I seem to have a recurring theme which is – keep your personal views i.e.) politics, religion, etc. out of your business! Maybe the subject is near to me because I did spend some years with a company that mixed their religious views with their business and the outcome was never good. Ultimately the individual franchisees suffered when the parent company held views which were controversial and made it into the media. Sure it is possible that some of the franchisees agree with the views but it is also likely that a good percentage of your existing customers and potential customers do not! Why alienate someone who wants to spend money in your restaurant or other small business? And for sure there are plenty of people who will boycott your establishment if they disagree with your blatant expression of your politics or religion.

Yesterday I stopped into a local pizzeria to pick up a take-out menu. They are a long established business in a small town with less business than they should have – truth be told. As I looked around I noticed an abundance of ultra-conservative stickers on the viewing window looking into the kitchen. These stickers (bumper stickers actually) would have been offensive to what….50% of your potential customers? Why would you do that? If it is so important to get your message out there, do it somewhere else! I have no doubt that any customer who supported the president or is a registered Democrat would think before ordering and just might hit the Dominos down the road. Likewise with a liberal message the reverse would be the case.

I will not divulge my political leanings on this blog because that is not what we are about. I am holding fast to my beliefs that a wise small business person will shy away from expressing his/her personal beliefs in a way that can hurt their business.

Several months ago’ I wrote a blog about Chick fil-A and the support that the founder of the company gave to various groups that were aligned with anti-gay movements and the damage it was doing to the brand image.

The purpose of this post was not to take sides but was about the damage the bad press can do to the franchisees who have invested large amounts of  money into a business they thought had their best interests at heart.  In other words, keep your personal beliefs out of business especially when you are talking about the livelihoods of decent hardworking people.

Well, the boys at Chick fil-A are at it again. This time they have rolled out the big legal guns and gone after a small businessman by the name of Bo Muller-Moore. Muller-Moore, a silk screen artist was asked by a kale farmer friend to print three t-shirts that said “Eat More Kale” to give to family. A few weeks later the farmer told Muller-Moore that people had been asking about the t-shirts and a small business developed. Muller-Moore says that this was more about supporting local kale farmers  than anything else but it did manage to make enough money for him to set up a small silk screen business.

Local entrepreneur does good?

Not as far as Chick fil-A is concerned!! Their legal eagles are after this small Vermont silk screen artist. Too close to “Eat mor chikn” they say. It will confuse their customer base. They have to protect their copyright and their intellectual property.

Chick fil-A must think their customers are not very bright. Can’t tell the difference between chicken and kale? A hint. Kale is green and it’s a vegetable. Chicken is neither of those things.

Leave the guy alone the phrase “Eat more xxxx” has been used for a variety of things over decades not just chicken. Sometimes big companies should use common sense rather than a big stick when dealing with other people. I am sure if this artist made a million t-shirts with “eat more kale “ printed on them it would not hurt Chick fil-A sales by one cent. Maybe they should learn from this artist. He’s promoting a product that is good for you….. and at least he can spell.

Apologies for not updating the blog for a while,  I have been involved in a few projects and was busy launching my first book on buying a food franchise – Click here to check it out…)

How often have you been in a restaurant with your significant other enjoying a romantic dinner or attending a business dinner with colleagues or clients only to have a family with small screaming children sit at the table next to you? You end up listening to screaming kids all through your meal or even worse, having a grubby fingered urchin running around the restaurant playing hide and seek under your table while their parents eat in blissful silence, totally unaware and uncaring about the havoc their child is creating.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have a child myself but I am one of those people that like children when they are at least a mile away and under strict parental control. My wife will tell you that I go green at the gills just watching a baby eat…….Yuk!! And that included my own! Another story she loves to tell is about a time some years ago while at a party where a variety of dips and snacks were laid out on a low coffee table. Unfortunately two small unsupervised children, who were not chained to the nearest lamp post, were eating in their own little way which meant double dipping and fishing broken chips out of the bean dip (with fingers of course). I turned a few shades of green and had to move away from said table or risk  embarrassing myself in a number of ways.

So, it was with some interest when I read a Yahoo news story about an English restaurant that imposed a  “Baby Tax” equivalent to $5 on anyone bringing a baby or toddler into the restaurant. Of course there was an uproar from the local community and the restaurant ended up apologizing and retracted the “Baby Tax.”

