In the demanding restaurant industry, it’s easy to find yourself consumed by the day-to-day operations of your restaurant. There is so much to do every day from the small tasks like opening the restaurant and pulling the cash drawers to big tasks like hiring employees and calculating dollars per labor hour worked. It can be hard to prioritize your personal life and remember there is a world outside your restaurant.
Think about it. How many life events have you missed because you had to be at the restaurant? How many graduations, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, kid’s sporting events, dates and movie nights have you missed because you had to be in the restaurant? Do you know what that short list represents? Irreplaceable moments in your life!
In the episode of my podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity Formula, I’m going to talk about why you must create time for your personal happiness and three things that have to happen to make this your reality.
When I was a kid, I would have at least two Thanksgiving dinners. One on Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house and the second on the first day my mother, step-father and sister had off because they all worked on Thanksgiving in the restaurant. That’s the reality of a family in the restaurant industry.
But does it really have to be that way?
Here’s the harsh truth: Life doesn’t give second chances on missed moments. These moments are priceless and fleeting. In the restaurant business, the risk of missing out is all too real. Yes, your restaurant needs your attention, but so does your personal life. We must always remind ourselves of the cost of missed moments because you don’t get a second chance at these milestone moments in life.
Personal happiness shouldn’t be a luxury – it’s a necessity. We all deserve moments of joy and relaxation. But in the rush of railed tickets, product management, and providing a great hospitality experience, you might ask – where’s the time for happiness?
Well, the trick is not to find but to create that time. Here are three things that have to happen to make this your reality.
- You must have an implementer! I talk about this so much because that right-hand person is vital to delegating and taking much of the day-to-day work off your plate.
- You must have systems in place. This is another thing I talk about endlessly because systems ensure anyone can run your restaurant how you want it done when you’re not there.
- You must schedule the time for you just like any appointment you would have on your calendar.
I encourage you to listen to this podcast episode to get more details on these three items. Plus, I share the success stories of other restaurant owners who have followed these three steps and now have time for their personal obligations and time for themselves.
Click the podcast player above to listen in, or you can watch the video on YouTube, click here to download the latest episode.
Read the full transcript.
Hey there restaurant pros. It’s Dave Scott Peters and welcome to episode 76 of the restaurant prosperity formula. I’ve been coaching restaurant owner since 2003. And the restaurant prosperity formula is based on what the most successful restaurant owners I’ve worked with do on a daily basis to achieve their success.
The basic premise of the formula centers around achieving prosperity, Freedom your restaurant and financial freedom you deserve to achieve prosperity you have to follow a very specific formula made up of leadership systems training, accountability and taking action. Today I want to talk about the importance of work life balance. Let’s get started. Today I want to talk about a topic that hits close to home for most of us especially independent restaurant owners.
Work life balance. You heard me right work life balance. What is that? Well, in this demanding industry, it’s easy to find yourself consumed by the day to day operations of your restaurant.
I mean it is really easy. Think about all the things that happen in your restaurant on a daily basis on a daily basis. You’ve got tasks from opening the doors of the restaurant all the way to what putting cashiers out. So let’s kind of walk through it.
You will come into the morning you unlock the door you take the alarm off and you start walking the circle right you unlock your freezer door, your refrigerator door your stand up refrigeration doors, you’re making sure the hoods are on your make sure all the lights are on the music, the TV stations depending on the type of concept you have. You’re walking around to see that last night side workout done and identifying those areas that weren’t done. You’re going to the manager’s office and you’re if you’re reading a paper manager log or you’re going online and reading what happened last night to see what needs to be done like calling the plumber. You’re then setting up stations if you’re a full service restaurant and saying alright, who’s got this station 1234 How many servers do I have coming on?
How many cooks do I have come on? What time do I expect them in? To make sure I ensure I go to the POS system to see that are clocking in too early. Oh, then I’m making sure all the side work gets done so that we are prepared for the day that prep lists have been done that all the oil has been changed and like all these little things that happen just to get the restaurant open.
Then there’s running the darn place. And now it’s like operating in well on the beach with tides. As lunch rush starts coming in the tide starts coming in your host and your seating people making sure everything happens at a full service restaurant. You are then a server taking drink orders because the servers are backed up.
