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• August 29, 2008
GPS System Helps UL Go Green
We have just recently introduced a new GPS system into our system to help manage our routes more efficiently and minimize the impact our fleet has on the environment.
With the GPS system in place, we have the ability to gain more information regarding where our trucks are running (routing efficiency) and how our trucks are running (fuel/maintenance efficiency). With this information, we will be able to run our routes better, burn less fuel, and spend less money.
Although we have gone to considerable expense to upgrade our fleet with a new GPS system, we believe our customers will see the value in reducing the contact our fleet will have with the environment, both now and for future generations.
• August 28, 2008
A Social Network for Cooks
There is a very interesting social network for chefs/cooks called CookEatShare. Here is a one-sentence overview of what this social network is all about..."CookEatShare is about discovering and sharing the best recipes with chefs and food lovers from around the world."
• August 27, 2008
What's Up With Underground Restaurants
The New York Times recently ran a story about the growing popularity of restaurants opening up under the Health Dept's radar. Click here to read Melena Ryzik's story. You can also view a slideshow called "A Day In The Country" about the fieldtrip one New York dining club (A Razor, A Shiny Knife) took to a farm called Cold Brook Farms.
It's interesting to see how people are turning their small dinner parties into all out dining experiences.
• August 15, 2008
Labor Day Holiday Coming Up/Delivery Schedules Announced
Does it seem like summer is almost over?! Is time going by faster and faster or is it just me? Can you remember when school didn't start until AFTER Labor Day?
Oh well...speaking of Labor Day and the passing of time, it's time to once again update you, my linen friend, of the upcoming change in delivery schedule.
Since we will be closed on Labor Day, Sept 1st (Monday) our delivery schedules will be adjusted to accommodate the holiday. Below is a list of the changes in our delivery schedule. This list pertains to most, but not all our customers. To find out what your route number is, you can find it on your invoice in the upper right-hand corner of your invoice.
I've tried to make this as clear as possible, but if you need clarification regarding your delivery schedule, or any other question, please feel free to give us a call (800) 259-6808.
Monday - if you receive a delivery on Monday, we'll see you on Tuesday.
Tuesday - if you are on route 1, 9, 10, 11, 15, 17, 19, 32, 36, 38, 39, 50 or 51 you will receive your delivery on Wednesday.
Wednesday - if you are on route 11, 17, 19, 32, 36, or 38 you will receive your delivery on Thursday.
Thursday & Friday - delivery schedules are back to normal.
Thanks for your patience and understanding as we go through this and all other holidays. Have a great Labor Day holiday and tell those kids to get that homework done! :-)
• August 8, 2008
Life Is Short, Eat Dessert First!
This is an idea I have had for a long time and it struck me at lunch today, after being asked the same question almost all wait staff ask after you've had lunch of dinner, "Did yo leave any room for desert?" that maybe I should write about this concept and see what others think. And since a large part of our businesses are in the restaurant industry, maybe this will help someone make more money.
OK, here it goes. Why do waiters and waitresses always wait for the end of the meal to ask "Have you saved room for desert?" of course we haven't. Who does? I'll bet desert orders are way down at the bottom of a restaurant's revenue.
However, what if the waiter/waitress asked for the desert order at the beginning of the meal? What would happen then? Would their percentage of desert orders go up? Here's what I'm thinking. Ask for the desert order along with the appetizers and main course when the person has come in, sat down and is HUNGRY! I've got to believe that the orders for deserts would go up when you catch a patron at their hungriest point. Put very simply, the dialogue might go something like this,
"May I take your order?"
"Yeah I'll have some of this and this."
"Great. Would you like to start the meal off with some fried mushrooms or calamarie?" (get that appetizer order in)
"Yeah, I'll take some fried mushrooms."
"And to top it all off, would you like to try a soft strawberry cheesecake or a sliver of zesty Key Lime pie?" (totally assuming the sale)
You ask for the drink order, appetizer and dinner order and then the desert order.
It's a guarantee if a waitress or waiter waits till the end of the meal to see if I have "left any room for desert," I'm too full and can't even comprehend the thought of eating desert. But if you get me at the beginning fo the meal, I might just go for it.
