Stop Trying to Be a Hero. Start Building a System.
There is a certain type of restaurant owner I meet all the time. They are the hardest worker in the building.
They arrive at 8:00 AM to unlock the doors. They are in the back fixing the leaky sink at 10:00 AM. They are running food during the lunch rush because a server called out. And at midnight, they are the ones counting the drawer and locking up.
They wear their exhaustion like a badge of honor. They tell me, "Dave, this place falls apart if I'm not here."
They think they are being heroes. But I have to tell them the hard truth: If your business cannot run without you, you don't own a business—you own a job. And it’s a job with terrible hours and no vacation time.
Reliance on "heroes" is the biggest risk factor for a restaurant. If your Head Chef is the only one who knows the sauce recipe, what happens when he quits? If you are the only one who knows how to fix the POS system, what happens when you get sick?
You need to stop putting out fires and start fireproofing the building. You need a System.
The Mise en Place of Management
In culinary school, the first thing we learn is mise en place—"everything in its place." Before we cook a single thing, our station is set up. The salt is here, the towels are there, the knives are sharp. We do this so that when the heat turns up, we don't have to think; we just execute.
Most restaurant owners run their management style without mise en place. They run on instinct. They wing it.
To rescue your sanity, you need to take everything that is in your head and put it on paper.
1. If It Isn't Written Down, It Doesn't Exist
You might think your staff knows how to close the restaurant. But unless there is a checklist, "clean the fryer" means one thing to you and something very different to a 19-year-old line cook.
You need Opening and Closing Checklists for every single position. Not a vague list, but a detailed one.
Bad: "Clean the bathroom."
Good: "Wipe mirror, scrub toilet, refill soap, empty trash, mop floor."
When staff have to sign their name next to a task, accountability goes up immediately.
2. Create the Book of Truth (SOPs)
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) sound boring. They sound like corporate talk. But do you know why corporate chains succeed? Because the burger tastes the same in Chicago as it does in Miami.
In your kitchen, you need a "Book of Truth."
Take a photo of every dish on your menu exactly how it should look.
Print it out and laminate it.
Tape it to the wall above the pass.
Now, there is no debate. It doesn't matter if "Chef Bob" or "Sous Chef Steve" is working. If the plate doesn't look like the photo, it doesn't leave the kitchen. You have just replaced a personality with a standard.
3. Empower Your Staff to Fix Problems
The "Hero Owner" is usually a bottleneck. A customer complains about a cold steak, and the server freezes. They have to run to find you. You have to stop what you’re doing, walk to the table, and apologize.
This is a waste of your time.
Build a system where your staff is empowered to solve problems up to a certain dollar amount without asking you. Teach them: "If a guest is unhappy, you have permission to comp a dessert or re-fire the meal immediately."
Train them to handle the smoke so you don't have to fight the fire.
Freedom is Boring
When you implement systems, something strange happens. The drama disappears. There are fewer emergencies. The frantic text messages stop.
It might feel a little boring at first. But that boredom is actually freedom. It’s the freedom to take a day off, or to spend your time growing the business instead of just surviving the shift.
Is your business running you, instead of you running it? If you are tired of being the hero, let’s build a system that works. At Dave’s Cuisines, we bring operational discipline to chaotic kitchens, turning them into well-oiled machines.
Next up in the Restaurant Rescue series: We tackle the cash flow trap—why "bulk buying" to save pennies is actually costing you thousands.