Said no one ever: “Honey, I feel hungry. What corporation do you want to dine at tonight?”
One of the myriad changes forced on your multi-unit restaurant company during the crisis phase of the pandemic?
Spending your corporate office budget much more wisely.
No sacred cows.
You made smart cuts to your overhead at a time when you had to do more than ever.
This falls under the huge patio-sized umbrella of lessons you have to promise yourself you will never, ever, ever forget – even with things being better (like now) and even better (like soon) in our industry.
You learned to slay the corporate monster.
Pressure Forced Something Essential
You did not wake up one day with the idea of forming a committee that would report back to you in six months on overhead; you just tried to survive.
Economic pressure forced you to practice one of the most important things I have seen at restaurant companies in my four decades in our industry.
Being a restaurant company – not an office company.
When the office dominates, you risk turning the guest focus equation backwards – unknowingly blocking the decisions and actions that maximize sales, profit, and net worth.
Here in the Dallas area, drive on I-635 and you’ll notice a big, big building with a sign on it that says, “7-Eleven Store Support Center.”
Why is that significant? Because it’s actually 7-11 Americas HQ. Calling it a “support center” shows an attitude and culture that puts over 8000 stores above corporate.
What to Understand Now
Identify the corporate office lessons learned during the restaurant crisis phase of the pandemic:
- What unnecessary positions did you eliminate?
- Who really stepped up and gave you a new perspective about their capabilities?
- Who froze and needed direction when you wanted them to act?
- How did you focus more on your units’ needs and less on what the office needed?
- How has that permanently changed your company?
The corporate monster is insatiable, always wants to grow, and demands attention. If you truly want success, you can never stop batting it down.
Focus on what your restaurants need, what your guests want, and what your employees must have.
Over to you. How have you tamed your corporate monster?
