Pizza Today _ January 23 - 27

say, " We don't open these businesses
to give ourselves 100 hour per week
jobs. " The exact extent to which an
owner can begin to step back will
vary for everyone on a case-by-case
basis. This is where the birth of a new
job category arrives. The General
Manager.
Finding, hiring, and training the
proper person for the General Manager
position can be one of the most
important decisions contributing to
our future success or lack thereof. The
easiest route is to find an industry
veteran who already has the proper
experience in that role and just slot
them into your operation. Unfortunately,
those unicorns are rarely seen
in today's labor market. Nowadays
many of these candidates are hired
and promoted from within our
current staff.
When we first promoted a
staff member to a supervisory or
managerial position it was easy.
We just go by the old mantra for the
selection process of " Our 'employees'
need to be managed. The 'managers'
are those who do not need to be
managed. " It's usually pretty easy to
pick those candidates out, but now
we are moving into a whole new level
of responsibility. The General Manager
is essentially the person who
will be stepping into your role when
you are not there. The bond between
the owner and GM will be key to the
continued success of the operation.
Building the bond between owner
and GM is very different from that
of other employees. We are in effect
looking for a partner that will have
that same sense of responsibility
that you the owner has. Relationship
building is key here. This is not
the simple managerial promotion
that comes with a set of keys and
a pay raise. The GM needs to have
the same philosophy and mindset
as the owner in order to effectively
run the operation as it is meant to be
run. This is now our most important
employee and needs to be treated as
such. Passion for our restaurant and
concept is wonderful, but at the end
of the day that doesn't pay the bills.
Cash is still king. The GM needs to
have a compensation package that
will do two things. First, it needs
to be at a level that is commensurate
with the expectations of the
position. Second, it needs to be at
a level where the GM feels a sense
of respect and would never consider
looking to work elsewhere. This will
undoubtedly be a high number, but
we get what we pay for. A useful tool
that many operators employ is creating
a pay scale for the GM that has
a base salary but also has incentive
bonuses built in for hitting certain
predetermined benchmarks in sales,
food cost and labor cost each week or
month. By tying a bonus portion of
the pay package to the meeting these
benchmarks the GM now has an
absolute vested interest in operating
the restaurant with the same passion
as the owner.
Another part of this bond is
how we interact with our GM.
An owner can no longer treat that
person like one of the crew. There
needs to be a partnership camaraderie
developed. No longer will discussions
be held in the kitchen amongst
the staff. The owner and GM should
meet privately to discuss everything
thus showing the GM such respect
that they are not one of the average
staff. Further, a relationship outside
of the restaurant walls can greatly
help the bond. Often there can be an
age differential between the owner
and GM that may cause a slight
generational disconnect, but doing
simple things like grabbing lunch
or dinner together on a day off to
discuss business or simply to decompress
can go a long way.
As an owner there is certainly a
period of adjustment that will come
along with turning your baby over
to the hands of another person. You
know what works. You built this
business. You did it your way. When
training your GM clear expectations
should be set out, but remember, all
roads lead to Rome. Just because
you handle a task in your restaurant
in a certain manner does not mean
that it is the only way it can be done.
There are various methods to reach
the same conclusion and we need
to be mindful and respectful of our
GM's personal way of accomplishing
things. Many times, too, a GM
will have better success in dealing
with the staff due to a more familiar
feel and relationship with them. An
owner needs to give the GM space
and let them handle things without
micromanaging. It's easier said than
done, but the relationship will flourish
if they are allowed to handle their
responsibilities in their own way.
As with any partnership there will
be rough patches at times. This is
a good time to remember that we
brought this person in to run our
operation so that we don't need to
be doing it 24/7. Remembering that
word 'partnership' is key. Yes, you may
be the owner and the buck stops with
you, but this is not the average basic
employee you're dealing with anymore.
Sit and discuss issues together.
Work together to find the right solution
to the problem. You may know
the answer to resolving an issue right
off the bat, but by communicating
calmly with your GM and showing
them that you want to work respectfully
together to find the solution you
will strengthen that bond.
Outside of family this will be one
of your most important relationships
in life. Your entire business that you
worked so hard to build depends on
it. Cherish that relationship and you
both will flourish.
MICHAEL ANDROW owns E & D Pizza
Company in Avon, Connecticut.
JANUARY 2023 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 27
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today _ January 23

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today _ January 23
