Restaurateurs can take advice from the Marines: ‘Adapt! Survive!’
By Paul C. Paz

“Adapt! Survive!” is the classic motto from the U.S. Marine Corps as part of their training on the ever-changing challenges in a hostile environment. The hospitality industry is unique from most other industries in that we are in constant flux because of new consumer demands, products, regulations, etc. The massive political and economic changes across the United States in just the past 12 months pose monumental changes for our industry.

So, how will staff adapt to the changes implemented by their operations, and what impact will it have on the bottom line?

In an interview with Marine Corps Times, Al Siebert, the author of “The Resiliency Advantage,” said, “Employers are looking for those who can reorient themselves quickly—people who adapt to change. Above all, remember that to survive the bumps in the road you must be armed with the knowledge you need to get past it and move on. The key to managing change is managing learning.”

Siebert points to eight principles outlining a person’s resiliency. Here are some notables:

• A disrupting change will either make you stronger or weaker, better or bitter. You have within you the ability to determine which way it will be for you.

• While struggling with change or adversity, your mind and your habits will create barriers or bridges to a better future.

• Blaming others for how bad things are for you puts you in a “victim” state of mind, so you don’t take actions to survive it.

Restaurants dread menu price increases. But face it, with all the cost increases, surrounding prices are going to have to go up in order sustain target margins.

Price changes have usually been very moderate, but their incline will rise sharply to equal the current skyrocketing cost of doing business. If price increases make your staff gasp, then customers are going to respond with double the intensity.

So, what to do?

Educate staff as to what the real cost increases of your business are, such as the increase in costs for product, facilities, utilities, taxes, or labor from a year ago. It’s not sharing your tax filing with them, but selecting those cost items that are comparable to what staff can relate to (cost of living, food, fuel, heating expenses, etc). This helps them understand why the increase in prices.

Arm them with information on how to manage some of the expected questions from customers.

Here are some examples:

• “We haven’t raised menu prices in ‘x’ months but our cost for ‘x’ has gone up ‘$x’ in the same time period.”

• “Yes, but we still offer free refills and it’s cheaper than those fancy places.”

• “Have you noticed how groceries have gone up? I remember when a 12-pack of canned sodas was $1 cheaper last year. That’s an increase of 20 percent!”

• “Probably the greatest cost for the products is fuel and transportation costs. Some companies are charging a fuel surcharge on top of the product cost to recover their costs for fuel. This gas thing is hitting everyone really hard.”

Adapting to change can be a challenge for some folks. But change is omnipresent and continuous. For the coming year we have to be ready to “Adapt! Survive!” Hope you have a great 2007!
In the meantime, Make it fun... Make it easy... Make some money!

Paul Paz has more than two decades’ experience as a waiter. His book, “Service at its Best,” is published by Prentice-Hall Publishers. He is also a frequent contributor to magazines, newspapers and customer service seminars. Visit www.WaitersWorld.com. Paz can be reached at Tips@WaitersWorld.com.