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QUALITY
Quality - it's the signature of the Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group
The Lettuce Entertain You Group (LEYE) is a wildly successful restaurant chain in the US with a reputation for restaurant ventures that leave their competition in the dust. And according to John Buchanan, President of their consulting arm, they built that success through their unwavering commitment to quality.
Richard Melman opened the first Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Chicago in 1971, a burger and salad bar operation. Since then, they have developed over 100 restaurants with 35 different concepts - everything from Italian casual and fine dining to Chinese and a quick service market concept.
According to John Buchanan, a commitment to quality takes discipline, not creativity, and must be pursued on a day-to-day basis. "The fastest way for one of our restaurant managers to get in the doghouse is to compromise quality."
And why is quality so important - do your guests really understand? Or even care? You bet they do! If you, the restaurant operator, can tell the difference between a quality menu offering - in taste and presentation - you can be sure that your customer can tell the difference too. And they may be willing to try it once, but will they come back and buy something from you they do not think is a quality offering? Probably not.
"Quality is relative to whatever price point you have - give your customer the best experience they can have, whether your menu item is $10 or $40," says Buchanan. "Quality may cost more, but it pays off in the long run with satisfied customers and return visits."
So don't get hung up on food cost - look at your contribution to margin. For instance, higher quality beef might have a higher food cost, but the profit contribution is probably higher - and that means you take more dollars to the bank. A higher quality menu item gives your customer the eating experience they expect, so they will come back and order it again.
"People talk about the one or two items that really impress them. Make sure that your signature items are the things that your customers talk about," noted Buchanan.
John Buchanan's words are well received by the industry across the country - his message is simple: "Chase quality, it will always pay off."
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