EL RANCHO re opened......with CHP?

www.bonannoconcepts.com/love-frank/creating-happy-people


What’s the Goal Here?

Emma introduced the topic in a group email, and Frank and Nick developed a plan, a legal way to eliminate tipping, and today we were here to hatch a plan that needed universal buy in among this virtually assembled team. We had to be in complete agreement because going tipless meant sacrifices. There were financial risks – for Frank and I, it meant giving up a tax credit at the end of the year, and paying our front of house a larger hourly wage from notoriously miniscule margins. For managers, it meant collecting a fee and transparently, equitably redistributing it —openly and continually tweaking that formula toward fairness. For front of house workers, it was a trade of cash in hand for uncertainty, and for all of us, it would mean training, and retraining –not just our teams, but our community, our guests, and the occasional voyeur dipping in to check on the experiment. We’d have to announce it online, and post it on every menu; announce it again when diners were seated, and maybe tell them again on their way out the door. Perhaps even one day I’d have to write about how we got here and break it down for the general public —because in two years, we might still be training and retraining.

It could cost employees. It could cost guests. 

There is a Wheat Ridge restaurant named Abrusci's that replaces the tip line with a mandatory service charge. I usually hate setups like this, but the employees are real go getters and deserve the 20% fee. Plus the food is innovative, and quite tasty.

They are actually short changing themselves since I usually tip around 25%.

As someone who started out in the restaurant business (15 years), I have serious doubts this will work. As with every business, everything is dependent on the quality of the service and the product being sold combined with the cost to consumers. When people are struggling to pay for essentials, like what’s happening now, people care about price above all.

I could see this possibly working with a well established popular restaurant that has something more to offer than just food. Casa Bonita has the kind of unique atmosphere where that could work, just as long as the new owners put out good food (unlike the past hot garbage).

My guess is that it will not work out for El Rancho, but I wish them luck because I have good memories of that place when I was a kid. Having been a server, that’s not where I would want to work because I liked having the incentive to do a better job in order to get bigger tips. I worked at The Fort and made more money than most of my friends and was able to move out of my parents house at 18 and get my own place.

I think they’d have to pay at least $30 an hour for a server to have that same ability to live on their own. It’s not a fun job either, especially if it’s really busy.

The Fort was/is VERY HI END,so it seems to follow that those with $$$$$ will patronize and tip to accommodate the service/food.

When we were in Atlanta .many moons ago (early 2000),we usually went to one restaurant,consistently.
(Conyers,Geo) did not have many healthy selections. This was kinda of small chain dining. in that area..

One waitress was exceptional, knew u by name,knew what u liked and how to have it prepared,OF COURSE, everyone requested her section. When she had time (ya right),she would come and sit with u,get caught up with your life and then go back to business.

One day I asked her HOW did she do this extraordinary exercise....her reply, I pretend I am an actor and my role in this film is to play a waitress,.she said she makes in excess of $50,000 A YEAR IN TIPS. (remember this was over twenty years ago) because of her ability to make everyone FEEL SPECIAL.

Exactly! We visit a diner often. It is usually crowded and we have to wait, but we visit for one specific waitress. She is worth the wait.
And we overtip.

Fred,
We do the same. When flying out of DIA we stay at a hotel near the airport and dine at Ted's Montana Grill, since 2012. A fantastic young lady ,a waitress, we have encountered more often than not. ( we will be there Tues 1/25, dining and hopefully she will still be there). Have gotten to know of her family and likewise on our part.
A transactional relationship that has evolved into a friendship. Her perspective, be friendly, do good service and engage the customer if both she and the patron are of like mind.
What more could I ask?

homeagain wrote: The Fort was/is VERY HI END,so it seems to follow that those with $$$$$ will patronize and tip to accommodate the service/food.

The Fort is high end, yes, but the food is way overpriced if you compare with other high end steak houses. I was a grill cook and sauté cook for 5 of those years (before Sam Arnold took it back from Jack Krohn). Anyway, it’s just a Casa Bonita type theme for adults and kids with better food. In the 35 years after i left, I’ve never had the desire to eat there again.

The Fort’s success is mostly from tourists who want to feel some of the old west and be entertained by the staff. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Kinda off topic,but....I will ALWAYS thank my wait person,when they bring refill, stop by to see if anything else is needed,their attentiveness is always appreciated. AND if exceptional service is present... I will ALWAYS COMPLEMENT them and give kudos to the manager for their job well done.

EXAMPLE....while still in Bailey.,we would go over Hoosier pass to Breck and dine at the Mexican Restaurant
that is first as u come into Breck. (forgot name). . We sat in bar,before it became crazy busy,had ANOTHER MARG and by that time it was crazy busy.

I watched OUR wait person,as she multi tasked and made sure ALL of her section was happy,she was getting it done in spades. When we asked for our tab, I told her she was a GREAT wait person and not many
wait people were that exceptional....she JUST BEAMED and with a huge smile,said thank u. I then spoke to the manager and he stated that bar assignment only went to the 'BEST' because it was so demanding.

Waiting tables was the crappiest job I ever had, so I always make sure to take care of servers who are at least present and refill my water.

As a side note, being in that business made me a full on liberal because I was envy of the people who could afford those overpriced meals. Plus, much of the staff was either gay or art majors so I was influenced by their political leanings.

Getting married and starting my own business turned me around very quickly.