your case or in the back of your store? Look at available storage options and make the case work for your application.

2. Will the display case match the d꤯r of your store? It is free to choose colors from many Low pressure laminates. It usually only costs a small percent more to upgrade to a custom high pressure laminate. You can choose from virtually hundreds of different laminates to match your store.

3. Will the case you are getting help you secure your merchandise? Consider locks on the glass doors and the storage.

4. Will your merchandise need lights? Different types of merchandise need different types of lights. For instance, halogen lighting is usually used with jewelry. Florescent or ambient lighting may work for t-shirts. Food usually needs encapsulated lights to insure food safety.

Once your retail display case arrives.

There are a couple of different shipping considerations when receiving retail display cases. The first would be how much does your shipment weigh? Retail display cases usually weight between 100 and 500 lbs a piece. If you are ordering in bulk, you may need someone to help you get them inside and set them up.

I hope this article on retail display cases has helped you with questions about how to buy retail display cases. If you are looking for more info, please look us up.

Joseph Nelson helps retailers and restaurant owners improve the quality of their stores with retail display cases and retail store fixtures. Visit Achieve Display at http://www.AchieveDisplay.com and see a business dedicated to service, integrity, and reliability.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Nelson

Sending out a monthly restaurant newsletter is a great marketing tool because it can be a lot of fun for you and your customers. You don’t have to stay 100% on topic – add an occasional crossword puzzle, include positive comments made about your restaurant during the month, announce upcoming events and birthdays, and ask your customers if they’d like to participate by contributing to the newsletter.

But there are printing costs involved with a newsletter – right?

Imagine that you found out a reliable printing house was looking for new customers and there happened to be people on your list that they’d like to advertise to. Do you think that other business would print your newsletter for free in exchange for a space on the back to place their logo and contact information?

You bet they would – if they were smart!

If they were really smart, they’d not only include their logo and contact information, they’d put an exclusive offer that would allow them to track the results of this marketing opportunity – you can suggest this and let them do the first printing as a trial to see what happens.

If the printer gets a couple calls, they’re likely to do it again. Even if they don’t, the idea of getting their name out there might just be attractive enough for them to continue for a while anyway.

Whether you’re fine dining, a corner caf顯r a coffee house, it’s very likely that there are business people eating your food that should also be on your mailing list – that is pure gold to another business wanting to get in front of those eyeballs, especially in a format that is “different” than their typical advertisement.

Finding smart people is key to this joint venture and restaurant marketing technique – you want to be dealing with somebody who understands the true value of your proposition and will be reliable in following through with it.

The “six degrees of separation” rule should play a large factor in deciding who you’d like to approach. The rule basically says to look at your immediate contacts to see if there are any partner candidates.

If there are not, begin asking those contacts if they know of somebody who might be interested… and then work out from there. This joint venture technique is often better than cold-calling a printing shop because you can start the conversation by saying that you were referred.

Nathan Gilder is the Director of Restaurant Revolution, a business and restaurant marketing resource for the foodservice industry. He is also the visionary behind the next-generation restaurant coupons system titled CouponCuisine.

Nathan specializes in creative enterprise: developing new and unique business techniques that engage and attract customers, employees and joint venture partners.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Gilder

Many people can be heard swearing off pizza, wrongly believing that pizza cannot be a healthy dish. The fact is that pizza can be a healthy meal. Through this article you are provided some basic information about why pizza is “okay” to eat.

One of the big gripes that some people have heard pertaining to pizza is that it has too many calories. The fact is that you can control the amount of calories in a pizza by paying attention to the type of base or crust that you use and by paying attention to the types of sauce and toppings that you place on the pizza.

A way that you can keep pizza healthy is to eat pizza that has a thin crust. Thin crust pizza will be a pizza that has fewer calories and other benefits to your health. Moreover, you can make the base or crust itself an even healthier choice by using wheat dough. Indeed, in this day and age an ever growing number of people are turning to using wheat dough for their pizza base or crust.

Marinara type sauce that is used on most pizzas today is a healthy choice on many levels. Attention need to be paid to the amount and type of oil that is used in the sauce. Olive oil is a perfect choice in this regard – olive oil in an appropriate amount actually has some marvelous health benefits for you.

Because more and more people are becoming concerned with their diets and their health, there actually has been something akin to a revolution when it comes to pizza and pizza toppings. Leading the way are a category or pies that are known as California pizzas. These pizzas are made with a focus on healthy ingredients and keeping calories low – perfect pizzas for the health conscious person.