Maybe the bartenders are backed up and you’re running. You’re running those drinks. Then as things start to happen, you get behind the line. Well no you get in front of the line.
And you are now what Expo Hey, make sure all the orders get done. Now you’re a food runner next to you know you’re a busser next thing you know you’re dropping tickets because the servers backed up. Next thing you know you’re back at the front as the tide starts to recede, welcoming people thanking them for coming in and welcoming them back. All these things to make sure that your service is wonderful.
And you’re creating memories for your guests that you’re executing restaurant one on one right? Even in a quick serve atmosphere. We still have all those things to do. The only difference is we’re not running the jobs from the front of house.
We might be on a cash register on the on the phones, maybe for taking to go orders we may be in the expo when do we might even be on the line because we’re ensuring that we’re do restaurant one on one right hot food hot cold food cold, clean, safe work environment for your guests and employees. Wow customer service, incredible product, creating memories for people providing great hospitality. That’s a lot of work. And then there’s all the big things, the things that I want to teach you, you know, making sure that we’re hiring properly and onboarding people properly and writing schedules properly, taking inventories and placing orders doing recipe cost cards, calculating dollars per labor hour work, and the list goes on and on.
And I don’t know about you just talking about all the things that you have to do. Well, it makes me feel like an elephant sitting on my chest that takes me back to the days of me being on the floor. It’s critical to remember that there’s a world outside your restaurant, and that world matters for your well being. Now I know in the past on whether it’s shoot the ship with DSP, or it is a past episode of the restaurant prosperity formula.
My podcast, I’ve talked about the importance of quality life in the past. In those past episodes, I’ve relayed stories even about how in a group coaching call one of my members danger, Wakefield dropped the knowledge bomb on the group when she reminded everyone that you don’t get a second chance for any of those missed events in your personal life. Think about it. How many life events have you missed?
Because you had to be in the restaurant. When I grew up as a kid, to give you an example, I’d have at least two Thanksgiving dinners. Like two Thanksgiving dinners. Yeah.
I had one Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house on Thanksgiving itself. And then I had a second Thanksgiving dinner on the first day that my mother, my stepfather and my sister had off because they all worked Thanksgiving in the restaurant. Right? So I had it with my friends.
And then in order to have a family meal, we had it on a completely different day. So I know what it is to be pressured to be in the business and let the business take over your life. So think about this, how many graduations birthdays anniversaries, kids sporting events, date night, movie nights. Have you missed because you had to be in the restaurant.
Let that sink in. Do you know what? That shortlist represents? irreplaceable moments in your life?
Like when it’s your grandmother’s 80th birthday and you miss it. You don’t get to do that again. So let’s get to the harsh truth about this. Life doesn’t give you second chances on missed moments.
These moments is our moments are priceless and fleeting. In the restaurant business. The risk of missing out on is all too real. Yes, your restaurant needs your attention, but so does your personal life.
We must always remind ourselves of the cost of Miss moments because you don’t get a second chance for these milestones. These milestone moments in your life the message should sound reasonable to you. Well, maybe it should resonate with you in the sense that why? Well if you’ve been listening to my past episodes on my podcasts or been on my YouTube channel or been following me on Facebook or YouTube again on shoot the shit with David Scott Peters every Friday morning at 8am pacific time travel schedule permitting.
You’ve heard these messages. Hi, am I a broken record on certain things and you having a life is a part of the restaurant prosperity formula. Remember restaurant prosperity, freedom of your restaurant the financial freedom you deserve? Well that freedom for your restaurant is my priority.
Because if we can get your freedom for your restaurant, you have a personal life. You have managers in place you have systems in place you aren’t making the money you deserve. So now it’s time for you to make you a priority and focus on that work life balance. What I don’t talk enough about is well how you create the time for your personal happiness.
And that’s kind of what I want to do now. personal happiness shouldn’t be a luxury. It’s a necessity. We all deserve moments of joy and relaxation.
But in the rush of whale tickets, product management and providing great hospitality experience for your guests, you might ask where’s the time for happiness with all my friends, the trick is not defined, but to create that time. And there are three things that you have to have in your life in your restaurant life to make this happen to make it your reality. Number one You must have an implementer Does this sound familiar? Remember the implementer is somebody who gets shit done excuse my French, you as an entrepreneur are not going to put in the systems in place that I want to teach you.
