If Your Restaurant’s Managers Are Underperforming

Written by Andrew Scott | Sep 15, 2025 3:08:42 AM

One of the biggest mistakes restaurant owners make is assuming that hiring an "experienced" manager will magically fix their problems. 

Without a solid restaurant manager training system, clear expectations, and accountability, even experienced managers fail.

In this episode of the Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast, Andrew Scott and Nathan Voulgaris break down the real reasons why so many restaurant managers underperform - and more importantly, how you as a restaurant owner, can fix it.

You'll learn how a lack of structured management training, poor hiring practices, and missing systems lead to costly mistakes. 

Discover how to implement proven restaurant management systems that help you build strong leadership, increase restaurant profitability, and create a scalable business that doesn’t require you to micromanage every decision.

 

Key Takeaways You’ll Learn:

  • Why most restaurant leadership fails from day one
  • How to hire managers who will actually do the job 
  • How to create a restaurant management training program that works
  • Why you must set clear accountability standards
  • The critical difference between coaching and hand-holding your team
  • The ripped bonus check story that completely reshaped leadership philosophy
  • Why restaurant manager initiative can’t be trained…  but must be identified

 

Key Moments:

00:02:40 Three root causes of poor management

00:05:00 Why common sense no longer exists

00:07:00 Setting clear expectations

00:15:20 Hiring the right management personality

00:19:40 Can do versus will do 

00:24:20 Coaching through management roadblocks

00:30:00 The ripped bonus check lesson

00:33:20 Why initiative cannot be trained

00:35:40 The broken debit machine initiative story

 

If you’re ready to stop doing your managers' jobs for them, this episode gives you the exact systems, coaching frameworks, and hiring strategies you need to finally build a self-sufficient management team - while you focus on growing your restaurant business.

 

-

These proven strategies could transform your restaurant's bottom line.

Listen On Apple Podcasts

Listen On Spotify

Watch On YouTube

 

✅ About Us ✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.