Now, my question is, did the restaurant retract the tax because they upset a few parents or did they retract the tax because the local newspapers had gotten a hold of the story and blew it up with interviews, etc.

After doing a bit of research (it took 5 minutes) I found that this seems to be a growing trend not only in the restaurant sector but in other areas of business as well.

Malaysian Airlines have banned kids in first class, some theaters are having adults only nights and I don’t mean xxx movies. Some hotels, resorts, cruise lines and condo’s  have bans or restrictions on children so there is obviously a need for these services.

The growth of kid free restaurants, businesses and areas while not outstanding, still shows a trend that needs considering. One North Carolina restaurant has a sign that says “Screaming kids will not be tolerated.” In another part of the country a restaurant called McDains has banned all kids under 6 years of age and have claimed that sales have increased!! This is unfair, there are a lot of 7 year olds that could be banned as well but where do you stop!!

I fully understand that kids and families have the same rights as everyone else, but those rights also relate to people that want a quiet dinner without the interruption of screaming children. While I do not agree or disagree with the no kids policy, people should have a choice and you have a choice to spend your money in a no kids restaurant or take your patronage elsewhere.

I know where I will go….

Well, school holidays are over for most of the students here in the US and it’s time to start thinking about the kids that are back in school and how to gain some sales from the school crowd.

This is especially true of any store in a shopping mall or near a school. Many stores do better business when school is in session than on the holidays so time to get out your local store marketing caps and start thinking kids!!

Here are some ideas to get you going.

• Develop some kid friendly beverages, make them colorful and fun and keep them at a price that will suit their average spend.
• Talk to the local schools about hosting after game meals. You can either do it on premise or do carry out packs the coaches can pick up prior to the game.
• Offer discounts for students at special after school times. This can also help you with sales in the slower afternoon period.
• Get some bookmarks printed with your store name, logo and a discount coupn and give it to every kid you see.
• Get on Facebook and attract some fans!! Be careful though, Kids can be very truthful if they are not happy with service and price.
• Advertise in your local school news letter or at their sports ground if possible.
• Free upsize to all students on your slowest day. Works with non students as well.
• Give vouchers to the school to use as incentives for a winning match or great scholastic achievement. Don’t worry, there is a good chance that they will bring there parents and siblings along to redeem the voucher and they pay full price!!
• Package meals and snacks to appeal to students. Be creative, make sure it’s hard to copy and price point aggressively.

I am sure you can think of many more to suit your establishment but make sure you are aware of the growing trend for healthy foods, you can even advertise the fact that your offering is low carb, vegetarian, low gluten low fat etc.

So have a look at your menu at start picking out some items you can bundle or discount without hurting the bottom line too much and talk to your printer about the vouchers and advertising. Good luck!!

I was in a pizza restaurant last week, no not the one that I have been raving about, another one and was having a chat to the owner. He had recently set up his pizzeria as part of a whitewater rafting, kayak and general water sports centre. The establishment was a bit off the beaten track and I was amazed at some of the equipment he had in his kitchen, including a Middleby Marshall conveyor oven that could handle ten times the volume that would ever be able to fit into this small pizzeria.

I suggested that maybe he had over capitalized just a little considering even a used Middle Marshall in reasonable condition could cost as much as $10,000 and this one looked almost new. Looking around I also noticed lots of good condition stainless steel workbenches, make tables, stoves, high end commercial microwaves etc.

OK, I asked, what’s the deal? You have a restaurant equipment package that could go into any quick service or fast casual restaurant that would cost a million to build and here you are with a little converted shed with the same equipment package!!

A huge smile broke out on his face and he told me that the entire package was for sale from a pizzeria that went bust less than a year after it opened. So what did he pay?

Now get this.  $4000 for everything.  A whole restaurant equipment package for $4000!!

• Check out online for used restaurant equipment stores.
• Check for Bankruptcy sales or going out of business sales and auctions.
• ebay is full of great deals. Some of them from franchise systems like Wendy’s and Subway so you may even be able to satisfy your franchisor’s equipment specifications.
• Ask your franchisor for stores that are closing or relocating. Most good franchisors will have a list of used equipment in storage that they will want to convert into cash.