By way of example, many California style pizzas are heavy on fresh produce as ingredients. In fact, it is rather amazing what types of vegetables can be found on California style pizzas in this day and age. People are becoming really creative when it comes to California style pizza today.

Finally, you need to keep in mind that one of the reasons why pizza has at times in the past been considered a less than perfect choice when it comes to health consideration is the fact that people tend to over eat when it comes to pizza. The bottom line is that you can keep enjoying pizza provided you watch your portion size and do not over eat. Portion control is a very important step when it comes to healthy living and a healthy lifestyle overall.

Ray Freeman is the author of “How To Start A Restaurant Business Following A Profitable System”. If you would like to learn more about this pizza topic, please visit: http://www.pizzarestaurantbusiness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=R_Freeman

The catering for sports stadiums is a logistical challenge: we must give to eat thousands of people in a short time. Catering teams have to be fast, accurate and act together, like good sportsmen. We note this sporting challenge closely, passing one day league at the premises of FC Barcelona and talked with the commercial director of the company responsible for supplying the stadium in Barcelona on the future.

Camp Nou is a party which never televised. A party that lasts much more than ninety minutes and whose team never carries a ovation from the stadium. However, if his players stop their shirts, deeply puzzled the public. The impact would be even worse than, say, a 0:5 in a FC Barcelona versus Real Madrid. We are talking about the party that plays every day any team in charge of Catering of a football stadium. Usually a friendly with the public: how important are not the goals, but accurate passes, not media stars stand out, but team spirit prevails.

The sporting challenge is to serve thousands of people in a short time, a challenge that depends on the magnitude of the stadium. That is why we are entering the premises of Football Club Barcelona at the Camp Nou. With room for 98,787 spectators now is the football stadium with more capacity in Europe. Since the 2006/2007 season Catering to the sports facilities of the club is in charge of Serhs Group, the first tourist group in Catalonia, specifically his company Serhs Food Service. Not only conducts supplying the football stadium, but also the Mini Estadi, the Palau Blaugrana, the ice rink and Sports City. For their employees the day begins five hours before the referee gives the whistle. Ronaldinho, Eto’o and Messi are resting on their couches, when a group of sixty people is close to Camp Nou. Palau BlaugranaEmpiezan to heat must be baking bread for sandwiches that will be requested in a couple of hours, cut and spread with tomato.

We must prepare the sausages, cut the ham, cheese and packaging. In short: we must make the mise en place. As part of a group consisting of eighty-two companies many of which belong to both segments of production and management as food distribution and logistics, the supply of facilities is done almost entirely through the network itself.

Restaurants and caf顢usiness is being more beneficial day by day. The credit goes to changing dining habits of people. In current materialistic world people believe in earning maximum possible money in minimum possible time. In such scenario people want to spend less time at home cooking for themselves. They are in fact more eager to spend that time working in office or in their individual business or other engagements to earn more money to fulfill their materialistic desires.

The reason behind everyday blooming restaurants chains or fast food joints around business hubs are an example of this changing dining trend. The current e-generation is more prone to fast food and other ready to eat foodstuffs to spend less time wasting for their dining needs. Another reason is increasing involvement of kids and youngsters in family decisions.

For a restaurant, caf顯r fast food brand to grow it must have clear identity applied consistently across every area of its operations. Electronic Media is also busy in reaping benefits of this trend by broadcasting advertisements encouraging this culture. For restaurants or hospitality chain, it is very important to reach to their target audience that needs proper marketing and advertisement. Marketing and advertisement campaigns for dining services provider needs industry experience as well as proven knowledge of dining trends and habits of people. In such case, need for industry expert consultants come up.

Restaurants and Caf顣onsultants provides their clients with excellent, innovative as well as unique marketing and advertising ideas to reach maximum possible clients. Their long-term industry experience helps clients in gaining more popularity as well as more feedback that is positive for their business prospects. Restaurant and Caf顣onsultants take care of everything from branding to product delivery for their clients. They manage their restaurant marketing plans, menu selection, employee training, interior and exterior decoration settings, as well as lucrative offers to lure more and more footfalls during peak hours. In brief, restaurant and caf顣onsultants increase business of their clients with help of their experience as well as ideas.

For more information or queries, feel free to visit our website: http://www.thenextidea.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Ancills

The three biggest pizza brands in the United States are Pizza Hut, followed by Domino’s Pizza, and then Papa John’s. Pizza Hut is also the largest pizza restaurant chain in the entire world. Their respective success mirrors how long they’ve been in business. Pizza Hut opened its first restaurant in 1958, the first Domino’s Pizza arrived in 1960, and then Papa John’s didn’t come along until 1985.

