Being a successful restaurateur is no easy task. It takes more than just cooking and serving great food. It takes a special individual that is able to manage and balance such things as marketing, accounting, customer happiness, and many other things. Some people are not born to be an effective manager, and have to be taught these abilities over time. If you are looking to become a restaurateur or trying to improve your restaurant ownership skills, there is a certain set of abilities that are a common denominator between all successful restaurateurs you should know.
1. The Ability to Multi Task
Being able to multitask is the number one personality trait you need in order to be a successful restaurateur. Successful restaurateurs are able to multi task numerous tasks at once. From making decisions about new marketing efforts to filling in for an employee when they are out sick. How are restaurateurs able to accomplish so much? Not everyone is able to accomplish so much at one time. The secret is their ability to slow down their mind while they are speeding up their processes. That means challenging your thoughts into a more effective and efficient manner to accomplish more in a lesser amount of time, and also while knowing which tasks take priority over others. A successful restaurant should be looked at as a pyramid built on many different pillars that hold it strong. If one pillar like accounting, marketing, or the customer experience falls, then the whole restaurant has the potential to fall.
2. The Ability to Lead
Your restaurant staff has no purpose if they can’t effectively take orders from you. Employees who can’t look up to their superiors tend to be least productive in the work environment. Employees also don’t work well through fear or micromanagement. As a restaurant owner, you should create an environment that fosters productive employees, while also not allowing yourself to be walked on. Successful restaurateurs are easily able to create such an environment by being respectful and leading by example. It doesn’t work well if try to run your restaurant from home or another Remember if you are a good leader, than good subjects will easily follow. Everyone wants to apart of a successful enterprise.
3. The Ability to be Flexible
There is no such thing as a perfect restaurant. Even the number one restaurant in the world could use some tweaking. That doesn’t mean giving into every employees wants and needs, and changing your restaurant’s overall concept every chance you get. It means being in tune with different restaurant trends and knowing when you should adjust your restaurant to meet those needs. If a restaurant owner has their heart set on certain menu items, restaurant layouts, certain technology, etc. and they end up not working, a good restaurant owner knows exactly when to make changes.
4. The Ability to Manage Stress
Owning a restaurant is not for the weak-minded. It can be very easy for things to get out of hand. Whether it is an angry customer or a glitch in your payroll system, there is always a high potential for something to go wrong. It’s not always about preventing things from going wrong, but how they are handled when they do wrong. A good restaurant owner know how to not let stress get in the way of any
5. The Ability to be a Strong Communicator
Owning a successful business requires you to be a successful communicator no matter the industry. If you don’t have strong communication, you could be missing out on potential opportunities. People need to easily understand what you’re selling for them to want to buy. Additionally, if you have employees you need to know how to communicate effectively with them. Effective communication with your staff will boost morale and give your restaurant superior efficiency.
6. The Ability to Know and Understand Your Customers
The ability to know and understand your customers is much easier said than done. If you are the type of person who is afraid to interact with your customers than being a successful restaurant owner might not be for you. Of course there are automated systems that allow you to analyze a lot of your customers, but what about during mealtime? For instance, don’t you want to hear it from a customer how they are enjoying their meal? Not everyone will fill out comment cards at their meal. Your customers are your biggest determinant of success. If you don’t have customers then you don’t make money. A successful restaurant owner also knows how to take bad feedback and turn it around into something beneficial for their business.
7. The Ability to Balance Costs
Restaurant costs can be one of the hardest things to manage, and one of the easiest things to get out of hand. If your passion is interacting with customers or developing new recipes, you still need have an adequate knowledge of how to balance the books. Owning a restaurant is all about balance. If you don’t have experience in setting food or payroll costs, you should invest in classes or even hire a professional if your budget allows it. Successful ownership means that these individuals got out of the startup phase, and they know how to not waste a single cent. Not balancing the budget effectively when a restaurant starts out can be the biggest reason for failure.
8. The Ability to be Passionate About What You’re Doing
No matter if you are just starting out or if you have owned your restaurant for years, it’s vital you stay passionate about your efforts. If you’re not passionate about what you are doing, how can you expect customer to be? You can easily see passion when it comes to successful restaurateurs. They are easily able to inspire the people around them, show courage, and drive forward through unthinkable situations. Every individual creates passion within themselves. It is a mixture of drive and interest of what you do. You will need to believe in your restaurant a 100% in order to achieve the goal of owning it.