You’ve got too many shiny objects to chase you want to create that next new menu you want to chase the marketing scheme down you want to develop another location you want to just really see your baby grow up and give guests the best experience possible. So you chase all those things. But when it comes to checking numbers on a daily basis or ensuring systems are done or implemented, for that matter, it’s not your strength. By the way, it’s not you individually, it’s any entrepreneur.
And so I always preach you’ve got to have an implementer somebody who gets shit done. This is somebody who buys into you your company fits your core values and your business.
They want to do more they want to learn. They want to be more than just walking the circle on a day to day basis. They are linear they can start and finish projects. They can train others and more importantly with your help hold other people accountable to those systems you put in place.
So in order to have a life outside your restaurant, you need a right hand person who I call an implementer. Someone who gets shit done. Number two, you must have systems in place. There’s a system a process a way to doing anything and everything in your business.
How long have you been following me? Right from placing orders on budget giving up your checkbook or giving up the ordering without giving up your checkbook having those controls in place? Simple systems for manager logs to counting out a bar drawer the same way back to $300 $2 per labor our work. Like there’s prep systems and scheduling systems and you get the picture there’s a system a process away for doing anything and everything in your business and it’s your way.
Well without the systems What are you teaching people? How do you ensure you impose your will without being a B they’re being they’re just like the chain restaurants. Right? How is it that yum brands has 1000s of Taco Bells and other concepts all around the world?
Isn’t because they have an owner in each one? No. Because they have their system, their process their way. And they have managers running those systems that allows them to impose their will without being there.
We as independents have to do the same thing. We need to pull up a page out of the chain restaurant playbook without losing our independence. We love our guests. We love our employees.
But we aren’t going to do what they do well and that’s make money. That’s to ensure the guest gets the same experience no matter anytime they walk in our door. And finally number three, and possibly the most important one, you must schedule time, just like you schedule any appointments that you would have on your calendar. That means you block off time for you.
Whether it’s date night, every Thursday night with your significant other, it’s on the calendar, whether it’s go to the gym, it’s all on the calendar. You’ve got to create the boundaries. See as an entrepreneur. I go through the same things.
That’s why for me, I’ve been doing this for since Gosh 2003 Right 20 years from the beginning. I worked my hat’s off like morning noon and night and I’d be on coaching calls at 6am My time because it was 9am Eastern time. I’d be on calls until the wee hours of the morning I would burn the candle both ends when my old company when I created software I’d be up at night till three four o’clock in the morning with the programmers and back on the phones at 6am. I did this I did this over and over and over again.
Well guess what today? You can’t you cannot get on my calendar before 9am pacific time depending on time the airman Arizona sometimes we’re mountain time we don’t change our clocks but let’s call it pacific time and make it easy. That’s when I’m recording it right now. Because why I’m on Tempe Town Lake with my rowing club Rio Salado.
Rowing Club. Six days a week 5am I wake up at 345 in the morning I get out of the house by four o’clock I’m I’m down there. I’m on the water because I’ve made something else a priority for me. I booked time with my family.
I scheduled races. I make time because the old me had nothing but work. You got to do the same thing. One of my member mentors Ryan James.
Well, he makes sure he scheduled every morning the ability to serve. He’s in Maryland. And that brings him joy every single day. Not Not that the restaurant doesn’t.
But he’s a better leader when he has the opportunity to serve. He also does do jitsu another Steve eller in the winter he volunteers to work on ski patrol to local mountain and in the nicer weather he gets out and rides on his bike. A longtime member Brian Mueller practices and enters bowling tournaments all throughout the year. Because it brings him joy.
It gives him time outside the restaurant. gives him an interest. Something that makes him happy. Oh and remember Deja?
Well, she got back into pickleball now I have a long list of other members who have successfully changed their lives for the better and are scheduling personal time each and every day. And not every one of those activity requires physical activity like the examples I just shared with you for many just making sure they never miss an event like a reward. Who makes all and I mean all of his nieces games. He wants to be a supportive relative.
Remember, a happy you a happier you can run a happier business. They go hand in hand. Lastly, you need something else in your life you identify with other than your restaurant. I want you to think about this.
