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Culture
is Like
a Child
You’ve invested a lot of time,
energy, and resources to develop
your menu. You need to have that
same mindset when it comes to
culture. Your restaurant’s culture
is a living thing that needs to be
nurtured and carefully groomed.
Think of culture like the growth
cycle of a person. When you were
young, your parents molded you
and taught you about right and
wrong, good and bad, what was
and was not acceptable in their
house. Your restaurant’s culture is
the same.
When you start out, it’s like a
child that will try to get away with
as much as it can. You will need
to tighten the reins and set the
tone. Then, things go well for a
while during growth, until it hits
its teenage years. During this
time, your culture will become
rebellious and really see how far
it can push. What you put up with,
you end up with.
You have to carefully watch the
growth of your culture. That’s your
duty as an owner or operator. Too
many leave it to its own and then
complain because their restaurant
now runs them.
Building
1
Start With Your Core Values
There’s an old saying that if you don’t
know what you stand for, you’ll fall for
anything. Core values are the foundation
of your brand. When you know your core
values, you have a platform you can share
with your guests and your team. They
become the heart of your culture.
Core values also become a beacon
to attract more people to your brand.
Are you sustainability-focused? Does the
ideology of farm-to-table move you? Are
you family-focused?
Like does attract like. Your core values will
draw people to you. If you don’t have any
core values, you’ll draw those people to
you, as well.