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Details, Details, Details

October 14, 2010 by Don Fox — CEO, Firehouse of America

The restaurant business is all about paying attention to the details. And when it comes to the details, there are two rules to keep in mind:

Rule #1:

Typically, no single issue is a back-breaker. It’s an accumulation of deficiencies that kills you. The problem is, you can’t easily identify when you cross the border from clean to dirty, fast to slow, hot to cold, or bubbly to impersonal. The line between extremes is often gradual, gray, and subjective…and it can vary in the eye of each customer. So if you are going to succeed in this business, you had better work on ALL the details ALL THE TIME, and ensure you never come close to the border.

Rule number one is always in effect….unless you run into a problem with rule number two:

Rule #2:

Any negative item, taken to its extreme, will likely become a cause of guest dissatisfaction and declining sales.

With these rules in mind, I offer a couple of simple suggestions to all operators:

Weigh the impact and benefits to be gained before you ever consider adding more details into the restaurant. Adding complexity to your operation simply makes it more difficult to adhere to Rule #1.
Make sure your restaurant has the resources and training to live by Rule #1 and eliminate Rule #2.

Details, details, details.