What Makes Great Restaurant Leadership?
COVID-19 has affected restaurant operations on every level, from how servers interact with guests to what revenue streams flourish best. As these new systems become commonplace, customers and employees shift their expectations of the dining experience. Managers need to be ready to supervise workers as they greet every new protocol that the coronavirus pandemic has made a necessity. By taking time as an owner to demonstrate positive leadership qualities toward your managerial team, they, in turn, will learn to employ those same tactics on junior staff.
New Restaurant Leadership Skills
With the continuous cycle of change that coronavirus has wrought, managers need to be flexible and very open to new ideas that streamline work processes or make dining out safer for all. This typically goes hand-in-hand with out-of-the-box problem solving capabilities since experimentation is crucial to upward mobility. Although it’s tempting to get stuck in your ways and generally useful to develop streamlined restaurant systems, also keep an eye out for any areas where you can do better. The organization is critical, but so is critical thinking to guide self-improvement.
Digital solutions proliferated this year as a great way to balance positive customer experiences with social distance. As we progress, it will get even more commonplace to find human workforces operating smoothly alongside high-tech devices. Already we’ve seen how well machines create frictionless services; this year has changed the course of AI integration, self-service Kiosks, and other advanced restaurant technology. Outstanding leadership gets their team both excited and prepared to operate new systems so that they can help guests or troubleshoot problems all on their own.
Every member of the team, no matter where they are on the chain of command, is crucial to the business’s success. Instill this sense of duty into your staff by demonstrating a genuine interest in their personal and professional development. By mentoring your managers, they’ll see how beneficial the attitude is toward productivity and then pass those lessons down.
Make an Impact
As the face of your business, front-of-house workers are key. Guaranteeing their productivity, even in the absence of supervision, is crucial to long-term success. Creating effective restaurant systems helps business run smoothly when you’re not on the premises. Advanced Point of Sale software has remote access capabilities to real-time data for your peace of mind.
Self-sufficient workers are better equipped to handle new challenges. Disasters, accidents, and unforeseen circumstances will occur at random, sometimes during a rush when it’s not feasible to hold up traffic to track down a manager. Instead, teach them the critical thinking skills necessary to make their own informed choices in these pivotal moments.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses so that you can tweak your existing systems accordingly. Then, tell your staff why these changes are necessary as you explain their new expectations and routines. When they understand the reasoning behind what appears to be arbitrary, they’ll better identify their role in the grand scheme and work more efficiently to find prime solutions to any new challenges that come their way.
Great Leadership
The best way to guarantee your staff works hard is to invest in them first. Problem-solving techniques that make them better at their current job will also set them on a brighter personal and professional path. When you show that you care about their future, their respect for you in turn deepens, and they’ll be encouraged to give a little extra effort each day.
Set expectations early: If you have an employee handbook or manual, present it to new hires and be clear with the restaurant’s needs during the interview process to not waste time, energy, and money with constant turnover. The quicker they become experts at their tasks, the sooner your restaurant can reach its maximum efficiency.
Schedule a demo with eatOS to learn how we’re ushering in the future of food service, today.
