I grew up in retailing, which is closely related to the hospitality business. Little things matter. "The devil is in the details."

This is why small percentages of improvement can garner big differences in performance. It's the 80/20 rule or maybe better yet the 95/5 rule. There seems to be statistical evidence behind the 80/20 rule. Experience bears it out. Eighty percent of our business likely is the result of 20% of our customer base. Eighty percent of our company's best work is likely the result of 20% of our team members. On and on it goes.

I'm a big believer in 1 to 2%. Seemingly insignificant differences.

Those are little details. Not insignificant though and I can prove it.

Focus on details doesn't mean we overlook or minimize the big things. Mostly the big things get appropriate attention. They scream to be handled. For instance, we had a new roof installed on our house this year. A storm blew through and did some damage to shingles. The storm also cracked a skylight creating some leaks. Well, that's not a little detail. That was a major issue. It had to be fixed or we'd risk severe damage.

In your business, there are big issues like that. It could be a lost lease, major equipment failure, important supply chain problems...it could be anything that if left unattended will create much bigger problems. So you stomp down and make that challenge a priority. You must find a remedy. Usually...fast! So you do.

Anybody can spot those kinds of problems. I'm not a roofer. I'm not even handy around the house, but I know that roof leaks in my house won't go away on their own. They need to be fixed.

That's why even inexperienced or poor operators can spot big problems. Now they may not be able to handle them as efficiently or effectively, but they can spot them.

The difference is in the details. Because not everybody can or will spot those. And even if they are spotted, not everybody will give them the attention they deserve. Small details are easily overlooked and even more easily minimized. "That doesn't matter," is a common sentiment among operators who don't think the details matter.

There seems to be 2 basic reasons for the failure: 1) some people just don't see them and 2) people would rather do something grand than something common (but important). That's why we can all be prone to minimize the importance of something small.

Twice weekly I carry out the trash at our house. That's hardly equivalent of replacing the roof and a busted skylight, but there are some important details about taking out the trash. For starters, it's something I can do. No handyman skills required. Two, it has to be done if we want to keep the house clean and smelling decent. Three, it likely contributes to keeping our house "healthy."

The roofing company took about 3 days to replace our roof and skylight. It takes me about 3 minutes to collect and take the trash to the curb. If you came to my house and saw the new roof you might notice, but probably not. If you came into my house and smelled or saw that the trash hadn't been taken out...I guarantee you'd notice. I also guarantee you'd judge me. Rightfully so.

So it goes with little things. Details.

I constantly talk about friction and being easy to do business with. It's fundamental to fortifying your customer base, which I believe is the foundation of any sustainable, profitable business. Without a customer base, you've got nothing. Inattention to details erodes a customer base. Customers leave because we don't get the little things right. Or because we don't pay attention.

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is a chain restaurant with good food. It's a casual dining place. My wife and I used to frequent our nearby location because the food was always consistently good,