Too many numbskulls do my job!!

I am a restaurant guy.

I come from Restaurant people.

My earliest memories contain waiting for my Mother to get off of her 7-3 shift at Denny's. I remember sitting in a booth contemplating eating mixed berry jelly packets. I also remember visiting my Father at the Straw Hat Pizzeria that he managed. My brother and sister and I rode the penny mechanical horse and watched Heckel and Jeckel movies while he took care of patrons. 

My Grandparents owned and operated several restaurants where my grandmothers Home Made pies and my Grandpa Jim's chicken fried steak were the best there was to offer. However, they made their money selling burgers at lunch. My other Grandfather worked his way from busboy to Chef at a high class Dallas restaurant and brought fine dining alive in our home kitchen.

If there is a restaurant DNA I come by it naturally. It wasn't my first career choice, however. As a matter of fact in the beginning I actually fought the notion. The main reason was (although we ate well) we never really were exactly rich. My grandparents restaurants would fail, my mother while raising 8 children being a waitress did all she could but it was what it was.

When I finally entered into the Restaurant Industry as management which I took to like a duck in water. Success came quickly. My restaurant aptitude and savvy propelled me up the ranks quickly and  I rose swiftly in position and money. In the early 90's restaurant managers were seen in a new light and pay scales rose by from $14,000 to $26,000 for entry level positions. It was a good time.

Many of the good managers I work with or speak to look across the employment aisle and wonder how people who do the same Job or less than them in other companies or fields make more money, sometimes even double what they get paid. The draw is then to seek out these other management positions. Running a large office or being a project manager cannot be more difficult than what a restaurant managers daily tasks are, right? This is where we have to make a simple admission about our business.

"Too many Numbskulls do my job!!!!"

Somewhere in America there is a 19 year old kid running a Pizza Shack that is owned by a single owner and has 6 employees and He holds the title of General Manager. When he puts together a resume and goes on interviews in a couple of years he is going to talk to all of your future employers and dilute the effectiveness of the title and position of restaurant General Manager.

Let's face it, the reason the good ones rise quickly in your company is because of the vast amount bad ones. You know them...the guy that should have been fired years ago, but instead was moved into a position of minimal authority. The girl who has worked in 4 stores in the past year trying to find where she fits. The dynamic of Restaurants allows one strong person to work with several weak or average people and be successful.

With this admission, we have to use this to our advantage and no longer count it as a negative about our career. The things we can do is continue to perform at an accelerated rate, grow into leaders not just shift runners. We should  take pride in the development and training of the newest promote from within, or new manager to your unit. I can assure the next level at your job can be more attainable and profitable in your present company if you can manage managers and not just employees.