Reclaim Your Mojo, Restaurant Owner!

It is important to take time away from your business to regroup, reenergize and regain your focus. I can almost guarantee we’ve all had a point where we have felt beat up, or maybe on the verge of throwing our hands in the air and giving up.

Let’s be clear, the restaurant business can very quickly chew you up and spit you out with little to no warning. This doesn’t have to be the outcome if you stay focused.

I recently had a discussion with a member of TheRestaurantExpert.com team who credited his membership with the Elite Group for keeping him alive years ago. But after taking a break from the group he realized he slowly became unfocused and unmotivated to take action in his business and keep fighting. He hit rock bottom and decided to throw in the towel.

But after a meeting with his Elite Group, he was upbeat, ready to negotiate a deal for a new location, and had a revived sense of self-worth knowing he wasn’t in the battle alone.

Obviously this support and motivation are major benefits to our group meetings, but you can find this motivation from other places, too. It is important to take a step back, take a few days off and look at the big picture. Sometimes it isn’t about working harder but about working smarter. For example, don’t spend your days off running to Restaurant Depot or Costco. Instead spend your time doing something to rejuvenate your mind. A simple weekend of enjoying time with family, hitting the golf course, or taking a mini road trip can go a long way. Use the time to mentally prepare yourself to hit the ground running when you return to your business.

Once you’ve regained the motivation that made you get into this crazy business, be sure to communicate your motivation with your management team. Employees and managers will notice your fresh attitude and it will resonate with your entire team, bringing you better performance, increased efficiency and overall fun in your business.

Brad Hackert is an independent consultant and owner of Systems Pro Consulting, providing on-site systems implementation support to restaurant owners everywhere. He works in restaurants with independent restaurant owners to teach them how to make SMART Systems work in their restaurants. Brad has worked in every part of the restaurant, handled crisis and business-threatening situations as well employee issues, and he’s a firm follower of systems for business success. Want to kickstart your systems in your restaurant? Call Brad.