Manage Systems, Not People

By David Scott Peters

www.therestaurantexpert.com

Managing systems and developing people works

If you are a manager who isn’t great at finding each person’s exceptional skills and then developing those so that they’re better at the job, don’t worry. When you put the systems we teach into place, you will automatically be on your way to becoming a great manager.

This is because systems give you the ability to train employees at all levels in your restaurant to make sure your team knows what their job is, how to do their job and how well you want the job done.

When you are this specific, it makes it much easier to get your people to perform tasks and do their job the way you want it done — without conflict — when corrections are made. Systems allow you to stop managing people because you are actually managing the systems the employees execute on a daily basis. You simply see that things are being done, and whether they are being done correctly or not done at all.

Now implementing systems doesn’t make your people great. What it does is makes sure they are getting the job done. Systems allow you to virtually eliminate conflict and make it easier for you to manage your restaurant.

The development of your team starts when your employees know what their job is, how to do it and how well it should be done. This is because you aren’t fighting them to do what you need them to do. With systems in place, you can now focus on what makes your team members unique, identify their talents and instill a belief that their work is critical to the restaurant’s success.

In other words, implementing systems allows you to capitalize on the people part of the business.

This is exactly why I preach:

Managing People Doesn’t Work. Managing Systems and Developing People Does!

It’s dead on.

We see this play out on a weekly basis with our consulting clients. As we help them implement systems, the natural progression is that we teach management how to hold people accountable to the systems. Ultimately this means coaching them on how to get the most out of their team.

Notice the progression starts with systems. Developing their people comes second.

The reason for this is that without systems in place, most restaurants operate on some level of chaos. Order comes with systems that are used on a daily basis. And where there is order, there is time and opportunity to develop your people.

The secret is to stop managing people! Implement the systems that give you the ability to hold people accountable for doing their jobs to your standards, and you will be on your way to developing your team. Ultimately this is what takes your restaurant to the next level.

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He is the developer of SMART Systems Pro, an online restaurant management software program helping the independent restaurant owner remain competitive and profitable in an industry boxed in by the big chain restaurants. He is best known as the SMART Systems guy who can walk into any restaurant and find $10,000 in undiscovered cash before he hits the back door… Guaranteed! Learn more at www.therestaurantexpert.com/rdspos.

 

5 Fatal — Yet Avoidable — Service Errors

By David Scott Peters

www.therestaurantexpert.com

Here are the five service errors I have identified to be extremely harmful to independent restaurant owners that can be fixed with systems.

“Let’s just take turns.”

You know, kind of like being a car salesperson. “I’ll get the first people that walk in the door, you get the next and so on, until it’s my turn again.”

While this sounds good in theory, ultimately it can be a fatal mistake.

In reality, every server ends up with tables all over your restaurant, even outside (for those with outside seating), giving servers incredible ground to cover, keep track of and monitor. This spells disaster when it comes to providing top-notch service.

Tables get lost because they all assume someone else has already taken care of the new table that just seemed to seat themselves. But what really happens is nobody ever gets to the table, often resulting in a lost customer.

Never let your serving staff take turns. It is a recipe for disaster and will ultimately destroy your business.

“We can’t make any money if you add another server to the floor.”

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that one, I could buy a new Porsche.

The reality is, if you hear that from your servers, they probably already have too many tables in their sections and aren’t providing anywhere near “WOW” customer service. The general rule of thumb, in a full-service restaurant with a host who staggers the seating, is a server should be able to handle up to seven tables at a time.

The only way to build your sales is to provide incredible service levels, which is even more important to independent restaurant operators who have to separate themselves from the chains.

“Look, I just don’t have time to do that and take care of my tables.”

You must teach your serving staff one of the golden rules to walking the floor: “Nobody enters or leaves the kitchen with empty hands.” This means that for every pass a server takes to and from their tables, even if they aren’t going into the kitchen, they should be pre-bussing their tables. Plus I will take it one step further; they should be pre-bussing other server’s tables, too!

I know you’re probably thinking, “How do I sell that one to my servers?”

You have to get the concept across to your serving staff that just because a guest is sitting in someone else’s section today doesn’t mean they’re not their customer. If each guest doesn’t have a great experience, they aren’t coming back. And if a server can ensure they do have a great experience and they do come back, they could be sitting in that server’s section the next time. Ultimately this means more money for the server in the end.

“You’re kidding me, right? I’m not paid enough to do that!”

Try this line on them: “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean.”

Their first reaction is almost always, “I don’t get paid enough to do that.” Here are two tactics to overcome this:

1) Explain to your serving staff how much they make in tips. And then explain that they are really independent business owners themselves, but unlike you, they have no risk or expenses. Explain to them that you provide them everything they need to sell their product — the building, the utilities and even the product. To keep their business in place, they are responsible for the guest experience.

2) You need to pick up a rag and help too! The only sure-fire way I’ve used to get line employees at all levels to do anything extra, especially cleaning, is to lead by example. So practice what you preach and be a team player.

“All that does is slow me down. That stuff isn’t really necessary, look at my sales.”

When you dine in a chain restaurant, nine out of 10 times you will have a server introduce themselves, ask you if this is your first time here, tell you today’s specials and offer an appetizer. To a server at an independent restaurant, this seems ridiculous because there is usually no training program in place and a lack of follow through by management.

