Restaurant Realisations

Interviewing more staff has the benefit of a crash course in learning about restaurant tips and realisations about our own place:

• Role play is important for staff training.  How do we simulate those situations where staff will have to react quickly and well to issues that a customer brings up?
• Having someone with setup skills will help us get through this first month of operations.  How do we set ourselves up for success?
• There should be little or no divide between "Front of House" and "Back of House".  We are all one team.  It goes to the extent that the servers should know what all the food tastes like and is made up of.
• We have to be proud of our food in order to upsell it.  
• The hard part with a new restaurant is finding a proper place to train the staff, given that any other kitchen will be different to the kitchen that we will use.
• Everyone has an opinion for a restaurant because everyone has been to one.  Be prepared for the barrage of (good and bad) advice.
• Cooks love the freedom of a small restaurant.  We have to make sure our kitchen manager knows that they will be constrained by a set menu.
• Any breakages / variance in beverage sales need to be reported.  It may sound harsh, but sometimes the waiter must pay in order to learn.  I am unsure about this one, not sure about the culture that this will bring to our restaurant.
• Our kitchen manager must be about execution. quality and consistency.  It is like an army in the kitchen, everyone has to know their place.

Finding the Right People for F&B

We had another round of interviews for Restaurant Managers today.  It was good to see some candidates that had potential, within the salary range we were looking at.  Jo's question challenged me, are these the people I expected?

I had pictured people that were more upbeat, a bit more willing to learn and understand what we are trying to do with the company.  The people I am meeting seem more clinical, detached.  No doubt some of them have the technical ability, I'm just not sure of their emotional capacity.  How "can do" are these people?  Would they take the right initiative when given the opportunity?  Would they go the extra mile to provide that level of hospitality that we are aiming for? It's so hard to tell this from just 45 min with one person.

Are we essentially dealing with a different culture of people?  I'm thinking back to when I prepared for an interview, I would have approached it with a lot more engagement, striving to understand how I can add value to the company.  People don't seem to care as much.  The cynic in me would equate that to the failure rate of the F&B industry!

We have to be able to adapt to the situation, to recognise that even with this difference in culture we can still get those people to achieve the goals we set for them.  It is still early days for this round of interviews, perhaps we will get more quality as we go along.  I want to find someone where providing hospitality gives them energy.

Opinions

In my conversations with my business partner, I fundamentally believe that he has a stronger vision for the future.  Hence I am willing to follow that lead, and execute based on that vision.  Our current vision of moving "up" the food production chain to get back to primary agriculture is a good one, as I do think that food (processes, technology, markets) will grow rapidly in the next decade, especially around south east Asia.

Now in this F&B business, he does have a lot more domain knowledge, and hence has been taking the lead in the financials and the setup.  I'm caught between thinking that I'm asking too many stupid questions but without the necessary understanding to provide valuable feedback.  And generally I'm not that outspoken a person, with strong views, so I am tending to keep those opinions to myself.

When there are clashes of opinion, I do allow Jo to take the lead on the decision.  What I have noticed though is that he would lead to a decision that is not where I am thinking, but would, upon reflection, move closer to my viewpoint.  It's a strange thing, but does show that we are both willing to let other opinions shape our decisions.

I do know that I need to have a stronger view of how I want the restaurant to run, especially since I am the general manager.  Have to know where the centre is so I can guide everyone there and realign them when they are off track.  Having my thoughts validated through a revaluation of a decision means that I know my opinion is moving us to the right place.

Job Hunting

Or rather employee hunting!

Just started working on the job descriptions for the staff that we should be hiring.  I am drawing/copying a lot of inspiration from the book "Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer.  It talks of an enlightened hospitality, and delves into detail regarding the types of staff, and particularly managers that we should be hiring.  This is what I am writing for the job description.


The candidate displays the following Attributes:

• Infectious positive attitude.
• Self-awareness and how they can add value to the company.
• Long term view of success, that tomorrow dollars still counts.
• Sense of abundance to other staff and our guests.
• A trust of staff to do the right thing.
• Approving patience and tough love.
• A character that will command respect, not demand it.
• Ability to focus on customer service, to write a great “last chapter” of a client’s experience with the restaurant.