You can often get fantastic deals for a fraction of the price and even though there probably is no longer a valid warranty you can get many years of dependable use from the majority of used equipment as long as you put in place a maintenance schedule that looks after not only the day to day cleaning and maintenance but also includes regular visits by the service technicians to ensure the internals and electrics are kept in good order. The technicians will also be able to let you know if any part needs replacing prior to a breakdown in a peak period.

The downturn in the economy can have devastating affects on many businesses and you may not want to reap the rewards of someone else s bad luck but look at it this way, at least they will be getting something back for their investment and that equipment needs to be used  so why not you!!

The recent (still happening) heat wave across the US reminded me that it is well past time to do the summer check on all cooling and refrigeration equipment. Most smart franchisees and small food shops will have this booked in for that start of every summer. If you are not one of them, call your service provider and change the inspection times to coincide with the summer and winter season beginnings.

There are several reasons to ensure your refrigeration and cooling systems are at their optimum during the summer and the first and most important is the safety of your customers by ensuring that all equipment can do the job of keeping foods at the correct temperature all day and every day. In other words ensuring full food safety.

All foods are at a higher risk during hot weather. Restaurant refrigeration systems struggle to keep safe temperatures, delivery trucks are even worse and the processing factories have the same heat problems as the restaurants Summer is also the time of insects which can find their way into your restaurant and food, so pest control will have to be stepped up.

Refrigeration will be working at it’s hardest over the summer so ensure that the coolant is recharged and all condensers are clean and free of dust. You may have to move the equipment, get into crawl spaces or ceilings to do this but it is worth it as it will help the overall efficiency of the system. Ensure that your service company also does this as part of your normal service so that you only have to check it once or twice in between services.

Do the same for your air conditioning so as to ensure a comfortable environment for your customers. Good A/C also assists refrigeration as a cool area surrounding the refrigeration system assists with good airflow around motors and condensers. Also a good idea to check that there is nothing blocking air flow near any of the motors as this could cause serious overheating and may even cause a burnt out motor, which could lead to a lot more serious problems like spoiled food and even food poisoning.

The start of summer is also a good time to do a complete strip down, clean and sanitize on all fridges as well as checking door seals for cracks and tears and anything else that will affect the running of your equipment. It is also a great time to schedule a full team meeting on the importance of food safety and to stress sanitation, FIFO and all the other things that can be impacted by the hot weather.

I have found over the years that normally the only time I have had any problems with equipment in summer was when regular servicing had not been done. It ends up costing significantly more in call out fees, wasted food, and unhappy customers because  equipment always breaks down when it is at full stress and that is usually on the weekend when call out fees are higher, you have more perishables in stock and more customers to be angry at you when the A/C breaks down or the ice cream is soft.

Its summer and the schools are all out for the holidays and it is time to start thinking about how you can capitalize on the season by adding summer beverages to your menu. They are easy to make, have a high profit factor and can bring a whole new customer base into your business. You can introduce one or two to start with or look at a whole range of new cold beverages.

Coffee can be made several ways as a base for cold beverages, the two best are using shots straight from an espresso machine or cold filtered with a long brew in cold water overnight.

If you already have a blender then the variety of beverages is almost endless. If you don’t have a blender and don’t want to spend the $1500 – $2000 for a top of the range commercial model then check out some of  used equipment websites on the net or if local health and safety laws allow it, head on down to your local Walmart or appliance store and buy a good domestic model. Don’t forget to order spare blades, o-rings and have at least two blenders on hand. One for milk based products and one for juice based products. Label one “Dairy” and the other “Non Dairy” You have to be careful not to mix them up for your lactose intolerant customers.

Coffee based cold beverages are always a favorite while the Italian sodas and fruit juice based smoothies are hot items on any beverage menu.

Check your local supplier for flavored syrups including Mocha, chocolate powder both sweet ground and white chocolate and cookies and a few of the tiny candy bars that can be blended with the milk based beverages to add that WOW factor.

Some of the flavored syrups that you should think about are:

Caramel

Vanilla

Strawberry and any other berry that you think will do well in your market

Lime

Orange

Hazelnut (make sure it does not contain any actual nuts)

Anything else that will appeal to your customers 

Be creative and try combinations that you believe will work. Test them on your team and family.

Here are a couple of easy recipes that are standard throughout the world to give you a start. You will have to play around with exact measurements dependant your glass size.

