There's plenty of room for all God's creatures...

Dinner at Kelsey's Restaurant, Kanata

I go on and on about my quest for the world's best burger to anyone who will listen, which inevitably leads to recommendations. Now my own guidelines are simple - the restaurant must be primarily about burgers - it must be the main item on the menu. The fries are an important part of the burger meal no matter what Men's Health says. That's it.

Burgers aren't the main item on the menu at Kelsey's, however since the Peppercorn burger has been recommended to me on several occasions, I thought I'd check it out.

I was almost apologetic when I suggested Kelsey's to my friend as we chose a place for lunch. I don't go often because in the past I have found it unmemorable. Not this time.

Good - actually the burger was good. Kelsey's is advertising their new sirloin burgers and the meat is quite tasty. The presentation is good with shredded lettuce and tomato slices on the side. The bun was fresh and toasted. I'd try a burger again, but probably not the Peppercorn as it was difficult to carry on a conversation as we were constantly reaching for our beverages to counter effect the pepper. I'm looking forward to other items on the menu next time.

Great - the service! I can't say enough about it; it was textbook. Stacey was prompt and attentive and made some great 'upgrade' suggestions throughout the meal - gravy for the fries, a specific appetizer to share, dessert, coffee... We only took her up on the coffee, and she was right, it is good coffee. Stacey was properly relaxed but not overly casual. She presented the bill with a handwritten thank you card asking us to go the Kelsey's website to rate the service. I will for sure. When was the last time you received a handwritten thank you note from your server? WOW. Even if this is just part of a service program, Stacey has embraced it and made it very personal. She used my name when she returned my credit card!

Kelsey's has risen to the challenge of providing the "Cheers"-like experience their commercials promise; no small feat.

Room for Growth - the fries. I wish they'd been piping hot - they were warm, almost at the "send them back" threshold, but not quite. I should probably be having soup or salad anyway, but having the fries at Kelsey's is not a bad choice because they don't heap 'em up, just a moderate and reasonable serving size.

Will I come back? Oh yeah! The food is always good at Kelsey's but the service in the past has been inconsistent. At Kelsey's in Kanata it was fantastic from the front door greeting to the final farewell. You could videotape Stacey's service from start to finish and present it to all restaurant servers as a flawless "how to".

Lewenza and Mayor Eddie Exchange Pleasantries

You're not officially the Mayor of Windsor until the head of the CAW tellls you to "F-off!" That happened just last week to Mayor Eddie Francis, who promptly showed Ken Lewenza the door.

Relax Eddie. That was just Kenny-speak for "I'm here to broker a deal in the 7-week strike between CUPE workers and the city, and I take you very seriously."

It's simple. When Ken Lewenza tells you to "f-off", you return the greeting, hug it out, get down to business and go for a beer together after you get it all worked out.

You're Fired

You know, there’s something to be said for the way Donald Trump does it on the Apprentice every week. 

A team messes up and comes in second place.  The leader is asked to account for what happened.  If the leader can’t make a great case for why their subordinate is to blame in spite of development, direction and delegation, then logically the leader is to blame.  

The failure may be due to a lack of development – the subordinate isn’t ready for responsibility.  It may be due to lack of direction or relevant supervision or follow up – the subordinate doesn’t know the plan or doesn't know he doesn't know.  In the worst case, it may be due to a lack of delegation – the micromanager who just can’t let go.  Or too much delegation too soon - the macromanager who needs to get a grip.

In real life and beyond extenuating circumstances you get a second chance and a third chance.  However, if a pattern of failure is evident, sooner rather than later somebody needs to hear the words “you’re fired”.  The leader, after exhausting all reasonable options, either says it or hears it. 

It’s not personal, it’s just business.

Legendary Leadership

Behind the leader's back there is a culture he or she has created and the stories are told and retold of things he's said, things she's done. No amount of coaxing, cajoling, threatening or bribing on the boss's part could ever get those stories told to his or her face.  If you're the boss, you'll never really know what people are saying about you when you're not around.