What do you think? Is this a good idea for raising the percentage of desert orders?
• August 1, 2008
What's Your Yelp Strategy?
Have you heard of Yelp? I'm sure you have. If you haven't, it's a somewhat new site people can go to rate businesses, restaurants in particular. Yelpers are popping up all over the U.S. They go out to eat, come back home, go to Yelp.com and write about their experience at the restaurant. It's a simple concept on the outside, but it is having a profound impact on restaurateurs and how they interact with their customers. On the surface it sounds like a great idea. Taking customer service into your own hands! If you like...great. If not, I'm going to tell you and the entire world about it.
But here's the problem. What do you do if you've got a patron that blasts your restaurant? What are you going to do? Is there anything you can do? Restaurant owners are asking themselves these questions and coming up with their own Yelp strategy. Some are offering upset customers a chance to come back and try the restaurant out again in hopes of righting the wrong supposedly committed the first time the customer showed up. Some are doing nothing, but they are keeping a close eye on Yelp to see if anything pops up.
The food service/hospitality industry works hard to make sure the customer experiences the restaurant in the manner the proprietor intended. And any feedback you can get to correct problems and fix mistakes is always welcome, whether or not it's hard to hear. My problem with Yelp is the ability for anyone to leave a bogus review anonymously. If you're going to leave a review of any kind, at least leave your name and stand behind your opinion. To leave reviews anonymously, especially those that are tough, is a bit cowardly in my book. I'm not saying there aren't some restaurants that shouldn't be lambasted for their lack of attention or upbraided for horrendously poor food. But if you're going to lay it out there in Yelp for everyone to see, sign your name, stand behind it and hope the restaurant takes care of the problem.
And you restaurant owners? Do you have a plan to win the Yelpers and gain good ratings? What if they point out something that went wrong? Do you have a strategy in place to improve the situation?
It looks like Yelp is here to stay. How do you plan on dealing with it?
• June 27, 2008
Finding Those Things
The other day my son was at Karate practice. He had been experiencing lackluster results during his sparing exercises over the last month or so. The instructor recognized the problem as a lack of focus and instructed the young black belt to "kiap" (yelp) during each move against his opponent. When he incorporated this tactic, he said he discovered the energy to help with his focus and concentration, which in turn helped him become forceful and more aggressive. Afterwards he was telling me how much better he felt about himself and his sparing skills. His kiap helped him get into the zone.
If you're like most of our customers, you're looking for that competitive advantage to help you stay on top and keep your customers satisfied. With the economy tightening up, you're probably experiencing less tips and fewer customers driving to your place of business. What to do?
One thing you can do to find your "Kiap" is to improve your body language. It's a proven fact that if you'll adjust your posture, it helps with your mental attitude and helps project a positive more confident image to your staff and your customers. Waiters and waitresses projecting the right image can make the customer feel more welcome and at ease. Confidence, competent staff can do wonders for the customer service aspect of your business. And correct posture comes across in your voice, your eyes and your overall image.
To help yourself stay in the moment, practice better body language techniques and listen to the cash register ring. For more information about better nonverbal communication, check out The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work by Carol Kinsey Goman.
• June 23, 2008
4th of July Holiday Schedules
It's that time of year again.
Holiday schedules are right around the corner.
To find out if your delivery will be adjusted next week due to the 4th of Juloy holiday, check the back of this week's invoices for Holiday Schedules. If your account's delivery schedule is affected, you'll find a notice on the back of this week's invoices.
If you have any questions or need further information, please call us at 1-800-259-6808 or you can contact us via email.
• June 20, 2008
Weak Economy, Strong Opportunities
Today I'm going to point you to a great article on Drew McLellan's Marketing Minute blog, written by guest blogger Johnathan Munk. Some great points regarding how to look at the opportunites that lie within a weak economy.
• May 23, 2008
Birds of a Feather
Getting together with like-minded colleagues and opening yourself up to their perspective where you and your business is concerned is important if you expect to grow personally and professionally.
