If the Auditor Watches Everybody, Who Watches the Auditor….
So, after the last post it is pretty obvious that I am high on auditing as a method for controlling cost in a bar and restaurant environment. And many of you who read this know that I am an auditor in my career, but I have also spent significant time as an in house manager. And the question that I would have as an owner or manager before employing an auditor is; “If the auditor is watching everybody, who is watching the auditor?”
The answer is really quite simple, you as the owner or manager must be the watcher of the auditor, and must question the formulas and methods of his or her work. However, a good auditor welcomes these questions. It is his or her chance to prove the undeniable facts of his or her work. The ownership should be relentless in questioning the auditor and the auditor’s work until he or she is satisfied that the methods being used to deliver the audit statistics are accurate and honest.
A good auditor realizes this. A good auditor also realizes that they are human and welcomes a second set of eyes on his or her work. Often times I will make a mistake in my auditing procedure and have an owner or manager who I trust point the error out to me. When they do I am disappointed in myself for making a mistake, but very happy that I have the opportunity to work with professionals who question my work no matter how awkward it may be for them. It is this type of feedback which helps me improve and helps our organizations improve.
After this I am not going to write about auditing for a while. I don’t want this blog to turn into an advertisement for the services my company provides, but the views of an industry from someone who has been on the inside, the outside, the upside and the downside. All groups are equal here, owners, servers, dishwashers, prep cooks, auditors, vendors, instructors, professionals, lifers, part – timers, seasonals, organizers, and me. We all have our part to do and we all need to recognize the need of the other parts. Everyone seems to agree that when a good or long time restaurant or bar in town shuts that it is bad for the industry as a whole. Cities like Chicago and New Orleans have their share of new and innovative bars and restaurants, but there is also the classics, places like Morton’s or Ruth’s Chris, that have survived, grown and become iconic in our industry. Places that have been blessed with a continuity of ownership and management that lead a great place from generation to generation.
