I know the struggles of restaurant management, it’s been my career. I have opened and managed stores for various corporations: Marriott, Bennigans, Planet Hollywood, Legal Seafood, Bowlmor, and Austin Grill. I’ve managed operations all over the country.
One day I moved on from operations. I began teaching and consulting. Having an MBA, I was able to open my own consulting business, and become an Adjunct Professor. I teach culinary students all the things they don’t want to learn. Cost Control, P&L Management, Supervision, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing are not what culinary students are interested in learning. They want to make foie gras and cupcakes, not calculate food cost. I tell them, “Chefs teach you how to make food, Prof. Long teaches you how to make money.” They like that idea.
I mainly help businesses with their operations. My belief is that improved business success comes from successful recruiting and training. With the right crew on the ship, the problems of motivation, attitude, and turnover greatly melt away.
This blog will deal with a little of that, but mostly with the industry as a whole: Trends in Food and Drink, laws and social norms affecting the industry, proper guest service, what to do if your guest has a fy in their soup, and what to do if you are the guest with a fly in your soup. : )
What Is That Fly Doing In My Soup? 