From the Tip Jar

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From RestaurantOwner.com - January 26, 2010
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How to Be a More Effective Restaurant Owner in 2010

One of the biggest occupational hazards in the restaurant
business is the risk of getting so bogged down in the
daily details of running the restaurant that you lose sight
of what you REALLY should be doing.

Owners are particularly vulnerable to this as on any given
day they have loads of tasks and things to accomplish.
However, are YOU the best person to be doing all those
things? Are there items on the list that perhaps are more
important to the success of your business than others?

Here's a good question from management guru Peter Drucker
that would be good to ask yourself at least once daily -

"What can I and only I do, that if done well, will make a
real difference in my business?"

Asking this question should do two things. First, it
should make it evident if there's anything on your list
that perhaps someone else could do so could work on
something more important.

Second, it would highlight those tasks that SHOULD be YOUR
highest priorities because they would lead to more benefits
or higher returns to your business.

The start of a new year is the perfect time to begin
asking yourself this question until you come up with
specific, clear answers and then get to work on them
one at a time until each one is completed.

Identifying and focusing on those tasks and activities
that only you can do and that will yield the greatest
returns will make you a much more effective owner and
will give you a better shot at a more successful 2010.

J.D. Fitzgerald's

This place is a looker. I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for red tones and I wanted to go inside just because of the outside. Yes. I did judge the book by its cover. It was a great cover, okay?
The interior did not disappoint. We entered from the hotel lobby and if you remember White Spot's claim of the space.......well, they didn't claim the way JD's people have.

There is an entry hallway leading to what I call the Library Dining Room. There is some great attention to detail along the wall. Check it out.

However, although about 20+ people can be seated here, that's apparently where the creativity and money stopped flowing. Put up a few half-wall dividers in there so people can still experience coziness without having to go to the pub side. Please.

The pub side. Much more exciting. More more money on this side. Every surface has been looked after. The ceilings are my favorite. I felt like I could have been eating somewhere underground in Europe....but, like, a clean version. There was also a (very small) spot for the live music that night. Still cool.
The staff we dealt with were nice. But really, what is with the trend of boobs and legs all over the place? Didn't know we accidentally arrived in Hooters or Earl's. Yuck. Unappetizing. And where are the equal rights in that dress code?! For once (or twice) I want to be served by a male server in short shorts. Leggy hair and all.

See my point?

Onto the food (seeing as how our appetites have been thoroughly whetted) and the menu. Short and concise. Not too many things to choose from. The restaurants with a menu BOOK already have a problem. Too many menu items= too much inventory, too many flavours overlapping, too much overhead, too many things to micro manage, problems with quality control. Not to mention that a chef (I use that term very loosely around FSJ) probably CAN'T produce excellence with too many menu items.

That being said, we decided to be part of the entire experience and order from the JDF's "favourites" section. None of the dishes had been experienced previous. Order up for Bangers and Mash, and Yorkies. We also tried an Asian chicken appetizer. Pretty spicy for the average person, but delicioso still the same--a nice touch with the shaved green onion.

Side note: Sometimes I like to ask the server questions like, "What's the best thing on the menu?" or "What is the most ordered?" or my favorite: "What would you suggest?" Open-ended questions will tell me how much training and knowledge the server has. The response I have the most disdain for is, "I've never had that, so I don't know."

Dear Management, How in the world do you expect to sell lots of product with uneducated staff? Inform them, let them taste samples-especially the big ticket items and popular items. Wait staff should be able to describe the dish and answer questions about it. This really annoys me as a consumer. ~~Upset in FSJ

Nothing sells better than knowledge and confidence. It would greatly help if it tastes excellent, too.

Back to the Bangers and Mash. That's 'fancy' for sausage and mashed potatoes served with a side of beans. The dish was mediocre, the sausage being the spotlight of the entree. The beans were so shameful.....I would bet my first born they opened a 'No Name Tomato and Bean' can and squirted a bit of BBQ sauce in it. I didn't know The Wholesale Club offered Restaurant In A Can.

Not off to a great start.

Every item on the plate is part of the presentation and must taste incredible on its own.

Next in the line up was the overdone Yorkshire pudding with a tablespoon of Shepard's Pie within each of the three breads. Quite possibly the most expensive beef I have ever purchased. A girlfriend of mine makes a knock out Yorkshire pudding. Recruit her immediately, JDF's.

