Overview
Forward
Table of Contents
Reviews
Endorsement
Order
Reviews
By
Phyllis Ann Marshall, FCSI
Ms. Marshall is principal of FoodPower, a restaurant
industry consulting firm based in Costa Mesa, California.
This
article appeared in The Consultant, a quarterly publication
of Foodservice Consultants Society International, Summer
1998
Successful Restaurant Strategies contains basic truths
to be read and re-read by everyone in the industry.
It is a compilation of 30 articles published by experienced
consultant Douglas P. Fisher, FCSI, whose matter-of-fact
style draws from a vast knowledge gleaned during a 15-year
period of his work as a consultant. Fisher knows the
restaurant business from soup to nuts, and he includes
information vital to restaurateurs, addressing topics
that equally apply to those in the stages of start-up,
ongoing management and franchising.
For
those who dream of running a restaurant, Fisher paints
a realistic picture of the long hours, hard work and
awesome responsibilities that accompany this type of
endeavor. First-time restaurateurs weighing whether
to create a new restaurant, purchase an existing entrepreneurial-style
independent restaurant or buy a franchise will find
Successful Restaurant Strategies invaluable. Fisher
not only describes how by why due diligence is a critical
part of the start-up process. He addresses both strategic
and business planning. And for purchasers he includes
a summary of the nuts and bolts of restaurant valuation.
Successful
Restaurant Strategies would also be a very positive
valuable addition to any good restaurant-management
library. Many experienced restaurateurs become complacent
about their internal controls, menu analysis and marketing,
forgetting that great restaurants must be constantly
fine-tuned; the book's easy-to-read style and sensible
chapter progressions make it perfect for an annual review
of financial operations for the busy owner. Savvy operators
will also appreciate Fisher's reminder of the importance
of keeping up with the trends, to avoid losing fickle
customers in pursuit of the latest culinary fads. Menus
as the ultimate sales tool, service timetables, couponing
and performance assurance ratings are each explored
at length. Fisher also addresses money-losing situations
-- such as bar scams -- to which any operator can be
vulnerable.
Consultants
will find this book useful as a tool for a new, inexperienced
client or one who is operating by the seat of his pants,
i.e., managing reactively rather than from a business,
marketing and strategic plan. Its comprehensive approach
to the many aspects of the industry is logically organized
and prioritized, full of examples, charts tips and guidelines,
with recommendations for essential issues such as pricing
for different types of restaurant concepts. Fisher also
addresses important topics like how to graciously devise
a plan for providing full and excellent service to the
visually impaired.
Franchising
is the subject of a third of the book, and due to the
many facets of this process, Fisher spends several chapters
on the topics of litigation and disputes that can arise.
This is also a must read for any American business considering
entering the Canadian market due to the change in accounting
requirements and other differences. Fisher details why
many restaurant chains successful in this country fail
on the other side of the border.
Perhaps
most importantly, Successful Restaurant Strategies demonstrates
the author's understanding of the philosophical differences
between operating a restaurant business and any other,
while at the same time providing a scientific methodology
for increasing bottom line profits.
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