MANAGING
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11 March 2023 at 09 : 14 AM
Dear Landlord
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS BY CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Bussiness Coach My restaurant in the quietish town of New Milford, Connecticut, is in a non-remarkable location. An upscale Greek/Mediterranean concept in a small town where the demographics are a challenge, I’m tucked away in the far corner of a supermarket plaza. Everyone within two towns knows ...
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11 February 2023 at 06 : 00 AM
We’re Not in the Business of “No”
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N.KOLITSAS Business Coach As restaurant managers, we are in the business of “yes.” Yes, we can make those fries extra crispy; yes, you can sit in the booth by the window; yes, we can seat you an hour later than your reservation time; yes, we can bring your takeout order out to you in the parking lot. And ...
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15 January 2023 at 12 : 51 PM
First, the Food
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Business Coach It’s getting harder and harder to operate a restaurant these days. There’s so much coming at us and from all different directions that it’s easy to lose focus on the things that are the most important. And when you’ve been doing it for a very long time, even the obvious can ...
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13 December 2022 at 09 : 09 AM
Lessons from My Father
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N.KOLITSAS Business Coach The dynamics of a father-son relationships are always complicated; even more so, I would argue, within a Greek-American family. When the father is born in Greece, and the son in America, the dynamics become even more complex. In my case, it wasn’t always easy for a son whose ...
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9 November 2022 at 11 : 56 AM
Desperate Times
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Business Coach These are strange times for the restaurant industry, some might even say desperate times: Labor costs are through the roof (and the same goes for food costs); gas prices and escalating inflation have consumers skittish about spending; and the supply chain is schizophrenic, with ...
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11 October 2022 at 15 : 00 PM
Bank on This
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Business Coach In this month’s column I’m going to take a detour to relay an experience I had outside the restaurant but has some obvious connections to business and serves as a cautionary tale. I was on my way to work the other morning when I received an email from Bank of America. I’m ...
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7 September 2022 at 09 : 00 AM
Ten Aphorisms to Manage By
By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS, Business Coach Walking on Earth for close to six decades, and spending nearly five in one particular business (from age 11), gives a person what we’ll politely call “perspective.” In my capacity as a business coach and mentor, I’ve grown accustomed to distilling much of that perspective into sets of aphorisms that my ...
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8 August 2022 at 14 : 15 PM
Time to Sing a Different Song
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N.KOLITSAS Business Coach For this month’s column, I thought I would review a new song by one of America’s highest earning recording artists. So, you’re asking yourself: What does a restaurateur/ restaurant consultant have to say about a pop song? Well, when the song is Beyoncé’s newest release, ...
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9 July 2022 at 10 : 28 AM
Menu Workarounds
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Business Coach If there’s one thing that running a business in the age of Covid has taught us is to find workarounds when the normal route is disrupted. And as you all know, disruptions these days come in many shapes, sizes, colors and flavors. Take today, for example. I got a call from my ...
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11 June 2022 at 10 : 16 AM
Note to Self
MANAGING FOR SUCCESS By CONSTANTINE N. KOLITSAS Business Coach Dear Me, You are a dinosaur. You’re almost 60, working in an industry where most of the managers under you are two decades younger. Your staff is for the most part less than half your age. These are people who don’t share any of your experiences that you had growing up; ...
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