Morton’s & Outback Steakhouse

Friday, August 03, 2007

My wife and I were recently invited by one of my long-time customers, Mrs. K in La Jolla, to join her for a steak dinner at Morton's in downtown San Diego. It was such a treat for us, and I must say, I loved the whole experience. Being in the service business, I was eager to see how a professional company like Morton's would treat their clients. Mrs. K is well traveled and has had wonderful experiences when she has been to other Morton Steakhouses around the country. This company has a great business model of excellent customer service and a quality product.

During my time at Mortons, I began to contrast this place with another popular steakhouse, Outback. While both companies excel at their mission and serve great steaks, they are very different when it comes to the experience, which reflects the total cost. 

Below you will find the typical cost and mission statement of each restaurant that you may find interesting:

• Morton's Pricing: The typical cost for a dinner for two would be $170 (not including tax/tip or specialty drinks). (View Source)
• Outback's Pricing: The typical cost for a dinner for two would be $60.00 (with same exceptions as above). (Based on my personal experience)

• Morton's Mission: "Morton's steakhouses have remained true to our founders' original vision of combining generous portions of high quality food prepared to exacting standards with exceptional service in an enjoyable dining environment." (View Source)
• Outback's Mission: "The Company’s strategy is to differentiate its restaurants by emphasizing consistently high-quality food and service, generous portions at moderate prices and a casual atmosphere suggestive of the Australian Outback." (View Source)
  

As you can see from the above pricing and goals of each restaurant, there is a BIG difference between two steakhouse companies. Each restaurant has good food. The difference is how they deliver their product and service. While Morton's offers the Nordstrom's in the steak business, Outback is seeking to provide more of a fun and affordable dining experience in a casual setting. You can taste and feel the difference between the two restaurants too. The level of attention you get at Morton's steakhouse is five times higher than Outback.

The botton line is that both restaurants are unique and have their place. I have enjoyed my dining experience at both restaurants. I realized that if two steakhouses can stay in business and separate themselves from each other, a painting company can too! People have to discover what is important for them in selecting who they will hire to work on their home. Chism Brothers is more in line with the Morton's model of doing business. The one difference is that Chism does NOT charge 3-4 times the cost of most other quality paint companies. Our average hourly wage is currently around $60 per hour. It is a little more than most companies, but most people will discover that the cost is well worth it. 

Our mission is to provide a one of a kind experience, simply by doing the right thing! 

Residential Painting Forum

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

I just returned from the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) Residential Forum. The conference was held in downtown Annapolis, MD. It was a two day conference of roundtable discussions. It was my first forum meeting. My father, Mike Chism, who would previously attend meetings has now passed the torch to me.  To go along with it being my first meeting, the Residential Council voted me in as their newest and youngest board member! I am very excited to join up with the board, because it is full of very high quality paint contractors. I will enjoy learning from the best!

The residential forum of the PDCA is a very valuable group for Chism Brothers to be members of, because it keeps us up to date with what painting contractors are doing all over the country. We are able to get ideas on how to improve our service, be more professional, and learn of new products and techniques. I am looking forward to applying some of the things I learned this past weekend.  

Off To Annapolis

Monday, July 16, 2007

Our estimator, David Chism, is off to Annapolis to the 8th annual Advanced Shop Talk (AST) of the Residential Forum and the PDCA.

The conference dates are July 20-21st. This is an opportunity for Chism Brothers to interact with other painting contractors who are like minded in running a successful and quality paint company. The "Shop Talk" is a place where they will hear prepared speeches by members of the PDCA's Residential Forum and share ideas that work from among the members present. These conferences are very rewarding and beneficial to all painting contractors.

The residential forum of the PDCA was founded a number years ago with the help of our president, Mike Chism. He was the active president until his brother, Pat Chism, was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and passed away in July of 2006. Just this year, David Chism, Mike's son, was approached by a couple of members about becoming an active board member. The board will vote on the approval of David joining the board during their meeting back east this week. 

We hope that the principles and ideas we learn will only help us to serve you better. Our goal is the be the best service company in San Diego. We are moving in the right direction but continually see the need for help from others to accomplish this goal!  

S. L. O. W.

We have developed our own acronym for the word, "Slow." It is a phrase that sets us apart from our competition, because we discuss and expect each employee to know and apply it at all times. When it is not applied in any line of work, problems may result. 

So what does S. L. O. W. stand for at CBP?

Stop.

Look

Over

Work! 

