Top Tips For Restaurant Managers To Improve

Restaurant management tips often focus on ways to streamline the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. But what about the manager who handles those day-to-day operations? Could you use some tips to help you manage better?

Working on yourself is just as important as working on the operations of the business. This is because everything you do will have an impact on some part of the restaurant, from the food quality to the atmosphere for diners.

Instead of only looking for ways to improve the business, look for ways to improve your management style. If you can do that, everything around you will improve too. 

Show A Positive Attitude

Your positive attitude, or negative attitude, can really affect the mood of the whole restaurant, including your customers. A bad attitude on your part can soon work its way down through the employees and start impacting your guests. This, in turn, will impact their dining experience in a negative way. This is a recipe for disaster.

Work on maintaining a positive attitude at all times, even at stressful times in the restaurant. Of course, it’s natural to feel irritable occasionally, but try to remember the passion that brought you into the hospitality industry in the first place. That passion can help to fuel a better attitude, which can make all parts of the business run better.

Promote Transparency With Your Employees

Transparency is an important part of managing a restaurant. Employees will always want to know what is going on and what you’re doing in the restaurant. This comes from their need to feel connected and part of something larger.

If you can encourage an atmosphere of transparency with your employees, they will feel like a bigger part of your team and feel more engaged and motivated to perform to the best of their abilities. 

If you aren’t already, carry out regular staff meetings to keep your team up to date on the business. During work hours, keep in constant contact with employees so you always know what’s going on. And don’t forget to provide positive encouragement when appropriate.

Be A Model Of Stability For Your Employees

The restaurant business can be very inconsistent. One day can be completely different to the next, which can differ from the next. This can cause employee efficiency to wear away because they have no idea what to expect from day to day.

You need to provide the stability that your employees need to perform at their best. Keep the lines of communication open at all times and be consistent with your expectations. This will help employees stay grounded when everything else is changing around them.

Plan Ahead

In order to be able to perform at your best, you need to plan ahead. Anticipate needs and problems, and try to be proactive in your management. 

Try making a list of things you need to do in the next few months. Prioritize your list by importance and start working on them. If “hire a new server to replace one that’s leaving” and “update inventory” are on your list, those should go to the top. If you get these things done sooner rather than later, you’ll avoid the problems that come from being short-staffed and without the supplies that you need.

Innovate

The restaurant business might not seem like the obvious place for innovation, but it actually is. Whether it’s easier to use point-of-sale technology, adopting a farm-to-fork initiative, or shaking up your accounting systems, these innovations can keep your restaurant performing well.

For example, employee scheduling software has recently become used widely, and has streamlined the management of employee groups of all sizes. This software is more than just a calendar where you list who’s working.

Because it’s designed specifically for restaurants, software like this can help you to schedule more efficiently by offering suggestions and alerting you when there are conflicts. It’s these kinds of innovations that you need to be aware of in order to keep your business thriving.

Delegate

On most days, there are just too many things for you to handle yourself. You will need to learn to delegate. Start by delegating the less-critical day-to-day tasks, like coordinating waste removal, on your list to trusted employees that you know can get the job done. This gives you the time to focus on the bigger, more important issues.

Delegating some of your many tasks to your employees helps them see what is involved in day-to-day operations and trains them to take on more responsibility later.