It has been interesting this week to observe our trainers, particularly how they interact with our team members. Each trainer was hand picked to be a part of this group that is widely considered the “All Star Team” – they are the best of the best…but it is obvious that some of these leaders are having a greater impact than the rest of the group. What is it about this select few that has enabled them to separate from the pack? The answer, I believe, is that they have fully embraced Servant Leadership.
Servant leadership is about creating an environment that enables team members to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. Great leaders also have the gift of discernment between when a team member needs to be pushed or when it is time to rescue a team member that is overwhelmed and simply unable to keep up. This kind of leadership creates sustained, long term success.
The leaders who have not fully embraced servant leadership usually err in one of two directions. Either they take over entirely too soon so that the team member is unable to learn or gain valuable experience or they remove themselves almost entirely from the equation so that the team member is left to either “sink or swim”. In both of these circumstances, the leader had been unable to coach and effectively communicate with the team member in training.
The most effective leaders at this opening, and in general, are the ones who have been able to serve the team members by providing resources and creating an environment that produces the desired results.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
153k
Grand Opening Day Sales: $51,171
2nd Day Sales: $49,140
3rd Day Sales: $53,211
Grand Opening Weekend Total: $153,000
Number of $5000+ hours: 8
Number of $2000+ hours in Drive Thru: 2
Tons of Chicken Sold: 4+
Wow. In my 4 years at Chick-fil-A, I have never experienced anything CLOSE to what the past 72 hours have been like!
The entire weekend was like a big party…everyone was just so excited that we were finally in Chicago! The Drive Thru line was literally ¼ mile long and the line to order inside extended to the end of our property. Our guests stood in line for 45 minutes JUST TO GET TO THE DOOR OF THE BUILDING!
Even the basic operational side of this weekend was incredible. Everyone's role was extrememly specialized. For example, we created a queuing system where guests could stand while their order was being prepared. There were two of us simply taking orders from the baggers to the end of the counter where there were two or three others whose sole responsibility was to call out names and deliver the appropriate meal to each guest.
2nd Day Sales: $49,140
3rd Day Sales: $53,211
Grand Opening Weekend Total: $153,000
Number of $5000+ hours: 8
Number of $2000+ hours in Drive Thru: 2
Tons of Chicken Sold: 4+
Wow. In my 4 years at Chick-fil-A, I have never experienced anything CLOSE to what the past 72 hours have been like!
The entire weekend was like a big party…everyone was just so excited that we were finally in Chicago! The Drive Thru line was literally ¼ mile long and the line to order inside extended to the end of our property. Our guests stood in line for 45 minutes JUST TO GET TO THE DOOR OF THE BUILDING!
Even the basic operational side of this weekend was incredible. Everyone's role was extrememly specialized. For example, we created a queuing system where guests could stand while their order was being prepared. There were two of us simply taking orders from the baggers to the end of the counter where there were two or three others whose sole responsibility was to call out names and deliver the appropriate meal to each guest.
We hooked up an ice dream machine to a generator outside so that we could pre-make milkshakes just to stay afloat. We had a trainer manning a booth outside whose only responsibility was to provide our Drive Thru guests with condiments. We had a team member would spend an entire shift simply emptying trash cans. It was fascinating to be a part of this process as it unfolded and evolved.
I will never forget being a part of this unbelievable, RECORD BREAKING, weekend!
I will never forget being a part of this unbelievable, RECORD BREAKING, weekend!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Public Relations
We were fortunate enough to have 3 team members awarded the $1000 scholarship this month from Truett. This is an outstanding achievement and an amazing reward for these team members and their hard work. Additionally, it is a great PR opportunity!
Public Relations is a fantastic marketing tool because it is effective in creating emotional connections with the community…for FREE! Chick-fil-A Inc. provides a press release with each scholarship, but we decided to take it a step further by adding a picture (which really draws the readers’ eyes). In addition to that, this created a buzz with the team members involved because they were going to get their picture in the paper.
Public Relations is a great way to enhance the brand and inform customers of Chick-fil-A’s unique culture.
