People-dependent vs. System-dependent, which should you prefer?
Hengam Stanfield
Restaurant Owner | Founder of Mattenga’s Pizzeria | Passionate about Serving People
Isn't a dream come true for any restaurant owner to have an operation that runs fast and smoothly, even without his or her physical presence?
But as the saying goes, when the cat's away, the mice will play.
Sometimes, it happens when people will do as they please in the absence of their supervisor or manager, especially in neglecting or breaking the rules.
As a restaurant owner or manager, did this ever happen to your operations?
Do you notice a shift in your operations or standards, whether you are there or not there? How about the performance of the team, does it change when your manager is present or absent?
We recently went through this season in our restaurant that whenever the manager is there, everything goes well and fast. The staff is out, and things are spotlessly clean.
But the moment the manager steps out of the restaurant, the team's standard suddenly goes down. It's as though people are quite not on top of it without supervision.
And this is quite alarming.
First of all, kudos to our manager for being well-respected by the team. In his presence, it makes a difference in the performance of the crew.
However, on the other hand, as a business owner, it is a point of vulnerability -I have a team that relies on a person (our manager).
We have a people-dependent operation. And it is a vulnerable place to be in because ideally, we want our people to be dependent on a system.
We want our managers to enforce the system and not their opinions. People must know that they need to abide by the rules of the company.
What are these rules?
For instance, with our ticket time standards, we need to document it, so we make sure we hold the team accountable when it comes to it.
Whether our manager is there or not there, the staff must comply with our standard ticket times. As you know, we are pretty much obsessed with our speed of service.
Another example is our closing times. For instance, when the manager isn't there, it takes an hour and a half to close.
But what is the standard for the team to know? That it must only take 45 minutes to close the store. Like within 45 minutes, everybody is out, and these items need to get done.
To ensure that the team strictly follows, we need to have a system. For us, we have a checklist that staff accomplishes every day. This way, we can hold the team accountable.
So here's my question for you. Do you think you are vulnerable that your team is people dependent? Or would you say that they are system dependent?
A restaurant operation that runs fast and smoothly with or without you or the managers -this should be our goal. And yes, it is possible if you have a team that relies on a system, and not on a single or a few persons.
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5 年Hengam, Great post and share here. It's such an important topic. I agree with you regarding the importance of having a consistent, reliable process that executes with speed and certainty.? But I will also add the importance of having a staff that truly cares. Easier said than done, I realize, but especially in a restaurant, having a knowledgable staff that takes pride in what they do, how they look, and how the restaurant performs trumps all other variables. I learned this in my late teens / early twenties as a back waiter at a four star facility in South Jersey. Our sole focus was providing best in class service. We knew our kitchen staff would take care of their end, preparing wonderful food for us to deliver with pride and precision.?? If they were "off", we would let them now, and they would certainly reciprocate.? And at the end of the night, around 11:00 p.m, both the front and back of the house would gather in a little hallway off the kitchen and while the few remaining guests were finishing, we would dissect the service...The good, the bad, and everything in between.? Then we would go back at it the next night - It was awesome because the team was awesome. To be sure, we had a incredible system too.? Ideally, you need both. But if you get the people right, the system is easy. The hard part is the people... Great topic! Rob
Executive Chef and Sommelier at Mortons The Steakhouse Texas Restaurant Association, Board of Directors, San Antonio Chapter Texas Chefs Association Board of Directors, Social Media Coordinator, San Antonio Chapter
5 年I would not agree that your team respects your manager, or you for that matter. Respect would imply that they care about that person and what happens to them. If I leave my kitchen with a team member In charge and My chef walks in the next day and finds the kitchen is not shut down properly, I am held accountable not the team member. I will have a conversation with the team as a whole and restate the standards for closing but as the leader the buck stops with me. I think in order for a team to follow directions and uphold standards they have to have some kid of buy in. Buying into your mission creates ownership and pride in your work. I would also look at the the relationship with your manager and the team. If your manager is tyrant than yes your labor for that night is going be great and adversely when they are not there the team will take the time they feel is necessary to close properly. On those great labor nights how was the close? If labor is the motivating factor than I would look at saving on the front end of the week/shift to buy you an extra 20,30, 45 minutes to an hour at the end of every shift. Shift in times by 15 minutes.