Why Restaurant Management Checklists Are the First Systems in My Group Coaching Program

Restaurant management checklists are the first system I teach in my group coaching program for a number of reasons. Of course I get pushback on them because restaurant owners say they’ve used checklists in the past, and they don’t work. For every restaurant owner that tells me that, I have one response: your checklists don’t work because your checklists aren’t detailed enough. I usually say something much stronger, but I will let you guess what that is and instead explain in this video why restaurant management checklists are the first systems in my group coaching program.

To start, there are three categories of systems you need to concentrate on in this very specific order to get the most out of your restaurant business.

This first is Restaurant 101, which I define as hot food hot, cold food cold, a clean, safe work environment for guests, employees, WOW customer service, and incredible product, including what you offer to go. You must have systems in place that ensure the guest has the best experience possible, whether in or out of your restaurant.

The second category is checklists and cash controls. With cash controls you are beginning to create a system or a culture where the details matter, making sure every penny makes it to the bank. This is where you start training your managers on what you expect and how you will hold them accountable.

The third category is restaurant systems. For everything else that you do, from budgeting the dollars for labor, to counting out a bar drawer to ordering silverware, you must have a system, a process, a way of doing anything and everything in your business which allows you to impose your will without being there, ensuring things get done your way, especially when you're not in the building.

When you join my group coaching program, I have to make an assumption that you have Restaurant 101 down. Why? I'm not physically able to visit every member's restaurant all over the United States and the world, so I have to assume you've got Restaurant 101 figured out.

And while checklists aren’t the most complicated system a restaurant can put in place to ensure success, they are very important. That’s because if you can't get your managers to use checklists, no other system will be effective. To make sure all the future systems you put in place to run a successful restaurant work, you start to train your managers on the importance of systems with checklists. You impose your will without being there.

Checklists allow you to clearly communicate exactly what you want done, how well you want it done, and by when you want it done, each and every shift. Checklists ensure they're doing it. It’s accountability, and you must have a culture of accountability, a culture where the details matter, if you want to run a successful restaurant and not have to be there 24 hours a day.

Think of it this way: if you can't get your managers to follow a checklist, what makes you think they're going to wake up on a Sunday morning and say, “Hey, I'm going to take inventory accurately and on time today.”

The truth is, they're not. Because if you don't care about the little details, why would you care about the big details? Checklists are your system springboard to success and that’s why they are the first system I teach in my restaurant coaching program.

If you would like to learn how you can add 13% to your bottom line and get 2 days off per week from your restaurant – guaranteed – click to watch a video training I put together for restaurant owners: https://dsp.coach/transformation. 

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