The Most Important Rule with Restaurant Systems
Success with restaurant systems involves more tough love.
Believe it or not, implementing systems is the easy part. Anyone can start and finish a project. It’s what you do after you implement systems that makes or breaks your restaurant’s profitability.
The most important rule when you implement systems is the one rule that rules them all (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the Lord of the Rings parody). The rule is: Inspect what you expect and hold them accountable.
Let’s break the rule down. “Inspect what you expect,” means that if you expect a system to be followed, you must double-check that it is being used every day. For example, if you create a manager checklist, you need to look at it daily to make sure they are doing everything on the list and doing it according to your expectations. If you get comfortable and decide to check it less frequently, you must go back and see that it’s been followed every day. Once you stop looking, attention to the detail will also stop.
The “hold them accountable” is probably the hardest part of the rule. This requires you to manage your team. It requires you to actually write people up if they don’t follow the systems, even if they are family. When you show favoritism, everyone sees it and it allows other employees to think they don’t need to change or follow the rules. When you don’t hold that person accountable, they win. You teach them that when you start something new and they ignore it long enough, you will give up… like you always do.
Being fair equals being tough
The reality is that if you don’t make change happen in your restaurant, there’s a 99 percent chance that no one else in your restaurant will either. And if you are fortunate enough to have the 1 percent that will, they’ll eventually give up, too, if you don’t hold anyone accountable.
When you change your culture, implement systems, follow up on those systems, and hold people accountable for using those systems, you will be consistent and fair with all your staff. And when you are consistent and fair, you can be tough because everyone knows when they are wrong.
The best part about the changes that come when you implement systems is you will be able to have a life because you don’t need to be there every day, all day, and you WILL make more money.
If you would like to learn more about restaurant systems and their impact on your restaurant business, read our free special report, Breaking Away from the Insanity: How to easily take control of your restaurant and make more money. Download it here. Be sure to visit our YouTube channel for more helpful restaurant business management video tips.
