In my career
in the restaurant and hospitality industry, I have observed that ill conceived
management is one of the biggest problems. Restaurant owners hire people with no
clue about the tasks at hand, including managers that got promoted from servers
to managers. They have not received the proper training and education unlike
almost all other professions in the world.
Managing a restaurant, on the floor or otherwise, should be learned. You cannot properly manage a business and employees without education, passion and skills for the job. Today, in most restaurants, it is all about catching workers doing something wrong, barking orders at them and punishing them, in other word instilling fear in them with the twisted hope that it will work out.
It’s
counterproductive! High turnover cost money, time and stress to no avail.
Management
never ask the staff for their comments or suggestions as they are not valued.
They are hired to do a task, take orders and keep their expectations low.
That’s not the best way to build a lasting business.
It’s wrong and that's not what managing a business is about at all.
I have never met a manager with entrepreneurial skills that were looking for ideas to grow the business. In fact I have not met many restaurant owners who truly know how to grow a restaurant business. They usually focus on minimizing payroll, food cost, labor cost, doing inventory to see if the workers they hire and do not trust steal liquor or food. To them it’s all about minimizing cost, rarely about growing the business.
It’s wrong and that's not what managing a business is about at all.
I have never met a manager with entrepreneurial skills that were looking for ideas to grow the business. In fact I have not met many restaurant owners who truly know how to grow a restaurant business. They usually focus on minimizing payroll, food cost, labor cost, doing inventory to see if the workers they hire and do not trust steal liquor or food. To them it’s all about minimizing cost, rarely about growing the business.
And that’s
why most restaurants close down in record time and by the thousands (about 9450
last year in the U.S.)
I rarely meet a restaurant owner who understands how valuable his or hers workers are, who trust them, ask for their comments and suggestions. Workers are at the forefront of the business. They are the ones who deal with the customers all day long, so obviously they know more than managers and owners. The only thing they don't know is Profit & Loss of the business.
A good worker is invaluable and should be chosen and treated as such.
To build a restaurant business that lasts, you have to change your management style and think outside the box. For as long as restaurant owners hire managers who acts as cops on the floor, hire unskilled workers then refuse to trust them and value their feedback, they will be one step away from being knocked down by the competition.
I rarely meet a restaurant owner who understands how valuable his or hers workers are, who trust them, ask for their comments and suggestions. Workers are at the forefront of the business. They are the ones who deal with the customers all day long, so obviously they know more than managers and owners. The only thing they don't know is Profit & Loss of the business.
A good worker is invaluable and should be chosen and treated as such.
To build a restaurant business that lasts, you have to change your management style and think outside the box. For as long as restaurant owners hire managers who acts as cops on the floor, hire unskilled workers then refuse to trust them and value their feedback, they will be one step away from being knocked down by the competition.
Andre Plessis
AP Consulting
Restaurant and Hospitality Consultant
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