And I have been subject to several visits from supervisors, owners, dignitaries, etc... in my time. Some have been announced and others are not.
Today we will talk about the the two types of visits and expectations of both.
The Announced Visit:
This type of visit can be on your Supervisors schedule, Planned compliance inspections, Announced visits by higher ups in town with at least 2 days notice. These visits should be regular and treated with great attention to detail. I always think of a 1950's song every time I have an announced visit. It is titled "If I knew you were coming I'd 've baked a cake". If you are not familiar with the song then follow youtube link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=honSSKeXME8
We should in fact almost "roll out the red carpet" when these types of visits come. Some tips for getting ready:
- Clean ALL sides of ALL Surfaces
- Front Porch/Front Entries Detailed
- Thresholds
- Door Jambs
- Door Handles
- Host Stand
- Clean it, even if it is on tomorrow's cleaning list
- All products properly labeled and stored
- 100% of procedures followed
- Best employees in place
- Pictures, Artifacts, High Dusting
- Gum under tables, Table legs
- Uniform- actually means everyone wears the same thing. Back of house too!
- Bathrooms smell good and clean
- Everyone's hair in place, all shoes polished :)
The announced visit comes with higher expectation. It actually should not be business as usual. The visitor/inspector can gather where you stand on cleanliness and operational standards when you take the time to showcase it on their visit. They can then know where to push the operation and expand your knowledge. This is just not a 'Dog and Pony' show but a way to communicate your standard and knowledge to your boss. This is an opportunity for your staff to be at their best with full support. If you can't do it when you know they coming then...what standard are you communicating?
The Unannounced Visit:
This type of visit is when they just stop by, maybe to do an interview or for a meeting or just to come see you. These are surprises. These type of visits do not leave time to 'bake a cake'. This type of frequent interaction from a supervisor will actually raise the standard of all your staff because inherently they want to do a good job and represent you well. This is how the Supervisor sets a daily expectation.
This visit will not be a 'Dog and Pony' sometimes you may not even have time to interact with them because you are taking care of business. The expectation is lower by the visitor/inspector. One of the great restaurant training minds I have encountered; Will Macintosh, related this understanding in a way we should all embrace. He called it when "Shift Happens".
This is a great way to see what the customer gets when they visit your restaurant.(Which is what this is really all about)
Things that should be done daily to ensure no negative stops:
- Weekly/Daily Cleaning lists
- Deep Cleaning Schedule
- Temperature/Quality Food Checks
- Opening/Shift Change Checklists
- Server Check-in sheets
- Great Scheduling
- Great Hiring practices
- Great Training
- Customer focused service
- Active Management
- Critical Path (you may not know they are in your dining room)
- Always Return to Stasis as fast as possible. See "Return to Stasis" blog
One last tip: Be sure to have whatever the focus point was last time corrected before next visit.
Look at your month and put together an action plan to set the expectation on the next scheduled visit. Have a great visit!
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