What's Next?

Grant Achatz is one of the most progressive and inspiring chefs in the world. Every few months, his restaurant, Next, changes its menu to reflect a new culinary theme. The same menu is served nightly throughout each period.  Thus far, Next has celebrated the cuisines of Escoffier and Ferran Adrià of El Bulli, as well as Achatz’s own childhood reminiscences. Currently, Next pays homage to Sicilian food. Reviews of the restaurant are always incredible as is the long list of diners eager to spend hundreds of dollars to experience the creative menus and culinary wonders.

For all the acclaim the restaurant has garnered, however, the idea of regularly recreating the menu isn’t revolutionary to catering companies and our chefs.  We too serve different themed menus, except, rather than changing them seasonally, we do it constantly.  It is not unusual for a caterer to prepare anything from Mediterranean to Asian, Classic French to Texas BBQ…all in a single week!

There are other challenges unique to the catering world.  For example, while a fine dining restaurant serves dozens of guests at various intervals, caterers may be required to serve hundreds simultaneously on a strict timeline. Caterers are often responsible for designing different visual themes that may extend to equipment, decor, and even server uniforms. Add to that the challenges of producing events in historic venues, tiny galleries, private homes, or a tent under the stars, and you begin to understand how complicated the job of “Caterer” can be.

How many times have I heard catering chefs say they yearn for the familiar routine of working a restaurant line? How many times have I seen fine restaurant chefs, stripped of their normal surroundings and equipment, wrestling with their first off-premise event? Caterers should take heart! I believe that if you can master the off-premise event with its ever-changing demands, curve balls, and peculiarities of cooking and serving spaces, you are prepared to succeed in any hospitality setting.  Consider that you are positioned to be the industry’s “Next” big thing. 

The MFA Is the New MBA

My daughter Alana is an art student entering her senior year of college and she just made the Dean’s List. When my wife and I called to tell her how proud we are, Alana humbly replied that we were making too big of a deal over this.  She declared that every student makes the Dean’s List if they can:

• Arrive promptly and complete projects on time
• Be prepared
• Incorporate the professor's instructions as they progress
• Ask for additional advice when necessary

I laughed and suggested that these competencies display professionalism at its highest level.  No one is expected to be Salvador Dali or Andrew Wyeth at 21.  However, character traits such as attentiveness, punctuality, creativity, and humility are smart business principles that make a powerful foundation for success in any field.

In the Media: FoodserviceRadio.net

When if comes to catering sales, there's a short path from contact to contract.  In this interview with Bob Ryals of FoodserviceRadio.net, I reveal some secrets to new business development including how to identify Good Fit clients for your company.

Swinging For the Fences - Part II

At the start of the MLB season, we looked at the parallels between the roles and responsibilities of baseball team owners and those of catering company owners. We are a third of the way into the season and, for some teams, careful preparation has paved the way for exceeded expectations.  On the other hand, some of the teams who had high hopes during the preseason are struggling just to play .500 ball. Is it because of the chilly weather of April? Injuries? Poor recruitment decisions? Bad coaching? The classic case of unexplained slumps by otherwise dependable stars?  There could be any number of factors contributing to a team’s poor performance, but now is the time for managers and coaches to assess their team’s status and, if necessary, make significant changes.

Department managers of catering companies are similar in many ways to baseball managers and coaches.  (Of course, sometimes the department manager is the owner.  Sometimes, as Mike Roman says, the catering owner/manager is also: dishwasher, driver, chef, furniture mover, plumber, psychiatrist, and more!)

Both baseball managers and catering company managers must:

• Evaluate and hire the best players.  The talent pool is wide and deep; it is up to managers to recruit those who will make the best team.
• Manage an eclectic group with varying competencies and experience.  A locker room, like a sales office, kitchen, or staffing office, holds a lot of different personalities and skill sets.  Good managers know how to set a tone that fosters teamwork and encourages big wins.
• Drill players continuously on the sport's fundamentals.  Just because we've reached the big leagues, it doesn't mean we can skip batting practice.  Catering managers must make sure salespeople are strengthening their negotiating techniques, cooks are fine-tuning their knife skills, and servers are refining their hospitality skills.
• Eliminate those who don't produce or who cannot blend with the program.  Sometimes, regardless of how well-liked or seemingly talented a player is, they just don't blend with the team.  It falls to manager and coaches to cut these people so they can take their talents somewhere they can be successful.
• Be ruthless when examining systems.  Be willing to throw out the old and bring in the new.  "That's the way we've always done it" is one of the worst things a manager or coach can say.  Instead, do what needs to be done to win, even if it's new or unfamiliar.

Two months into the baseball season, managers and coaches should re-evaluate what is working on their teams and what needs tweaking.  Thankfully for caterers, our season goes long past October and it’s never too late for our department managers to emulate the successful techniques of World Series-winning coaches.

Next at bat: The Players followed by The Fans.