You have a lot of back-of-house issues to deal with as a restaurant manager. Your primary duties will include overseeing the restaurant’s operations, ensuring a great customer experience, and inventory management. The most demanding task yet will probably be managing the restaurant employees. Faced with the Great Resignation, where 4.3 million people quit in January 2022, effective restaurant management will be challenging.
Here are 11 surefire restaurant management tips to get your restaurant’s staff working like a charm.
1. Set a Good Example
An employee handbook is a great start, but you must lead by example if you want to see results on the floor. For instance, if your staff sees you helping guests out, they are more likely to emulate you. Don’t just tell them what to do; show them how to do it.
2. Delegate Tasks
You’re not a working machine, so you cannot do everything on your own. There’s a lot that needs doing on a daily basis in the restaurant business. Further, you will probably be working long hours to keep the business running smoothly.
Sure, learning to multitask is excellent, but teamwork makes the dream work. So trust your team members and delegate some essential tasks to them.
Finally, people don’t appreciate micromanagement. So remember to create a stress-free work environment built on trust. The restaurant owner and your staff members will appreciate you for that.
3. Make Your Restaurant Staff Feel Valued
Unfortunately, most successful restaurants struggle with staffing retention issues. For instance, 3 out of 10 restaurateurs identified staffing as an issue. Some of it has to do with labor costs, while others are about business values.
Staff in the restaurant industry have to endure hard work that pays next to nothing—make it the general manager’s goal to make them feel valued and appreciated. It helps to post motivational words where staff are to inspire them.
4. Celebrate Successes
If you hit an important milestone you had set for the business or the staff, take that chance to celebrate. You could take the team to the local pub and have the bartender make everyone a drink.
Alternatively, you could introduce incentives to celebrate small wins and motivate staff members. These experiences will help everyone rejuvenate and give them fond memories to look back to.
5. Be Firm but Thoughtful
A good restaurant manager is clear about their expectations of staff and holds everyone accountable to those standards. Sometimes, you might have to push your team to their limits to achieve set targets.
However, you should also be sensitive to their emotions and do so in a way that’s not off-putting or overly rude. In addition, listen to their grievances and consider their input when making major decisions.
6. Employee Scheduling
You can’t have a well-run food establishment without a staff schedule. It’s the only way you will balance workloads, manage attendance, eliminate conflict, and ensure efficiency. One nifty way to achieve this is using restaurant staff scheduling software or apps.
Once you create a working schedule, you can use digital signage to display it attractively and improve your restaurant.
7. Work on Your Problem-Solving Skills
Wherever there’s a group, differences will emerge. To manage the best restaurants, you have to enhance your problem-solving skills.
Staff want to look up to a person they can rely on to help them sort out issues. So whether it’s a point of sale or food service conflict, you should have an appropriate dispute resolution strategy.
8. Own Your Mistakes
Mistakes are bound to happen. Don’t try to cover it up or lump it onto someone else when you inevitably make one. Instead, take responsibility for it, and your staff will also likely do the same. That way, you can concentrate on resolution rather than finger-pointing.
9. Consistency is Key
Consistency is an essential tool for managing restaurant staff. Once you set standards, don’t accept anything less. Moreover, be consistent with your directions and expectations of your team and yourself as well.
10. Give Proper Job Descriptions
One of the easiest ways to ensure new staff learns their roles is by training and giving them clear job descriptions. That will ensure the new team is confident in their work, maintain high standards, and guarantee staff retention.
11. Embrace Technology
The right technology, such as POS systems or inventory management systems, will make your staff’s work easier. The technology ensures staff work longer and more efficiently. Further, such systems will aid in accounting.
Final Word – Managing Restaurant Staff
Opening a new restaurant isn’t just about ambiance, enticing food costs, and bottom line. Having the right restaurant staff ensures a good dining experience. That way, you can count on word of mouth as one of your marketing strategies.
If you can motivate staff, provide clear job descriptions and schedules, and make them feel valued, you should have no issues managing restaurant employees.
