How to Run a Successful Restaurant Today

When someone asks me, “How do I run a successful restaurant?” what they are really asking is, “How do I stop feeling overwhelmed, behind and unsure?” I want to talk directly to you as a restaurant owner about what actually makes a restaurant successful and how to run a successful restaurant today.

What restaurant success really means

Let’s clear something up right away. Success is not being busy, being popular, being exhausted or being needed every second. Those are symptoms of chaos, not success.

I’ve coached restaurant owners who looked wildly successful from the outside and were miserable on the inside. Real success is control, profit, predictability and freedom. And that does not happen by accident. It comes from doing the right things consistently.

Here are four things you can do now to run a successful restaurant today.

#1 Lead don’t rescue

Every time you jump in to save the day, you teach your team to wait for you. That might feel helpful in the moment, but it creates long-term dependence.

Leadership means setting standards and holding people to them, even when it’s uncomfortable. When you lead instead of rescue, you build a team that can stand on its own.

#2 Build systems before you scale

Growth without systems magnifies problems. If your restaurant only works when you are there, it doesn’t work.

Systems create consistency, accountability and freedom. Build them first, then grow. Not the other way around.

#3 Train people how to think

Managers who can’t think don’t lead. They escalate everything back to you.

If every problem comes back to your desk, you don’t have a management team. You have messengers. Train your managers how to think through problems so they can make decisions with confidence.

#4 Let the numbers run the business

Prime costs, food costs, labor costs, cash controls. You get the picture.

If you don’t know your numbers, someone else is making decisions for you. Numbers tell the truth about your business whether you like them or not. When you learn to read them, you take back control.

Why most restaurant owners stall

Most restaurant owners don’t lack effort. They lack a road map.

They are improvising instead of executing. Hard work without direction just burns you out faster.

Successful restaurants aren’t accidental. They are built intentionally, systematically and consistently. And when you build them the right way, they finally start supporting your life instead of consuming it.

Be sure to visit my YouTube channel for more helpful restaurant management video tips.