Change is difficult. Most people dislike uncertainty and ambiguity, and change creates heaping helpings of both. But change is inescapable, especially in the foodservice industry, where everything from food costs to consumer preferences is constantly in flux.<\/p>\n
Dealing with these shifting developments can overwhelm an operator. Yet doing so is vital to success. We asked several Gordon Food Service experts to share their strategies for managing change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Change isn\u2019t as intimidating if it\u2019s not a surprise. \u201cLook ahead six months, 12 months, 36 months,\u201d advises Indianapolis-based Commercial Segment Leader Bob Koch. \u201cRead the news and pay attention to trends. Is what you\u2019re doing now going to work for the future?\u201d Probably not, so create a plan to evolve and prioritize what needs to be done.<\/p>\n
Planning for change takes time\u2014a scarce commodity for operators. Todd Gross, Commercial Segment Leader for the Columbus, Ohio area, says it\u2019s helpful to assign a set number of weekly hours to your change efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cFocus on two or three things you need to address and figure out how much time you can spend on them,\u201d Gross says. \u201cIs it five to 10 hours a week? Fifteen to 20 hours? Thirty to 40 hours? That will determine how quickly you can accomplish your goals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to be alone in racking up those hours. Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Commercial Segment Specialist Geoff Bonham says cross-departmental teams are an effective way to manage and execute change. \u201cI know of one multiunit, regional casual-dining chain that assembled a task force of individuals from different departments around the company to help create a new fast-casual concept,\u201d he says. \u201cTheir ideas are driving the firm\u2019s growth into the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The team approach also works on a smaller scale. \u201cAnother operator put together a team specifically to shrink their menu from 90-plus items to 72 items,\u201d Bonham continues. \u201cThe team was involved in every decision, including which items would be deleted or consolidated, and how the changes would be communicated to staff and guests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bringing together people with diverse experiences, perspectives, and skills stimulates innovation and creativity, which is exactly what you want when dealing with change.<\/p>\n
Delaware-based Divisional Trainer Matt Miller believes managing change should be strategic, not spur of the moment. \u201cCreate a timeline for the planning, rollout, and follow-up for any change you are going to implement,\u201d he suggests. \u201cAssign specific areas of responsibility to other leaders in your organization and routinely schedule brief follow-up meetings with all involved to pinpoint any challenges, pitfalls, and new developments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Setting a \u201cgo-live\u201d date is essential. \u201cYou don\u2019t want be overly aggressive with your timeline on implementing the change,\u201d Miller cautions. \u201cChoose a date you and your leaders are confident you can meet, and be firm with it. Then publish the go-live date for the entire staff to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller also urges operators to involve peer leaders in change efforts. Peer leaders may not have managerial titles, but they exert a great deal of influence over their co-workers. \u201cIf you get the buy-in of peer leaders, you\u2019ll significantly increase the organization\u2019s overall level of acceptance of the change.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really need your staff on your side if you\u2019re going to make a significant change in branding, menus, and procedures, especially,\u201d Bonham adds. \u201cI recommend that operators very clearly communicate to staff the reason for the changes, and allow team members to ask questions and challenge you. Then provide a little time for the new reality to set in. Being transparent can help convert your team into your biggest advocates for change.\u201d<\/p>\n
This not only improves the odds of any changes being implemented successfully; it also helps ensure that changes will be communicated to guests positively and energetically.<\/p>\n
\u201cFoodservice is constantly changing, and operators need to be constantly changing, too,\u201d stresses Cleveland-based Commercial Segment Specialist Vicki Thompson. \u201cMenus are the easiest place to address shifting consumer demands and food-cost fluctuations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thompson urges operators to commit to menu flexibility. \u201cI\u2019m thinking of two customers who are constantly testing new concepts via limited-time offers, and adding them to the menu if they\u2019re successful. It\u2019s just part of their DNA to be constantly looking for new ideas, and it\u2019s on their calendars and mine to meet regularly and discuss new ways to keep things fresh and interesting for their customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Gordon Food Service Annual Trends Report, written by Corporate Consulting Chef Gerry Ludwig, CEC, is Thompson\u2019s \u201cfavorite tool\u201d for prompting menu discussions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBy highlighting the latest culinary and menu innovations coming out of the nation\u2019s hottest restaurants, the Annual Trends Report helps guide operators in making menu changes,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it often pushes them out of their comfort zones, to profitable effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Change usually carries a price tag. \u201cNational chains budget in advance for everything from menu makeovers to restaurant remodels,\u201d says Rob McMillion, Segment Marketing Specialist for the Great Lakes West region. Many independent operators don\u2019t do that, he contends, which tends to discourage them from making timely proactive changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSet aside money on a regular basis to fund changes that will inevitably be needed, especially physical ones,\u201d McMillion advises. He also urges operators to be mindful of their investments. \u201cYou have to dig into what changes mean for you from a financial standpoint. Evaluate them in terms of your business fundamentals and whether they will support your brand and your bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChange is inevitable,\u201d says Chad Keeling, a Georgia-based Marketing Services Manager. \u201cYou either drive the conversation or your competition drives it for you. Embrace change and allow it to be a leading source for growth.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Create a plan to evolve and prioritize what needs to be done.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n