By Dr. John Hogan CHE CHA MHS
September 29, 2008
While I continue to believe that many things in our industry and lives
can be accomplished faster and better, I also still agree with the front
page story of the December 26, 2005 Chicago Tribune that offered a most
interesting headline:
DOES ANYONE HAVE TIME TO THINK ANYMORE?
In today�s frenzy paced period of cell phones, i-pods, text messaging,
palm pilots and blackberry hand held devices that keep many people accessible
and responding well beyond the ten hour workday, one wonders about the
value of free �think� time any longer.
Over the past 2 years, I looked to find the time to �think� and came
to an important realization. As much as we want improved processes and
product, we also need to remember that we must keep the foundations of
our efforts and our successes strong and vital.
To that end, the �Bakers Dozen� of Strategies series was contemplated
and launched. It has been gratifying that the �Bakers Dozen Strategies�
for various teams in hotels has been well received � in fact, the topics
submitted in each of the past several quarters have frequently been in
the MOST READ for several online services.
My sincere thanks are extended to those who have agreed with the concept
of keeping the fundamentals of our efforts intact and our successes strong
and vital.
As a reminder of why the use of the term BAKERS DOZEN, we often see
a top ten list of ideas. The phrase "bakers dozen" arose when bakers
started giving away an extra loaf with every dozen purchased to make sure
the total weight of bread sold complied with the strict Weights and Measures
Regulations which came into force at the time. Since then, the number thirteen
has been referred to as "a baker's dozen".
The initial columns offered strategies for:
Following is A Bakers Dozen� of Strategies for Hotel Food and Beverage
Directors
Food and Beverage Directors often have the largest number of departments
to work with in full service hotels and the most diversity in areas.
While all of their departments relate to F&B Service, the range of
talents, tasks and personalities is immense, requiring effecting Directors
to have a sense of �just right or just in time� follow through , as well
as a high level of personal dependability, strong communication
and organizational skills.
A suggested listing of those skills follows:
1. Organizes, directs and organizes the activities of the
Food & Beverage departments in all areas. In full service
hotels, this includes: Banquets set up, Catering Service, Kitchen and all
Culinary, Lounges, Restaurants, Room Service and supporting areas, such
as vending or potential off site service. F&B Directors today
must establish themselves as the team leader, with a high level of energy
and motivation. This focus greatly improves the potential for success
and of meeting the company�s goals and values.
2. Creates aggressive but realistic annual budgets for all Hotel
Food & Beverage operations. This means
detailed forecasting, planning and directing the entire Hotel Food &
Beverage departments to meet the daily operational needs. This includes
selection and ongoing evaluation of current suppliers, vendors and contracts
as needed.
3. Maintains the highest standards of food and beverage quality,
service and marketing to maximize profits through "outstanding" customer
service. This is a two sided task. First, it
means establishing Food & Beverage SOPs (standard operating procedures)
and keeping all F&B job descriptions current. If affiliated with
a brand, it means regular review of the current brand SOPs, recognizing
potential gaps and developing corrective actions if need be. Second, it
means ongoing evaluation of customer satisfaction in each of the individual
outlets, including catering and banquet service. If there is a measurable
swing or change in demand, customer dissatisfaction, or variables in the
competitive marketplace, this could mean recommending to senior management
possible options to meet those changes, including new operating and/or
marketing practices.
4. Develops restaurant, lounge and catering concepts and plans
to support those areas. This activity means working with the
chef, restaurant and lounge managers in the creation and merchandising
of attractive menu designs to attract a predetermined customer market.
It also means linking and working with those people with the appropriate
marketing team to build accountability and reality in the active promotion
of the F&B areas.
5. Hires, trains, oversees, develops, disciplines and counsels all
food and beverage management team members according to hotel and/or company
protocols and procedures. This includes mentoring high potential department
heads and team members to grow internal leaders and to ensure their growth
within the hotel and/or company. It also involves providing a
positive work environment via incentives, support, empowerment and professional
development for all staff as appropriate
6. Proactively strives to build positive working relationships through
teamwork and clear communication as a member of the hotel executive committee.
F&B Directors have one of the largest staffs in any full service hotel
and should be a regular Manager on Duty. The F&B Director can
also lend a sense of stability and knowledge to other departments, as F&B
is so much a part of full service hotels.
7. Offers a strategic point of view by continuously developing the
F&B services and incorporating it into every phase of the guest experience.
Effective F&B Directors consistently strive for continuous improvement
while delivering high levels of professionalism. Measurable results orientation
with an emphasis on both individual and team accountability is essential.
