Like most restaurant owners, you probably went into the catering business because of your passion for gastronomy. At the time, did it worry you that you might have to deal with 101 other things that have nothing to do with the food side of the business? If you did, I bet it didn’t stop you.
However, as you’ve no doubt discovered, running a restaurant is a huge team effort and while there’s only one of you, there are several important management functions that need to be covered including: front of house, bar manager, head chef, marketing manager, HR head, to mention just a few of the more obvious ones.
Hiring and managing staff is crucial to the success of running the business, but it’s a skill that often falls between the cracks – after all, how hard can it be to find useful team members and keep them on track?
The short answer is: harder than you think. In the hospitality business more than any other sector, the success of your business hangs on having a happy and capable team in place where everyone takes pride in their work and engages professionally with customers on a daily basis.
With that in mind, take a look at these 7 common mistakes that so many restaurant owners make without even realising that they’re undermining their own success.
1. There’s no clear job description
Rule number one: what’s the job? You may be looking for someone who can ‘muck in’ and do whatever’s needed when they’re on duty, but if you don’t clarify the tasks at the outset, how is your new employee going to know that they’re doing what’s expected of them? The worst case scenario is what you might call ‘invisible moving goalposts’ – your staff never know where they are.
Instead, every job description should set out clearly (in writing!) what the post holder’s responsibilities are, including specific goals and processes to be followed.
2. Don’t oversell the job
Honesty and transparency are key. If you’re looking for kitchen hands, make sure they know that it’s an unglamorous behind-the-scenes position and they will be peeling potatoes and mopping up floors, not waiting on tables. If the hours are long and unsociable, and heavy lifting is required, be upfront about it. If there’s a dress code or high heels are part of the uniform, your staff will need to know at the beginning. That way, there’s no confusion and no misunderstanding.
Rather than sugarcoating the role, be sympathetic to any genuine staff concerns. And don’t forget to tell them about career development opportunities within the company. Motivation is a powerful driver – maybe they’re keen to understand that in order to work their way up through the ranks, they have to start at the bottom?
3. Be fair with the money
Pay peanuts and get monkeys – you have been warned. Restaurant employees will be motivated by competitive rates of pay, including their employers’ treatment of the allk-important tips. Unmotivated staff are less likely to perform to the best of their abilities, and will be quick to jump ship if a better opportunity comes along. That means more recruitment and training cost for you, as well as the upheaval of personnel changes.
Instead, treat your employees with dignity and fairness by giving them a fair wage, plus the tips they earn while on shift, and a proper employment contract.
4. There’s no staff training
Do you subscribe to the ‘sink or swim’ approach of staff training? New employees need to be shown what to do – not just a quick 5 minutes here and a quick 10 minutes there between service times. Instead, there should be a proper ‘onboarding’ procedure for every new employee, so they feel confidently equipped to do the job and to be a full member of the team.
Make it a priority to allay any ‘new job’ anxieties and ensure that your new staff member feels welcome, appreciated and supported from day one.
5. Do your best to offer flexible scheduling
Be mindful of the fact that the entire working population has to grapple with balancing the demands of work and home, and many people are juggling family commitments too. The more attuned you can be to staff demands for flexible scheduling, time off work, swapping shifts etc, and the more organised your shift planning system is, the happier everyone will be.
With an efficient scheduling system in place, everyone – management and staff – knows where they are, and no-one needs to panic or kick off.
6. Show your appreciation
Everybody likes to be appreciated, and employees who feel valued for the contribution they bring to the business are more likely to give their all and less likely to leave. As a boss, it’s sometimes not easy to show your human side – but the fact that you care can make all the difference between recruiting a short-term jobsworth and a potential co-manager.
7. Dead end job or room to grow?
Are you prepared to promote from inside the company or do you parachute in new managers from outside? Take a close look at your current workforce and see if you can identify future management talent. Who has the right work ethic, who shows a passion for the business and who puts in the effort day after day, looking after customers and giving sterling service?
There’s a lot to be said for building a loyal, successful team from the ground up, with trusted team members whose strengths and commitment to the business you’ve grown to appreciate over time and whose management abilities you’ve nurtured and developed in the longer term.
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