How to Keep a Manager

I received an e-mail from a reader this past month . She asked me how to compensate good managers so they don’t leave or get unmotivated. I thought it was such an important question that we talked on the phone at some length, and I think you should be aware of what I told her.

If you are blessed to have a good restaurant manager, raise his first son, paint his house, take his kids to soccer, do anything that keeps him with you. A manager is the lifeline to your restaurant.

Aside from keeping him happy, here are some thoughts on how to keep him around.

• Give him a piece of the business. Nothing is more motivating than ownership. Ray Kroc really understood that and made the stock option program available to as many employees as he could.
• The prime motivator—money. Make sure his salary is more than competitive and there is opportunity to earn more with performance. Televisions and cars are cool, but he has to pay taxes, and that can be a surprise. If you go this route, pay the taxes, too. Nothing should detract from the gift or bonus.
• Give him regular performance reviews and raises. And, make them written. I knew a guy who never knew what was expected of him because his boss never sat him down. Unfortunately, he made up disasters that weren’t there and worried himself to fry heaven. He would have been a great manager if only someone had talked to him that millennium.
• Be aware of your manager’s family. If there are problems, help out. If he comes into work looking like he fought the War of the Roses, he probably has. Is there anything you can do to make life easier?
• Really listen to what he has to say. I knew a boss once who took advantage of every opportunity to be distracted. He would say hello to the bus boy before he would pay attention to what you were saying. He didn’t want to be bothered with your problems, but he could say he spent time with you. That’s not the point—really listening is.
• Let him prepare a State of the Business report for you and give recommendations for how to fix problems. You will be surprised by his grasp of your situation because he is there every day.
• Encourage his ideas. Let him tell you everything and then sort out the good from the bad together. Most importantly, act on the good.
• Respect him and empower him. Make sure he understands his limits of power and let him exercise. Be very clear about food replacement or check arguments or employee issues. Then get out of the way and let him do his job.
• Give him clear and measurable goals. Give him two sets of goals. One that will measure his progress and be the basis of raises, and one that is a stretch set that allows for bonuses and other forms of compensation.
• Also pitch in when you are needed. I saw an owner stand around when two baseball team buses showed up and his manager and crew went nuts. As the owner, you should know how to run every station. Do it! They will love you for it.

That’s how to keep and motivate your manager. I’m sure there are other ways, but those are the ones I learned in my career. I know they work. I used to work my group really hard, but they knew that we would play hard, too. Plus, I would never ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.

Let’s talk about another important member of your team, the cook or chef. I judged a Young Chef competition recently in Phoenix and it reminded me of some great tips to share. The obvious criteria of taste, appearance, and creativity, of course, are the hallmarks. But, some other requirements surfaced from the competition that were almost of equal importance, and, in many cases, overlooked.

• Portion size was an issue across the board. A few were enough food to feed the Arizona Cardinals, regardless of their intake of Campbell’s soups. A few would not have fed most small children who hate everything except peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.
• Pay attention to color. They were required to use white plates. Don’t do fish and mashed potatoes on a white plate. Enough said.
• Serve cold food on cold plates and hot food on hot plates. That’s why God made refrigerators and ovens. Keep food and wine pairings in mind. Some of the combinations would have been really hard to pair because of the food taste relationships. Only Robert Parker could find a wine for pickle and pimento loaf.

And, as for fast food, apply some of the same principles. You might not have control over portion size but you should be able to do something about the color or appearance of the food. Be creative, and don’t step on your sandwiches before you serve them. Think about optional spices if you are allowed. Again, ask your manager what he would do. Bet he has some ideas.

The Roy Award

I’m going to cancel the Roy Award. There was a lack of interest and some difficulty finding the kind of campaigns I want to talk about. When I see one, I will tell you.

A Peaceful Life and Happy Trails.