So what does this mean?  It means that we want our managers to be the source of inspiration for our staff.   They should embody "hospitality", where hospitality is there when something is done "for" you, hospitality is not there when something is done "to" you.
I need to start visualising scenarios how this would play out.  Thinking of things like a dropped plate, a double booking, guests who are trying to make a theatre show, the regular Sunday couple, a badly cooked plate of food, etc.

With the restaurant manager role, I do think of a "da jie" manager, an older women who would be the heart and soul of the restaurant, but whom has the ability to keep those young waitstaff in line.  I think she would be a good compliment to my managerial style.

How do you capture a vision of proactive service?

Alcohol Supplies

So I had my first meeting with an alcohol supplier, Moet Hennessy Diageo.  It is, as with all things in this business, a learning experience.  Some key points:
1. An American ribs and casual dining restaurant would not likely to have significant amounts of wine consumed, and even the type of wine that is consumed would be on the lower scale.

2. What wines one does carry will reflect in the image of the restaurant.

3. Given the general heat and humidity, white wines should be more crisp and refreshing (which would be the ones coming from NZ, Australia etc) compared to the white wines from Europe.  I have a feeling that this was the sales guy doing his pitch.

4. Advertising and promotions can be provided as working capital, but the restaurant must then hit the volume targets.  There is some kind of "clawback" clause for the supplier to get the money back from the restaurant. For us, I think this will be unknown for the first 6 months, so we should consider just nett purchases, or performance based bonuses.  The other option is that they drip feed you capital for specific items like uniforms, or menus so you don't get the whole working capital straight up.

5. I need to understand these wine offerings better.  I cannot tell the difference between all the different types of wines available.  Perhaps it's more of "what is a good wine that will go with the dishes that we are serving?"

6. There is alcohol that you purchase for house pours and then there is alcohol that you purchase to sell by the bottle.  If you have one brand of house pours, then you cannot utilise a competing brand in the same category.  Of course if he supplier does not stock a category, you're free to buy from whomever. But for wines, there is no category.  You can only serve their white or red.  I assume this depends on the restaurant's buying power.

7. We should look at reinforcing our image with American wines and spirits.

8. Contracts where there is performance bonuses or A&P subsidies are at least 1 year long.

9. Looking at wines in the low $20s range for this restaurant.

10. MHD doesn't do their own deliveries, they work with suppliers to execute the order.  However, suppliers do not provide the A&P subsidies.

Overall, I think we don't suit MHD as their range is too high.  Need to keep looking.

New Beginnings

I resigned from my job.  2 month's notice, starting 8 May 2012.
I'm embarking on a new business adventure.  At least it's with a familiar face.
A ribs franchise restaurant in Singapore, 4,500 sqft, 200 seats.
6 months of looking,1 month of negotiating, and now 4 months to get this restaurant built and ready for trading 17 Sept 2012.  Estimated investment: SGD $1m.

My restaurant experience is zero.  But I have a passion for hospitality, to meet and serve new people, to give them an experience that they will remember.  I'm willing to learn, I want to build a culture and a team and I want to make some money!

I'm happy that Jo is on board.  He does have much more experience in this field, and knows what to look for,  I need to start taking ownership of this place, it is as much his investment as it is mine.  I'm the general manager, I have to set the tone, the vision and the direction of the operations.

4 months to go.  Let's make every day count.

Update

It's amazing, but there still seems to be people that are reading this blog (hi Mom and Dad!). So it's worthwhile to post some updates.

Multiple trips across SE Asia. I love the tropical islands around here, so easy to get to from SG and also fairly good value for money. I'm a big fan of those resorts where you don't have to think much and get all the food catered for.

Tried to do some diving again (in Redang, Malaysia) and in hindsight I should have done the refresher course. Had all this trouble staying at neutral bouyancy. It may have been due to me taking enormous and quick breaths! After one diver (where I came to the surface with a bloody nose) I've decided it's not my sport.

