40 - Restaurant Leadership - Steps to help you be a better leader in your Restaurant.

Many of the problems in Restaurants that we see come down to issues with Leadership.  Restaurant Leadership is something that isn't taught, most people pick it up on the job, so we will go through some tools to help with your Restaurant Leadership.

What is the definition of Leadership and in particular Restaurant Leadership.

Restaurant Autoposy.  One of the Restaurants using our Free Online Restaurant Booking System has closed.  We go through the issues that they had.  The biggest issue was that even though they weren't busy and wanted to be better, and it was quiet on Saturday nights, they did no marketing.  Even worse, the website was very poor, no great photos, no SEO (getting found in Google).  There web traffic dropped from 750 a month down to  600 over the last 18 months.  These is less than half of what their competitors were getting.  It probably equated to $10,000 a month in revenue that they were missing out on. I wonder what was going on in the minds of the people in the team there, doing nothing to find more customers.  The only marketing they did was Groupon at the end.

We talk about what Leadership is and look at Dwight D Eisenhower's definition of Leadership, which is "Getting people to do what you want them to do, because they want to do it"

How does Restaurant Leadership work in a Restaurant?  There is the typical angry chef, but I think it is a lot more common to have no Leadership in the Restaurant.

We look at the mindset that people need to be able to be an effective Leader in your Restaurant.

Make sure that your Personal Plan aligns with your Business Plan which aligns with your Marketing Plan.  Too many people forget why they opened their Restaurant and they lose their passion for their Restaurant.  It is so much harder to motivate people if you aren't motivated and passionate about what you are doing.

We look at BHAGs (big Hairy Audacious Goals), and we talk about Missions, Values and Goals and how these are tools to help you be a better leader, but also the big component of the business that you are responsible.

We talk about Adam Sobel's Vision from Cinnamon Snail and Nick Sarillo's Nick's Pizza and Pub.  Check out Nick's book, "A Slice of the Pie."  

Nick’s Pizza & Pub Values

• We treat everyone with dignity and respect.
• We are dedicated to the learning, teaching, and ongoing development of each other.
• We have fun while we work!
• We provide a clean and safe environment for our guests and team members.
• We honor individual passions, and creativity at work and at home.
• We communicate openly, clearly and honestly.
• We honor the relationships that connect our team, our guests and community.
• We take pride in our commitment to provide quality service and a quality product.
• We celebrate and reward accomplishments and “A+” players.
• We support balance between home and work.
• Health: We are a profitable and fiscally responsible company. We support the physical and emotional well-being of our guests and team members.
• Our team works through support and cooperation.

We look at the E-Myth and how it can help you delegate.

How can you be a better communicator in your business.

We also look at Danny Meyers "Setting the Table" as well, another great book on the topic of leadership.

• Have a personal plan
• Be passionate
• Define your values
• Hire for values and train for skills
• Procedures
• Delegate
• Communicate, Communicate and Communicate
• Find a mentor.

The journey of leadership is never ending, but remember - The better you get, the better you get.