Italian Soda

A shot of flavored syrup over ice and top up with soda. Garnish with lemon slice, parsley or mint

Iced coffee

Shot of espresso or double amount of cold filter coffee over ice and top up with milk

Vanilla, Caramel or Coconut iced coffee

Add a shot of the appropriate flavored syrup

Iced Mocha

Make iced coffee as above with ice to almost the top of the glass and pour into blender add a tablespoon of sweet ground chocolate powder and blend till smoot and no ice chunks left. Pour into original glass and sprinkle with chocolate powder.

Oreo Smoothie

As above but add one or two Oreo cookies and blend till smooth

Fruit Smoothies

Use only high quality pure fruit concentrate made especially for the beverage market.

In a glass quarter fill with water another third of fruit puree and heap the rest with ice. Pour into a blender and blend till smooth and no ice chunks left. Pour into the original glass and garnish with fresh fruit if necessary. Mix and match to liven things up or add fresh fruit to make a healthy option.

A couple of tips:

• For carryout use clear plastic cups with lids that allow whipped cream to be added above the cup line.
• Have chocolate sprinkles and chocolate powder in shakers for the customers to add themselves
• Make whipped cream an option, free of charge if possible or build it into the price and advertise “Free Whipped Cream”
• Daily or weekly specials on a chalkboard is always a good way to advertise and gives it that “Fresh Daily” feel.
• Most chocolate powders are pre sweetened as are the fruit smoothie puree’s but the iced coffees and real fruit smoothies are not so think about sugar packets or simple sugar syrup as a sweetener.

Good mixing and don’t forget to be creative.

A quick word on a previous blog.

There is trouble in my family: My opinion has been put in doubt!! Some of my extended family have made aspersions as to my sanity regarding the best Pizza in Georgia. Fellini’s in Atlanta has been mentioned as definitely the best pizza. Rubbish!

What fool could even think that a reheated crust with topping added later could even come near Louie’s On the Lake. I have decided to divorce them all!! I may even write them out of my will, if I had anything worth leaving to them but I will definitely have them all committed to the local asylum. Does anyone get the idea that I take pizza very seriously!!

As an aside I have returned to Louie’s On The Lake since that blog and I can tell you that it is still number one in my books. I have actually talked to Louie and I had to apologize for the remark about him building his kid’s play house in the entrance way. It is not a play house but he and his kids are going to be making candy on the premise for sale in their own little kiosk over the holidays. What a great idea!!

The American Customer Service Index for this year has just been released and a few surprises jump out at me.

For many years Starbucks has been in the decline in store numbers both here in the US and in many other countries around the world with local opposition beating them in both service, price and coffee quality. Some would say that is not a hard thing to do but it seems their customers are happy with their offering, with a 2.6% increase in customer satisfaction over last year. That’s two years in a row of happy customers.

I am also happy to see Pizza Hut finally doing something right and again it is two years of increased customer satisfaction with this year being a whopping 3.8% over last year.

In fact the majority of fast food did quite well in the rankings with McDonalds beating the rest at 7.5% over last year.

The concepts that did not do as well are the ones that you would expect and I am a little sad to see KFC flat this year. They seem to have lost there way a bit recently. I certainly have noticed a downturn in product quality, service and cleanliness recently.

If you are interested in seeing the full list by industry here is how you get there.

http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=115

I don’t normally give recommendations to any establishment let alone a non franchise one but last weekend my family and I went to a pizza establishment in Rabun County, North Georgia and I had one of the best pizzas of my life.

The crust was light, crisp and exceptional although a little salty but my wife said this was not normally the case; the toppings were of the highest quality and matched the cheese to perfection and they were all cooked in a brick oven to a magnificent golden brown.

Now I do not want to get into an argument regarding New York vs. Chicago or your favorite pizza place just around the corner but a good pizza is worth telling the world about and this one was fantastic. Besides different pizzas are what makes the world go round and they are all just the same food group….the food group of the gods.

So if you are ever in Rabun County take a drive to Lake Rabun and visit “Louie’s On The Lake” I guarantee it will be worth the trip.

The décor is a bit eclectic, the tables are all wobbly, you either overlook the car park or the road and, yes, he is building what looks like his kids playground in the entrance way but that is all part of the ambiance. The wait staff are great and for $16.95 for a 16 inch pie you cant go wrong.