How do you become an employer of choice? Every multi-unit independent restaurant company owner wants to be an “employer of choice.” But we all know the statistics: On paper there aren’t enough workers for the restaurant jobs we have now — much less those we will create tomorrow. Your competitors can match you in pay … Continued
If your independent restaurant company unit count has reached double digits, congratulations! You’ve reached a significant milestone. Where do you go from here? Maybe you’ve never owned 10 restaurants before. A whole new set of challenges and opportunities awaits. It’s imperative that you handle them — not only to continue to grow healthy new units … Continued
Conventional wisdom often spouts off about razor-thin margins in the restaurant business. Our industry is perennially found on the list of the least profitable businesses, and media accounts are filled with information on how unprofitable restaurants are compared to say, law firms. In their 2015 Issues and Advocacy Agenda, the National Restaurant Association leads with this, saying, … Continued
I recently moderated a panel discussion entitled “Beyond Craig’s List: Finding and Keeping the Best People.” It was presented in Austin at the Summit for Texas Independent Restaurateurs, a conference created by the Texas Restaurant Association. A few months ago, I mentioned it to an editor of a national restaurant industry trade publication. He told me, “I’m so … Continued
“What is our company culture?” If you stopped five members of your organization today, would you get five different answers? Maybe something similar but, well, imprecise? Or, confused silence? What if you asked them to tell you what they did today to uphold that ethos? At the most successful businesses, you will get the same answer, … Continued
Management is not about doing things, it’s about growing people and leadership. If you call yourself a manager and you find yourself in the doing mode, stop. Julie Dickson, the managing director of Black Sombrero in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia recently wrote me. That’s right . . . she operates a “Taqueria and Tequilaria” in … Continued
If you want to increase profits and asset value, pay your people more. We all spend a lot of time thinking about employee retention, attracting great candidates, and providing good benefits. It’s vital to have a stable workforce that understands our culture and our systems, and that takes care of customers in the way we want … Continued
April 11, 2014 Matthew Mabel Every day, restaurants have so much competition—from other restaurants, food trucks and even prepared food departments at grocery stores. To stand out in this competition, owners and managers must sure every guest has a positive experience, every day, on every shift. By consistently achieving high standards, a restaurant will be … Continued
Rockwall High School won this year’s Texas ProStart Restaurant Management competition. Here are five reasons why: They used humor and enthusiasm to portray their ideas. They were through, detailed, committed, thoughtful and comprehensive. They solved all aspects of a problem, not just one part. They established a clear protocol for problem solving. They were creative, … Continued
It is human nature to want to influence government in whatever direction you think would be best for you and the people you care about. What I have noticed is that whatever the government throws at business, sometimes beneficial, sometimes not, companies react and respond with intelligence and creativity to make the best of it. … Continued