COVID-19 has exposed weaknesses in our society: the lack of a coordinated national health care policy, no national sick leave program, and two political tribes that don’t even see the same facts – let alone work together on solutions to our problems. Similarly, if you pay attention as you sweat out the survival of your … Continued
What will the rules be when our dining rooms, partially at first, open? We don’t know. But we’ve got to be ready. Whoa! Looks like an exercise in planning from business school. Correct. This pandemic schools you. Public Health Comes First I watch California and Washington state – two of the first states that … Continued
During this crisis, how well you connect to your active and furloughed employees will define your culture for years. It will make the difference between having a bonded and enthusiastic workforce rather than one that feels bitter and neglected – and then looks elsewhere for employment. The people who run to-go and delivery in your … Continued
When the day comes – when you can legally operate your dining room again – you’ll be relieved, exhausted, and excited. Focus on that day now. Really. Now. The Opportunity of a Lifetime How you re-open your restaurants will dictate how much success you experience in the future. Like everything else you have dealt with … Continued
It started with the feelings we share with people around the world about the COVID-19 threat: shock, grief, disbelief, and fear. And it continued with the undercutting of our belief that working hard, staying smart, and continually improving our businesses would mean continued success. It is more than enough for anyone to handle. Every day, … Continued
Here is what I am telling my clients now about surviving this crisis and keeping people working when it passes. If you operate in an area where you can only offer to-go and delivery, take a short period of 10 days (over two weekends) to determine whether you can generate enough revenue to keep some … Continued
In normal times, we avoid talking about safety. After all, why would we want to take guests’ mindset away from the positivity of their experience in our restaurants? But now, with no basketball games? No flights to Europe? And your college kid learning online because classrooms are closed? These are not normal times – and … Continued
I have never met a restaurateur who does not want people to take more ownership, action, and responsibility. But I have met plenty who sabotage themselves every day by actively working against that goal. Many owners of successful independent multi-unit restaurant companies do not yet know how to harness the power of the people they’ve … Continued
You don’t win an NBA championship without superstars. You don’t expect a movie to open strong and gross $500 million or more without the most popular actors. And you won’t ever own the best restaurant company without a few superstars of your own. Only the best operators, however, stop and think about how much of … Continued
The best way to run your second (or third of fourth) concept? Not the way you ran your first. The number one thing restaurateurs get wrong when operating multiple concepts? They superimpose their original concept’s corporate team onto their new one – when maximizing the success of each requires unique leadership, culture, and attitude. It’s … Continued