Reading:
Some of the readings Tom do is going over the Singtao newspaper everyday. He seldom reads Wall street Journal and New York Times. He talks about how important it is to be up to date with the current news, He said, " any kind of news is a new opportunity and it can also be a warning sign in business, you need to know what is going on to be ahead of everyone else." Other readings he do is going online and visiting Yelp to review customer's dinner experience at the restaurants and tries to improve the dinning experience.
One thing interesting I think he do as a reading activity is reading menus from different restaurant. He does this because he want to visit different restaurants and try to adapt the best from other restaurants to improve his own business.
During his spare time, he would read business related books, usually focusing on American style management.
During his spare time, he would read business related books, usually focusing on American style management.
Writing:
What he told me is he usually don't write too much. He usually focus on face to face communication and phone communication. He told me sometimes he would write down plans of what he will discuss with the employees during the meeting. Also he writes and replies emails. What he told me to look out for when writing emails are to be professional and try to focus on the main points.
Because there are so many competitors I do agree going out and visiting other restaurants and trying their food and look at the menu is a good way to benchmark. It can help you improve your own dining experience in your restaurant as well get ideas. Amazingly I found out that the average lifespan of a restaurant is 1 year. Read more at this link http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/average-life-span-restaurant-6024.html
ReplyDeleteI think that reading other companies menus is a very smart idea. One of the reasons that Tom is able to keep his restaurant in business is that he is keeping up with the changes as they are happening. If one restaurant changes their menu, then Tom will know that it is time to update his as well. As a management major, did you learn anything about Tom's style of managing? Did he talk about encouraging his employees to read more or also stay up to date on topics that have to do with the restaurant?
ReplyDeleteFrom the interview, he really encourages people to study in terms of the American style of management. I felt he didn't really encourage his employees to read more or stay up to date with the topics that had to do with the restaurant. What his employees usually read is about the Yelp reviews that are posted online.
DeleteReading newspapers is a good way to keep up with the current news and seek for any business opportunities. Do you know why Tom does not read Wall Street Journal and New York Times? Is it because he just wants to focus on his restaurant business and not interested on the stock market at all?
ReplyDeleteReading different restaurant’s menus might be very interesting for me at the very beginning. But I might just get bored after reading couple of them. Do you think Tom will get bored by reading so many menus? How can he manage to keep it interesting on reading menus?
Its is really a good question, I really need to ask him in order to answer your question about why he doesn't read Wall Street Journal or even New York Times. I felt in some ways, he is not really into stock because he is old and wants to have a secure life. I think by reading menus, he would better understand what is popular and adapt it in his own restaurant.
DeleteHe certainly has the brain to run a company. His strategy of visiting different restaurants and reading their menu to improve his own restaurant is a really smart idea. There is a saying in Sun Tze's Art of War mentioned, "Know yourself and your enemy, is key to win and outwit your enemy on the battle field." Looks like Tom is learning that philosophy and using the best of it.
ReplyDelete