Managing multiple restaurant locations might feel complicated or tricky, however, it’s not impossible to succeed at it. Improving your management style for multiple locations takes a little planning, simplifying, and balancing.
Knowing how to run a restaurant doesn’t necessarily translate to knowing how to manage multiple locations. Often, owners or managers focus on a main location, leaving employees to manage the other sites. While that can help you feel less busy, it doesn’t guarantee success.
Here are four tips for successfully managing multiple restaurant locations.
#1: Digitize Operations
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to running a successful multi-unit restaurant business. From selection of ingredients to marketing to getting food to customers, it can feel like a 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle getting it all to fit together just right. That is why it’s important to simplify what you can.
Here are some things that might help you simplify the process of managing multiple locations:
- Subscribe to a multiple-unit point of sale (POS) system
- Use electronic communication to facilitate collaboration and speed up decision making
- Run reports using a central software to know exactly how all of your locations are operating
#2: Invest in Mid-Management Talent
Successful multi-location restaurant businesses happen in part from delegating responsibility to mid-management talent. This means that while the owner oversees the entire operation from a bird’s eye view, location managers run the day-to-day at each location. Think of it as a form of collaboration where each person does their part to make the business successful. Remember, it doesn’t have to fall completely on your shoulders to do it all!
#3: Leverage Communication Tools
Make sure that you have open lines of communication with everyone, and that’s even more vital for multi-location franchise owners. Luckily, staying connected has never been easier with all of the latest technology that allows for both voice and video calls, emails, and instant messaging. While the tech does the heavy lifting, remember to always be open and honest in your communication between you and your management team and the staff. This will create a healthier workplace culture and cultivate a sense of cohesion and community that is vital to success.
#4: QSRSoft Workforce Management
With more locations comes more staff to manage and communicate with. To help you manage your workforce, use QSRSoft’s Workforce Management tools. It can help you generate a good labor schedule and analyze your current schedule to identify gaps, track employee hours with a smart time clock, and manage and store all of your HR information in one flexible, simple solution! Learn more about QSRSoft Workforce Management by visiting our website today.