THERE IS WISDOM IN LESSONS LEARNED!

Some years ago JOHN GIRAGOS of JOHN G’s restaurant at the Lake Worth pier was honored honored as the Florida restaurateur of the year. A great honor that he well deserved.

He is an old timer who to this day don’t take credit cards, and not until recently did he install an ATM. Guest without money or a checkbook would mail him a check, and according to his according to his daughter, Wendy, he always got paid because he trusted his guests.
His ‘customer trust account’ has never stopped growing. You may wonder why?

By: Jorgen Moller
Chef-Owner Emeritus

I don’t know if John is more known for his generosity, his community involvement, his consistently good food ( ZAGAT Rated for years) or his line of guests waiting around the building, 7 days a week… all year!
John ‘G’s have served only breakfast and lunch for more than 30 years and don’t even offer a dessert menu in order to turn tables faster. Smaller check averages, yes! Higher turn over, yes! More profit, yes!

The reason for Johns phenomenal success and longevity is that it’s all about family and people.
On Sunday morning for more years than I care to remember, John would “WORK THE LINE IN THE DOOR” by passing out complimentary chocolate covered fresh strawberries to his waiting guests. Shaking hands, kissing the ladies and just schmooze with all his guests waiting in line to get in to his restaurant.
John is a gold medal schmoozer…he created more goodwill on one Sunday morning working the line in the door, than most restaurants do in one year. Watching him in ‘operation’ is a sheer joy!

Last week I arrived for another wonderful lunch with my wife Monica, just before closing at 3:00 PM. We beat the line in the door, and it gave me a welcome opportunity to converse with Wendy, John’s daughter who now runs the store together with her brothers Jay and Keith,
About their dad’s 80th birthday coming up soon.

That she loves her dad very much is obvious looking at the sparkle in her eyes when speaking of him. I have known John since we moved to Delray Beach in 1988 and I thought I knew everything about him. Wendy said to me: “You know Jorgen, my dad was in the dry-cleaning business in Detroit before opening John ‘G’s here in Lake Worth.” Well, that in itself is not so unusual, as everyone in Florida comes from some place else before…But, John’s story is very different…let me share with you a little ‘secrets’ Wendy told me:
She said: “My dad had this dream of moving his family to Florida and raise his family in the restaurant business since he strongly believes that a family who works together will stay together.” Family unity, yes!

“One little problem with this dream of John’s was, that there was a lot dry cleaning businesses in John’s neighborhood in Detroit that was for sale. Only the business with large following were selling to fulfill his dream he had to have the most successful dry cleaning business in town to attract a buyer to pay the high price John needed for him to bring his family to Florida and open a restaurant.”

“Being forever the entrepreneur that John is, he came up with a brilliant marketing plan…
Every day for many years, John would hand ONE $ 20.00 bill attached by a safety pin to the clothes of his dry cleaning customer and tell this person that he found this $ 20.00 bill in the pocket of his/her clothes when they brought it in for him to clean.” The “WORD OF MOUTH’ of his ‘honesty’ in this Detroit neighborhood, where honesty was as rare as the Florida sunshine, enabled him to sell his very successful dry cleaning store for enough money to fulfill his Florida dream.” An institution was born. …and the rest is history!

If you can find a ‘legitimate mistake’ and mail your guest a refund check in a window envelope, your guests will remember you all year and the rest of their life’s. But remember, what “happen in Vegas, stays in Vegas” don’t tell your spouse as they think you are crazy! I have done this myself with extraordinary results = $$$$$
Have fun and enjoy the ride. Jorgen
Jorgen Moller is the Founder and President of Sold Out Tonight Inc. Specializing in proven and tested data base marketing strategies for independent chef-owners-restaurateurs and their guests won.. A past lifetime achievement IVY AWARD winner and a **** Mobil Guide recipient as Chef-Owner of Americas 83rd largest independent in Miami, The Prince Hamlet, Danish Restaurant. His Delray restaurant, ‘Out Of Denmark’ maintained a Top Rating by ZAGAT for five consecutive years w/ $ 7888.00 per sq .ft. in yearly sale. You can reach Jorgen at 561.702.6677 or Jorgen@soldouttonight.com (FYI visit his former rest. website@ www.jorgenmollersr.com )