If you are an owner of an independent restaurant company, there is a good chance you have walked through your dining room wondering to yourself, “Why doesn’t anyone see what I see?” Sound familiar? I recently talked to two such operators who asked me that question incredulously. One of them wondered when the people around … Continued
Those of us with a pile of wisdom and experience from being in the restaurant industry for decades remember when a restaurant operations manual was the size of a phone book. Those of us with that track record of career-long success also remember what a phone book looked like. Today’s workforce? Not so much. So … Continued
Quick, recite the language you use to recruit and retain talent. Is it compelling? What does it say about your organization? What is special about working there? What makes working with your organization a winning strategy from the talent’s perspective? It probably isn’t rate of pay; nobody wins on rate of pay — the competition … Continued
If you know me well, you know I am a positive and optimistic person. But even I have to admit that, in this economy, finding unit-level management is brutal. It is easier for me to find a VP of Operations, CFO, or COO for the owners of successful independent multi-unit restaurant companies who make up … Continued
Over the years, I have worked with so many successful independent multi-unit restaurant owners. A lot of them share this common characteristic — they just don’t fit the mold. You know, the conventional American business leader: the great manager who runs an organized, rational, structured, efficient company. On the extreme is the story about the … Continued
General Managers are the most important people in your successful multi-unit independent restaurant company. They control what happens within the four walls — including both the guest experience and the strength of your bottom line. Finding great general managers in the current labor market can be agonizingly difficult. As an industry we responded to this … Continued
A lot! Sometimes it feels like it is easier to raise money, sign a lease, build, and open a restaurant than to find someone to run it. There is a definite shortage of talented restaurant managers — and especially general managers. If you are a successful owner of an independent multi-unit restaurant company, you have … Continued
Listen to your guests. Last week I wrote about guests’ changing thinking on delivery and how it was out in front of many restaurateurs’ thinking. Guests accept a tradeoff — convenience vs. quality. They have realized delivered food is never as good as it is in a restaurant, but they value the convenience of delivery even … Continued
The success of your independent restaurant company is a byproduct of your experiences and beliefs. And that’s good news, because your P&L shows above-average industry profits, your mystery shoppers give you high scores, and streams of guests come into your dining rooms every day. You may view that success as a kind of validation of … Continued
Make your restaurant brand a cause. If you are an independent restaurant company owner who wants your organization to be an “employer of choice,” raise your hand. No kidding? Everyone has their hand up! Why is that? Because “employer of choice” equals “I’m fully staffed with people who want to stay.” We all have experience … Continued