How to Retain Managers Who Love Working in Your Restaurant Company

In this essential episode of the Restaurant Success Podcast, veteran restaurant advisor Matthew Mabel addresses one of the most critical challenges facing restaurant operators today: retaining quality managers in an increasingly competitive market. Whether you're dealing with new managers in the startup phase who aren't quite meeting expectations, or you're concerned about losing your best people to hot new restaurant brands, this episode provides a proven strategy that works for both situations. Matthew shares his comprehensive ten-point management retention checklist that has delivered results for his multi-unit independent restaurant clients. Learn how to create an environment where managers feel valued, trusted, and motivated to stay long-term, while building the internal harmony and operational excellence that drives restaurant business success. This episode is packed with actionable entrepreneurship strategies and business growth tactics specifically designed for restaurant operators looking to strengthen their management teams and improve overall performance.

Key Topics Covered

• Matthew's Ten-Point Management Retention Checklist
• Why keeping existing good managers is more valuable than constantly hiring new ones
• Creating professional growth opportunities for restaurant managers
• Building trust through transparency and sharing financial numbers
• Communicating company vision and culture to management teams
• Compensation strategies that motivate without breaking the budget
• Work-life balance practices for restaurant management
• Recognition and credit-giving techniques for sustained success

Links Mentioned

• How Restaurants Truly Activate Culture
• How to Retain Talented Restaurant Managers by Making Vision Reality
• For Breakthrough Restaurant Performance in 2023, Share Information Your People Crave

Resources Mentioned

• Website: www.surrender.biz
• Free initial consultation available

Connect with Matthew Mabel

Matthew works with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to improve:

• Profit growth
• Sales optimization
• Guest count increase
• Unit expansion
• Employee engagement
• Brand loyalty

How to Support the Show

• Subscribe to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter
• Rate and review the show
• Visit www.surrender.biz for additional resources

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the Restaurant Success Podcast. I'm Matthew Mabel, veteran restaurant advisor, coach, consultant, and speaker devoted to multi-unit independent restaurant unit, profit and revenue growth, internal harmony and ownership freedom and flexibility.

This is your weekly entree of the advice, strategy and tactics that I currently provide to my best clients.

Today, we're going to talk about one of the most critical challenges facing restaurant operators right now: how to retain the managers who love working in your restaurant company. Whether you're dealing with new managers in the startup phase who aren't quite getting the job done, or you're worried about losing your best people to that hot new brand down the street, I've got a strategy that works for both situations.

We'll explore why keeping the good people you already have is absolutely essential, and I'll share my ten-point management retention checklist that's proven to work with my clients.

You know, I have new clients in the startup phase who are complaining that not all their new managers are getting the job done.

I also have longtime clients who are worried their best people may leave for that hot new brand that just opened up. But here's what I've discovered - the best strategy for both these clients is exactly the same: Keep the good people you already have.

There is nothing more valuable than keeping your managers loyal and secure in their sincere belief that they have a home where they want to work for the rest of their life. Sure, the robot that delivers food to the table might be here, the delivery drone is becoming more common, and ChatGPT is changing how we do business.

But that General Manager robot you excitedly dream about every night like a child on the night before Christmas?

Well, it's not searchable on Amazon!

The shortage of managers in our industry makes the best operators focus more on the great people they already have - the ones who operators hope can stay forever. So let me share with you what I call Matthew's Management Retention Checklist.

To make managers feel that way, here's everything you need to do.

First, you need to give them a little more than you think they can handle - they will feel professional growth. Express confidence in them - they will feel valued and appreciated.

And, show them all the numbers - they will feel trusted and ready to make an impact.

Explain how to live, teach, and measure your culture every day on every shift - they will have the power to keep your restaurants special. I've actually got more information about how to measure the culture, and share your numbers, later on in this episode.

Make sure you communicate an exciting vision of the company's future - they will see an exciting and compelling upside.

Have an enthusiastic dialogue about the uniqueness and specialness of your concept - this will make managers feel proud and secure.

Ask them their opinion on major decisions so that they feel important and heard.

And, you should pay them a little over market; then, give them an attainable bonus plan based on results, and it costs you nothing. Managers will feel both appreciated and motivated.

Make sure they take their vacations and, when they do, pay for something extra, whether a meal, a hotel night, or an airplane ticket. This can make managers feel prized and they'll tell their friends about their cool boss.

Let them take advantage of flexible scheduling, just like your hourlies do, for ball games, family events, or even an occasional weekend off. This, is going to keep them charged up.

Lastly, never miss a chance to give them credit for success, and you will all achieve more of it. You still expect results, and measure and identify where people don't perform up to standard, but that becomes a whole lot easier when you create all that vibing.

Over to you.

Which items on the checklist scream in your face for attention?

Which ones are you already doing well, and which ones do you need to focus on improving?

Now, speaking of some of the points I mentioned today, I've written about a couple of these topics before that really connect to what we've been discussing. When I talked about showing your managers all the numbers, I wrote an article about sharing information your people crave and how that leads to breakthrough restaurant performance.

It's all about making sure your management teams have the information and education they need to solve problems effectively.

And, when I mentioned explaining how to measure your culture, I've also written about how restaurants truly activate culture. That piece goes into detail about the two deceptively simple aspects of culture that can make a real difference in your operation. You can find links to both of these articles in the show notes, and they'll give you even more depth on these crucial topics.

Let me tell you about how we might work together. I work with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to grow their profit, sales, guest count, and unit count. My unique approach bonds employees and guests to restaurant brands and allows owners to enjoy the freedom and flexibility they have earned.

To schedule a call with me to discuss how to achieve your biggest goals, follow the link in the show notes. The initial consultation is complimentary, and we can discuss which big moves might be right for your operation.

Thanks for listening. If you haven't already subscribed to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter podcast, please do so, and rate and review the show. Find more information in the show notes at Restaurant Success Podcast dot com.

Also find tons of information you can use in print, audio and video form at my website, www dot surrender dot biz. Thanks again and see you next time.