A Case for Managing Restaurant Management

Recently, Starbucks closed thousands of locations to conduct racial bias education and training after a manager at one of its Philadelphia locations called police to the coffee shop because two African American men lingered there for minutes without making a purchase. Outrageous? Yes. Surprising? Unfortunately, no – not in the hospitality space.

Not a week seems to go by without news of yet another restaurant controversy: be it the Starbucks fiasco or an employee-facing uproar like a high profile restaurateur sued for sexual harassment and misconduct, a chain settling a discriminatory hiring action, or the well-publicized resolution of a multi-million-dollar wage claim. What’s significant is the common denominator in most of these scenarios: the conduct of, or response by, front-line supervisors and managers.

Handle Employees with Care 

No doubt about it, effective management is a key to restaurant employee productivity, morale and conduct. The lack of good management…