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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

5 Traits of a Good Restaurateur

Every restaurant needs a good manager, supervisor or owner who will give the proper direction for the staff and the whole restaurant operation as a whole.

A lot of people think that running a restaurant is easy. Just buy ingredients, cook the food, serve and keep the place tidy. I tell you, restaurant management is definitely more than that.

In my almost six years of consulting for restaurants, I have come across a lot of personalities. And here is my list of five traits for a good restaurateur.

1. CUSTOMER FIRST ABOVE ALL.
A good manager or owner puts the customer's satisfaction above all else. Naturally because the customer is the reason for the business' existence and profits. This willingness to please customers first comes in the form of offering dishes that will please them and not the owner, promotions that will entice more diners and always constantly reviewing service procedures to see where the restaurant can still improve.

2. EAGER TO LEARN
Admittedly, not all managers are trained for this industry. Like in the city I live in now, most are not even from the food or restaurant industry. A good manager takes time to learn and fully understand the operations. It is also important to understand each employees' job description.

3. KEEN TO STANDARDIZE.
Consistency is one fantastic attribute a restaurant can have. Standard portion, price, consistently good service, consistently clean environs and the like. This stems from a leader or manager who takes to heart keeping the restaurant service standardized.

4. WILLING TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY.
This job is not all glitz and glitter. A good manager should be ready to get his or her hands dirty: serving, taking orders, busing out, washing dishes, slicing, cooking, you never know! When a manager is ready for this part, the staff tend to have more respect for them and tend to be more relaxed.

5. GOOD LISTENER
The good listener role should apply to both customers and employees or suppliers. While a restaurant needs to entertain comments from customers, he restaurant is also dependent on employees and suppliers to do their job well. Servers or waiters are your frontliners and are the best source of feedback from customers. Listening comes from taking away your pride and just being able to accept comments in a healthy manner.