It's important to join trade organizations for a variety of reasons:
1. It helps you see things from others perspective.
2. It allows you to give back and impart your experience and wisdom to others.
3. You'll almost always uncover a nugget that makes the whole meeting worth attending.
4. Its helpful to realize you aren't the only one. There's something therapeutic knowing are not alone in the challenges you face. You'll usually find that others are fighting the same battles and some have overcome those battles and are willing to share their experiences with you.
5. You may discover a topic, concept, product/service you never knew existed.
For those in the restaurant business, groups like the Oklahoma Restaurant Assoc are a great place to start developing professional relationships. And if you can't find an association to join, why not start your own?
• May 9, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!
Mother's Day is one of the largest go-out-to-eat days in the restaurant business, right next to Valentine's Day. It's going to be a crazy weekend what with all the families taking their Mom's out for a nice dinner away from the house. And Moms deserve it..they put up with and do alot of the things that would not get done if not for a Mother. You know you're a Mom when...
1. Your feet stick to grape jelly on the kitchen floor...and you don't care.
2. Your favorite television show is a cartoon.
3. Spit is your number one cleaning agent.
4. You're so desperate for adult conversation that you spill
your guts to the telemarketer that calls and HE hangs up on YOU!
5. You're up each night until 11 PM vacuuming, dusting, wiping,
washing, drying, loading, unloading, shopping, cooking,
driving, flushing, ironing, sweeping, picking up, changing
sheets, changing diapers, bathing, helping with homework,
paying bills, budgeting, clipping coupons, folding clothes,
putting to bed, dragging out of bed, brushing, chasing,
buckling, feeding (them, NOT you), PLUS swinging, playing
baseball, bike riding, pushing trucks, cuddling dolls,
rollerblading, basketball, football, catch, bubbles,
sprinklers, slides, nature walks, coloring, crafts, jumping
rope, PLUS raking, trimming, planting, edging, mowing,
gardening, painting, and walking the dog. You get up at
5:30 AM and you have no time to eat, sleep, drink or go
to the bathroom, and yet ... you still managed to gain 10 pounds.
Although funny, all these points are very true. It takes a special someone to be a Mom. Thanks Mom! We love you!!
• May 2, 2008
Trying Something New
Starting this week, we are trying a new concept of advertising on our trucks. For the longest time we have realized that the best advertising is our trucks. They're big, the logo's bold and they are all over the streets and highways of Oklahoma, NW Arknsas and SE Kansas.
Then we started looking at what other companies do with their trucks and the types of graphics material is being used. Southwest Airlines has always been a leader in eye-catching design where their planes are concerned.
So with these things in mind, we partnered with the Price Tower Arts Center and placed a billboard-sized graphic on the side of the truck. The graphic promotes Price Tower Arts Center's "SETTING THE TABLE: DESIGNES IN MID-CENTURY DINNERWARE." The signage looks really nice and my hat's off to the Price Tower Arts Center for trying something new and different to promote their exhibits.
Not only will placing a new design on one of our trucks draw attention to our trucks, but it will help us promote a local event that reflects the types of business we're in.
Is there something you could do that is innovative to promote you and your business? Can you allow yourself to think outside of the box or allow those around you to help you see opportunites that you might have overlooked?
• April 21, 2008
Sponsoring Price Tower Arts Center's SETTING THE TABLE exhibit
We have the distinct privilege of being the presenting sponsor for the Price Tower Arts Center's SETTING THE TABLE: DESIGNS IN MID-CENTURY DINNERWARE.
This exhibit is a study in the changing dining environment of Americans from the 1940s-1960s.
For more information regarding this unique look into American culture, click here.
• April 18, 2008
Staying Innovative
This last week, United Linen & Uniform Services attended the Oklahoma Restaurant Assoc's tradeshow in Oklahoma City. Looking back over this last ORA tradeshow, it was one of the most enjoyable ORA tradeshows in recent memory. The traffic was good, we had plenty of man-power, won Judge's Choice for our category for the 2nd year in a row, got some good leads, made some good contacts and reinforced our position in the marketplace with the ORA and with our customers.