Who are you beyond your restaurant? It’s easy to let our work identities over short overshadow everything else. By tying your entire identity your business can be a recipe for stress and burnout. You’re more than your restaurant.
And it’s essential to cultivate that more. That can be hobbies interests. Relationships. These are all critical ingredients of a healthier personal life.
You might be an owner, you might be a chef owner, but you also might be a parent, a friend, a community member and these roles now they’re just as important. I know. I see this every day. Heck, I personally identify with this.
On the personal level. You may have heard me told the story before, but when my old business partner bought me out of my own company, I fell into a dark hole. I was not a happy person. Who was I I was the restaurant expert.
com I was the restaurant expert at that time for 16 years. I lived breathed and was that person other than making time for my kids events. I had nothing else. And when that was gone and I was in the process of starting over with this restaurant coaching business, I wasn’t my best self.
It truly wasn’t lucky for me. I made my way back to rowing Remember when I said I’m on the on the lake every morning. I had taken a 30 year hiatus 30 Something year hiatus and found my way back to the sport that got me into a division one school as a road scholarship athlete and brought me lots of joy. It’s not only changed my fitness I’ve been back rowing for a year and a half now almost two it’s not only changed my fitness, and this is important from a heart attack survivor, but it’s changed my life.
I’m not just the restaurant coach. Not just a family man. I’m a rower and a happy guy. I have other identities that if one were to go away, I’m still going to be happy.
For many of my members, well, I have a front row seat to see them change their lives. And one of the most common things I hear from any member that’s going through the program is this one little question. So now so now that I have my managers doing the things that I used to do, what do I do? What do I do now?
Because there’s this loss, in the sense that I knew what I did every day I was the restaurant relied on me it had to have me well when you learn it doesn’t have to have you, you know, count the money doesn’t have to have you place an order doesn’t have to have you do all the little things that tasks are the business. What do you fill your time with? Well, and this is when I guide them in two directions. There’s the business and the personal direction.
The business direction is to start working strategically on your business budgets marketing lead the team developing your managers ultimately hold them all accountable. That should sound familiar to you. In a personal direction, they talked about blocking off time for date nights, finding their way back to an old passion activity, working from home to create boundaries and more. The reality is why?
While we all want this, the process is uncomfortable. You need to embrace the discomfort because the new you is much happier and that translates to every relationship you have in and outside of your business. So in summary, your restaurant is a significant part of your life. But it’s not the only part.
You have personal milestones to cherish happiness to seek and an identity that goes beyond your business. Keep this balance, right keeping this balance is not just good for your personality. Or should I say personally, but it’s also crucial for your professional success. Remember, a balanced life is a prosperous life.
If today’s topic resonated with you, and I hope it does because it resonates with me.
And if you feel you need help in achieving this balance, I invite you to set up a discovery call with us.
We’re here to support you in this journey. help you to find not just prosperity, but true freedom from the relentless grind. To do so do me a favor. Email Ryan James member I talked about him well he’s got enough time not only to run his restaurant, but to work with me helping restaurant owners just like you.
How about a quick 15 minute call with him to learn so we can learn more about you and your business. We can tell you what we do and see if there’s a possible fit. com and to set up this 15 minute call again Learn More about you learn more about what we have see if it’s a possible fit. If after that 15 minute call you and Ryan think there is a potential fit.
He’ll get you on my calendar right away. Let’s work together to make your restaurant a source of joy, not just stress. Thanks for listening. And remember, there’s always a way to achieve restaurant prosperity, which is freedom your restaurant and the financial freedom you deserve.
Hey, that was an awesome episode. I want to thank you for taking the time to take action on building a better more prosperous restaurant. Before you go. I want to give you these three dots.
One by combining leadership and taking action with systems and training being checked by accountability. You’re on your way to creating prosperity for you and your restaurant. To i Something I need from you. Please leave a review on Apple podcast Spotify or wherever you happen to listen to podcasts.
By leaving us review other restaurant pros seeking out this information are able to find it. I read the reviews and to hearing how this information has benefited you. does wonders for me. And three.
If you find any of the discussions helpful share them. The more restaurant pros you have access to them, the better we become as an industry. For more restaurant resources or to get in contact with me. com.
Be passionate about what you’re doing. Be persistent, but more importantly become better and help everyone around you become better and your restaurant is going to kick some ass.