If you have been an amazing leader, like a lady I once reported to, the legends speak of compassion, vision, determination and fairness.

Sometimes the stories are not so kind. You might be surprised which of your behaviours your subordinates least respect.  You might be surprised to learn what they notice, which of your behaviours they model and which they wouldn't touch if you paid them.

It seems to me that one way to succeed in leadership of people or to be a sales or service leader might be to ask yourself what kind of stories you want told behind your back, and then govern your behaviour to fashion the tale.

Do you want to be known for your integrity and loyalty?   Want your team to be people with a good balance of priorities?    Want truth and conviction in the workplace, a commitment to excellence and top-of-mind customer awareness?  Do you want your company to succeed?  

Be the servant leader who demonstrates daily what the company values really mean.  Have lunch in the company cafeteria and fly coach.  Be loyal to your spouse and to your family.  Go home when the job is done, turn off the Blackberry and spend some time with your family and friends.  Volunteer in the community with a cause you really care about, not necessarily the glamorous cause-du-jour.  Skip the galas and the fundraisers and roll up your sleeves even when the cameras aren't present.

We notice.  We'll follow you anywhere.

South St. Burger Co.

Still on the quest for the world's best burger... (as if that's my place to say)

I have eaten at South Street Burger Co. probably 8 times in the last two years as I continue to seek my favourite burger. This one has a lot going for it, which is why I keep coming back. It's really good, but what stops me from declaring it my favourite?

1. If I did, I'd have to take up a new hobby.
2. And, there's room for improvement. But that's just my opinion - you should check it out yourself; you won't be sorry you did.

I really want South St. to be the most amazing burger experience ever. It has a lot going for it, probably because of the drive and business savvy of Jay Gould of New York Fries fame. The burger is fresh and free from all fillers, antibiotics and other stuff. There are no heat lamps. The 1/3 pound burger is served on your choice of toasted white or whole wheat bun. The topping choice is simple, but it is your choice. Everything is made right in front of you, pretty quickly. They have a cool combo set-up - just choose a burger, fries and a beverage and they'll take a buck off the cumulative total and call it a combo.

Good: The burger itself, the toppings, the fresh bun. It's just fine, but not memorable. I wonder if it is deliberate that it's not seasoned in any way I can taste. If so, I think that might be a mistake. The right seasoning could set this experience apart.



Great: The fries of course. You can't have a great burger without great fries, and New York fries come with this burger.

Room for Growth: A little more attitude. The decor is funky and secure with itself, the restaurant is spotless and the flow from cash register to assembly to presentation works just fine. But apart from the classic rock playing softly through overhead speakers, I can't find the "oomph" that makes this experience fun and different. I'm not suggesting they emulate Licks with all that singing and yelling, but they could turn up the tunes and have some interaction with the patrons other than the topping conversation. Don't get me wrong, the staff are friendly and polite, but not outgoing. If they're allowed to smile most of them haven't gotten the memo.

Would I come back? As it stands, South St. is an upscale Harvey's. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't think that was the goal. Yeah, I come back but I haven't recommended it. If South St. Burger Co. took it up several notches in the energy department, I'd bring friends and family with me next time and every time!

Fake Grass

The entrance to our city has long been an eyesore, and our Parks and Rec people have undertaken in the last few years to do something about it.

That's fake grass, and it's not going well with some residents of the city. I think it's a big improvement over what was there before.

A scene like this is what we're faced with everywhere else in the city since the outside workers walked off the job.

Milestones Dixon Road Toronto

I had the pleasure of dining at Milestones on Dixon Road in Toronto last week. I was in town for a quick trip with meetings out near the airport. I arrived hungry and looking for a decent meal.