One of the things that helped us win the Judge's Choice Award again this year is our innovative approach to problem-solving. We were able to draw creativity from the obvious and not so obvious people. Different depts. were able to work together, listen to each other and collaborate. People interacted, shared ideas, listened to one another, shared in the glory and were prepared to go down together. "One for all and all for one."
Because of our past success at the tradeshow one of the challenges facing us next year will be a tendency toward complacen...a feeling that we've got it all figured out. We need to stay on the alert, get over ourselves and continue to see things in new ways.
I read an interesting interview with Brad Bird of Pixar (director of THE INCREDIBLES and RATATOUILLE) in The McKinsey Quarterly and found some interesting thoughts he has on how to stay innovative.
1. Realize ideas can come from the most unlikely places
2. Take the "it has to be perfect" aspect out of the equation
3. Attract people on our team who are passionately involved and willing to drop their drawers and speak their mind. We need people to challenge ideas
4. Don't try to protect your success - Do something that scares the heck out of you...something that we might fail at.
5. Encourage inter-disciplinary learning. United University?
6. Get rid of weak links - people who pick things apart privately but who won't speak up publicly.
7. Interaction = Innovation - encourage employees to interact with each other, bump into each other in the hall, do stuff together.
8. Keep morale high - you get more for your money from employees who are enjoying what they are doing versus those that don't.
9. Innovation doesn't happen in a vacuum - As individual employees, we all have different strengths and weaknesses, but if we can interconnect all our strengths, we are collectively the greatest linen and uniform service-provider on earth.
How does your company stay innovative? What systems do you have in place to ensure you continue to see things in new ways?
For pictures of the United Linen's booth at the ORA tradeshow, click here.
View 2008 ORA tradeshow video.
• April 4, 2008
Transparency
This is the fourth of a 4-part series covering the various parts of United Linen's core values. The purpose of this study of United Linen's core values is to help employees and customers alike have a better understanding the principles that shape United Linen.
Transparency is the last but not least of the values that make up United Linen's core values. Being transparent means being open and forthcoming with in all of our business practices. Aside from protecting the privacy of our employees and the sensitive nature of strategy development and business planning, United Linen's goal is to be clear in our expectation of our employees/customers and clear in what the employees/customers can expect from us.
Operating under a veil of secrecy breeds an environment of mistrust. Being transparent means opening up to our customers and inviting them to an ongoing conversation with your company. It means I can see you and you can see me. When we are transparent, people get to see the real us on our good days and on our bad days. Being the Wizard of Oz was great for a storybook, but bad for business. Regardless of how hard you try to cover stuff up, customers and employees know what's going on in your business. Communication tools make it easier than ever for customers to share information about their experience with your business and to announce to the world which of your products work and which ones do not.
We believe it is better to communicate clearly, stand behind the products and services we provide and be the first to admit when something goes wrong. While operating in a transparent manner can seem scary at times, it ultimately allows you to relax and enjoy the job you do. It helps you sleep much better at night.
• March 28, 2008
"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisom." Thomas Jefferson
This is the third of a 4-part series covering the various parts of United Linen's core values. The purpose of this study of United Linen's core values is to help employees and customers alike have a better understanding of the principles that shape United Linen.
The value of honesty is one that shows up in all areas of United Linen's business. We are continually practicing a straightforward and fair approach to our employees and our customers. The burden is on us every day as a company to work hard, work smart and do good work. Honesty comes through in the products we carry and the services we provide. Customers trust that we show up with well-working, long lasting products. But if our products are defective, or do not perform to our quality standards, then what we said would happen versus what actually happens is two different things. How is that you might ask? If our products don't work, the experience of working with a defective product goes counter to what the salesperson said about how great the product or service would be.
Honesty also comes through in our services such as delivery and invoicing. Customers place a tremendous amount of trust in our route drivers to deliver what is outlined on the invoice.
As you can see, honesty shows up in all areas of our business and is an important part of who we are and what we do.
