Managing a restaurant is not an easy job. Whether you are the owner or an employee, the work comes with a lot of responsibility. The customers and staff are all relying on you for a good experience either at work or throughout their dining experience. There are some things that managers in any industry should never do, but there are some that will cause even more problems if a restaurant manager does them.
Not Look After Your Employees
The chef, the waiters, bar staff, and kitchen staff are all an important part of running a successful restaurant, and as a manager, you have to recognize that. As such, you should never:
- Treat them with disrespect. Employees will not have any loyalty to someone who treats them this way, and that means they are less likely to do their job in an efficient manner.
- Expect them to read your mind. They might be the best chef in the world, but that does not mean they are mind readers as well. If you have instructions to give to any member of your staff, make sure they are clear, concise and they understand them.
- Forget to keep them informed. If there are major changes to the menu or schedule your staff needs to know about them. You should make sure everyone has the details, so it reduces the likelihood of errors.
- Set a bad example. Your restaurant will have rules that you expect all your staff to follow. You need to set a good example by making sure you follow them yourself. This will let your employees see that no one is above the rules.
- Discipline them in public. If they need to be reprimanded, never do it in front of customers or other staff members. What they are being reprimanded for could have been a genuine error, and they need not be humiliated in front of anyone.
- Fail to listen to them. Employees could have lots of things to say that you need to know, and you should always listen to them. It could be something within the restaurant that needs sorting, a problem in the kitchen or they may just be trying to find out how things work so they can plan their own life.
- Work them too hard. How managers should handle time off requests is not always how they do it. Some managers will try to make staff work really hard without many breaks. This leads to burnout and could mean that staff end up coming in sick because they are scared to ask time off, this could prove disastrous if they contaminate the diners!
Not Look After Your Customers
Your customers are vital as without them you might as well close the door and walk away. The sorts of things you should not do with your customers include:
- Ignore their complaints. You ignore customer complaints at your own peril, because it is very likely you will lose them as patrons, and anyone else they tell about their experience. If they have bothered to complain, it is obviously something that is upsetting them and possibly something you can rectify. Whatever their complaint is, take it seriously and perhaps calm the situation by giving them something to ease the situation – comp meal, appetizer, etc.
- Ignore feedback. Feedback can be good or bad, and it can help you to iron out problems that your customers do not like. It is often this way that you find out your mistakes; so whether it is a walk around the tables making conversation or a feedback form you leave for completion, take notice of what is said.
- Tell them they are wrong. It does not matter how ridiculous what they are saying is, never tell a customer they are wrong. This would make them feel intimidated and unwelcome, and they are likely to be lost as a future patron in your restaurant.
- Forget important they are. The customers are the reason the restaurant exists, and it is really important that you and every member of staff recognize that. Make sure they are always the first priority and get the excellent service and food they deserve.
Not Deal With Problems
There is more to running a restaurant than the staff and the customers. Suppliers have to be dealt with and sometimes there will be problems that need outside contractors to deal with them. Then there are things such as social media. You will probably get good and bad reviews. Deal with them all in a positive manner, and never argue with customers online, it is too public.
Hopefully, these few tips will help you to manage your restaurant successfully, and make the job an easier one to do.
