These are the chapters we hope to include in the book. In the next 12-18 months we will be posting at a rate of about 30-40 pages of content per month.

The Goal is, Ultimately, to have a great book that is so useful and fun to read that even the owners and associates at Zankou Chicken (and many other food establishments) can refer to it over and over again for reference and also for motivation and story (spiritual contentment is as important as the analytical. Remember the windshield method developed by Brian Tracy: left brain right brain, left brain right brain. People seek the analytical as much as the story, the numbers fascinate as much as the metaphysical aspects of business. Both are important; one does not negate the other.

That being said, a lot can change in 18 months. We can expect chapters to be added, sub-chapters to be added, and much to be stripped away. My goal is to have 400+ pages of content by 18 months. And then, after the 18 months are over, to add and take away little at a time. I refuse to launch a book that is less than 350 pages. I expect about 50 pages or so to be stripped away, but I also expect last minute, important content to be added as well as more than a few celebrity endorsements and interviews to be included in the book, much to our delight and to the delight of the readers. I expect no less than to exceed all readers’ and our own expectations for this book. Like I said I want it to be as useful and fun to read as it is exciting, analytical, and resourceful both for restaurant owners, students, and the general public that is curious about our industry.

Here are the subjects I hope to include as of August, 2014. They are not in any order (totally random). The blog posts are meant to be small chapters within each chapter that will later be expanded, edited, and made into the book. Obviously I am writing the chapters as we go along so the further we go the more convoluted it will seem on this page. It will all be better organized later.

1) Employee Training manual creation

2) Customer Service and Exceeding Expectations

3) CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

4) Getting Funding for your new Restaurant

5) Combating Youth Obesity

a) America’s Obesity problem; the abundance of food alongside the malnutrition of our youth, a study in contradiction. State reasons why, and solution to the problem. Post many solutions that are not focused ONLY on our restaurants. Should involve schools, their lunch program, and youth education on what to eat at home; leading by example.

6) Leadership: the 12 styles of Leadership. Which is best for the restaurant industry? Are we all a mix of one or two styles? Which is best? Which is best suited for your personality and how to find out?

a) include possible personality test

b) Link to 3rd party personality test profiles

c) include possible coupon to use online and get results of the test for your own leadership needs

7) Management and how to lead your managers in order to allow for growth.

8) How to motivate teammates, management, and employees.

9) How to motivate customers to spend, and spend more.

10) How to generate the best advertising of all time: Word of Mouth

11) How to create a Business Plan

a) the elements of a great business plan

b) How to conduct meetings and determine the business plan without fighting

c) the use of a professional meeting coordinator and where to find one

d) How to maintain the business Plan, making it a living and breathing part of the organization for ages to come

12) Strategic Marketing

13) Location Location Location:

a) How to Negotiate the best lease

b) The legalities of the lease (conduct real estate lawyer interview) for this sub-chapter

c) How to write an exit strategy for when things go sour (and sometimes they do)

14) Ethical Sourcing

a) why fresh from the farm is important

b) why not using a freezer or microwave is important

c) why the ethical treatment of animals is important for the health and well-being of customers

15) Risks and rewards in the Training of employees

a) why booth are important

b) Industrial studies conducted by Harvard Business Review on how to incorporate rewards and punishment; what works and what doesn’t

c) why simply watching and conversing with employees daily can bring about positive results.

16) How to set up the business

a) sole proprietor

b) partnership

c) corporation which is best for you? Pluses and minuses listed of each

17) Social media marketing done right for your restaurants

a) Instagram

b) Pinterest

c) Email Marketing

d) Linked IN and its uses for employers and employees finding jobs in the restaurant industry

18) Facebook and the importance of having a great business page for your restaurant

19) Twitter and why talking to your customers all the time is so important

20) Sales and Advertising

a) what works and what doesn’t

b) the use of direct marketing campaigns

c) the use of coupons and its psychological value to customers

d) Billboards; the can’t ignore form of advertising

e) Television ads: the 1980’s method that never gets old

f) The use of TV spots and IN-MOvie advertising done on the Big screen and television series; these are subliminal advertising that can’t be ignored. Mention that old case where it was once banned by the US government to use visually placed “one-frame” ads on television; talk about how we still do this, why it’s legal, and why it works