Milestones is a step up from Kelsey’s, but not a big step. The meal was worth the money I paid, and the atmosphere was upscale roadhouse friendly. The greeting was friendly but not outgoing or conversational. She wasn’t a natural hostess, and a little effort could have taken it past a pleasant acknowledgment of my presence to a welcoming invitation to dinner.

Good – the steak and shrimp special was quite nice. It was cooked a little on the rarer side of medium-rare, but I’m just not that fussy. The shrimp was a bit of a disappointment. Six medium-small shelled shrimp broiled and placed on top of the steak. This would have been a real wow if it were two jumbo shrimp, tail on, grilled. Then again this is upscale roadhouse, not casual fine dining.

Great – friendly service from the bartender, efficient and pleasant. He knew his menu and suggested the special, which really helped him establish himself as knowledgeable committed to a great experience. Not to overstate the potential, but his enthusiastic recommendation of a good special got him the extra sale of a fantastic decaf Cappucino at the end of the meal. The higher the bill, the higher the tip.

Room to Grow? He didn’t know his wines. I asked for a recommendation with my meal and he brought in another server to make a suggestion – which was GREAT! The room to grow is that she didn’t tell me what she had selected, and I had to ask. The bartender could really take it up a notch by knowing his wines, suggesting a good one, telling me what he selected and why, and establishing himself as a trusted expert. Follow up with an invitation to come back next time I’m out by the airport and I’d definitely make a point of it.

Would I come back? Yes, the meal was good on two different visits to Milestones. Service was outstanding in London, average (with the potential for great) on this occasion.

I Ain't Complainin'

I wanted to tell you about the “Complaint Free World” seminar that some friends and I attended together.  

Will Bowen, a Pastor at one of those new-age churches came up with the idea while preparing a sermon.  The plan was to get everyone to wear a rubber band on one wrist, and every time they verbally complain switch it to the other wrist.  He figures that if one can go 21 days without switching you will have formed a habit of not complaining and be a nicer person because of it. 

Actually, it’s quite fun to try and he gave good examples of the difference between complaining and stating the facts.  If you tell the waiter your soup is cold, it ain't complaining, it's stating a fact.  If you tell your dinner partner but not the waiter, you're complaining. 

My only criticism of Will Bowen is that he left the religion out of it.  I know he has to in order to speak to so many people and get buy in, but couldn’t he at least attribute his source?  Presumably if the idea came to him as he prepared for a sermon, surely it was inspired by scripture.  I sure hope so, because if it wasn’t then the whole point of the Sunday sermon was missed. 

These are the thoughts I gleaned from his lecture, then.  

First, I really am working on not complaining thanks to the method he teaches.  Secondly, though, is that when one preaches no matter how brilliant an idea he might have, if independent of God it can’t help but fall short.

So today I turned 50

The Top 50 Coolest Things about turning 50

50 to 11 are all variations on the same theme - "it's better than the alternative."  I may not be 6 feet above ground level, but neither am I 6 feet under.  Here's the other reasons I'm feeling pretty good today:

10.  Good health.  I'm in good shape.  I did 50 pushups this morning just for fun.

 

9.  Most of the people I hang out with socially think I'm just a kid (in comparison).

8.  People over 50 get it when I tell them our three kids are named Vera, Chuck and Dave.  One of my kids gets it, too.

7.  If you're 50 plus you've probably seen original episodes of The Brady Bunch, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Batman and Lost in Space.

6.  The Mayor of my city, the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States are all younger than me.  

4.  At this point my future boss at Wal-Mart has already been born.  And someday I'm going to be the best damned Greeter that place has ever seen!

5.  Hawaii celebrates its 50th year as a state this year.  Coincidence?  Yes.  

4.  I've been married for more than half my life.  The better half.  

3.  When my kids did essays and projects on Kennedy or Trudeau or JPII, I had personal insights to share.  And they'll have Obama...

2.  The ladies in the Catholic Women's League think I'm a nice young man.

1.  They're right.