Running a Restaurant For Dummies

Why do so many gamblers risk it all when they know the odds of winning are against them? Why do they believe dice are "hot" in a winning streak? Why do we expect heads on a coin toss after several flips have turned up tails? What's Luck Got to Do with It? takes a lively and eye-opening look at the mathematics, history, and psychology of gambling to reveal the most widely held misconceptions about luck. It exposes the hazards of feeling lucky, and uses the mathematics of predictable outcomes to show when our chances of winning are actually good.

Mathematician Joseph Mazur traces the history of gambling from the earliest known archaeological evidence of dice playing among Neolithic peoples to the first systematic mathematical studies of games of chance during the Renaissance, from government-administered lotteries to the glittering seductions of grand casinos, and on to the global economic crisis brought on by financiers' trillion-dollar bets. Using plenty of engaging anecdotes, Mazur explains the mathematics behind gambling--including the laws of probability, statistics, betting against expectations, and the law of large numbers--and describes the psychological and emotional factors that entice people to put their faith in winning that ever-elusive jackpot despite its mathematical improbability.

As entertaining as it is informative, What's Luck Got to Do with It? demonstrates the pervasive nature of our belief in luck and the deceptive psychology of winning and losing.

With Running a Bar for Dummies, you can live your dream of operating your own establishment. This hands-on guide shows you how to maintain a successful bar, manage the business aspect of it, and stake your place in your town’s nightlife. It provides informative tips on:

• Understanding the business and laws of owning a bar
• Developing a business plan
• Creating a menu, choosing décor, and establishing a theme
• Stocking up on equipment
• Choosing and dealing with employees
• Handling tough customers
• Controlling expenses, managing inventory, and controlling cash flow
• Getting the word out about your place
• Preparing for your grand opening, step-by-step

In today's competitive business environment, keeping customers happy is the key to long-term success. But some businesses provide much better customer service than others. It's not always clear what works and what doesn't, and implementing new customer service practices midstream can be a difficult, chaotic task. Business leaders who want to transform their business culture into one of customer service excellence need reliable, proven guidance.

Unleashing Excellence gives you practical tools and step-by-step guidance tailored to your company's individual customer service needs. It shows you how to navigate your teams through every step of the implementation process to achieve true customer service excellence. The book covers the training and education of your group, how to measure the quality of your service, how to build a culture of personal accountability, and how to recognize excellence and reward it. Fully revised to include updated information on the latest tools and best practices, as well as the stories and lessons learned from those organizations that have used the process described in the book.

• Offers proven best practices for designing and implementing an excellent customer service culture
• Simple format divides content into nine "leadership actions" that guide you through a step-by-step process
• Shows you how to build a common customer service vision for your entire organization

Set Your Sights on the Right Target. The bottom line grows from taking care of customers and creating a motivating environment for your people.

Treat Customers the Right Way. Determine the kind of experience you want your customers to have as they interact with every part of the company.

Treat Employees the Right Way. Use strategies ranging from smart hiring to training and development to managing performance and creating a recognition culture.

Build the Right Kind of Leadership. You can't do it all yourself, so let your people put their own brains to work and then support them all the way.