• March 21, 2008
"When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality." Joe Paterno
This is the second of a 4-part series covering the various parts of United Linen's core values. The purpose of this study of United Linen's core values is to help employees and customers alike have a better understanding the principles that shape United Linen.
The second core value of United Linen is teamwork. There is no way we as a company could ever have gotten where we are today if it was not for the effort put forth by the company's employees with a single focus. There have been several memorable examples in recent years of teamwork pushing United Linen up to a whole new level. When we acquired the linen business in Oklahoma City, everyone leaned into the work and made it a success. I am reminded of the extra effort put forth when we made an additional acquisition in the Oklahoma area in 2006. When I think of these milestone moments coupled with the effort put forth on a daily basis, it's apparent that the overall momentum the company enjoys today is the culmination of a bunch of individual efforts; the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.
Isn't it interesting that a person can succeed to a certain level, but it's not until that individual gives themselves to a group or team that they find themselves having greater influence and greater success. To a great extent, our route drivers are "the company" to our customers. And all the drivers exert Herculean effort to serve their customers with top notch service. But the drivers are only part of a much greater "team" of employees who make delivering our products and services possible.
• March 17, 2008
In God We Trust
As mentioned in the previous post, we will be dissecting the various elements that make up our Core Values. The first core value is [B}Trust In God.[/B] That phrase reminds me of the slogan found on the back of U.S. currency, "In God We Trust." Although this phrase may have become passe and politically incorrect for some, trusting in God is a corporate value that comes first and foremost. We believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. This does not mean that an employee must be a Christian. It means the owner of the company, Mat Saddoris, puts God first in his business and in his personal life. Under his leadership, we as employees and even our customers need to know the President of United Linen seeks wisdom and guidance from God and daily searches the heart of God for wisdom and direction. This firm reliance in the integrity, character and ability of God to lead our company also carries over to the trust we have in the leader who seeks after God.
This does not mean we are infallible. On the contrary, we make our share of mistakes.
Because we publicly proclaim God as our guiding light, the burden is on us to perform at higher levels because higher levels are expected and scrutiny of others is magnified once we declare such a noble cause.
But we do not let this deter us. Mat (as does this writer and others) believes in the divine purpose behind our company and we relish the opportunity to provide a wonderful workplace, high-performance products, top-level service and ...oh yeah...almost forgot...help be a guiding light to the world.
My personal trust in God comes from knowing the little bit of the Bible that I do know and having seen God perform the promises He said he would keep as it relates to my life. While not everyone at United Linen puts their trust in God, all employees, regardless, benefit from the value the president of United Linen places on trusting in God.
• February 29, 2008
The Little Engine That Could
When I think back to my childhood years, I can remember a story my parents used to read to me called, THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, by Watty Piper. The story, as I'm sure you know, is of a little steam engine that overcomes major obstacles to become one of the most important steam engines in the fleet. And when I think about United Linen when it first started over 72 years ago, I imagine Gerald and Lenna Saddoris starting a business and chugging along against all odds like so many Americans during the Great Depression. Running a laundry is hot, hard work. It was especially hot in 1936, a year when North America saw the greatest heat wave it's ever experienced.
But after chugging along, day after day, year after year, with willpower, determination and commitment, United Linen has grown and matured, very different from what it looked like 72 years ago.
But the more things change the more things stay the same. And core values are those things that just don't change. We've started discovering our core values, which are
1. Trust in God
2. Teamwork
3. Honesty
4. Transparency
In future blog posts, we'll be exploring these core values and what they mean to us as a company and to you as a customer.
• January 16, 2008
United Linen attends OH&LA's STARS of the INDUSTRY AWARDS and ALLIED SHOWCASE. United Linen was honored to sponsor the table linen at the Oklahoma Hospitality & Lodging Association's Awards banquet and Allied Showcase. Beginning at 10 am, in the OSU Alumni Center in Stillwater, OK, vendors and suppliers presented their products and services for 2 hours before the Awards Luncheon. We had a great time getting to know fellow service providers of the hotel and lodging industry. Everyone seemed to have brought their A-game and were ready to show off their stuff. The luncheon consisted of an awards banquet for the men and women in the hospitality and lodging industry who have proven to be best in their class. It's nice to see people in other service industries who take the service they provide to a higher level of excellence. Congratulations to those who were nominated and to the winners of the OH&LA's STARS of the INDUSTRY AWARDS banquet. For video of the day-long event, click here.