Going to Hong Kong next week, might even swing by Macau. Always good to see family and friends. And then NYC at the end of the month!! Should be fantastic.

Work continues to be quite enjoyable. I've come to the realisation that I do like mangaging people. I like talking to my staff, encouraging to do bigger and better things. I'm not sure how good I am at it, but it's definitely a learning experience. This coming year, I need to do more engagement with the people in country, and understand what ICT options they need. More video conferencing!

And as this year has flown by, it's time for another birthday. Next week, 33. I was talking to some friends the other day about internal contentment. Am I content? I am much more comfortable (and confident) with the person that I am. Not content because there is still so much more to achieve in life. I'm still young enough to hold a dance party! Jook revived in Singapore!

Here's to another great year.

Japan and Plan C

It has (again) been a while since I've updated. Apologies to family members that have been waiting breathlessly for the latest news!
First off, Japan. Bringing skis is good in theory, but slightly annoying when having to carry three other bags. I was unlucky with the snow in Niseko, somehow getting the only 4 days of sunshine for Feb. Tokyo was a blast, eating, drinking, partying. I totally recommend going to Shibuya 109, the all female department store just to check out the cutey chicks! My new favourite look, the short shorts, off shoulder top and heels. Hot!
Hoping to get to Korea at the start of April, there's so much hype for that place!

On a completely different topic, I think I understand what being a "Plan C" for someone feels like. They enjoy your company, have fun conversations over chat, willing to say yes to dates, but they NEVER initiate. You never feel like it is quite right. In essence, you are not their "Plan A", and if they are your "Plan A", then it kind of sucks.
The question then becomes, can one move from being a "Plan C" to "Plan A"? From my experience, I think the answer is no. The only real method is to make them a "Plan C", through mental and emotional discipline, and pace oneself. Don't "give all your cookies away", as a friend once told me. (As an aside, telling them that you like them may not be that bad. At least everyone is clear on where they stand).
Such is life. To all the people that suffer this syndrome, you have my sympathies!

Reconnections

One of the real joys of moving to SG has been to reconnect with old friends.

Reconnecting with my high school mates living in SG on a regular basis makes me feel that SG is so much more like a real home, as opposed to a place that I am just passing through.
They look after me through dinners, giving local advice when needed and living vicariously through my up and down social life. It has definitely made the transition to this city much easier.

I'm reconnecting with other friends here in SG, acquaintances previously but now good friends. Time and proximity does that to people!

I'm reconnecting with good friends in South East Asia, such as HK, Shanghai, Tokyo (in two weeks!). When traveling around is this easy, I should have no excuse not to visit.

I'm reconnecting with people have swung by SG in the last 5 months to visit, adding new memories to old memories. Everyone seems wiser, more comfortable with themselves. Some are putting a greater commitment to living the life they have, others are ambitiously planning a change to their current one. I'm happy for everyone's successes, and wish it upon myself as well!

Business Success

It's been a while.

I just recently heard that a friend of mine got bought out by Groupon, in essence replicating the idea of "group buying" here in Singapore. Given that Google tried to buy Groupon for $6 billion, the offer Groupon made to my friend was pretty sweet indeed. Plus they made him CEO for their South-East Asia region!

It's funny cause I remember talking to him about it in New York, when he was getting himself set up and making trips to Singapore. It's fantastic to see him do good and achieve the success that he has received.

Of course this makes me think about getting myself started with some business ideas here. What it also made me realise was that it's all in the execution, even if the idea is modelled after someone else. Whilst the internet has made certain things easily accessible across the globe, there are still many location-based services that just need to replicated to a new location.

No doubt there will be sacrifices along the way. My friend dropped out of an INSEAD programme in order to get his business off the ground. What sacrifices would I be willing to make? Am I still too wedded to my job? I told another friend that my heart is still in my current job. Perhaps I need to accept that this job is what I want to at the moment...if that's the case, then I need to make sure that I am achieving everything I want to in this job.