Quick, persuasive statements that explain who you are or what’s important to you. Good to think through with your marketing staff – how quickly can you get to the point so people pay attention to your ‘pitch’?

For independent restaurants and cafes, the high-street support of interesting, browsable shops is declining fast. Good retail bring people to your area – they wander, browse and purchase; and when they’re done, they often enjoy a meal, a coffee or a drink. The combination makes for healthy, vibrant streets…

You’ve already seen the disappearance of CD and video shops, with bookshops fading away and now fashion’s in danger. On the street, these shops are often replaced by pharmacies and a myriad of health providers – places to visit for a ‘serious’ purpose, not with relaxation in mind. Or they stay empty – most of the world is ‘over-retailed’, with way more shopping space than will ever be needed again.

This retail story in Australia’s Age newspaper describes how top UK online fashion retailer ASOS is delivering 4 jumbo jets of fashion deliveries every week to Australian shoppers! That’s the high-profit stuff that fashion shops depend on. The high dollar and the magic of ‘free shipping’ has created a powerful incentive to buy internationally, not locally.

Our prosperous retail neighbours are leaving, so restaurants and cafes need to be more of a ‘destination’ than ever before. How will that work for you?

How many of these do you know? Neat tricks for your phone, computer or tablet…whatever the flavour…

Hard to believe that this tripe is seen as the solution for a show that had a big fall in ratings last season…let’s watch the social media storm! Also notice how they treat the token muslim woman, who’s always kept right up the back.

Pink for girls and baby blue for boys…retro?

OK, coffee and muffins are an integral part of your cafe menu, plus juices, sandwiches and the usual things. But raw food has suddenly grabbed people’s imagination, so if your menu needs a profit boost, consider adding a Green Smoothie.

You already have a good blender, and with a scoop of this and that, plus a big handful of kale or spinach leaves, all poured into a tall glass, you have a thick, nutritious drink that can be sold for a premium price. Don’t skimp on the ingredients, and list them proudly – we’re hearing about lots of success with Green Smoothies, especially if you have a health-conscious or professional clientele. Here’s one of many videos you can find on YouTube to show how to create them…enjoy!

Some restaurants, cafes and bars assume staff will hear about everything, and others think that notices and emails are enough. But so many hospitality managers and owners complain that staff don’t listen, don’t care or don’t notice – communication with employees needs a shake up!

There are many ways to improve: with print, email, online, social media, meetings, noticeboards, financial reports and well-written memos. Written, spoken, signs and discussion. In this podcast, Ken Burgin shows you dozens of ways to improve internal communication – so staff switch from ‘I don’t know’ to ‘I got it!’.

NEED properly written memos, letters and emails for professional communication? You’ll find hundreds written specially for restaurants, cafes, hotels and bars in the Profitable Hospitality Downloads.

Android users, add our RSS Link to the podcast app of your choice. Listen Up is a good free app if you don’t already have one.

I rediscovered a great post from marketer Seth Godin on ‘the problem of the bad table’ – when he was offered a dud table because the ‘good ones’ were all booked, even though they were empty when he arrived. Really, there should be no ‘bad tables’ in dark corners, by the kitchen, near the toilets etc…is that what we’d want for ourselves?

It’s a problem – how do you make the B Reserve area feel as good or better than A Reserve? Solutions I’ve seen include:

• The table without the view in a waterfront restaurant had beautiful large armchairs, much more comfortable and ostentatious than all the tables that could see the beach.
• B-grade tables in one cafe had cosy and comfortable padded bench seating, while all the others had regular chairs.
• Plentiful use of mirrors.
• The House of Blues approach in their private rooms – lots of smoke and mirrors with drapes, lighting and extravagant furniture – who would know where you were?!
• The tables up the back of a restaurant, away from the desirable window area, were raised up on a platform. This eliminated a big problem of customers constantly moving tables.
• Smart lighting, smart lighting and more smart lighting…

What have you tried?

Here’s the original post.

Leanne Kitchen is a professional chef, food stylist, food editor, recipe developer, cooking demonstrator, travel and food photographer. She is a also a cookbook author with numerous volumes under her belt.

In this interview with Ken Burgin, she talks about her career, changing trends in the publishing industry, and her recommendations for chefs and restaurants that want to publish their own cookbook. The industry is changing rapidly, but cookbooks are still very popular with food lovers, cooks and for gifts. Publishers and the public are always hungry for something fresh and original.

Leanne’s latest book is Turkey – Recipes and Tales from the Road, and she is currently working on a new book about Chinese food. You can find her on the web at SmartMouthOnline, on Twitter and on her colourful Facebook page.

Android users, add our RSS Link to the podcast app of your choice. Listen Up is a good free app if you don’t already have one.

Author Tim Ferris asks: ‘Is it a stereotype that Indians are good at negotiating? Sure. Is it accurate? Just neglect to prepare next time you match wits against an Indian entrepreneur and you tell me.’

Having worked hard selling to Indian customers at trade shows over the years, I loved finding his list of ‘negotiation secrets’ from the book Blogging through India.

He summarises them:

Rule #1 – The true price of any item is what you pay — There are no suggested retail prices in India. Nothing is labeled, so it pays to talk with several vendors before making a significant purchase.

Rule # 2 – Try for 70% off — Don’t accept less than 30%

Rule # 3 – Make them show lots of merchandise — If it is a rug merchant, you want the demo guys sweating profusely before you make your first offer. Get the vendor to “invest” in the transaction — emotion, time and energy.

Rule # 4 – Offer on one item at a time – If you plan to buy a couple things DON’T let on at the outset. Act like you intend to buy only one item, if that much. Get the seller to give you prices on each item; play one item off another to show you are looking for the lower price point.

Rule # 5 – Wait for the pad of paper — Every Indian sales person has a pad of paper and a pencil that they pull out when the bargaining gets a bit more serious. Though they write down the price for an item, this is only the starting point – remember rule #2.

Rule # 6 – Say “TOO HIGH”, a lot – Don’t even start negotiating until the salesman has scratched through the initial price and lowered it at least twice. I found that simply staring in silence at the pad of paper for a long time would result in the vendor cutting the price.

Rule # 7 – Imply a bundled purchase — OK, now that the price has been cut 25-30%, ask the salesman what deal he would give you if you buy two items. Expect 5% off. Ask for three items; get another 5%. Then add a very expensive 4th item — one which you do not intend to buy. This will excite the vendor and he will do a bunch of calculations which you will be unable to follow. The price will come down for the expensive item as well as for the other items you intend to buy. Lock those prices and drop the expensive item.

Great ideas here to ramp up your event and party sales, no matter who your customer is!

Tired of the eternal drama between floor staff and kitchen? It’s boring, unproductive and expensive.

If you need to make changes, here’s your action agenda: Ken Burgin discusses key areas such as improving the flow of information, revising Job Descriptions, better meetings, more training for floor staff, removing kitchen frustrations and creating a shared understanding of ‘teamwork’.

Use the excellent Profitable Hospitality staff management resources and downloads to start making improvements today.

Android users, add our RSS Link to the podcast app of your choice. Listen Up is a good free app if you don’t already have one.