Motivation

Motivation, look it up and Wikipedia states: “Motivation is the activation or energization of goal-oriented behavior.” Being in the hospitality business, I am constantly thinking about motivation, whether I am working, training staff, eating in a restaurant, making dinner, reading, writing … it is always on my mind. The definition of motivation makes one realize that to be motivated one must actually have goals. To achieve those goals, one must be motivated to put in the time (paying your dues as we call it in the restaurant business), make sacrifices, and take the journey to learn the lessons in life and business to achieve goals and set new ones. It’s being motivated about the “little” things that will get you to the “big” things! Unfortunately, more often than not, many individuals in the hospitality business miss the little things that will help them achieve the bigger goals. So, you have the fluff and philosophical parts of motivation but let’s be honest motivation is about one thing … choice!!!

We have a choice to set goals, to motivate ourselves to achieve those goals and to constantly keep moving forward. But many times I see disconnect, between the goals people want (or think they want) and the motivation to achieve those goals. Disconnect can be seen across the board in owners, chefs, managers, sales reps, bartenders, servers … the list can go on and on. So, my question then becomes this: if you aren’t achieving the results and goals you want, is your motivation and choice being used in the most effective way? There are a zillion examples of this disconnect, I’ll just take a few experiences of my own to demonstrate and hopefully bring the point home.

Charcuterie and cheese, when done well is exciting but when it’s not it’s NOT! If you are an owner/chef/partner etc I understand not listing the meats and cheese included on this dish as what is available will often change. But … if you’re not going to list it on the menu, then why not teach your staff about each product and train them to be competent enough to describe each item at the table. If I order charcuterie or cheese, it probably means I’m into this type of stuff (and probably can figure out what most items are) and want to know what is what. If you work front of house at an establishment that doesn’t give you this information and you don’t seek out the information to share with your guests … don’t question why you may not be making as much money as your friends who do work at an establishment that prides themselves on having such knowledge. And, the motivation, choice and training is cyclical … back to the owners/chefs/partners/managers if you’re not training your staff and getting them excited about the products (hopefully you’re using really cool products!) then it’s probably hurting your check average, which in turn is hurting your bottom line. Of course this can be attributed to any menu item, but I use the example of charcuterie and cheese, because so many times it just gets plopped down on the table and whoever brought just saunters away (or runs if they’re scared you might actually ask about the dish).

I recently dined at Lola in Cleveland, Ohio and had a wonderful experience. As per usual my husband and I ordered a slew of appetizers (six to be exact) and then had lamb (lamb three different ways which was fantastic!)for dinner. The wine list was laid out well with many choices both the usual suspects and a few hidden treasures, the prices ranging from reasonable to your high end sometimes overpriced wines (Lola’s wine list is not overpriced … some of the wines on the list are overpriced by the wineries and distributors due to “demand”). Since we had a variety of dishes hitting the table I chose Owen Roe, Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It went well with the many rich dishes we chose and it was priced in the mid $50’s. Here is where the motivation and choice comes … our server wanted to share the stories of this wine and talk about how much he himself enjoyed it. Did I know the stories, yes … but what I loved was his enthusiasm for our wine choice, despite the fact that it didn’t cost $100 or more. Does he work for tips? Yes. But was he being an order taker (an opinionated order taker at that)? No. He had genuine motivation, of being knowledgeable, of knowing the stories behind the products, of sharing his favorites and why. He made a choice … a choice to be motivated to learn the stories and information behind the products to share with his guests in a hospitable way. Did someone make him learn the information? Most likely yes, but to convey it in a hospitable way … that’s choice and motivation and this guy had it. It’s one thing to be trained on products: food, wine, spirits and beer it’s another to genuinely choose to have a passion about these products, to be motivated to learn even more and share that with your guests each day based upon their desired experience.

Trends … they can be good when they first start, but unfortunately by the time the trends get to the masses they many times have become horrific glimpses of their origin. Origin is another word worth looking up, especially when it comes to making cocktails. There are certain places in the world where you should and shouldn’t order certain items, the phrase “when in Rome …” pops into my mind. And I made a stupid decision not too long ago to order a Caipirinha in a place that I shouldn’t have. But here’s my thing … why is it on your menu? Is it because you have a mojito and most places that have good mojitos also have a Caipirinha on the menu? Or is it because an owner or manager had one and it was really good, probably at a Brazilian or other Latin restaurant and thought, “hey we can do that’? There is disconnect, just because you had a good drink at a restaurant does not mean you should put that same drink on your menu. Unless, and only if you’re going to truly do the leg work and make a proper cocktail! I won’t hold it against you if you want to keep things fresh and put drinks on the menu that are innovative but for the love of a good drink, make it right and make sure it tastes good. If it doesn’t taste good, then don’t serve it or put it on your menu! To be clear a Caipirinha has muddled limes, preferably a whole lime quartered per drink, it does not get Rose’s lime juice (please don’t judge me … the menu didn’t say ANYTHING about Rose’s lime)! Make a choice and be motivated to select the items on your menu that “fit” with your concept. If you want to incorporate different aspects of the seasons or ethnic influences into your menu, be motivated enough to do the leg work behind the dishes and drinks to make it properly, otherwise you’re wasting paper, time and money. And that doesn’t benefit your bottom line or the experience of the guest.

At the end of the day it’s all about choice. Make the choice to be motivated, you might be surprised at the results.