How COVID-19 Exposes Weakness in Your Restaurant Organization

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 restaurants, you will clearly see the weaknesses in your own company:

• The quality and effectiveness of your leaders
• How many employees identify as “all in”
• How your people communicate, innovate, and cooperate
• The accuracy and timeliness of information
• The support you get from the professionals you surround yourself with
• How your guests feel – really feel in their hearts – about you, your restaurants, and your brand
• How you manage cost and create revenue
• Whether you truly live your culture or even know how to define your culture

Opportunity Is Staring You in the Face

Now might seem like the worst time ever to take on these issues.

But that mindset makes you miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime to address, reset, and correct these issues so your organization dominates your segment in the future.

The need to do that stares you in the face every day – like a billboard on the highway outside your best unit.

I know several organizations that have decided to undertake leadership change; rework their cultural aspirations; refocus their brands; evaluate corporate, financial, and unit-level management teams; and shore up areas that have proven insufficient to handle the massive number of new issues thrown at them the past six weeks.

Be Honest About What You See

One of the owners I work with told me, “I knew this was a problem but, now that I am tackling this crisis, I see it is a lot more of a debilitating issue than I ever imagined.”

Be honest: How has your team responded to the crisis?

What does that response say about how your team operates?

What steps can you take now to make sure – as your dining rooms re-open and eventually rise to full capacity – you will not only survive this crisis, but will have made your company so much stronger?

I know: After the past six soul-crushing weeks, you may not be in the mood for a silver lining.

But the people who act on this opportunity will have to look in the rear-view mirror to see the people who can’t penetrate the negativity of what we have all been through.

Get Ready to Join the Club

Over the past six weeks I have talked to so many operators, clients, prospects, friends of my network partners, friends of friends, and strangers.

Many felt alone and did not know what to do.

Pro bono, I advised all comers on how to survive the crisis and get set up to prosper.

Together we saved a lot of restaurants, which feels great.

Eventually we will get back to full dining rooms and restaurant companies that would be the envy of any entrepreneur.

None of us knows exactly what is coming at us.

But we know together we must be prepared for whatever does.

If you want to talk about how the COVID-19 virus is impacting your business, please schedule a free call with me and I will help you.