When it comes to pizza advertising, all three companies regularly implement very aggressive marketing campaigns and are always in direct competition with each other. Menu items are rotated frequently based on public reception, and new pizza styles and side items are always in development. Papa John’s pizza used to stick to their basic menu formula, but recently have started following the trend of marketing and rotating new items. Papa John’s is also a big favorite for people who prefer to order online. They were the first of the big three to make online ordering available all throughout the United States.

Franchise locations are abundant with all three companies. In fact, all of Domino’s Pizza’s international pizza shops are franchised.

Pizza Hut as well as Domino’s Pizza have been prominently featured and referenced in several films, television shows, and even video games. They are the first two pizza shops that come to mind when most people pick up the phone to order a pizza. Papa John’s has however made a great deal of progress and become a significant threat to the other two. Frank Carney, one of the co-founders of Pizza Hut, has actually been a Papa John’s franchisee since 1994 (who left Pizza Hut in 1980). Frank was even featured in a Papa John’s commercial, in which he entered a Pizza Hut stockholders meeting wearing a Papa John’s apron, and said, “Sorry guys, I found a better pizza”.

A veteran of the pizza industry making sure your pizza is the best you can get! For more information about the pizza industry, visit http://www.pizzawars.net. We specialize in pizza industry information, menu’s, coupons, and more!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Fiala

Are buffets profitable for restaurants? They certainly can be but you do have to go about it in the right way. Many customers love being able to get their food quickly when they come in. They may not have very much time or they may have small children that aren’t good at waiting. They also like to have a huge selection of foods instead of having to decide on a certain plate off the menu.

It is important to offer the very best foods to your customers for a buffet. They will be looking for homemade mashed potatoes and fresh baked bread. If you take short cuts to save time and money on such items chances are they won’t be coming back. Why should they pay money for food that isn’t exceptional? You also need to make sure the food on display is fresh and that there is plenty to choose from.

Prices are a number one complaint of customers though when it comes to a buffet style restaurant. They want to price to be parallel to the types of foods that will be offered. Keep this in mind when you are planning your menu as well as setting the prices you are going to charge. A buffet can be a good choice for families but they still need to be able to afford the asking price to enjoy it.

Consider offering a variety of prices on the buffet depending on what time of day it is. Weekdays may be cheaper than weekends if you offer something extra on the weekend such as steak or prime rib. You should charge less for children and for the elderly than you do for adults that come in to eat. This is a great way for the entire family to get a meal they can afford at your restaurant.

You definitely need to make sure you have reliable staff with a buffet too though. They need to keep their eyes open for spills and for empty containers of food on the buffet line. They also need to keep plenty of plates and silverware stacked up. They can clear away plates from the tables and even help families get everything to the table.

It does cost plenty of money to set up and operate a successful buffet restaurant, that is for sure. Yet if you go about it correctly you will be able to make much more money than you spend. Don’t be afraid that your guests are going to eat more than they pay for it as that rarely happens. It is somewhat of a trick I guess you would say though as many of them think they definitely ate more than what they paid for.

Do your best to keep the cost of your food items low, but at the same time don’t sacrifice the quality of what you offer. You can compare prices from different providers to see who can offer you the best prices. You can also buy in large quantities to get discounts. You may get more of a discount if you pay by check when your supplies are delivered instead of waiting for an invoice to be sent to you.

Do all you can to keep your other sources of overhead income low as well. They include wages, utilities, paying for the building, dishes, and dcor. You will need to have a good estimate of how much you can afford in each of these areas. Make necessary adjustments accordingly in order to get the most benefit from it. You definitely want as much of the money that you bring in to stay available to you as possible.

Patricia Farnham loves the restaurant business. Read her insight on start a restaurant before you become one of those common statistics.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Farnham

What type of appetizers are you offering your customers? If you aren’t offering them at all you may find it is a good way to enhance your restaurant. After all, hungry customers can become irritable. That ten minute wait for their food can seem like forever. If they have an appetizer in front of them though they will be less likely to be keeping track of how long they wait for their entree.

There are establishments out there that offer various appetizers to customers as a courtesy. Mexican food locations are the most common with their baskets of chips and homemade salsa for dipping. This can be a part of the meal that the guests eagerly look forward to when they come in. You may need to set limits on such free items though so guests don’t take advantage.

When you are designing your menu of appetizers you want to have a good selection. People have different tastes so make sure there is something for everyone to choose from. Nachos and fried mushrooms are very popular with people. Children seem to love cheese sticks that are loaded with melted mozzarella inside of them. A combination place with three or four different items is great for a large group of people as well.