Chism Brothers Employee: Front Page of the UT

Friday, July 13, 2007

We were approached by the Union Tribune this week about wanting to take a picture of one of our painters in action for an article they were writing. This morning, we got a copy of the UT's paper and saw our foreman, Troy Payne, on the FRONT page! If you look closely, you can see the small Chism Brothers Logo on his shirt! :o)

The article is front an center and entitled, "Take-back efforts on rise." The painting portion of the article deals with the problems of old paint removal from a clients home. This is a service Chism Brothers offers, but it is not free. As the article says, it cost the government about $8 per gallon to dispose of paint. It cost Chism Brothers a similiar amount if not a few dollars more. We can dispose of paint cans for $10 per gallon at this time. 

Read Article Here

Honest Thoughts From Our Estimator

Thursday, July 12, 2007

As the estimator and one of the owners of Chism Brothers Painting, I face the war on price every day of the week. It is draining at times. I keep asking myself why I feel so disappointed sometimes when I lose work to a lower priced competitor. I realized that when I do lose work, it is typically because the homeowner has not heard of us much (if ever) and is searching for the lowest or lower price. I looked back over my estimates for 2006 and realized that close to 80% of our jobs were from repeat or referrals. It was those existing clients that knew and trusted the value CBP promised to deliver. Our new clients heard about our reputation and hired us to paint their home. We gave them the best value and cost for what we were doing. It would be my dream to work with everyone who calls my company. I am not a salesman who just looks at charging a high price! If Chism Brothers charged very high prices and ripped people off, we would have ALL retired by now or been forced out of business for bad business practices.

I was born and raised in the painting business, which started with my grandfather, and am passionate to spread the word about how good our staff is at painting homes. My Dad and Uncle, Pat Chism, did a wonderful job growing this company and establishing themselves in a paint company dedicated to producing high quality work with terrific customer care. They put their heart and soul into every job, and it is this passion that is being communicated to every employee we hire. I would love to be both the Walmart and the Nordstroms of the painting industry in San Diego but it is simply not possible. Now I am on the path of trying to educate those who come in contact with Chism Brothers Painting about why we are different. Our goal is to have the quality service and pricing similiar to a Nordstroms experience. If you have never stepped foot into a Nordstroms or similiar store, you may not understand the customer care we try to achieve.

If you are visiting our site for the first time, I hope you will consider giving Chism Brothers the opportunity to lead you through the painting process. We are here to assist you, and we promise to make it a pleasant experience--an experience you will not forget! If you request an estimate, you will get to meet me in person! I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for reading.  

Checking a Contractor’s License Tip

Monday, July 09, 2007

Before contracting with any California contractor (Plumber, Painters, Remodelings, Landscapers, etc), here area few tips to help educate you a bit on a Contractor's Longevity and Legal Requirements:

1. You can check the licensed status here: Licensed Look Up
2. When checking the status, make sure you check their worker's compensation and insurance status too. It is easy for certain contractors to work around worker's comp. and cut corners in their hiring process.
   
3. Ask a company about their hiring process and how long their employees have been with them. Do they do drug testing might be a good question to ask. 
4. You can sometimes tell how long a contractor has been around based on the first digit of their licensed number. For example, our licensed number, #491884, was issued in 1982. You can tell by the number "4." Licensed numbers that started with a "4" seemed to be issued beginning in 1978 to about 1983. If a company's licensed number begins with an "8", it is very likely that the company is 5-7 years old. This "rule of thumb" is not 100% accurate in determining the age of a company, but it does help a consumer if they are more comfortable hiring an older company. 
5. Make sure that the company you hire has a legal license. California has strict standards in obtaining an licensed. If they will not provide you with a licensed number, just move on. You don't want to hire an unlicensed contractor in California. There are too many so called contractors that do not follow the requirements and take advantage of homeowners who don't do their homework.
   
6. Check their status with groups like the Better Business Bureaus to see what types of complaints they have outstanding and/or how they were taken care of.
   
7. Ask to speak with 2-3 clients of theirs in your area and call them. Don't just read a testimonial, though that is helpful. We encourage you to call our clients when you have questions about if we are a good fit. You can ask them questions you won't ask us!

We hope you will find this information helpful. If you have further questions before hiring a contractor, email or call us. We have been in the business a long time, and we tend to know very high quality companies that will treat you well. 

A Big Thank You!

