What is the Worst (hardest?/most unpleasant?) part of Opening a Restaurant?

Sure, but most of them are either worthless or they want full time and my willingness to do full time is limited.

Hard to believe you can get anyone to work for you for $13/hour. You can barely get a high school student to run a cash register for that here.

Why is the turnover rate so high there? it's not normally like that here. You see the same wait staff for years, sometimes decades here. Same thing with kitchen staff (in the places where you can see the kitchens). Even at McDonalds staff will be in the same location for years.

ok - got it. That limits the attractiveness of positions considerably.

A friend of mine owns/runs one of Canada's better-known restaurants. She hires pretty much exclusively by poaching from other restaurants. She wants people well-established in the industry - who will have customers follow them.

That is a great plan....but I am geared for depression and have no intention of running that kind of a cost structure that it would take to get those kind of people. This is a dice roll that I placed my bets on last year.

Only about 20% of the other places people are good enough for me to want, I am usually bettter off getting know nothings and training them right then I am trying to fix people who have been poorly trained by others. At this point getting the best would cost me an arm and a leg because I have not been around long enough to get a rep for treating people well and for knowing what I am doing. At some point I will be able to get these people at reasonable rates because the best workers want to work for the best owners. Currently though they would want to be compensated financially for the risk of throwing in with newcomer.

Now you are disecting people into numbers Age groups.

In my experience Managing Restaurants in the past, my best workers were those that got paid what they were worth and given goals within the business.

Another problem is if they come and go every 6 months, your "regulars" that you build up and I assume that is what you are basing future success on, that and word of mouth, are only relying on the food. The "cute young girls" are coming and going and they don't get to know anyone that well, assumingly you when you are out of the kitchen.

Have you considered paying one person a good and decent wage with future direction that is on the floor, playing hostest and assisting taking food out etc, etc, that the people can warm to, and the customers can aclaim friendly, great service in addition to food. Wouldn't you think that would make your turnover even greater for a small price.

you should only be interested in the top 5% - and consider paying 1 or 2 of them serious money

however, it's obviously your business and you have to be happy with what works with your business plan

make sure that's happening - that you're not getting a rep for being a place with turnover

There are places that churn people year after year. I only churn to get to good people and then once I find them I make sure they know they are valued. My people being willing to recruit for me, and warn me off of friends who are not right, proves that I am on the right track. My bitch at this point is that getting labor right has taken a lot more work and time than I ever dreamed it would, not that I am confused or don't know how to run this place right.

I just finished one week with having a good person in every position....first time this has happened. I could get used to this! I have worked for people who need chaos, people who will create it if there is not enough. I am the opposite of that.

Btw: as much as changing people costs me time and money I am still a firm believer in my practice of getting people out of here asap as soon as I decide they are not the right person for the job. It is all about the mission so keeping the wrong people on the payroll is not in my best interests. So far I think my staff highly appreciates this practice.

CONGRATULATIONS !


How 's business ?





David

Of course 30 minutes after my last post one my main cooks went down sick...asked to go home. Of course no one else happens to be available today so I get to be a line cook for the rest of the day.

Yay!

The irony.....

You can tell Bill now, that you as a responsible owner can and always will cover your staffs positions, even if you don't want to !!

Ya....this was SOOOO not my plan for the day. I was supposed to be developing a catering menu as we are ready to roll out that part of the business plan. But we are busy and my staff are all happy quality people so they tend to have lives outside of my place and can not always drop everything to save me. As my mexican cook says "the caviar is not as good as it used to be"....which was what I said to him one day as I tried to expalin what a "high class problem" is. I could be dead (business) or have slime for emploees, but that is not where I am. When ever I start whinning he repeats these words back to me.

Time is the essence...

Personally, I became a worker and forgot the creative side of marketing and have just produced a double sided flyer , ready for the papers next, time to get out there and put my stamp on it, so I understand all of that.....

I got stuck in the kitchen waaaaaay to much for too many months trying to get it running right, then finally was able to concentrate on the front of the house. More and more I am able to do my main job...big picture guiding of this first store and the brand and selling it. I am months behind the business plan because it took months longer than I expected to get basic operations right. Contrary to what I present on A2K I am generally too optimistic. This goes with individuals too, I tend to believe in everybody till they **** me. I just hate living always axpecting the worst in people. I think this is one of the reasons why Firefly irritates the hell out of me, her always taking a course that assumes that every single person sucks unless they have been beat into submission.

I already knew that I have very high standards and that I am a bear until the standards have been met. I have lost quite a few people who don't want to work in a place like that. Good ridance I say.

You know hawkeye, don't be in any hurry. Who cares how long you were in the kitchen and how long you should be which is always, on the floor. The truth is both of those places are where it all begins and you know that or else you wouldn't have done what you have done.

You can market until the cows come home. If the front of house isn't inviting and the food sucks, then it would be wasted money.

I know it's exciting to sell your product/service and watch it grow... But it's when you don't have to lift a finger rather continue to guide that you can bring more customers through the door, if the affordability is there to do so off course.

Nothing wrong with high standards.... As long as the expectations are also reasonable and rewarding .

Get back to work.. You don't have time to play

We are on devices a lot. My rules are

1) customers don't see

2) mission is not impacted

3) if employees crank out what I need when I need it and generally get the mission done then I am easy about everything else.

This is not normal, but is how I work...part of compensation in lieu of cash.

my mexican walked out on me offended that i asked if he washes is hands after bathroom. i replace him with a guy who has been coming in for a few months asking to work for me, a guy who turns out to be a sham artist though I did not catch that till his third shift, I fired him after his fourth shift.

Uggg....

the only upside is that I get major props now for listening to my staff evals of new coworkers, and for getting rid of those who should not be in my place fast. my core people are now extremely dedicated and loyal.