Hey there restaurant pros, it’s David Scott Peters and welcome to episode 100 of the Restaurant Prosperity Formula. I’ve been coaching restaurant owners 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 of your restaurant, a 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, we’re diving into a critical topic that can transform your restaurant and your life: the power of a professional attitude.

The restaurant business presents unique challenges. It’s not for everybody, but for those of us who love the industry and manage people daily, there’s one essential truth to remember: be a professional.

Many of us strive to become professionals. We earn degrees, obtain certifications, we attend seminars and aim for specific milestones thinking these accomplishments will crown us, like literally crown us as professionals.

But here’s the reality. No degree or certificate can make you a professional. The truth is you already possess everything you need to be a real professional. You were born with it. In that sense, you are already a professional. understanding this doesn’t diminish the hard work required it enhances the satisfaction you deserve from your job you still attend meetings seminars and pursue further education but you’ll be well you’ll be doing it because that’s what professionals do to better yourself you are still going to go to meetings seminars get degrees the difference is now you’re going to do it because that’s what professionals do

If you can bring professionalism into your restaurant, you will elevate everything including customer service, job performance, and accountability. If everyone on your team holds themselves accountable as professionals, you’ll achieve stellar customer service, incredible customer satisfaction, increased sales, lower costs, and tighter controls for more profits. Who doesn’t want that? And all it takes is shaping things up a bit. Starting with your attitude.

My father used to say, there are two kinds of people in this world. There are bull dinghies and fantastic people. Bull dinghies and fantastic people. The bull dinghies, now these are people with a negative attitude. They look like they were weaned on a pickle. You know people with mental BO, known as a stinking personality.

Now fantastic people have great attitudes. and they love what they are doing no matter what it is. They love sharing their ideas with others and they turn people on instead of off. They serve people instead of trying to get a win or lose relationship.

Let’s look at how bull dinghies get up in the morning. A bull dinghy may wake up and go, boy, I feel like crap, and then stare for 20 minutes out the window with a really sad face on. Now let’s look at how fantastic people get up in the morning sometimes. Boy, do I feel like crap. Then they go to work. See, look, what you learn is as a fantastic person, how you feel and what you have to do have nothing to do with each other. They really don’t. It’s all in your head.

With that said, we all have certain responsibilities and no matter how we feel, it’s our job. It’s our job as fantastic people to show up to work because we are professionals.

For a great example of this, watch an NFL football game. There are guys who have their ribs taped up, their foot cast, both eyes blinded and they say, put me in coach, put me in, I’m going in. And they hurt, honestly, they really do. But if there’s a game, they are there to do their job. Or think about it this way. How would you like a surgeon, well, who decided he or she didn’t feel like going to work today, doing their job today? Well, a surgeon might have those days. But you can bet that they’re going to show up to do their job because as a professional, which is who they are, they’re going to get it done. And they had a choice to do their job or not.

If you’re a professional, then you’re going to be there when you’re needed. You see, we all have choices and it’s about choice whether we want to be a bull dinghy or a fantastic person.

If you really want to aim for professionalism in what you do and set the example for how you want people to work with you, how you want them to behave, then try this formula.

First, have the right attitude. Like the example I used earlier, the key to being a professional is to choose your attitude. Look, don’t worry about being happy and positive all the time. Nobody is that way. Nobody is happy and positive all the time. Hey, I don’t smile all the time, and it’s a part of my company’s foundation. But if I did, if I smiled all the time, People would tell me where to go and a lot more. In fact, we all get angry, upset, sad. Right? From time to time you get angry, you get upset, you might get sad. We all do that. And I’m not going to say you won’t. The whole idea is at least you can bounce back. You can tell people. that you’re sorry and maybe you can get your relationships with these people back on track when you have a bad day.

Actually, there’s something outside of a positive mental attitude that contributes to being a great professional. This is something uncovered by Dr. Otis Maxfield, who was the gentleman who was commissioned by NASA, NASA, the beginning of the space program, to select the first astronauts. He was allowed to select the astronauts using any criteria. And he came up with, well, a characteristic that was found most important off the charts.

The one thing he found above everything else to make a successful astronaut, it was that so vitally important was flexibility. You probably think a good astronaut has to be a great test pilot first and foremost, right?