• January 11, 2008
We made the first issue of CareerTech Champions Success newsletter! United Linen has had a long and successful relationship with Tri-County Technologey Center, working with them to educate and instruct our employees. CareerTech is a state-wide network of 29 technology schools. We count it an honor to be among the many success stories that come from Tri-County Technology Center and the state's
CareerTech program.
• December 31, 2007
Happy New Year from all of us at United Linen.
• December 21, 2007
A Christmas card to all our friends & family. Meet Mat and his VPs. Click here to see your Christmas card
• December 19, 2007
United Linen's Employee Christmas Party
Join us as we look back over United Linen's 2007 Employee Christmas Party. Click HERE to see the video.
• September 27, 2007
Chamber of Commerce's TASTE OF THE TOWN
United Linen was one of the proud sponsors of this year's Taste of the Town event in Bartlesville, OK. Restaurateurs from all over the city gathered together at the Bartlesville Community Center for a great evening of noshing and networking. View video to get an idea of how the evening went.
View Video (Opens in a pop-up window, requires Flash plug-in.)
• September 20, 2007
Nancy Celebrates 30 years with United Linen & Uniform Services.
This Septemeber marks the 30th anniversary for Nancy Cranor, Office Manager/IT at United Line & Uniform Services. Click on the video link below to see our employees "roast & toast" Nancy.
View Video (Opens in a pop-up window, requires Flash plug-in.)
• August 28, 2007
Mat & Catherine's Birthday
Today we helped Mat Saddoris (president) and Catherine Smith (human resources director) celebrate their birthdays today. Click on the video link below to see some of the crazy antics our employees are up to.
View Video (Opens in a pop-up window, requires Flash plug-in.)
• July 13, 2007
Employee Appreciation Picnic
United Linen employees were treated to a picnic in the park June 19, 2007. Hamburgers were provided by Arvest Bank. Many thanks for all our employee's hard work and dedication. Check out the video which highlights portions of the picnic.
View Picnic Video (Opens in a pop-up window, requires Flash plug-in.)
• June 26, 2007
Vinita Wins United Linen Classic
The final game of the United Linen Classic came down to the United Linen Braves vs. Vinita. Vintia pulled away in the 7th inning for a victory of 5-4
• June 18, 2007
Clean Show-Las Vegas
A large group from United Linen attended the 2007 Clean Show in Las Vegas. Click on the link below to see the Clean Show from the perspective of our Marketing Director.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGoiToGV6q4
• May 4, 2007
May 4th, 2007 Cinema in the City
United Linen was the major sponsor for Bartlesville's Cinema in the City, a free outdoor family movie night. The film for this event was HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE. Movies are shown on the north wall of the Bank of Oklahoma's downtown Bartlesville location at 5th & Dewey. United Linen will also be sponoring THE WIZARD OF OZ in July and SUPERMAN RETURNS in August. All movies are show on the first Friday of the month from May to August.
• April 20, 2007
United Linen attended the Oklahoma Restaurant Assoc.'s tradeshow in Oklahoma City on April 17th & 18th. While at the tradeshow, United Linen won the Judge's Choice award for 1 or more booths. The theme this year was CELEBRATING OKLAHOMA'S CENTENNIAL.
View Tradeshow Slideshow (Requires Flash plug-in. Click a photo for more information.)
View Tradeshow Video
• April 1, 2007
United Linen has been sponsoring American Legion Baseball for over ten years and involved with the American Legion program for 32 years. This will be the second year for sponsoring the AAA team the United Linen Braves. The United Linen Tournament is July 21-24 in Bartlesville, OK in the Doenges Stadium.
• April 1, 2007
United Linen named Industry of the Quarter by Tri County Tech
http://www.tctc.org/business/unitedlinen.php |
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