Analytical and expedient approaches to problem solving usually result in
win/win solutions.
8. Proactively participates in the comprehensive catering sales
and marketing efforts. Every individual hotel and management
company has slightly different ways of coordinating marketing, but the
F&B Director should be involved in the promotional efforts of the hotel
relating to F& B areas.
9. Implements effective controls of food, beverage and labor
costs among all Food and Beverage departments and monitor the food and
beverage budget to ensure efficient operations. This means scheduled
and detailed reviews of your income statements, cash flow position and
market analysis reports monthly. All management companies have audits
to their financial books, but you as a successful F&B Director must
understand what is facing the General Managers and owners. As an
effective F&B Director, you can help yourself and others by understanding
a system of checks and balances. Note variances in food cost
margins, payroll dollars and percentages, receivables and market swings
regularly and make adjustments. Proactive managers are those who
successfully master this.
10. Training must be maintained and increased. In
good times, many hotels claim to be �too busy� to train. When revenues
are flat or declining, cutting ongoing training to �save money� will really
cost more as it will drive the good staff to consider leaving and the loyal
customers to the competition because it appears you don�t care.
The expression holds true that the only thing wore than an untrained staff
that leaves is an untrained staff that stays to service your customers.
If one looks at the crisis facing many of the casual dining chains in 2008,
it becomes evident how important each and every customer is made to feel.
Satisfaction does NOT mean loyalty � we need to build customer loyalty
and training is the key.
11. Take the professional expectations provided to you from ownership
and or Management Company and share them clearly with all staff.
Make those expectations understood, explain the value and rationale to
all staff and be certain these expectations can be measured fairly. This
means making certain that both your Food and Beverage managers and their
staff are properly trained on brand and company standards and expectations.
12. Know, care for and respect your staff. Use a
meaningful staff feedback or survey system to �audit� the people values
who keep your F&B outlets and hotels successful. You expect your staff
to know and care for their customers. Remember that your staff is a �customer�
of effective F&B Directors. Successful operators will tell you that
their success has been substantially based on recruiting and keeping long
term staff � that is building staff and then guest loyalty by knowing and
caring for the people who meet and greet their guests.
13. Prepare yourself to perform effectively under different levels
of pressure and volume. Today�s effective F&B Director is self-motivated,
likely a high achiever, well organized and detail oriented professional.
These skills are learned and earned, which means ongoing professional development
and continuous learning. Effective F&B Directors need to be innovative
thinkers, who can convince others to move thoughts to actions with speed
as appropriate.
Feel free to share an idea at [email protected]
anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops or speaking
engagements. Autographed copies of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD � a COMMON
SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL SALES can be obtained from THE ROOMS
CHRONICLE www.roomschronicle.com and other industry sources.
All rights reserved by John Hogan. This column may be included
in an upcoming book on hotel management.
John
Hogan�s professional experience includes over 35 years in hotel operations,
food & beverage, sales & marketing, training, management development
and asset management on both a single and multi-property basis. He
holds a number of industry certifications and is a past recipient of the
American Hotel & Lodging Association�s Pearson Award for Excellence
in Lodging Journalism, as well as operational and marketing awards from
international brands. He has served as President of both city and
state hotel associations.
John�s background includes teaching college level courses
as an adjunct professor at three different colleges and universities over
a 20 year period, while managing with Sheraton, Hilton, Omni and independent
hotels. He was the principal in an independent training & consulting
group for more than 12 years serving associations, management groups, convention
& visitors� bureaus, academic institutions and as an expert witness.
He joined Best Western International in spring of 2000, where over the
next 8 years he created and developed a blended learning system as the
Director of Education & Cultural Diversity for the world�s largest
hotel chain.
He has served on several industry boards that deal with
education and/or cultural diversity and as brand liaison to the NAACP and
the Asian American Hotel Owners� Association with his ongoing involvement
in the Certified Hotel Owner program. He has conducted an estimated
3,100 workshops and seminars in his career. He served as senior vice
president for a client in a specialty hotel brand for six years.
He has published more than 350 articles & columns
on the hotel industry and is co-author (with Howard Feiertag, CHA CMP)
of LESSONS FROM THE FIELD � a COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO EFFECTIVE HOTEL
SALES, which is available from a range of industry sources and AMAZON.com.
He resides in Phoenix, Arizona and is finalizing his 2nd book based on
his dissertation � The Top 100 People of All Time
Who Most Dramatically Affected the Hotel Industry.
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