Being a manager at a restaurant usually means that you wear many hats. From creating schedules, to dealing with disgruntled customers, to assisting with administrative tasks, health safety, compliance, and accounting. Managers are expected to know just about everything and they certainly feel the weight of it. With turnover high and restaurants being short on staff, it is important to ensure that restaurants are doing their part to make sure managers are receiving the tools they need to help them thrive, especially during these unprecedented times. Here are three tips to help your managers thrive.
Thorough Training
Just like in any position, it is important to equip your employees with all of the tools and knowledge that they need to fulfill their duties before they begin working. Managers have a lot on their plate and will need to know the ins and outs of what is expected of them. Having them train with a seasoned manager will give them the opportunity to ask questions and see firsthand what they should expect.
Utilize Back-office software
Equipping your managers with tools that help them perform their job effectively and efficiently is a great way to help them thrive in their role. Managers often feel rundown and overworked, so implementing back-office software is an excellent way to lighten the load, allowing their energy and time to be poured into other aspects of the job. Having software that makes creating schedules quick and painless and reduces time in taking inventory are just two examples of how impactful back-office software can be to your restaurant. In the words of David Ogilvy, “A well-run restaurant is like a winning baseball team. It makes the most of every crew member’s talent and takes advantage of every split-second opportunity to speed up service.”
Offer Continued Support
Supporting your managers should be an ongoing process. It is important that they feel comfortable coming to you with questions as they arise. Having weekly meetings and investing in your managers will have positive impacts that trickle down the workline. This designated time is great for constructive feedback and praise on areas that you see great improvement. Time is valuable, so be sure you have an agenda set for these meetings and ask your manager(s) to come prepared with questions and concerns. As managers become more comfortable in their new role you can talk to them about meeting every other week, but those first few weeks and even months are crucial to their ability to do the job well.
So whether you are hiring outside of the company or promoting employees within your restaurant to managers, it is in everyone’s best interest to consider in depth training, utilizing back-office software and offering continued support. Never assume that someone knows it all. Oftentimes people are scared to ask questions in fear that they will look incompetant in a job they were just hired for. Letting them know from the very beginning that there will be a learning curve and that you are there to help them succeed will create that open communication that is vital to a manager’s, and your success!
