Your manager is struggling and that’s on you.
Running a restaurant is not for the faint of heart. Staffing issues, supply chain disruptions, and skyrocketing costs are just a few of the hurdles you face daily.
It’s easy for your managers to become stuck in crisis management mode, constantly battling the daily chaos. That’s how we’ve always seen restaurant management – but wouldn’t it be better to set them up to be successful strategic leaders instead of firefighters?
You have the chance to flip the script. It’s time to rethink what you expect from a top-notch restaurant manager and reshape the role to meet those expectations.
Your Restaurant, Your Rules
Every restaurant is unique with its own vibe and flavor. It’s not just about the delectable dishes we serve; it’s also about the behind-the-scenes action.
I lost count of how many times clients have asked for a standard job description for a General Manager. Your restaurant is unique so why should the duties of your GM follow a generic, cookie cutter list used by every other establishment?
Instead, create the role based on what your restaurant truly needs. If you have a killer chef, your GM doesn’t need to don the chef’s hat too. If you’ve got a finance guru handling the numbers game, your GM doesn’t need to be a math genius.
Knowing what YOU need from your GM is the secret sauce. Once you’ve got that figured out, communicate it clearly.
This clarity helps everyone understand their roles better, making your restaurant function like a well-oiled machine.
Managers into Leaders
I hate the title of “manager” and I hate “general manager” even more. It feels a tad old school, giving off a vibe of overseeing things and ruling with an iron fist rather than actively leading your team and propelling your restaurant forward.
A general manager implies that they run everything, but often that’s not the case. They’re not taking care of the books or the marketing or any legal matters. Assistant manager is worse because it implies they are assisting, but what are they’re really supposed to do or have responsibility over?
Words matter. If you want leaders, call them leaders. Your general manager becomes your Leader of the House, the one steering the ship and leading the team.
When you assign your team to a department, suddenly it’s crystal clear what they are responsible for. Bar leader, host leader, service leader, kitchen leader, training leader.
Here’s a real life example.
Your Bar Leader may cover the restaurant when your Leader of the House has the day off, and your Service Leader may cover the bar if they are off. But if there’s an issue in the bar or a bartender needs some TLC (Teaching, Leading, and Training) the Bar Leader is ultimately responsible for correcting this when they return to work the next day.
Manage Systems, Develop People.
We spend so much of our time and energy fighting fires, jumping from one crisis to another, barely catching our breath. This daily chaos becomes our normal state.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Imagine being proactive instead of reactive. How would that transform your restaurant? Your life?
The manager you hire will never be just like you. They won’t have the same experiences, thoughts, insights, or passions that you hold – and that’s okay. If they had all those things, they wouldn’t be working for you, would they?
Instead, focus on how to create success through systems. When you have a clear system of how, when and why to do something, everything becomes black and white.
Manage Systems, Develop People. No one likes to be managed but a system has no feelings. You can be hard on the systems but soft on the people. We’re not just managing; we’re leading, training and developing. And that’s what true leadership is all about.
The Bottom Line
Running a restaurant isn’t just about serving great food. It’s about creating an environment where everyone knows their role and feels empowered to make decisions.
It’s about creating and managing systems that allow us to anticipate problems rather than react to them. And, most importantly, it’s about continuous learning and adaptation.
So, why not redefine your roles, revamp your job titles, and invest in your team?
After all, a restaurant that runs smoothly — even when you’re not there — is one that consistently delivers quality and that’s a restaurant that customers love to return to.
And at the end of the day, isn’t that all you really want?
