Momentous Minutiae (1/2)

Learning Corner Momentous Minutiae Industry observers note that the distinguishing feature between legendary operators and mediocre managers lies in their absolute belief in mastering the details. Many failed restaurateurs have learned this lesson the hard way. What they thought was trivial turned out to be monumental in the minds of guests who didn’t come back. What Makes Minutiae Momentous? To understand how minutiae can destroy your business, you must understand why people have a good time and why they don’t. The answer is not as obvious as it may appear. It is, however, surprisingly simple. You know from personal experience that when you are having a bad day, everything is a disaster! Conversely, when you feel wonderful, the whole world just works more easily for you. The events of the day don’t change, but their impact changes significantly! It works the same way for business. If you enter a business that has a depressing environment, it affects your mood and starts to bring you down. In your lower mood, minor events take on more significance. You are less trusting of people. You are more likely to find fault and complain. You are harder to please. Because they are unaware of the importance of the atmosphere they create, many businesses foster an environment that almost guarantees their customers cannot have a pleasant experience. Just think of the mood you were in the last time you had to go to a typical post office or bank! These are operations that have traditionally focused on their own needs rather than on the needs of their customers. In so doing, they create an expectation of general inefficiency and lack of concern that places their clientele in a state of mind where they are less likely to experience being well-served. Fortunately, restaurants have a natural advantage over many other businesses. Because people go to restaurants expecting to have a good time, they usually arrive in a pleasant mood. A higher state of mind predisposes them to enjoy themselves, and people will have a good time anytime they are in a high state of mind, anytime they feel good. For example, just try to have a bad day when you are in love! When guests are in good moods, they are more forgiving and more generous. They spend more. The food tastes better. They are more open to your recommendations. They tip better. They are more likely to tell their friends what an exciting restaurant you have! All we have to do is create and maintain an atmosphere where people are drawn into a good mood, and they will always have an enjoyable experience. It seems almost too simple! Here is where minutiae become momentous. People enter your restaurant focused on having a good time. Anything that catches your guests’ minds can divert their attention from a good time and be a distraction. Distractions change a person’s mood. Every distraction, every minor irritant that affects your guests, is like tying a small weight onto the helium balloon of their higher states of mind. As these little annoyances add up, they create more weight pulling your guest’s mood down. As your guests’ mood drops, their thoughts become more negative. Their level of security goes down. They are more critical and abrupt with your staff. They become more difficult to please. Your staff, in turn, can easily become defensive and less responsive to these suddenly impolite people. The experience can spiral down quickly for everyone. When a guest is in a low mood, even the finest food and service will draw complaints. You can’t fix it. It is just the way people view the world when they are in a low state of mind.