18) Personal experiences and information from the Family

a) interview with family members over the course of 18 months; usually one member for each month and typically 1-2 interviews each

19) Strategic marketing (interview Vartkes)

20) Food and the importance of cooking it just right (Interview with Steve)

a) spices

b) recipes

c) the importance of experimentation

d) operations in the kitchen

e) how to not overcook the kabob

f) what makes a perfectly roasted chicken?

21) How to create a employee Handbook; also, how to create a Rule book besides the handbook that is not just about legal stuff; how to make it so useful we would WANT to use it all the time; making it a perfect reference and guide

a) rules

b) cooking temperatures

c) recipes

d) mediation clause

e) expectations and guidelines

f) ways to legally protect the owner

22) Yelp and its importance

a) the Yin and Yang of Yelp

b) why people are spiritually drawn to leave reviews on Yelp

c) It’s importance to restaurants as a landing page and leading page

d) how to “game” their review system

e) how to unblock positive reviews

 

23) The 4 P’s of Marketing (research and see what they are now calling the 7 P’s)

24) Strategic Marketing (Vartkes Interview)

25) The Food (Steve’s Interview)

26) The Facebook Business Page (Interview someone from Facebook)

27) How to Attract and Keep the best Employees

Human Resources interview an expert (conduct interview with Ara for later use as well; he has to be included in the book)

28) Advertising and why it’s different from Marketing

29) The importance of having the best Location possible (Glenoaks story)

30) Ethical Sourcing

31) Information is NOT free(good information…this should be prelude and before chapter 1)

32) Showing up is NOT 80% of success

 

33) Negotiating 101: A few Negotiation tactics to use on suppliers and others before signing any contract or business deal.

a) Do your homework

b) Know your cards and your position in the game; have and maintain a strategy from the first move

c) Always be willing to walk away; if you are unable to walk away you must at the minimum project the ability to be able to walk away

d) Negotiate as if it’s a game; because it is

e) Negotiate as if you are working for someone else, with no chips in play

f) Know how to give and take; guard positions, and strike when the moment arrives just like in chess

 

33) Twitter and the importance of maintaining a lively conversation to customers; how to listen in on conversations ALREADY happening about your brand on Twitter

• Ethical sourcing

 

• The importance of having the highest quality raw materials

 

• Information is not free

 

Cheap information is free. Valuable information is expensive, secretive, and hard to acquire.

It takes time, energy, and execution in order to obtain and act on valuable information.

 

• The customer is not always right

 

• Showing up is not 80% of success

34) Interview with mom (Rita Iskenderian). Her take on the family story, the family business, and what happened.

Her take on top 3 tips Families can do to stay together and work effectively together.

 

Her 3 tips on what NOT to do. Incorporate this into the family tragedy story as well, and make the rest it’s own chapter and title it by Rita Iskenderian

 

35) References

36) Recommended Reading (a list of the top 20 books we both love and have used during the creation of this book). They don’t necessarily have o be about the restaurant industry.

Also, we may include a few poetic books and a few books in fiction that can somehow help a business person navigate the ship through rough waters.

 

37) A Chapter on additional motivational quotes, arranged by order of category, such as the best quotes on teamwork, the best quotes on leadership, the best quotes about the quality of food and how important food is in our lives, etc

 

38) ADA compliance and its importance: How to avoid expensive penalties.

 

39) Health Code compliance: Thinking ahead and avoiding headaches : Why You should never get less than an A

 

40) How to set up an Advisory Board. Top 10 to do and top 10 not to do.

 

41) Food Photography: How to make Food looks Delicious and Make people Salivate

 

42) Video killed the radio star: How to make and market Viral Videos to help spread the word about your Restaurant and why radio ads won’t work anymore

 

43) Direct Marketing: Get them where they live.