An interesting challenge any leader or owner faces is being able to paint for their team the art of what’s possible. Have you ever had those moments where you find yourself saying, “they just don’t get it” or “how do I get them to understand what I’m looking for?” So, how do we convince people that the excellence we envision can truly be achieved? That if done exceedingly well the job becomes easier, more satisfying, and with even greater customer payback. A literal win for everyone involved!

With that, please allow me to tell you a true story. A story I call the hundred-dollar tip.

We have a client who has a very well-off customer that on regular occasion frequents their venue for lunch. On these occasions, provided his service is adequate, he leaves a hundred-dollar tip. He simply wants to make someone’s day if he feels they do an adequate job. Imagine now, for a second, the chaos his arrival creates. The urgency in which he is served, and the level of service he receives is second to none. Staff will argue over the opportunity to wait on him, so a special rotation has to be made in the event of his arrival in the name of fairness. Interestingly, one day he came in and his service had become routine, sub-standard you might say. People had become accustomed to him leaving a $100 tip, so it became

expected rather than earned and guess what? That’s right, he left a $10 tip.

That one extra zero makes such a difference!

Imagine the effect this had on the staff and what a wake-up call it provided! This occurs every day in our business, just not in such an obvious way.

I want you to image for a second a world in which everybody in your venue had a hundred-dollar tip on the line. What might that look like for you? Would you be curious to find out?

Here’s a fun exercise for you to break up the monotony of your daily service and remind you and your team just how good they can be. This takes us back to the art of the possible, not every customer has to have $100 tip potential. All you need is one! Pick a busy shift, let your team know that there will be a guest coming in on shift today and one of them will be tipping $100 no matter the check size provided the service is exceptional! All you need to do is have a friend come visit, one who enjoys a free meal and a certain level of import, we all have one or two of those! Pre-arrange it to where you give said friend $100, and provided lunch service is extraordinary, leave the $100 tip.

What do get for your investment? You get to see your team at their full potential. You get to see the art of what’s truly possible for your business and perhaps more importantly your team gets to find out just how good they can be and imagine the service all your guests will receive!

Here’s a heads-up, sometimes you might not like what your team shows you. It may be that no amount of money will entice them to perform at a high-level. uh-oh! It may also be true that the team only performs under the temptation of a contest which is not good either. What we’re after here is a physical demonstration of the art of what’s possible. A reminder of sorts…Sometimes we must be shown our real potential in order to achieve it.

Yours in hospitality,

-Dave N