Restaurant Owners With Big Egos Will Always Struggle

The restaurant business is a hospitality business. Customers don’t go to a restaurant to eat. They can do that at home, or at the hotdog stand. They go to a restaurant for a fine dining experience or a fun sports bar experience. Customers go to restaurants for the hospitality atmosphere and experience, and to be treated like an invited guest.

Sometimes, restaurant owners forget that the restaurant guest is their most important asset, and need to be treated like best friends. The guest is more important to the success of the establishment than the owner is. If there are not enough guests coming to the restaurant, the establishment will struggle, and it won’t matter how low labor and food costs are. Gaining new customers and keeping them as loyal guests is crucial for success. This is where the restaurant atmosphere and service culture comes into play. To create customer loyalty, the restaurant must have a service culture that can instantly connect to guests and create immediate relationships. The reality, however, is that service cultures are created by the restaurant owner, and how well the owner treats the staff.

A great service culture is difficult to build, and easy to lose. For this reason, the second most important factors for success, after the guests, is the staff. Yes, the staff. Besides the guests, staff is the next most important factor for hospitality success. Restaurant staff are the face of the restaurant, and they are the owner representative. They are the service ambassadors, ready to connect with guests and deepen the guest relationship. They are ready to exceed the expectations of the guest, so that the guest comes back again and again. However, restaurant staff will not be connecting to anyone if the staff is not treated well by the owner. The morale of the staff is key to creating the service culture and atmosphere. When the staff is not treated well, restaurant guests will not be treated well either. It is a foregone conclusion.

Restaurant owners who are caught up in themselves and their own self-importance will never build that exceptional hospitality culture. These owners are the ones focused on themselves and bottom line, rather than the guests and the top line. Instead of developing service mentalities within the staff, they create cultures repressed by negative energy, lacking the inspiration or enthusiasm for delivering world class customer service. The stress on these employees will inevitably show on their faces and in their body language while serving the guests, and the guests will pick up on that stress. This is a profound restaurant atmosphere killer, and it will impact the financial performance of the establishment.

To run a great restaurant, owners need to set aside ego, and eat their pride. They need to clearly communicate the importance of the guest, and to motivate staff in a positive way. If they do this, they will create a magnificent service culture and atmosphere that exceeds the expectations of the guests.

Sebastian helps his hotel and restaurant clients create employee engagement, and motivated cultures of customer service and leadership. Visit our website at http://www.ghexpert.com to see our latest research whitepapers.