But what they found was the last thing they needed was a good pilot. Test pilots were taught to do things by the book, step by step by step. When something goes wrong, do this. They were too structured. They would get those guys up in a simulator and make something go wrong and these guys would bail out because that’s what they were trained to do as a pilot. Get out of there. Instead, they needed the guy who was flexible, who could adapt to the challenges and try to find new solutions.

It’s the same thing for us. Times are changing and we have to be flexible.

Another critical aspect, if you will, of being a professional is to trust your people and create an environment of trust. You have to build a trusting relationship with your people if you intend to do anything at all.

you have to avoid creating an environment where people feel like they can’t ask questions without thinking well they’re being set up for an a gotcha

this came out of Eric Burns’ book Games People Play one game in the book is called Nigi SOB it’s an acronym for N-I-G-Y-S-O-B which stands for now I got you you *** ** * *****

let’s play a round of Nigi SOB let’s say Frank did something wrong. Instead of coming right out and asking Frank, you start the game. You start asking Frank questions. What did you do? And Frank will start talking and rambling and giving his story and excuses and all of a sudden he’ll make the slightest deviation from the story. And that’s when you go, gotcha. You’ve been sitting there waiting for the mistake that you can call it out and catch him in the act.

And if you’ve been frank in a similar situation, you tend to be a little bit guarded. You retreat a little bit. You stop sharing and you stop being open, right? Because you’re in an environment of distrust. Until you can get rid of that feeling that people feel like they’re going to be set up for an I gotcha, you’re not going to get anywhere. To get the best out of your people,

To grow fellow professionals, you have to build a safe, positive atmosphere for the people you’re working with and for your employees. They have to trust you.

Finally, set the example. A professional shows up to work every day, no matter how they’re feeling.

A professional realizes to be a professional is as simple as choosing a positive attitude. A professional is flexible. A professional creates an environment that facilitates change and trust. In this kind of environment it’s hard to focus on anything negative and much easier to focus on success, the success that’s in front of you. Remember you are a professional. You’re running a business. You’re managing people. You’re the real deal. Choose to act like one, and you’ll see the results.

Let’s take a deeper dive into these principles with maybe a real-life example. Imagine a restaurant owner. And this owner, let’s just say her name’s Danielle. And Danielle decided to overhaul our team’s attitude. She began with herself, showing up every day with a positive mindset. Despite the daily challenges, She maintained a can-do attitude and encouraged her staff to do the same. Over time, her team’s morale improved, and so did customer satisfaction.

Danielle also implemented flexibility in her management style. When the pandemic hit, her ability to adapt saved her business. She quickly shifted to a takeout model, adjusted her menu to items that traveled well, and communicated openly with her staff about changes. Her flexibility not only kept the business afloat but also built a stronger, more resilient team.

Trust was another cornerstone of Danielle’s success. She created an environment where her staff felt safe to voice their concerns and ideas instead of playing the blame game. She focused on problem-solving. When mistakes happened, they were seen as a learning opportunity rather than failures. This trust fostered innovation and loyalty among her employees.

Setting the example was perhaps the most powerful tool in Danielle’s arsenal. She led by doing, showing up on time, maintaining a positive attitude, and demonstrating flexibility. Her actions spoke louder than any words, inspiring her team to follow suit.

Now let’s bring it all together. To truly be a professional in the restaurant industry, you must One, have the right attitude. Understand that your mood does not dictate your responsibilities. Show up and give your best every day. Two, be flexible. Adapt to changes and find innovative solutions to challenges. Three, build trust. Create a safe, positive work environment where teams feel valued and supported. And four, set the example. Lead by doing and inspire your team through your actions.

Incorporating these principles into your daily operation can transform your restaurant. Not only will you see improvements in your customer satisfaction and sales, but you’ll also create a work environment where teams thrive. Remember, you already possess everything you need to be a real professional. You were born with it. In that sense, you are already a professional. Now act like one.

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 thoughts. One, by combining leadership and taking action with systems and training, being checked by accountability, you are on your way to creating prosperity for you and your restaurant. Two, I have something I need from you. Please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you happen to listen to podcasts. By leaving us a review, other restaurant pros seeking out this information are able to find it. I read the reviews, and hearing how this information has benefited you does wonders for me. And 3, if you find any of the discussions helpful, share them. The more restaurant pros who have access to them, the better we become as an industry. For more restaurant resources or to get in contact with me, connect with me at DavidScottPeters.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 ***.