The best way to assure things are going well in your establishment is to be a presence on the floor as much as possible. You cannot expect your employees to do your bidding during service hours if you are hiding in the office, looking at numbers. In fact, there will be no numbers to look at if you continue to be absent during service.

Not During Service!

Don’t get me wrong, looking at your numbers, seeing if you are staying on budget, projecting future sales, are all important things that need to be done. But not during service. Do those things before you open your doors, or after everyone has gone home.

Your employees need to be engaged. Checking in with them on a daily basis is muy importante. I have worked for that boss (whether it was an owner or a manager), who spends most of his time hiding out in the office, and then suddenly appears on the floor barking out orders. When they have no idea what has transpired that evening.

Engage your Employees

By being on the floor, not only are you engaging your employees—which they like by the way—you are also aware of what is going on in your restaurant. You can anticipate potential problems and head them off before they become disasters. You don’t want to be putting out fires all of the time, you want to prevent them. This can only happen if you are on the floor personally engaging your staff and customers, and watching as the night unfolds.