The Takeaway: Why Nobody Wants to Work for You

0:02Welcome to Full Comp, a show offering insight into the hospitality industry. Featuring restaurateurs, thought leaders, and innovators. Served up on the house.

0:16Welcome to The Takeaway. I'm Josh Kopel. The Takeaway is a tool. One idea, one tactic, one strategy you can implement in your restaurant this week. There's no guests, no interview, just actionable information that'll help you make money without costing you a penny, all in less than a time that it would take you to count out a cash drawer.

0:36Jakob M.: Here is this week's takeaway. I hear it every single week. Nobody wants to work anymore. It's impossible to find good people. Turnover is killing this business. And look, I get it. The labor market is tough, and I'm not gonna pretend that it isn't. But here's the truth that most of us won't say out loud. If nobody wants to work for us, the problem probably isn't them. Let's start with a word we all love to use, family. We're like family here. I've heard it in almost every broken restaurant culture I've ever walked into. That's how it starts. And here's what it usually translates to. No accountability, no clear expectations, and toxic people kept around for way too long because it's hard to let them go.

1:23Jakob M.: So here's my rule. We can call our team a family as long as we're willing to fire our cousin. Because what we actually need isn't family. We need a high-performance team. One that runs on trust, standards, and shared goals. I worked with a restaurant that had amazing food and strong sales and a culture that was falling apart. So we drew a hard line. Clear expectations, no tolerance for slackers, and radical transparency. And six months later, turnover was down nearly 70%. And the culture went from chaotic to consistent. Loyalty doesn't come from hugs. It comes from leadership. And here's the second thing, and this one's a little uncomfortable.

2:04Jakob M.: Most of our team isn't going to be with us forever. They've got other ambitions, other goals. And you know what? That's okay. The mistake so many of us make is ignoring that. Or worse, resenting it, right? One of my clients had a server who was also a musician. And instead of brushing it off, they leaned into it. They started live music nights. and they booked him to play. And he didn't just stay longer. He became one of the restaurant's biggest advocates. He recruited his friends. He showed up early and he owned the role. I believe that when we help our team win outside of the restaurant, they go all in when they're inside of it.

2:41Jakob M.: And the last piece, the best operators are recruiting all year long, not when they're desperate for staff. If we only start hiring when somebody quits, we're already behind the eight ball. Great restaurants don't just post job openings. They're building relationships. They're staying in touch. They are always scouting. One of my clients started keeping a short list of people they'd love to hire one day. Bartenders, servers, cooks that they met along the way when they dined at other restaurants. And there was no pressure. These were just conversations. So that when a spot opened up, they already had the right person ready.

3:16Jakob M.: They weren't scrambling and they didn't have to compromise. Desperation hires may fill the schedule but strategic hires will build your brand. Here's what I'd love for you to do this week. Three things. Number one, raise your standards. High-performance teams start with high expectations. Make them clear and make them non-negotiable. Number two, ask the members of your team what they want. Career goals, their side hustles, the things that they're passionate about, and then find a way to support them. And then number three, build your bench. Think of five people that you've met over the past year who have impressed you, and then reach out and stay connected.

3:54Jakob M.: It's a long life. You never know when your paths will cross again. And so here's the takeaway. The best restaurants don't attract talent because they pay more or they have better perks. They attract talent because they lead better. So if we fix our leadership, the labor problem starts to fix itself. That's this week's takeaway. If it was useful, do this one thing before the day gets away from you. Go to restaurantbusinessschool.com to sign up for my free five-day restaurant marketing masterclass. It's a live workshop where in 40 minutes a day, I'll help you build out your AI marketing team to raise check averages, book more private events and corporate catering, and bring your best guests back more often without discounting and freebies.

4:39There are no ads, there's no additional expenses, and no additional work on your end. It's just my strategies and the robots will do the work for you. And if that sounds like something your restaurant needs, sign up today at restaurantbusinessschool.com.