Three Musts for How to Manage a Restaurant Business Successfully
Managing a restaurant has its ups and downs, many of which are out of your control. We're all familiar with these kinds of challenges, but there is one challenge that is within your control and mastering it is critical to your success: managing people. Here I want to share with you my top three management must dos on how to manage a restaurant business successfully.
Managing inventory, preparing food and beverages, creating an incredible atmosphere is easy compared to managing people. But to be successful in the restaurant business, you must be able to successfully manage people to help you down a path of a smooth-running restaurant.
Here are my top three management must dos - STA:
- Systems. There must be a system, a process, a way to doing anything and everything in your business. From counting a bar drawer back to $300 to something as advanced as dollars per labor hour worked. Your checklists, your training systems, your ordering systems, inventory systems, hiring systems, marketing systems, for everything there is a process, a step-by-step way of doing it. The important part is that it’s your way of doing it. You can't have five managers have their own way to do things. There must be your way.
You should always training people to do it your way so that when a manager leaves, your have trained replacements. You don't lose somebody and wonder, oh my gosh, all that information's in their head, what do I do now? As long as you keep training your system, your process, your way, things get done your way when you're there, but especially when you're not. This is how the chain restaurants often kick our ass. They impose their will without being there through systems.
Start documenting all of your systems. There is no system too small or too large. Everything you do in your restaurant is done the way you want and it should be done that way by everyone.
- Training. You can't just show somebody how to do something and hope they got it. You have to map out the step-by-step process, i.e., train your team to follow your systems. Sit with them side by side and show them how to do it. Then have them do it, stay with them as they ask questions and until they don't have questions and they can do it on their own.
It’s common to just show somebody how to do something and pray they understand without going through the process of confirming they understand. The number one reason why you lose people is they don't know what their job is, how to do it, how well it should be done, or by when. And it’s a top-down practice. No one in the restaurant can work if they aren’t properly trained. If you want people to manage a restaurant successfully, you must make training a priority.
- Accountability. If you have a system, a process, a way to doing anything and everything in your business, and you’ve trained everyone on what their job is, how to do it, how well it should be done, and by when, and they demonstrate they get it, you can take the negative out of accountability. Instead, you’re asking everyone answerable to their jobs. They decide to do their job or not, and they're answerable for the resulting consequences. And by holding people accountable or in this case, answerable, you ensure everyone's doing it your way. There's no favoritism, and things get done how want when you want.
Following STA – systems, training, accountability – will change your life and your business. It sounds so simple on the surface but it takes real work to implement. It requires you to become the leader your restaurant needs because I guarantee you, if you go down this path, there will be pushback. Knowing these three things are how to manage a restaurant business successfully can help you stay strong.
If you’re looking for support in learning how to do this well and become the leader of your business, I have a premium restaurant coaching program for independent restaurant owners. It’s a 24-week program that sets you up with systems, training and accountability. Members who go through this program transform their lives. Schedule a discovery call with me today so we can talk about you’re your goals and your readiness to take on the program.
If you would like to learn how to own a restaurant that doesn't depend on you being in it to be successful, sign up for my free video course that teaches you three key principles to running a successful restaurant. If you're ready right now to make some serious changes in your restaurant, you can also book a 60-minute call with me where we talk about your challenges and figure out exactly what is holding you back from having a restaurant that doesn’t depend on you being in it to be successful.
Be sure to visit my YouTube channel for more helpful restaurant management video tips.
