AMM FIELD GUIDE
Welcome to the team!
Chances are, you’re here for a few reasons:
1. You’re handy with a knife.
2. You’re passionate about healthy & sustainable meat.
3. You believe you have the power to help change the food system.
4. You’re passionate about cooking and food, and you enjoy sharing your knowledge with others.
5. You’re a team player and take pride in your work.
“to bring trust & transparency back to the food chain by providing our customers with the highest quality meats & provisions while supporting sustainable farms & producers.”
OUR LIFE BLOOD
(AKA CORE VALUES)
1. JUDGEMENT
We know you have it. Use it.
Problems will arise, questions will be asked, strategies detoured & priorities reprioritized. This job is not a multiple choice test with one right answer. Yes, there are plenty of operating procedures and standards to learn and follow, but many times will call for critical thinking, creative problem solving and good ol’ fashion instinct.
Be your best self - use your best JUDGEMENT at all times.
2. Communication
In the words of the late great Gene Wilder, “Without communication, we are nothing more than apes in a candy factory.”
Whether or not that’s true, we know for certain COMMUNICATION is the most important key to unlocking doors of energetic teamwork, creative growth, efficient operating systems and long lasting customer relations - all vital to our success. Speak up. Share your ideas. Connect.
3. Transparency
The invisible glue holding all the building blocks.
TRANSPARENCY as clear and “streak free” as our meat case, builds a deep and important trust in our customers- a trust in their food chain, a trust in their health, their children’s & parent’s health, and a trust in their commitment to a sustainable lifestyle.
It is our responsibility to uphold this trust. Uphold this transparency and lasting commitment to the highest quality experience. Be honest with our guests, be honest with your team, and be honest with your self.
4. Teamwork
We’re all different people. We all have different skill sets, and because of that we all have slightly different roles and perspectives in the shop. These differences, aimed at the same target and fueled by TEAMWORK, is what propels our success.
An important part of teamwork is owning humility- no one on the team is better at everything than anyone else on the team. Help where help is needed, and sometimes where it isn’t. Ask for help when you need it and sometimes when you don’t.
We hold each other accountable, so that we may all grow and improve. Everyone makes mistakes, it is important that we take ownership of the mistake and learn from it. When we work together, and strive to be better on every shift, we can overcome any challenge.
OUR GABAGOOL
(AKA COMPANY GOALS)
QUALITY Meat
Its a pretty simple equation. As with most things it begins at the beginning- in our case, a strict sense of responsible sourcing.
Sustainably raised animals + passionate ranchers and cowboys + talented processors = high quality meat. Its our to job to see that every animal that comes through our doors is handled with care, broken down with consistency, presented in their highest aesthetic, and sold at peak quality. It’s important to remember that an animal gave it’s life so that we may feed our families. Take pride in the work we do to offer beautiful, delicious, sustainable meat.
service
There are dozens of places people can go to buy their meat, so what sets us apart? When a person walks through our doors, they are a guest in our space, what does that mean? It is up to us to make them feel warm and welcomed, like their questions will be answered, and that they will feel good about nourishing themselves with what we offer. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so let’s really bring the hospitality with a friendly “Welcome in!” tp everyone guest we see.
One of the easiest ways to turn a first time guest into a lifelong fan, is to take an interest what they’re interested in! What brought them in the door; are they trying to eat healthier, cooking for a special occasion, trying to shop local, just love to eat?
We make them regulars, we make them fans, we make them friends, we make them family - and when we invest in the relationships we with our guests, they help build our success, our growth, our reputation.
OUR MARINADE
There’s plenty to learn here-
Everything from meat cuts to farm specifics, cooking methods to customer preferences.
Don’t fret. Go slow. Take it all in - let it marinate.
OUR CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Some things that will probably make you better at your job and keep it as enjoyable as it should be, which is- quite a bit.
be a sponge.
absorb everything around you. watch closely. listen intently. the knowledge, the skill, the passion and creativity- the sights and sounds fly through the shop like a pack of wild coyotes at dawn. take it all in. learn from it. grow from it and most importantly, add to it.
and occasionally, like a sponge, clean a few dishes.
cook. often.
the best way to learn about particular cuts of meat, cooking methods and flavors is to cook.
cook often, try new techniques, new spices and products we carry. the next time a customer asks, you’ll be prepared with passion and experience, not memorized notes or something you heard Guy Fieri say once.
stay thirsty.
stay thirsty for knowledge. for experiments. for grilling and smoking, for tasting. for sharing. for inventing new methods. for discovering ancient methods. stay relevant. stay interested. stay thirsty for more.
AMM steps of service
Greet the guest: greet the guest with a friendly hello and a smile. Find ways to make them feel warm and welcome some examples: if you are in the front of house, open the door for them. The guest has a shirt or hat for a local brand we support, compliment them. The guest walking in is a regular, use their name for a more personal touch. Now is a great time to get a read on our guests, a great first question to ask is “Have we been in before?”. If it’s the first time we can additionally ask “How did you hear about us?” To find out more about them. If they are a return guest we can say something simple like “welcome back” or “thanks for stopping back in”.
Assess the guest’s needs: the most important part of this step is finding out what kind of help our guest needs. A few questions we can ask: “what brings us in today?”. “What’s on the menu tonight?”. “How many people are we going to be cooking for?”. “Did y’all have a game plan in mind or are you open to suggestions?”. By digging for a little bit of information, we can better understand how best to serve our guests.
Serve the guest: this step is best approached in sections. First we offer to answer any questions they may have. Secondly we will get them anything that they need from each case. It’s best to work from one end of the shop to the other in a single direction. Highlight where we have the shopping baskets, give them a brief idea of what’s in the self serve refrigerators. Serve the guests from the red meat case, working through the various proteins and answering questions as you go. Check if you’ve gotten them everything they need before moving to the poultry/deli side. Lastly, find a way to make a “suggestive sale”, by offering a product that dovetails with what they’ve already decided on. Some examples…If they’re getting burger Patties suggest buns, condiments or a four pack of beer. Buying steaks for mixed grill, offer a wine pairing or flavored finishing salt. Picking up chicken thighs for tacos? How about salsa, sprouts or local tortillas?
Ring the guest up: This is the last stop before our guest is on their way home. If there is a line and you are going to pass the guest to another team member, make sure they know that and offer one last opportunity to help. It may sound something like “Was there anything else I can help you with today? If not we will ring you up in just a moment, thanks for coming in today.” If you are the person helping them at the POS there are a few important items to check. Ask one last time, was there anything else we can get them? Ring every item into the POS, and before taking payment read back the order to verify it is correct. Collect payment and offer the guest a bag (thank them for saving us one If they brought their own bags) and pack their goods up for them.
Thank the guest: Our last chance to impact our guest’s’ experience in the shop. Offer them a hand out if they have a sizable order. This can make an especially powerful positive impression on someone who may need a hand(think: an elderly person, a parent with their hands full with young children, or a guest that has more than one large bag of goods). Take a moment to thank them for choosing to shop with us, and support local producers. Another great touch is to wish them well with what they are cooking. Some examples: “I hope y’all enjoy your steak tonight “, “that’s a great looking roast, I’m excited for you!” “You picked a bunch of my personal favorites, you’re in for a tasty treat “