Friday, July 06, 2007

It is not everyday that a consumer would take the extra time to write a Thank You letter and fill out a customer survey, but it does happen. It reassures a company that they are doing the right thing. We have been richly blessed to have had a fair share of letters and thank you cards after we completed certain projects, and we thought we would share our latest letter with you. Ms. Cazares gave us permission to use her name, address and comments for future Chism Bros. customers.

We were hired to spruce up several areas of her home before she considered possibly selling her Bonita home. Her home was already in lovely shape, but we were able to help with the finishing touches of kitchen cabinets, the entry door, repairing of a ceiling stain and some general exterior touch-ups.  

We hope you will take a moment and read her survey and the letter she wrote to us. 

Read: Survey Report Card 

Read: Thank You Letter 

 

p.s. We have compiled a book of the letters and thank you notes. If you want to see more, ask the estimator to bring the book when you setup your estimate.  

Using Who You Want on an Insurance Claim

Monday, July 02, 2007

We recently received a call from one of our clients who had an insurance claim inside her home. She had to have a paint company other than ours to do the work, and she was very worried they would not do a quality job. She called us to ask advice on the products the other company wanted to use and their general procedures. We came to the conclusion that whoever was hired was not very qualified or educated on how to use certain products. It was comical, because we were doing work at her home right about the same time as the insurance work was being done, but we could not do the insurance work...so we thought!

We then contacted our insurance company, Statefarm, and asked them if a homeowner can use their own contractor when they have a claim. Here is was their response, "We definitely leave the choice of contractor up to the policyholder in all claims.  I can't believe that your customer's company would not be open to that as well.  I have heard of very few companies that do not offer that choice, but most do."

It is a good idea to check and see if your insurance company is willing to let you select the company you are comfortable with when you have an insurance issue. We have heard many complaints and seen the terrible results of unqualified contractors that are hired to do insurance work. It is your home. Make sure you get the contractors you deserve!

Tips On Pricing Out Your Small Paint Job

Thursday, June 14, 2007

We recently received a phone call from a woman who needed to have the 1st floor of her house painted ASAP. She would not be in town and could not have access to meet for an estimate, so she asked for a ballpark over the phone. If it was reasonable, she would just have us do the work and give a more firm quote later. The information was given to our estimator who gave a rough estimate of about $3,000. The pricing would be on an hourly basis with that general ballpark. We started the project on Monday of this week, and they decided to add the upstairs too. The estimator was then able to stop by and give them a firm price for the rest of the work, which they gladly accepted.  

When you have a small project or do not have time to meet for an estimate, you can do one of three things:

1. Call our office and get a rough estimate over the phone. The office will take your information and send it to our estimator who will give a "good-faith estimate." A Good Faith estimate is similiar to when you get a home loan. A loan officer will prepare a document discussing your closing cost. Sometimes the cost is less than the estimated cost. This happens with our estimates over the phone too. If you are comfortable, you can proceed on a time and materials basis with the approximate estimate or ask for an estimator to stop by and firm up the pricing.
2. You can use our Painter For a Day program to get the work done. Our current pricing is on our PFD forms. On most small jobs, you may have a pretty good idea how long a job would take. For example, if you want to paint a baby's bedroom with two coats (and the room is not empty), this will probably require just one painter for the day. You may not need a Master Painter for this job too, so the pricing would be $495 plus any paint. If however, you wanted to get your exterior entry door (standard size), stripped, re-stained and finished to restore the look, you would request a master painter for 2-3 days. If you are unsure, just click the dropdown button that says, "Help Me Choose." Our clients love our Painter For a Day program, because it gets their small jobs taken care of by our professional staff of painters.
   
3. If you are trying to save money or just enjoy painting, you can also use our Painter For a Day program to assist you in the painting. In other words, you can work together. We had a homeowner who wanted to do some painting but needed an extra hand: someone who was good at painting. So he hired one of our painters for a day or two to help him paint. We don't mind if you hire us to do the whole project, part of a project or work along side with you!

We are comfortable giving you general pricing over the phone or email for smaller projects. Please email or call with your particular job or FILL OUT our ONLINE Painter For a Day Form. 

Restoration Comes to Completion

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

We are doing the final touches to our Fort Stockton craftsman home in Mission Hills this week and have posted the latest pictures online. The photos you see are before and after.