I really, really wanted this experience to be awesome. I wanted a favorite place in FSJ that did everything wonderfully and I could brag about to my friends.

GRADE: C. Did JDF's run out of money for menu development? The place looks great, but so far, the food isn't so hot. However, because the decor is so rockin', I'll probably give it another shot in the future...but not too soon.

J.D. Fitzgerald's
9830-100th Avenue
250.787.0521

The Curry Fix, Edmonton

Need a recommendation for your stay in Edmonton? If you're in the West End, The Curry Fix is worth the effort. So much so that you'll be bringing your friends for firsts while you enjoy seconds.

This. Place. Rocks.

From the outside, you might miss it because of the location.....it is one of dozens packed into the classic strip mall scenario.

As you approach you'll find a menu greeting you through the glass. I love this idea--and many restaurants do this. As a potential patron, one can grasp the overall feel of a dining establishment without actually having to go through the hassle of being seated only to find you'd rather be someplace else.

You walk in and find open seating and warm welcomes from the staff and/or owner. The place smells wonderful. All sorts of East Indian spices waft through the air awaiting your palate. The decor is simple, fresh, modern and splashes of eye-catching photography dot the warm-coloured walls.
Try the Butter Chicken and Naan Bread. And order up a side of Basmati Rice, too. (This dish is like me telling you to order the Chicken Fettucine Alfredo and Breadsticks at a knock out Italian place.) It's a signature dish and done well. A creamy, rich balance of savory and spice.

The Samosas (wrapped mashed potato and veggie with Tamarind sauce) and Aloo Gobi (Marinated cauliflower and potato chunks with cilantro) are tasty, too. Quite strong, yet appropriately balanced.

For dessert, let the creamy, mango rice satisfy your sweet craving. Not too strong and very different.

And there's even the option for a lunch buffet, around $12, during the week! A great way to try 10+ dishes and bring you back for that romantic evening for two.

A more-than-enough meal for two will run around $30--that's about HALF what you'd expect to pay at a full scale restaurant like New Asian Village. Don't get me wrong, I love NAV, too. But Curry Fix strikes the right balance between price, experience and tasty goodness.

GRADE: A- Check it out and rave about the awesomeness!

TIP: Find a different place to store the extra chairs......it's quite an unsightly thing to greet customers in the space that looks like its meant for a hostess stand.

The Curry Fix
616 Riverbend Square
Edmonton, AB
780.438.1008

Marble Slab, Grande Prairie

Generally speaking, this place has been on my favorite list for years. There are so many flavours to choose from, dozens of ways to mix in toppings, a handful of various cones and a fun, bright atmosphere. Love the creative display of candy. I can't even begin to list the top combos, but let's just say that Cake Batter is good. Really good. Sans raw eggs!
Things to fix (every location:)
The punch card scenario. It's really irritating as a repeat consumer to be limited to one location to redeem a free ice cream. Not only that, but to put an unreasonable expiry date on the card. Really, who is going to buy SIX giant ice cream combinations in a few months. Sort of silly.

South Common: Unkempt teenage/adult employees. Remember the days when combed hair, non-denim wearing, clean shaven, and smiles were basic standards for selling a product? To be honest, I was sort of grossed out to have these type of people scooping up my potential food item.

It gets better.

The floor is dirty. Not the type of dirty that just happens from a little foot traffic. VERY dirty, as in hasn't-been-mopped-all-day DIRTY. Kind of makes me want to eat some ice cream. Yum.

One of three teenagers plops himself in front of the cashier till/computer and commences internet perusing. Yes. Where I could see and also while we were enjoying our recently purchased product. Of course the other unkempt teenagers couldn't keep away from such an exciting event and so they gathered together.

The whole South Common experience was quite ridiculous and I won't be going back to that location. Too bad Mr/Mrs Franchisee. If this is how that location is run, you'll be out of business soon.
GRADE: A- I'll stick to my Grande Prairie or Whyte Ave locations, thank you very much.
Sticker price: around $8-$10 for the works.

Royal Oaks (on the Bypass, across from Joey's Only)
10416-116 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB
780.532.4140

Wok Box, Grande Prairie

This place is fun.

Lots of red in their tasteful decor, variable seating options, open kitchen, menu diversity. I really can't say enough good things about Wok Box. And they even have the classic, fun "Chinese" takeout boxes, complete with chopsticks. Like I said, fun.