You need to get your customers to take notice of your appetizers on the menu though in order for them to buy them. You want to increase sales of them all you can. Place pictures on the menu to show them what they would be missing out on. Many people will order appetizers due to the look of them on the menu.

The wait staff needs to be encouraging guests to order the appetizers as well. After taking their order they can say something along the lines of promoting them. Asking the guests if anyone would like to order an appetizer is a very simple way to do this without being pushy. You may be surprised at how many guests will decide to place such an order.

Once that order has been secured, it needs to reach the customers ASAP. There needs to be no delays in getting that food onto the table for them. They should never have to wait very long for their appetizers to arrive. If that is the case then they would have just waited for their regular meal. Some customers will decline the appetizer if it takes too long to reach their table.

Make sure guests also have silverware, napkins, and dipping sauces for their appetizers. They want to be able to enjoy them while they are still hot. If they have to wait for the staff to accommodate all their needs the food can be getting cold. Being able to anticipate what the guests need is a vital part of successfully serving them from the moment they want in the door.

If you aren’t offering your customers any appetizers you really should consider doing so. This is a great way to help them have the ultimate experience at your restaurant. It can help keep children quite and comfortable too while they are waiting for their food to arrive. You will also notice it is great way for your restaurant to make more money than before.

Patricia Farnham has a wealth of experience in the restaurant business. Check out her website to some valuable veteran insights, warnings and advice on how to own a restaurant.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Farnham

There’s a new food craze in China – Farmer’s Food. If you knew the Chinese characters, and the right places to go, then you would see hundreds of signs advertising this style of food on the outskirts of most cities. Given that forty years ago, many farmers were barely managing to eat at the subsistence level, why the sudden turnaround?

Perhaps that recent past has something to do with the popularity. As China advances rapidly towards a modern, developed economy, those who have already moved up the fiscal ladder have conflicting desires. On the one hand, they want to distance themselves from the peasant life that represents unending toil; on the other, they can afford to hold a romantic and sanitized impression of what that toil must entail – and consider it idyllic in relation to their modern stresses and strains. That’s not a concept completely unknown in the west.

So what is Farmer’s Food?

Farmer’s Food varies; by its very nature it varies by location and by season. Pork is the meat of choice all over the east of China, with chicken running a close second. Fish and duck are also popular but a little more expensive.

Meats flavour the dishes but the heart comes from the fresh vegetables. Many of these will not have English names and so any translation may have to be more descriptive than botanically correct. If there’s any doubt, I prefer to go to the kitchen and take a look. These fresh vegetables, often only picked hours ago, are incomparably tasty and so vegetarians need not worry about missing out.

Farmer’s Food should be simple to prepare. Typically, two or three harmonious ingredients will be chopped up such they cook together at the same speed. Ginger, garlic, soy, vinegar and other flavourings may be used to bring out the best of the inherent flavours, but without resorting to any fancy culinary tricks. The food should look attractive – but it won’t be exotically presented. Expect hearty, wholesome food and simple service.

Where will I find Farmer’s Food

Most visitors would not be able to find Farmer’s Food for themselves even if they had a private vehicle. This is very much a matter of local fashion and therefore the best way to partake is to get locals to arrange your trip.

If you are lucky, that can be friends. For most visitors it will mean finding a local travel service who can
arrange a car and, to help with ordering and other arrangements, as well as to add interesting stories, a local guide. The brave could try trusting to a local taxi driver. You can expect the driver to get a commission from his restaurant of choice and need pay no extra for his time.

Farmer’s Food outlets tend to cluster together around some particularly attractive rural area near to a major road leading out of a city. We recently went to one of a dozen or so outlets across the Yangtse River from the city of Yichang. There were a couple of small hills to climb, giving great views over the mighty river and this port at the bottom end of the Three Gorges area.

Farmer’s Food is not the food eaten typically by farmers every day of the year. It is about the nearest thing you can get to authentic Chinese food and therefore worth seeking out at least once in your trip to China. Say what you don’t want to eat (or can’t eat) but otherwise allow the hosts to select the freshest local produce for you and cook it up the ways they know best. Just be sure to set the budget first. Enjoy your food, and be grateful that you had a choice.

Ian Ford has lived in China for most of the last 7 years. He has prepared a food guide, Eating Out in China, with background information to Chinese food, over 60 recommended dishes and handy reference sheets. The sheets show each dish in English, pinyin and Chinese characters and are for you to take on your travels. Order these dishes, and variations, with ease.

If you are coming to China and want to get Authentic Chinese Food in China then follow this link and find out more about my guide.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Ford