Good Help is Hard to Find.

At least that is what we hear everywhere in our industry these days. But what if great help was already in your orIt’s true.  Statistics show that most organizations have better success with training and promoting internally rather than bringing in top level management from outside the organization.

If this sounds overwhelming, or unachievable.  We get it.

Whether its generational, technology, or the hiring process, it is hard to believe that our management team can improve.

And yet, this is the goal of Scott Fisher and our FOODIFY team  every day.  

Our FOODIFY program believes that improving a restaurant manager’s performance requires a strategic mix of development, operational knowledge, and communication skills.

Here are three steps to take today to build the management team that will allow you to go on vacation (without checking your phone!)

1. Clarify Expectations

• Weekly KPIs: These aren’t just financial targets.  Our FOODIFY program takes a holistic approach to KPI’s that include customer satisfaction scores, and staff turnover rate in addition to the traditional Food cost % and labor %.

• Weekly accountability: Use weekly  performance targets, and set time to review these targets to track progress.

• Define roles clearly: This sound basic, but are your management team roles clearly defined.  In short, does your manager know what success looks like?  Our FOODIFY program is based on setting clear targets for each role within the management team so that every team member has a clear understanding of what is expected in the role on a daily basis.  

  
  

2. Provide Management Training

• Invest in soft skills: So many times, the main reason you the owner struggle with leaving your business for a prolonged period of time is the belief that your manager just doesn’t handle things the way you do.  Customers trust you.  They have faith in you. But if we look deeper, the real issue isn’t that the manager isn’t YOU.  The issue is that the manager lacks training in some of the soft skills.  A great manager can be developed, but part of this development needs to be the soft skills.  Conflict resolution, delegation, communication, and emotional intelligence.

• Operations training: Have you worked with your manager on operations training? This includes Scheduling, inventory control, cost management, and POS systems.

• Mentoring: Mentoring your management team is critical to long term success.  Our team believes that challenges are the way the team learns, but only if these challenges are reviewed as part of mentorship.  

  
  

3. Foster Ownership and Motivation

• Involve them in decisions: As crazy as it sounds, our 7 Day Away challenge has proven to instill a sense of ownership and motivation in your management team.  We believe this is the starting point to long term success.  By involving the team in key decisions and promoting feedback, the management team develops a sense of ownership and ultimately this builds buy-in.

• Offer performance incentives: Bonuses, public recognition, or career advancement opportunities. Ultimately, the team needs to know that as the business wins, they share in the success.

• Encourage innovation: Let them test new ideas for efficiency or service improvements.ganization?