Everyone has something that they could improve upon in their life.  I know that I could be better about turning off my computer at the end of the day, and just enjoying family time.  I know that my wife could improve by not putting my chef's knives in the dishwasher time and time again.  My daughter could study more, and text less.  My son could be less forgetful. My Mother could stop worrying so much.  Politicians in Washington could...well that's a blog for another day. But here are five things that I think almost all restaurants could improve upon starting today that would have an immediate positive effect on business.

1.  Improve your curb appeal.  Is your sign fully lit?  Did someone empty their car's ashtray in your parking lot?  Are the flowers in the planters alive? Is your sign fully lit? Before a guest even enters your building they have started to get a first impression about what to expect.  If it's bad enough, they might just get back in to their car and leave. 


2.  Clean your restrooms.  The restroom lets you know what a restaurant's cleanliness habits are.  If the bathroom isn't clean what does the kitchen look like?  While you're at it, fill the soap and paper towel dispensers, and get rid of the nasty smell.  Nothing ruins my appetite like a poorly-kept restroom.

3.  Clean, clean, clean.  I'm not just talking about the basics such as cleaning your bathrooms, vacuuming the floor, or cleaning the windows.  I'm talking about cleaning the bottom of the sugar caddies, and making sure the squeeze bottles of ketchup and mustard don't have dried gunk on them.  The edges of the tabletops, and the bottom side where someone has deposited their chewing gum should also get some love. And, when is the last time the seats in the booths were removed and cleaned?

4.  Hire good people and train them.  Your staff represents you, and sometimes they might not represent you well.  Individuals who don't perform quality work should be held accountable. Everyone needs training on the menu and menu item ingredients, how to address a table, and how to respond to a complaint or concern.  When someone tells your staff that they are a first-time diner, your staff know how important it is to make a good impression.  And when asked for their opinion as to "what's good", the answer shouldn't be "everything". 

5.  Touch tables.  It seems to be a lost art unless I'm paying $40+ for an entree.  Why don't managers take the time to touch tables and inquire as to how the dining experience is going?  The cost of this seemingly rare practice is nothing, and the impact can be great! Just because a restaurant is "casual" doesn't mean that the manager or chef shouldn't be able to say "hello". And once they do touch a table, they need to respond appropriately to a guest's complaint and make things right instead of making excuses.

If any of these issues applies to your restaurant, you need to stop what you're doing and take action NOW. You'll be surprised at how just improving on the points above will improve your restaurant's image, and improve your business overall.

Champaign, Illinois lost a successful eatery in March of 2011.  Mia Za’s Italian-themed restaurant was destroyed when a fire swept through the historic building that was home to the establishment.  But the loss of Mia Za’s was short, and what seemed at first to be a disaster, ended up being a fabulous opportunity for a fresh start.

Bruce Hink, Mia Za’s owner recreated the restaurant from the ground up – literally.  He redesigned the décor, changed menu items and added new ones, and embraced technology.  Now, one year later, diners of the new Mia Za’s can influence the music being played by using their smart phones.  Big-screen monitors display art instead of using conventional artwork, and diners can even submit art to be displayed.  And there is a monitor at the entrance so that you can look up menu items that may be unfamiliar to you, and you can view those items and learn more about them. And for all of us who occasionally find our laptops and phone batteries dead, Mia Za’s is happy to lend us a charger to use while we dine.

But as cool as all of the new technology is, this story isn't really about the technology.  This story is about a fresh start. It’s about rethinking and reworking a concept, and challenging the established ideas, beliefs and habits. It’s about changing with the times.

You don’t have to wait for your business to burn to the ground in order to have a fresh start, and I’m certainly not suggesting you get the ball rolling by starting the fire yourself.  What I am suggesting is that you look closely and think about what could be different.  Could you refresh your menu?  Could you redecorate a bit?  Can you find ways to embrace technology? How about new uniforms for your staff? There are a lot of things that can be done to refresh a concept without changing the concept outright and they don’t have to be huge or drastic.

If you’re not sure where to start, maybe it’s time to ask your customers. Better yet, invite some people in the community who aren’t your customers and ask them what they think, or invite a consultant to take a look and make recommendations. You don’t have to wait for disaster to strike to get a fresh start. You can start tomorrow on your own terms.