Public Relations is a fantastic marketing tool because it is effective in creating emotional connections with the community…for FREE! Chick-fil-A Inc. provides a press release with each scholarship, but we decided to take it a step further by adding a picture (which really draws the readers’ eyes). In addition to that, this created a buzz with the team members involved because they were going to get their picture in the paper.
Public Relations is a great way to enhance the brand and inform customers of Chick-fil-A’s unique culture.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Sales Increase!
I am proud to announce that this month Chick-fil-A at West Oaks Mall enjoyed a sales increase! This is only the 3rd month in the last 2 years that West Oaks has had an increase in sales! It wasn’t much (less than 1% up), but an increase is an increase!I can see 3 main contributors to this increase:
1. The Twilight movie…drawing traffic to the movie theater in our food court (sales up over 40% that weekend)
2. 4th of July fell on a Sunday this year (an extra day without limited hours)
3. Back to School Sale in mall on last weekend of the month (sales up over 20% that weekend)
All in all it was an exciting month!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A More Systematic Approach
I have continued to make observations of the restaurant throughout my time here, and about midway through the month I started to notice some consistent negative trends. These were all issues that were easily remedied by creating and implementing basic systems.
Food Prep
We were preparing far too much food each day for our low sales volume. I created a food prep list that is based on sales volume. Therefore, on slower days – like Mondays – we do not prepare as much food in the morning as we would on a busier Saturday.
Chicken Rotation
We were consistently forced to quick thaw chicken when I first arrived. This seemed ridiculous because of our low volume. I created a system to ensure that we always had enough chicken thawed based on our sales volume, without thawing significantly more than we need. Since the implementation of this rotation system, we have not had to quick thaw chicken even once!
Waste Tracking
The team was trained to ring in waste on the register and discount it like a coupon. While this is great for food cost – simply putting waste into the marketing category – it does not give us an accurate picture of our food cost gap or giveaways. Now, team members track waste on paper by marking an easy-to-use waste tracker that is kept in the boards area.
Build-Tos
There were no build-tos created for truck ordering. This caused us to frequently run out of some items and have way too many of other items. An inconsistent inventory can encourage team member theft and can also be extremely frustrating if not enough stock is ordered. The build-tos enable us to manage inventory in a much more effective manner.
Food Prep
We were preparing far too much food each day for our low sales volume. I created a food prep list that is based on sales volume. Therefore, on slower days – like Mondays – we do not prepare as much food in the morning as we would on a busier Saturday.
Chicken Rotation
We were consistently forced to quick thaw chicken when I first arrived. This seemed ridiculous because of our low volume. I created a system to ensure that we always had enough chicken thawed based on our sales volume, without thawing significantly more than we need. Since the implementation of this rotation system, we have not had to quick thaw chicken even once!
Waste Tracking
The team was trained to ring in waste on the register and discount it like a coupon. While this is great for food cost – simply putting waste into the marketing category – it does not give us an accurate picture of our food cost gap or giveaways. Now, team members track waste on paper by marking an easy-to-use waste tracker that is kept in the boards area.
Build-Tos
There were no build-tos created for truck ordering. This caused us to frequently run out of some items and have way too many of other items. An inconsistent inventory can encourage team member theft and can also be extremely frustrating if not enough stock is ordered. The build-tos enable us to manage inventory in a much more effective manner.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Under Pressure
After examining the unit's situation, we decided that it was necessary to pressure wash the entire back of house at West Oaks Mall. The walls and floors were caked with dirt and debris and this seemed like a great solution. Check out some of the before and after pics….
As you can see, I was able to remove an extraordinary amount of dirt and debris from the walls and floor of the restaurant. I had unrealistic hopes that the store would look brand new when we were finished, but it is a nice consolation that by moving all of the equipment and pressure washing we were able to remove so much dirt.
As you can see, I was able to remove an extraordinary amount of dirt and debris from the walls and floor of the restaurant. I had unrealistic hopes that the store would look brand new when we were finished, but it is a nice consolation that by moving all of the equipment and pressure washing we were able to remove so much dirt.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
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