What's extra great about Wok Box's food is the fresh factor. You can actually watch the fresh vegetables being tossed around in the giant wok.

Some of my personal faves:
Mongolian Beef and Broccoli with the skinny noodle (its on the spicy side)
Butter Chicken--very creamy, but skimpy on the chicken.

Make sure to grab some fresh lime wedges to bathe your noodley goodness in. You'll thank me.

I usually grab some takeout on my way back from Grande Prairie. Forget Subway. Actually, they were forgotten years ago in my book. But anyway. Head over to Wok Box next time you're in GP and think of me, your FSJ Food Critic.


GRADE: A- This place can be on the pricey side. Quite honestly, for a few dollars less per box, I would be a very happy Wox Boxer.

Sticker Price: without extras--around $24 for you and a date.

Wok Box
104-10915 104A Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB
780.532.9269

Panago Pizza

Very cool, old Italian flyer received in the mail. The photographs scream vintage and I wanted to be a part of it.

Fast forward to one of those nights where you don't want to go anywhere, yet your cozy sweats and fuzzy slippers are pleading to be paired with a movie and pizza.

So, naturally I thought of Panago's New York Deli pizza that happened to be front and center on that artistic cover.

This is how it went:

Ring, ring. Ring.

Someone from a place other than Fort St John answers and proceeds to take my order. That is weird. Process is pretty standard with Miss Teenager who mumbles a few sentences together too fast for my aging brain to pick up. I ask her to repeat some. Again, standard. Very pleasant, but still weird that Vancouver location is quoting me on my local pizza.

Miss Teenager quoted me 35 minutes. With all my ninja knowledge and expertise assisting me, I strategically arrived 15 minuted ahead of said quote. The pizza was staring at me as I walked in.

I find that pizza quote times here in FSJ (all across the board) are off. As in you in the pizza joint and your pie is already done and waiting. Ideally, you walk in and you still wait a few minutes--'cause then it's hot! And fresh! And delicious!

Not congealing as you drive there, stuff it in the special heater bag they sell you and continuing to congeal as you speed home only to find that the piping hot circle of goodness is really a semi-warm mass of meltedness.

Yuck.

I will say that Panago's choice of meat on this particular pie is good. I was surprised. It didn't taste like the weird processed stuff you find in some places (Dominos) or those totally gross frozen pizzas at any given grocery store.

Panago's dough is even better. I made the very correct choice of going with the Hand Tossed. Oh. Yeah.

I say cut off Vancouver and handle your own phone calls, FSJ Panago. I don't care if you "update your system in sync with theirs." You misquoted me and made me eat an expensive, luke-warm pizza. And I'm telling my friends.

GRADE: B+
I'm willing to bet that this place could deliver (pardon the pun) great pies if the timing was right.

Panago Pizza
(Totem Mall)
2050-9600 93 Ave
250.310.0001

From the Tip Jar

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From RestaurantOwner.com - December 8, 2009
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This Is a Great Time to Recognize the Manager You Want to
Keep
 
You can't create and sustain a successful restaurant
without good management.
 
In smaller restaurants the bulk of the management may be
provided by you, the owner, but few restaurant owners want
to spend their entire career managing day-to-day operations. 
 
Unless your goal is to create a job for yourself, you need
good managers who can lead people and run your restaurant
as well as (or even better) than you can.
 
You already know who your good managers are but here's a
quick checklist to quantify and evaluate some specific
traits and the effectiveness of your management staff.
 
 - Do they say what they will do and do all that they say?
 
 - Do they seem to attract quality staff to the business?
 i.e.,some of your best hires were a result of their
 recommendations. 
 
 - Have you seen sales and profits grow since they became
 managers?
 
 - Do they take the initiative to suggest new products,
 systems and procedures and have helped you put them in
  place successfully?
 
 - Do other staff members seek them out formally and
 informally for help, guidance, direction, support?
 
If you have managers who exhibit some or all of these
traits, you do not want to lose them. And rest assured,
there are businesses inside and outside the industry that
would love to have them on board.
 
The holiday season is a good time to let them know how
much you value and appreciate the contributions they make.
Do something that makes them feel good about being a part
of your team. It may increase the odds they'll still be with
you next year at this time.