Branding Ad Vice

Who Manages The Manager

First off, let me say that up until now my experience with Perkin's Restaurants have been quite favorable, No matter how busy, there's usually a menu and pot of coffee at your table right after you sit down.  Service is prompt and efficient.  That's why we pulled off I-55 in Blytheville Arkansas for breakfast the other day.  Big mistake.

Granted it was busy for a Sunday morning.  But it took 15 minutes for someone to come over and ask us what we’d like to drink.  It took 10 minutes more to get our water and have our order taken.  25 minutes later we still hadn’t received our food so we got up and left.  It wasn’t like our waitress was busy with other tables.  She just vanished into the kitchen area, leaving 5 or 6 tables hanging.  That’s one problem.  The bigger problem was the manager.  Who passed by our table without as much as a good morning, I’m sorry for the delay, is there anything I can do to help?  In fact the most she would do was to tell someone else to go back in the kitchen to tell them that tables 11, 12, and 13 were waiting for service. 

When the chips are down it would seem everyone should pitch in to help; waitresses, busboys and even the manager.  Didn’t happen in this instance.  Fire the waitress at the end of the shift if she isn’t working out, but don’t leave your customers sitting watching the ice in their water melt in the meantime.

Here’s the point.  The only way to get an accurate picture of what’s going on in your business is to have someone visit it as a shopper when you aren’t around and report back to you.  If you have enough of these snapshots you’ll be able to put together a much clearing picture of your business than you’ve ever had before.  Your reputation is hanging in the balance.

What Will They Do When Your Back Is Turned?

When you own your own business you only have to work half days.  Pick any 12 hours.  Which still leaves 12 hours for your employees to mess up everything you’ve worked for.  For example, I was in Memphis over the weekend.  I wanted to have genuine "dry style" Memphis barbeque but it was too hot to drive downtown and wander Beale Street looking for it.  The hotel's Internet was down so I was forced to use  the phone book.  The ad for Corky’s (I usually don’t name names but this one is so special) gives an address but I don’t have a good map.  So I call and ask, “Where are you located?”  The girl who answers doesn’t ask for clarification, she puts me on hold assuming the address included in on-hold message is all I need.  The message repeats a second time before someone hangs up without coming back on the line.

I call back, this time a man answers.  I quickly blurt out that I know the address I need to know their location.  “Next to Tennessee First Bank.” Click.  What we have here is failure to communicate.  Evidently I should have specifically asked for directions.  Which I would have if given the opportunity before being put on hold or hung up on. 

Undaunted, I asked the receptionist at the hotel for directions and we found our way to the Corky’s on the east side of Memphis in Cordova.  Our waiter comes to the table for our drink order.  I ask what kind of wine they have.  He laughs at me, rolls his eyes and says,  “We only have beer.”  I guess they don’t get many new customers at Corky’s.  Either that or they’re all telepathic.  The ad said Corky's has his been voted #1 year after year in by Memphis residents.  I suppose customer service isn't part of the calculation.

How often do you send a secret shopper into your business when you’re not around?  If you don’t, it might be a good idea to schedule a visit once a quarter or so to see how your people act when when the cat's away.  I know what you’re thinking.  “That’s why I have a manager.”  Well do I have a story for you.