Again, if you find your serving staff saying this to you, they almost definitely have too many tables and think the more tables you have, the more money you make. As I’ve already explained earlier, this is a recipe for disaster and couldn’t be any farther from the truth.

Learn from the chains! Ultimately training your serving staff to follow the steps of service (exactly, every time) is the key to guest satisfaction. And guest satisfaction is what will increase tips and increase your bank account.

Yes, they’re all avoidable!

To increase your sales and attract more business, you need to separate yourself from the chains and provide the best service possible. Do this and I guarantee your sales will go up.

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He is the developer of SMART Systems Pro, an online restaurant management software program helping the independent restaurant owner remain competitive and profitable in an industry boxed in by the big chain restaurants. He is best known as the SMART Systems guy who can walk into any restaurant and find $10,000 in undiscovered cash before he hits the back door… Guaranteed! Learn more at www.therestaurantexpert.com/rdspos.

 

Make an Attitude Adjustment

By David Scott Peters

www.therestaurantexpert.com

The restaurant business presents very unique challenges. It is not a business for everyone. For those of us who love this industry and who manage people as part of our daily jobs, there is one thing that is extremely important for us all to remember: be a professional.

If you can bring professionalism into your restaurant, you will elevate everything including customer service, job performance and accountability. If you have everyone doing their best at their jobs and holding themselves accountable as professionals, you’ll have stellar customer service, incredible customer satisfaction, increased sales, lower costs and tighter controls for more profits.

Who doesn’t want that? If you really want to aim for professionalism in what you do and set the example for how you want the people who work for you to behave, then try this formula.

1. Have the right attitude

The key to being a professional is the attitude you choose.

Look, don’t worry about being happy and positive all of the time. Nobody is that way all the time. We all get angry, upset or sad from time to time. I am not going to say you won’t. The whole idea is at least you can bounce back. You tell people you are sorry and maybe you can get your relationships with people back on track.

2. Aim for flexibility

Dr. Otis Maxfield was the gentleman commissioned by the NASA program to select the first astronauts. He was allowed to select the astronauts using any criteria, and he came up with a characteristic that was found most important: flexibility.

You probably think a good astronaut has to be a good test pilot first and foremost. But what they found was the last thing they needed was a good pilot. Test pilots were taught by the book. They were too structured. They would get these guys up in simulators and make something go wrong and these guys would bail out as they were trained as pilots to do.

Instead, they needed the guy who was flexible, who could adapt to the challenge and try to find new solutions.

It’s the same thing with us. Times are always a-changing, and we have to be flexible.

3. Offer trust

Being a professional is to trust your people and create an environment of trust.

You have to build a trusting relationship with your people if you intend to do anything at all. You have to avoid creating an environment where people feel like they can’t ask a question without thinking they’re being set up for a gotcha.

To get the best out of your people — to grow fellow professionals — you have to build safe, positive atmospheres for the people you are working with and for your employees. They have to trust you.

4. Set the example

A professional shows up to work every day, no matter how they are feeling. A professional realizes to be a professional is as simple as choosing a positive attitude. A professional is flexible. A professional creates an environment that facilitates change and trust. In this kind of environment, it’s hard to focus on anything negative and much easier to focus on the success in front of you.

Remember, you are a professional. You’re running a business. You’re managing people. You are the real deal. Choose to act like one, and you’ll see the results.

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He is the developer of SMART Systems Pro, an online restaurant management software program helping the independent restaurant owner remain competitive and profitable in an industry boxed in by the big chain restaurants. He is best known as the SMART Systems guy who can walk into any restaurant and find $10,000 in undiscovered cash before he hits the back door… Guaranteed! Learn more at www.therestaurantexpert.com/rdspos.

 

Stop the Whining and Stupid Questions Once and for All

By David Scott Peters

www.therestaurantexpert.com

How to communicate your expectations with one small story

I love the story written by Elbert Hubbard in 1899 called “A Message to Garcia.” The story was written after Hubbard had just finished a debate with his son where his son pointed out how a lieutenant named Rowan was a real hero in the Spanish-American War (the War in which Teddy Roosevelt led his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill). His son said Rowan was a hero for carrying a message to Garcia.

Please take the time to read the reprint of the story here. And as you do, I want you to think about your restaurant and if you have a Rowan working for you. If you don’t, or if you’re lucky enough to have one, you need to share this story with everyone on your staff, but especially your managers.

This short story is thought provoking and vividly clear when it comes to eliminating the whining, the stupid questions from your employees. It communicates exactly your expectations of anyone who works for you. You will quickly see what I mean.

When you’re done reading it, take action:

• Find the Rowan on your team – he’s the guy that gets the job done and makes no bones about it.
• Make him an example for others on your team, and soon you might just have a smooth operation of people doing their job.

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He is the developer of SMART Systems Pro, an online restaurant management software program helping the independent restaurant owner remain competitive and profitable in an industry boxed in by the big chain restaurants. He is best known as the SMART Systems guy who can walk into any restaurant and find $10,000 in undiscovered cash before he hits the back door… Guaranteed! Learn more at www.therestaurantexpert.com/rdspos.