Why Process is Killing the Art of the Maitre'D.

Read time: 3 minutes

There is something magical about a great Maitre'D.

The way they glide around the dining room is poetic and the way they understand their guest's needs is as though they have been best friends for years yet they only just met.

They are the conductor of the restaurant, the one who makes everything happen seamlessly and the one who is putting on the show, they hold the keys to the best tables in the house.

So why are we killing the magic?

The answer is simple. Process.

So often in the modern day, you see Managers tied up in front of their laptops, preferring a dingy office with no windows than gracing the dining room floor like a ballerina in Swan Lake.

Blame the new generation, blame the digital age, blame whatever you like.

The real problem, is that we allow our teams to become defocussed in a process which means what was once your strongest character, is now a keyboard warrior.

These are the 4 biggest mistakes that founders and operators make:

❌ They call their leaders Restaurant Managers (the very word 'Manager' implies a very different responsibility).

❌ They create processes for the purposes of reporting (reporting that, very often, doesn't get used, usually because they are defocussed themselves)

❌ They don't see the value in someone who is a domain expert over a generalist (They prefer people who can juggle office, process and the floor, often to the detriment of the floor)

❌ They compromise on service functions (internal or external) because they think the Restaurant Manager (Generalist) can pick it up (much to the detriment of the floor)

In return this is what happens:

🤕 Burnt out, overwhelmed Managers

🤯 Guests become frustrated through a poor experience

💻 Lack of focus on the restaurant because the focus is on the process

🔂 Increased turnover of your team

💰 Increase acquisition costs to find new guests

So, here's to a process-free future and the return of the old-school Maitre'D who can focus on your guests, because their art is retention, and retention is always cheaper than acquisition and makes you a lot more money (67% more to be exact!).

That's all for this week, see you next Monday.

Scot ✌🏼

(PS. Check in next week, I have a big announcement coming 🤔)

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So, if you would like someone to have a look at your energy plans, reach out to me today by email (scot@audenhospitality.com) or send me a DM and I will be pleased to introduce you.