View Photos

 

Selecting Your Colors with an Interior Designer

Friday, June 08, 2007

Are you aware that nearly every paint company that you request an estimate from will say that they help with colors? How do you think they will do that? Probably not much different than the way we all look for colors: Color Chips, Magazines, Color Charts, etc. Most painters and estimators will have good ideas about color and can provide excellent advice on colors that are appealing.

If you are satisfied with sampling by painting on 12 different color samples that a paint company told you to try or ones you "think" you like, the best of luck to you! We have heard from too many homeowners that they are tired of that process. They would rather not paint samples on the walls or spend a Saturday looking at color charts. Chism Brothers Painting has provided a new way to help our clients in the color process. We have teamed up with several high quality interior designers in San Diego. We have selected them based on their personality, expert color advice (as we have observed them in action), and the excellent reports we have received from our clients.

How does it work?

When you schedule an estimate from Chism Brothers, our estimator will discuss the project with you and give you a verbal idea of the cost. Once you decide to move to the next step, he will write up a formal contract for you to approve. Next, the estimator will set up a design consultation with a designer in your area. Finally, our project manager will paint one or two samples on your surface to make sure you are comfortable with your color selections.

This is a free service for our clients. We have had clients that had a general idea of the colors they wanted to use but still took advantage of our design service to help them gain peace of mind about their color selection. When you hire Chism Brothers, you will see and feel a difference in the service and the quality. We stand behind our word. 

It Looks Worse Before It Looks Better

Friday, June 01, 2007

We are half way through our 2007 Mission Hills restoration project on Fort Stockton, and it is looking even worse than when we started! We have posted a few more photos of the preparation and stripping process and will now begin to apply paint to this house! We have been stripping select areas of the home, especially the Fort Stockton side. When we do a restoration project, it usually looks worse in the middle of the project because there is not paint applied yet! In just another week, the home will look a lot different from the photos you now see.

If you are interested in our restoration services, please contact our office for more information about our past projects and your project. View Mission Hills Project 

“Never Paint Your House Again?”

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

I am getting tired of hearing commercials that claim that there are paint products on the market that last forever and companies stating that you will "NEVER Paint Your House Again." There are many companies in the U.S. today that are selling this concept with very high profit margins and 25 to 50 year warranties. Every time I hear the radio ads on Talk Radio, I cringe at the warranty and paint product selling points, knowing that they are too good to be true!

The paints that are on the market today are better than they were 10 years ago. There is no doubt in my mind that paint is getting better and that the paints advertised on the radio are exceptional products. The products being advertised with big selling points today, have a ceramic product mixed in them. Ceramic coatings are the new products of this millennium. However, they will not last forever. You will have to paint your house again. Do not be fooled by any paint manufacturer or contractor that will boast of a lifetime warranty. These products will last longer than typical house paint but they still get dirty fade over the years. Also, ceramic-based paints should not cost 5x the cost of regular paint. Ceramic can be added to just about any type of paint and make it better.*

So the next time you get a call from a salesman asking you if you want a product that will last a lifetime, be prepared to pay a lot of money for a product and service that should cost a lot less. Lastly, remember that a warranty is only good as long as the company is still in business. 

 

*Read Article about Adding Ceramic to Paint

Don’t Hire A Contractor When…

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Why is it so hard to compare estimates these days? Why do three different estimates vary so drastically? A key reason is based on how the contractor is conducting business.

One of the ways a contractor can save money in the estimate process is if he works completely by himself. He will not have much overhead and can typically do your project for 20-40% less than the larger more established companies. However, in the state of California, every contractor who has at least 1 or more employees must carry worker's compensation insurance. This is extremely important for you, the homeowner when making a final decision. Contractors can be sneaky on this insurance, because it is very expensive for remodelers and painting contractors.

If you hire someone who does not have valid insurance for ALL his or her employees, you, the homeowner will be liable if any accident takes place during your project. If your goal is simply to save money, be extra careful and go with a licensed, fully insured single painter. If you want more security that your job is done professionally, according to the laws of the state and on time, you need to hire an established company that will cost a little more up front. However, in hiring a professional painting or remodeling contractor, you are free and clear of any problems on the job. Imagine if an unlicensed or uninsured worker bumped his knee on your project and claimed that he needed knee surgery (but had an existing condition). You may have to pay for all his medical expenses. This definitely happens in our state!

There are contractors in San Diego that look and act professional but still do not follow all the laws. They can have worker's comp for some of their employees and still hire illegals who are not part of the policy. So, don't Hire a Contractor until you have thoroughly researched that they are operating an honest business.