Some managers have intangible qualities that make them effective leaders and impactful mentors. If you're lucky, you've had the opportunity to work under the guidance of a manager like this. They're teachers who help you grow into a better person by adding a sense of clarity to your work and life. Not every person has the nuanced skill set to be this type of manager. But, with the proper training, all managers can become better leaders. Being a leader in your restaurant has big benefits for your career and for your restaurant. Here are 8 great coaching and training resources you can take advantage of to become a better coach.
Why Restaurant Operators Need to Encourage Better Management
The restaurant industry is an unpredictable place. Service and bar staff turnover is high, management gets burnt out, there is endless competition, and profit margins are tight. You must be a little crazy to work in a restaurant. But the sturm und drang of the restaurant life is exactly why restaurant ownership needs to encourage their management to become better coaches and improve on their interpersonal skills.
Here are the top reasons restaurant managers should work on their coaching skills:
- Reduce Turnover
- Coaching helps reduce employee turnover by building better relationships between employees and employers. When properly trained and coached, staff can feel more committed to their job because they're gaining skills and insight. A study on employee commitment, Public Personnel Management, performed by Patrick Owens detailed that proper training decreases an employees likelihood to leave a job by 9%.
- Increase Employee Sales Performance
- Coaching and training help increase your sales. This gives your employees confidence and knowledge to sell higher margined items. A study conducted by Forum EMEA and The Sales Management Association found that successful companies offer 15 per cent to 20 percent more coaching than under-performing organizations. It's important to coach your team. And it's important to understand that your restaurant service staff are sales people.
- Improve Manager Job Quality:
- The high rate in which managers leave their restaurants means a lot of restaurants have inconsistent leadership and spend too much time hiring and training new managers. This loss of focus and the cost of hiring should motivate restaurant owners to invest in their top performing managers. Investing in your employees by giving them new skill sets will create a sense of gratitude and higher commitment to the restaurant.
Top Restaurant Management Resources
Free Online Resources
Coursera: This is an amazing resource for anyone who wants to learn. Coursera goes beyond hospitality education, they are an educational technology company that offers online courses from top universities for free. Visit the site and you can find Food and Beverage Management courses, Hospitality Management, and classes on coaching and leadership in management roles.
National Restaurant Association: The NRA has a great section on their website that is focused on restaurant management training. The articles range from useful training tips to guidance on the hiring process or even insight into policy and regulations regarding restaurants.
Reddit: The social media site that is fully powered by user-generated content is a great resource for restaurateurs and eager-to-learn restaurant managers. The best forum, or in local parlance, "subreddit," for restaurant information is /r/restaurateur. Here you can ask questions related to restaurant operations and field answers by the restaurateurs and experience restaurant professionals in the subreddit. Forums like these are best used for answering specific questions than a full on training course. But it's usefulness as a resource is undeniable.
Paid Online Resources
Restaurant Rockstar Academy: The Restaurant Rockstar is Roger Beaudoin, a successful restaurant owner and operator who now works as a consultant and has built a training program called The Restaurant Rockstar Academy. It details how to best run and operate a restaurant and build a successful team of employees.
Service that Sells: We have not used this service previously, but they have a strong web presence, and their focus is on creating customized training programs that fit your restaurant. We think this is a great feature, and appreciate the personalized touch. Of course, this also means a custom price tag comes with the service. They specialize in server and employee training, but also have dedicated training for management.
Books on Management
Leadership: The 5 Fundamentals for Restaurant Managers: This is a great leadership guide for those who are just starting out in managerial roles and looking to learn how to be a leader, not just a boss.
The Restaurant Manager's Handbook: This is as close to a restaurant management bible as it comes. Now in its 4th edition, the updated best-seller dives into all aspects of running a restaurant, including managing and training employees.
Setting the Table: This book was written in 2008 by one of the most successful restaurateurs of our times, Danny Meyer. The CEO of Union Square Hospitality details the lessons he has learned about the restaurant business through his climb to the top. A must read for any manager on the rise in the modern restaurant world.
Key Points
- Restaurant Managers should seek out training on coaching and leadership to grow in their career and become better managers.
- Coaching employees will help reduce turnover and the costs of rehiring
- Ownership needs to invest in educating their managers in order to slow turnover and create a sense of reciprocity between management and ownership
