A Mixed Bag

We spent half the morning on legal issues, then we turned our attention to marketing.

The emphasis in the law module has been to identify areas of possible liability, and minimize it. So we talked about contract law, and tort (criminal) law, the parts of a contract, defense against contract liability, and limited damages. (Your liability for breach of contract is limited to out of pocket expenses, and reasonably foreseeable losses, like lost wages.) Then we got into the whole area of tort law and negligence, the elements of negligence, defense against negligence, and unlimited damages. (Your liability for criminal negligance can include out of pocket and foreseeable losses, as well as "general damages," i.e. pain and suffering, and punitive damages, as in, Make Them Pay!)

Much of the terminology, and the class discussion, centered around the word "reasonable," which appears throughout the law. Chef Stazi perceptively noted that the debate over "reasonable" — a "reasonable person," "reasonable care" — is what brings so many cases to court.

During break, Chef Stazi "checked in" with a few of us to see how class was going so far. We had twelve students today, a 30% improvement over yesterday. Andy said he's feeling overwhelmed with the pace and the variety of the information being "thrown" at us. Andrea, on the other hand, is ready to pick up the pace. She's actually talking about trying to take some of her remaining classes concurrently, in both the morning and afternoon sessions, so that she can finish the program early. "You've had some school," Chef Stazi noted. "I can see by the way you take notes." She acknowledged a Master's degree in psychology. "And I know this isn't new to you," he said to me. I admitted to an MBA. "Uh oh," Chef said. He did offer to chat with me after class about post-culinary school opportunities. "I know some people," he said. "And I'd love to see your resume." It's all about the networking.

Derrick correctly identified the Venn diagram on the board, where Concept, Target Market and Location intersected to determine the Successful Restaurant. We talked about all the aspects that go into concept, besides the obvious "food": style of service. decor. floor plan. price point. hours of operation. music. lighting. uniforms. color. architecture. And about demographics, and how to determine the demographics of a particular location. One critical way: personal observation. And about location. (location. location.)

In the restaurant business, the waitstaff sells, but so do a lot of other people: the host/ess, bartender, chef, manager, bussers. Customers at the next table. Vendors on their way in and out. "You're not operating at your full potential unless everyone is selling."

We took an inventory of the Marketing Toolbox: Advertising, Merchandising, Public Relations, and Promotions. Chef Stazi spent quite a bit of time talking about the internet, where your presence is now expected. "If you don't have a website, your prospective customers wonder what's wrong." He talked about how opentable.com has revolutionized the restaurant business, as have urban delivery services such as Waiters On Wheels.

Chef Stazi also defined and demonstrated the S.W.O.T. analysis (an old friend, practically), which will help you clarify virtually any kind of situation and assist you in identifying, and then controlling, your controllables. It's really the business equivalent of the Serenity Prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."