The customer experience in a restaurant isn't just about the food. It's a symphony of micro-decisions made by every single employee, from the moment a guest walks in the door to the moment they leave (arguably from the minute they decide to visit your restaurant to their next meal). These decisions, often overlooked, shape the guest's perception and ultimately determine whether they'll return.
The Symptoms of a Culture in Crisis
We often see the symptoms of a struggling restaurant culture:
- Apathy and Indifference: A shift leader complaining about having all the new employees. A supervisor constantly moaning about staffing shortages. Employees carelessly sending out incorrect orders, hoping they pass unnoticed. Even to the extreme (I've seen) of a swing manager ignoring an actual injured guest because they’re "busy and under staffed". These examples highlight a lack of empathy and a focus on individual grievances rather than the needs of the customer and the team.
- Negative Attitudes: A pervasive negativity can poison the work environment. When employees are constantly complaining about their jobs, “clique-y”, blaming others ("I wasn’t trained on the window"), or making excuses for poor service (it’s always someone else’s fault), it creates a toxic culture that drives away both guests and valuable employees.
- Lack of Ownership: A sense that individual actions don't significantly impact the overall success of the restaurant. This can manifest in shortcuts like rushing training or neglecting cleanliness, ultimately leading to a decline in service quality and a negative impact on the guest experience. What’s the percentage of times that you ask someone to do something, only to hear “that’s not my job”?
These symptoms are often a result of a deeper issue: a lack of a strong, inspiring culture.
- Missing Core Values: Without clearly defined and communicated core values, employees lack a shared sense of purpose and direction. They typically ask themselves, "Why should I go the extra mile? Why should I care if this guest is having a bad day?"
- Lack of Employee Engagement: Employees feel undervalued, unseen, and unappreciated. They question their role, their impact, and their reasons for staying. They oftentimes wonder, "Why should I work here when I could make the same money elsewhere?" or "Why should I put in extra effort when no one else is?" or the overall attitude of “just surviving” a shift.
- Poor Leadership: Managers who fail to inspire, coach, and recognize their team members contribute significantly to a negative and unfulfilling work environment. A manager who prioritizes their own convenience over the needs of their team, such as cutting corners on training due to time constraints, sends a clear message that employee development is not a priority.
Building a Culture of Excellence:
To truly improve the customer experience, we must address the root cause: building a strong, inspiring culture. This starts with:
- Defining Meaningful Core Values: YOUR Values aren’t something you pull from a corporate website, but the things you care or are passionate about, and a reflection of why you opened your restaurant in the first place. It has to be what gets everyone from the owner to the “lowest” employee pumped and excited to be a part of something bigger than themselves. It should make you ready to run through a damn wall!
We ask our clients, "Are your Mission, Vision, and Values ‘Shirt-Worthy’? Meaning: would you wear them willingly in public, on a shirt, as a value that YOU believe in and represents you?"
As you move into 2025, use your Core Values to Drive your Focus:
- Start with Hiring: Ensure new hires align with your core values during the interview process.
- Keep Your Core Values Front and Center: Integrate core values into uniforms, decor, and signage throughout the restaurant.
- Establish Daily Rituals: Communicate your Core Values and use them to drive conversation in your team’s pre-shift, in manager meetings, and ongoing training.
- Empower Managers: Equip managers with tools and resources to easily and meaningfully coach, correct, and inspire.
- Inspire Repeat Behaviors: Design a recognition system that encourages and rewards actions that align with core values.
P.S. We often see clients attempt to adopt the core values of other companies or their corporate overlords. While this can seem easier, it will lead to you finishing 2025 the same way you’re finishing off 2024. When your Core Values lack the Owner’s passion, everyone under you who is responsible for rolling out these half-hearted core values will know it’s fake. It’s a fast road to nowhere and easily forgotten or ignored by February.
#culture #employeeengagement #leadership #2025 #restaurantculture
