Manage Restaurant Systems, Not Restaurant People

Managing employees is an essential part of any business—but admittedly, a sometimes challenging one. Believe it or not, it’s actually more beneficial for managers to focus on their systems over their people. In fact, systems put in place will have a far more significant impact on the business’s operations than a manager attempting to exert too much control over employees. It’s better for managers to focus their attention on the proper functioning of systems that will help enable their employees to do their jobs properly. While managers are expected to provide their employees with guidance and support, they should also trust their employees enough to carry out expected tasks. The following is information on managing staff and how to incorporate useful systems, such as an automatic tip allocation tool.

Why Micromanaging Doesn’t Work

Micromanagement can hurt a business. Employees who are micromanaged often become unhappy, and, if they are unsatisfied, may even quit. On the other hand, having no real management in place can be just as damaging. Without a structure to fall back on, employees may make mistakes that could hurt the business or lose track of important tasks that make the business run smoothly. The answer is to find a balance between both extremes of managing styles to most effectively lead a team.

Luckily, there are some rules that good managers should employ to make the whole process easier. The first is setting clear goals. These are the expectations you have for your employees, and they should be clear and concrete. Employees who know what is expected of them are more likely to succeed. The second is setting clear consequences. Once you have set your expectations, you need to be ready to follow through. This may include giving frequent positive or constructive feedback.

Once a manager finds the sweet spot between autocratic and laissez-faire management styles, they can begin to focus on running the business effectively. Systems are the key to setting up the business and its employees for success.

Training, POS & Tip Management

Since managing isn’t an easy job, there are plenty of system solutions that can help. It’s helpful for a restaurant to have a sufficient training system in place for staff. While it’s possible to run a restaurant without a comprehensive training system, helping employees learn the business is a major factor in a restaurant’s success.

Managers keep track of a lot of information on a daily basis, which means they benefit from tools that make tracking the business’s operations easier. Thankfully, POS systems exist that allow managers to monitor data, including things like sales and inventory. A reliable POS system that allows a manager to effectively manage their staff can be the difference between a smoothly running restaurant and a chaotic one.

Further, new technologies can sync with a restaurant’s POS system to remain up-to-date with tip information. Managers will not have to deal with spreadsheets to conduct mundane tasks such as properly handling tip pooling, since tip sharing software can do it all automatically.

In addition to a solid POS system, automatic tip sharing can solve restaurant managers’ tip distribution problems. In the restaurant industry, employees rely on tips, not salaries, to make a living. In fact, the average wage of waitstaff in the US is only $12.88 per hour. As staff relies on these tips to make a significant portion of their income, it is crucial to have proper tip distribution software set up.

Lastly, there is already enough for a manager to worry about when it comes to operating a restaurant: customer satisfaction, the food, the decor, the cleanliness, the seating, and more. Having automated tip pooling software for a restaurant will keep both the manager and staff happy regarding the business’s tip sharing. Restaurants that rely on manual trip distribution, meaning tips are divvied up by hand at the end of the shift or day, are at a higher risk of having unhappy servers. Fortunately, Tiphaus can make a restaurant tip automatic for a server by immediately depositing tips into their account.

It’s no surprise that managing people can be a tough business. It can feel challenging to get your team to work together productively, no matter how much you try to lead them. But the best managers do more than just solve problems: they simplify things, make them easier for everyone to understand and follow. And a part of simplifying things involves incorporating efficient systems such as proper tip management software so managers don’t have to overthink how to fairly distribute tips and how to calculate tips.