Venture Concept No. 2
The Opportunity
It's probably happened to everyone: you walk into a restaurant and the server seems like they have an absolute disconnect between the actual function of the restaurant and what is being communicated to you. Sometimes it's not the server's fault; sometimes it is. Regardless of the circumstance it ultimately stems down to a lack of communication or understanding between operational management and their line-level employees. There's often minimal Standardized Operating Procedures outlining something like communication as it's often overlooked as not requiring it. It may not be as prominent in small "Mom-and-Pop" type restaurants and often the higher-end ones require immense training and experience before you're even granted an interview. But those mid-sized, often franchise-owned gems that through their sheer reputation bring in hundreds of patrons daily, is where you find the strongest disconnect.
Forces & changes affecting this opportunity:
- Advances in technology
- Generational changes
- Shift in restaurant culture trends (ie. the "foodie" atmosphere)
- Private Events
Geographically, this is Nation-wide and affects generally all demographics in terms of how the patron is affected. Those affected directly by the opportunity with the exception of the restaurant patron is the restaurant itself.
Currently, platforms and restaurant-based Standard Operating Procedures are in place, as is the direct ignorance of the opportunity itself. The problem still persists, on a large scale, so ultimately as a restaurant owner/manager, any new problem solver should be looked at.
Communication is a "window of opportunity" that never closes as it is consistently and constantly adapting to the surrounding environment. While this may not be the fix, the opportunity will always be there and will be dependent on strong solutions.
The Innovation
The idea that having a service that goes into restaurants provides them with a centralized online platform that communicates directly with all servers, cooks, bussers, etc. smart devices (because let's be real, nowadays every not only has them but uses them while on shift) to notify of changes and things that needs to be communicated. Aside from the platform, my training team will then go into the restaurant, train the staff on how to use it and together come up with a operating procedure that can help to implement the new technology and processes. The team will consist of experienced trainers that have had previous experience in managing restaurants or the hospitality industry, providing a knowledgeable and first-hand experience. Through the idea of a "pow wow", line level employees will work alongside managers to develop a procedure that works best for them collectively, allowing everyone to feel as though their voice is being heard.
Following implementation, we will do "wellness checks" a few months at a time to see how everything is going. If things need to be revisited, they will be addressed or explained further.
Add-Ons:
- Manager Training
- Scheduling Software
- Individual Follow-Up Evalutation
- Leadership Training
One unique perk of our services stems from the idea "Less is more". Sometimes, a company won't need everything the service has to offer, so instead they'll opt for a base package- the Online Platform and a Standardized Operating Procedure put together by our team. This would benefit franchise owners in chain restaurants as they know they will all be getting the same product.
Pricing Breakdown:
- Base: $19.95 per month with one-time Standard Operating Procedure Fee of $50
- Silver Level: $29.95 per month with one-time Personalized Standard Operating Procedure Fee of $150
- Includes: Platform, Personalized development of Standard Operating Procedure and Follow-Up Evaluation
- Gold Level: $39.95 per month with one-time Personalized Standard Operating Procedure Fee of $150
- Includes: Platform, Scheduling Software, Personalized development of Standard Operating Procedure and Follow-Up Evaluation
- Platinum Level: $69.95 per month with one-time Personalized Standard Operating Procedure Fee of $200
- Includes: Platform, Scheduling Software, Personalized development of Standard Operating Procedure, Implementation Assistance, 2 Follow-Up Evaluations
- Manager Training Add-On: $250 per seminar
- Scheduling Software a la carte: $14.95 per month
- Individual Follow-Up Evalutation a la carte: $75
- Leadership Training: $300 per seminar
The Venture Concept
Imagine a solution to all this in something as simple as a "Train the Trainer". The Innovation I derived isn't particularly something life-changing. In fact, most average patrons may not even notice it's effect- which is the beautiful part of it. As a patron, you ultimately go to a restaurant with whomever your with to have an experience with them. The restaurant is the location and ambiance, while the company is providing the memories and the laughs. The staff is there to ensure it all runs smoothly, acting as a guide to make your experience at the restaurant meaningful. When it comes down to it, if you didn't notice something about the server, isn't that what makes it good? When you have "flawless" and "seamless" service, it means there were no hiccups (or none that were noticed), so by eliminating these hiccups your consumer satisfaction immediately skyrockets.
"Hiccups" can be broken up as something as simple as the server not being aware of an "86-ed" item to something as large as an overlooked food allergy.
The Three Minor Elements
The Secret Sauce: Customization. Effective Customization.
Other companies have a hard time doing Customization well. We don't. Since all of the trainers have a background in what they're training, they've not only seen it but done it and can guide our clients in the best and most effective direction while still driving the idea of personalization.
What's Next?
Expansion into larger industries, such as hotels or Meetings. A lot of customer service-oriented roles will see a benefit from something like this, and I would like to see my Platform and Training begin to assist not only Hotel Restaurants but also their Front Desk, housekeeping and other departments. An inclusion that will be added will be a cohesive training across all platforms. As the various departments in a business-class hotel, for example, coexist they also need to have an understanding of how the operating procedure will affect them as a whole rather than individually. This will be a driving force in the next steps.
What's Next For Me?
After spending some time on the floor and physically doing the training myself (because I ultimately get bored of sitting behind a desk all day and I hate sales), I would love to spearhead the Hotel movement. I have a very expansive work history with hotels and they fascinate me. Following that, once we are a grounded and stable company, I would like to sell it and live off of what I make from that so I can be a stay at home mom (eventually).
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PART 2:
The feedback I received was primarily making sure that the customer understands exactly what I am putting on the table. Selling and marketing tactics will be a huge driving force in this venture. Other things was the focus of the cohesion between the departments in my adventure into hotels. They can all have the same goal, but you may lose something if they don't strive for it together and in the same way. Because of this, the service aspect would be a great help in driving the clientele in this market.
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PART 3:
I changed the portion bolded about the cohesive training in the next portion of the venture. This was a huge topic of conversation in my interviews as they noted that the similar operating procedure will help to secure accountability.
