The dream scheme
While the rest of the country is basking in national lottery fever, front-of-house managers at Tummies (the Mariaux's bistro operation just down the road from Spaggo's) are embarking on their own loyalty scheme. If successful it will be introduced across front and back of house at both Spaggo's and Tummies.
But unlike the lottery, this system is not based on luck. Managers have to demonstrate levels of skill and achieve targets that are then translated into a cumulative points system. Top prize is a week for two at the Mariaux's flat in the Swiss Alps.
Managers at Tummies used to be on quarterly cash bonuses if they achieved their targets. But when, earlier this year, the Mariaux moved to a rota of three duty managers on the same level in an effort to attract staff, it was clear that the traditional incentive system was not going to work.
"If we offered £100 as a bonus then we would have to give that to all three of them and that would cost us a lot of money," says Tammy.
As staff left it was decided to phase the traditional scheme out. Tammy and Claude saw this as an ideal opportunity to try something new.
As points are accumulated they can be cashed in for different prizes or left to accrue for bigger incentives.
Monthly targets at Tummies include boosting average spend to £18.50 (currently standing at about £18); reducing monthly beverage stocktake to a £50 deficit (it has been as high as £300); reducing monthly cutlery, crockery and glassware stocktake to a £75 deficit (this has stood at £150); achieving 80% of set targets for cleanliness and maintenance; and ensuring front of house wage costs do not exceed 9% of total sales.
The idea is to make managers more aware of the daily running of the business and help save on costs. "At Spaggo's I've seen pasta bowls in the bins where people can't be bothered to scrape the plates and they've just thrown the whole thing away. Staff don't always realise how much this kind of thing costs us," says Tammy.
Managers wanting to cash in their points early are eligible for prizes such as gift vouchers, dinner for two at either Tummies or Spaggo's, an additional weekend's paid leave, or even a year's subscription to Caterer & Hotelkeeper.
A total of 100 points will win the jackpot of a week's holiday in Switzerland. To gain this, managers would have to achieve all their targets over a 10-month period.
Meanwhile, tomorrow, Friday, will be a busy evening at Spaggo's. Some 150 advance bookings have already been taken for Christmas parties and Tammy does not dare accept any more. "If we take too many bookings we end up having to turn away our regulars. It's a question of achieving a balance."
When Spaggo's opened back in February the Mariaux had earmarked the week before Christmas as the time they would hit the 1,000 covers a week barrier. In fact they have been achieving this on a steady basis for the past two months.
Some clever rearranging has given extra seats, increasing capacity to 95 covers - a move that Tammy hopes will pay dividends for New Year's Eve.
Already, bookings are flooding in for Spaggo's first New Year celebrations. It has been decided to divide the evening into three sessions: 6-8pm, "bring the kids"; 8-10pm, "before the party" (to cater for those who are going on somewhere else); and 10pm-1995, "make it a party".
This system was instigated at Tummies last year after several years of one sitting only, and proved highly successful in both achieving a full house and maximising profit potential.
Despite the seasonal rush, marketing continues to receive top priority. It has been decided to alter the marketing of the "lunch-for-a-fiver" menu.
Waiting staff used to ask if customers wanted to take advantage of this special deal, but Tammy had the feeling that this was not well received in all areas.
"We get a lot of business people at lunchtime and we didn't want their guests to feel they were being taken out on a cheap lunch. We will keep the lunch-for-a-fiver menu but just leave it in tent cards on the table."
A visit to the Fast Food Fair in Brighton last month helped the Mariaux make this decision. Some 40 tent card holders were purchased from Barconwood at £1.45 each. Also in the shopping basket went a Magrini baby changing unit at £340.20 and 12 stackable plastic trays for proving dough balls from Baker's Pride at a total cost of £100.76.
High on the shopping list for 1995 are new linked till systems for front and back of house at Spaggo's. Systems currently being considered are Micros and Comtrex. It is hoped that whatever is chosen will be in place by the beginning of March.
The Language Barrier
Back of house at Spaggo's there are communication problems in the kitchen. Tom Glaus, one of the duty chefs who recently arrived from Switzerland, speaks English only at an elementary level. They're managing, but Claude is trying not to fall into the trap of speaking French to him.
A second duty chef who was supposed to join the Mariaux from the Heathrow/Slough Marriott has failed to materialise. It's a problem that infuriates Claude and Tammy but one that occurs all too often.
"You can't believe the excuses people give. I've really heard it all. Sometimes they just don't bother to turn up. Sometimes they say their mother has died. I can't count the time I've wasted on these people," says Tammy.
