A Toast for Jon Taffer's "Raise the Bar"

Jon Taffer is star of the popular reality TV series Bar Rescue. Although the initial draw for many might be the way Jon Taffer dresses down bar owners and employees alike, prolonged interest in the show is sustained by his clear understanding of the bar industry and broader management concepts, and his ability to turn businesses around.

As a result his newly published book "Raise the Bar", though clearly focused on the bar business, has plenty to offer as a general business book.
Make no mistake, the book is still entertaining. The same brash style exuded by Jon Taffer on the show comes through on the page. But he makes it clear that his actions are for effect. When he is rude it is because he feels it is the way he needs to get someone's attention.

Which is worth doing, because the message is clear and applicable to many lines of business. Topics that Jon Taffer explores in the book that are worth a read for anyone include:

• Customer experience. Every customer interaction ("reaction" in Jon Taffer's terminoloty) should be a point of attention for management and marketing.  Not just transactions.
• "Four walls marketing" is an example of this in practice. The decor of an establishment, the branding, consistent and pervasive use of logos, all enforce the brand. All aspects of the experience matter.
• Human Resources
• Stressing attitude over experience, Jon Taffer believes process can be taught easily, but fundamental attitudes are changed more slowly or not at all. This is true of any industry.
• Jon Taffer offers a simple exercise for creating desirable employee traits profiles and building job descriptions that match. Again, applicable anywhere.
• The importance of planning and budgeting, especially for launching a new enterrpise, and how to factor in contingencies.
• Process management for consistency and cost control.

I received the book as a holiday gift, and I would recommend it for anyone as a nice mix of both business content and entertaining stories.