Table of Contents

1. Give Praise, Not Just Correction
2. Stay Present on the Floor
3. Check-In with Guests at Random
4. Run a Staff Sales Contest
5. Spend Some Time on a Long-Term Goal

Becoming a better restaurant manager is a worthy goal. But it’s easier said than done. Many restaurant management policies require full-organization buy-in, like revamping menus, implementing new marketing strategies, or hosting complex events. 

While these are great initiatives, they’re not tasks that can be accomplished in a day. So here are five restaurant management tips that you can implement today—no budget increases or long-term strategy required.

1. Give Praise, Not Just Correction

As a manager, you’re always on the lookout for problems to correct. That’s an important part of your job. But if most of your feedback to your employees is negative, your servers, bartenders, and kitchen staff may start to dread seeing you. Plus, they’ll wonder if you see anything they do right.

Foster a more positive work environment by calling out where your team is succeeding, not just where they’re falling short. A server hustling to run food all night for the whole dining room should get kudos. The kitchen staff should get noticed if they’re doing a great job hitting time standards. The bartenders should get a shout-out if they’ve kept the bar nice and clean.

Today, make it a point to give some positive feedback to your team.

2. Stay Present on the Floor

When you have schedules to make, inventory to manage, and messages to communicate, it’s tempting to sit in the back office during the shift so you can get it all done. But when your staff doesn’t see you on the floor, they can feel unsupported.

Try to stay present on the floor, so servers and bartenders don’t have to hunt you down if they need you. If you have computer work to do, you may be able to bring a laptop out to an empty table during the slower hours of the day, so you can work on the schedule while being in view of the staff.

But if you can, work side-by-side with your team running food, seating guests, and bussing tables. Not only will you help lighten the load for the rest of the team, but your employees will appreciate your assistance and feel like you’re all pulling together for a successful shift. 

3. Check-In with Guests at Random

Restaurant managers are used to making table calls when there’s an unhappy guest. But are you doing the same when things are going well?

Check in with tables throughout your shift, just to say hello and ask how their meal is going. You may discover an issue that needs to be corrected, but you may also hear praise for the server or the food, which you can then relay back. Unexpected praise can make someone’s day and boost morale for the team.

4. Run a Staff Sales Contest

Push sales for the day with a sales contest! 

Choose a menu item with a high-profit margin, or a cocktail or bottle of wine for an upsell. Tell the servers and bartenders that whoever sells most of the day’s sale items will win a prize. The prize is up to you—it could be a bottle of wine from the bar or a gift card to a restaurant down the street. Just make sure it’s something appealing, so the staff will buy in.

The restaurant will see a boost in sales. The staff will engage in friendly competition. And someone will walk away with a great prize. That’s a win-win-win.

5. Spend Some Time on a Long-Term Goal

Long-term goals can be hard to execute in restaurants. Managers get pulled in 100 different directions the moment they walk in the door. They’re constantly reacting, which can make it tricky to work on anything that isn’t immediately pressing. 

Make it a point to spend at least a few minutes today working on one of your long-term goals. It could be as simple as making a phone call or sending an email to get the ball rolling. Big projects get completed one step at a time!