In my previous post, I argued that the historical brigade system (along with the “yes, chef” mentality) are no longer the answer to effective restaurant operations.
Change is happening faster than ever in the restaurant industry, and those who fail to transform their operations will not survive. As the industry faces evolving customer expectations, a talent crisis and increasing rules and regulations, restaurants must consider new ways to operate.
The restaurant industry traditionally attracts “doers” – those who are quick to serve people and respond. However, the pitfalls of this culture are chaos and disorganization.
Restaurants are in need of open-minded leaders with strategic vision, problem-solving skills and the ability to objectively analyze situations. These leaders must expect to hear more than “yes, chef” in the kitchen, ensuring that staff is properly trained, feels comfortable offering input and is capable of making important decisions.
I am constantly approached by staff with questions. I sometimes respond to their inquiries with another question, “what do you think we should do?” All too often, they stare at me with a blank face and expect me to have all the answers. Though over time, and with some coaching, I have seen my staff grow and become more proactive in offering solutions.
“When you always provide answers, you are stealing the chance for others to learn.”
Restaurant leaders, including myself, must continue to focus on improving our staff’s skills and inviting new ways of thinking. Those who are serious about transforming their culture and optimizing their operating model for the future must focus on the following:
- Mindful observation
Take time to mindfully observe all interactions throughout the restaurant, such as those occurring between servers and customers or chefs and kitchen staff. Consider the following: how did we create value for the guest? Follow the customer’s experience and record your observations. You may be surprised to learn that many of your expectations may not be met.
For example, we noticed that our guests were waiting increasingly longer for their meals. After observing our cooks in the kitchen, we were surprised to discover that they were leaving their workstation to replenish product, which was slowing down the rhythm of their cooking process. After experimenting, we responded by reallocating the replenishing work to a specific team member, which left the cooks to focus on completing their primary task in a timelier manner.
2. Holistic decision making
All too often, leaders make decisions without understanding how they will impact other facets of the business. Successful change implementation requires determining which people and processes will be affected. For example, a restaurant executive considers having a manager run food to all guests with a food allergy in order to exhibit their commitment to hospitality. However, the executive should first identify how this task might affect the managers’ workload. If the manager was to run food to all guests with an allergy, it would affect their availability to perform other duties, such as providing timely guidance to servers. An alternative solution would be to properly train and allocate food allergy-related responsibilities among key servers, who are already in direct communication with the guest.
I’ve been fortunate to learn from past situations in which I’ve made decisions without evaluating their impact. I once developed a creative vegetarian dish that happened to require 12 different ingredients. When I shared the recipe with the cooks, their response was “yes chef, of course we can make that.” The reality was that the complexity of the dish lead to increased prep time, food storage issues and ultimately was never executed properly. In retrospect, I (along with the cooks) should have recognized that the addition of this menu item would disrupt our standard approach, which consisted of fairly simple recipes that required little prep time and minimal storage space.
3. Better questions
I’ve learned that asking good questions can lead to better answers. Leaders should question the process of why and how things happen throughout the customer experience. Truly understanding the customer’s reaction is critical to improving the process moving forward. Refrain from making assumptions about the customer or staff member and instead identify where the process may have failed.
“Leaders should question the process of why and how things happen throughout the customer experience.”
For example, business was beginning to heat up at one of our new restaurants. We noticed a few of the servers were becoming flustered and that their guests’ dining experiences were taking longer than average. It would have been easy to blame the issues on the server, but instead we got curious. We asked the servers if there were certain challenges they’d been experiencing, and they explained how they needed to retrieve rolls and dishware from different parts of the restaurant and would often have to wait for supplies. To help address this issue and improve service, we placed necessary supplies in a more convenient location and changed our dish cleaning system to ensure clean dishware would be consistently availability.
4. Experimentation and reflection
Solving problems requires controlled experimentation and most importantly, careful reflection on what works and what doesn’t. Beware of making decisions with the sole purpose of cost reduction, and implementing seemingly quick fixes such as increasing headcount or implementing new technologies. By experimenting, reflecting, learning and then applying, you will make more informed, calculated decisions that solve your restaurant’s most pressing challenges.
The opportunity for restaurants to transform their operating models has never been bigger, and the stakes have never been higher. In order to keep pace with rapid change, restaurants must revolutionize their approach and foster an innovative culture. My team and I have witnessed the positive outcomes that can be achieved by challenging age-old processes, experimenting (and even failing), advocating for change and implementing new ideas.
