QSR Guru

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia discuss the topic of four walls marketing.Four walls marketing is something that's been brought up a few times in the podcast, but never really dug into and explained. Now, for most quick service restaurants, you have your national marketing that happens, you don't really have to think about. Somebody in a corporate office somewhere is taking care of that for you. Then you normally have some local marketing that is taken care of by either your franchisee, or your district marketing group, or, you know, just us host of other ways. Now, four walls marketing is exactly what it sounds like. It is the marketing that you can do within the four walls of your restaurant to help grow your specific location.In Matt and Tricia's 20 years of experience in this industry, there hasn't been much talk about four walls marketing by any of the brands that they've worked with, until the last five years. That was when Jared and Brian Collins brought the idea to Matt and Tricia. It is something that they practice very regularly, and something that they'd seen a lot of success with. So Matt and Tricia have adopted it. So this is in no way, their idea or their plan. This is taken directly from what other people have done and seen success with and they use it to their advantage.And what four walls marketing is, is taking care of your guests and getting to know your guests. The bottom line is it's relationship building, it's making sure that your guest is comfortable, and that they know that you know them and that you care about them as a person, this will drive them back into your location over and over and over again. Not only that, when somebody asks them, where they should go for dinner, they're automatically going to think of you because you've built that relationship that makes them want to come to you and to tell people about you because they want their friends and family to have that same amazing experience that they had. So they will always tell people about you, they will be that word of mouth outside of your restaurant as long as you take care of them and treat them amazing inside those four walls.Another thing that is kind of outside marketing, but it's something that is really, that is really helpful is getting involved with the schools. When you get involved with a local school, and you help their organizations or you give out free meal cards, or free ice cream or whatever you can do, whatever comp cards you have available, if you give those to the schools, those kids are going to bring their parents in and when they bring their parents in those parents are going to eat and then you're going to use that four walls marketing to make that family love your restaurant and keep coming back in over and over again.Now these little things are what separates one location from the next you could have to have the exact same brand in the same town on the same street even and the one that does this process is the one that's going to see results above the others.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia are going to talk about a topic that they were very shocked to realize that they hadn't talked about in nearly 100 episodes. And that is scheduling.Labor is normally your second biggest cost in any restaurant, you have your cost of goods sold, and then you have your labor.And right now Tricia is in a brand new location where they're struggling to make labor, which is normal, that happens in new locations, while you try and figure it out. So throughout this episode, Matt and Tricia are going to discuss the different tools that you can use, as well as just the old school pen and paper method and some math that you can use for some quick calculations to really help you kind of break things down and budget it.They also go over budgeting. And when you're in a new location, budgeting is so tough to do, because you don't know what to expect from one day to the next. And that's really where they're struggling right now, as they don't have trends. Because they've only been around for a few months. And even then, they don't know what to expect from one day to the next. They could have a very busy Monday, and then a very slow Tuesday. There's no consistency yet because they are so new. So we talk about how to battle that issue and how to work through those problems. And really figure out how to budget and how to do your best to make labor when you don't have enough data to be able to do it the right way.Now, if you've been in a location for a good amount of time, and we'll say the restaurants been open at least a year, you have a multitude of different ways that you can do it, your trends are pretty much set. And there is a lot that you can do to make labor and really get that down.And Matt shares a few tips on how to budget your daily sales, as well as your hourly to figure out what you need. Now it's very rough math doesn't work for everyone. But it is a general guideline that you can use in the quick service industry that will help you get your labor in the low 20s which is where most places want their labor to be.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be Matt and Tricia are going to discuss confidence as leader.One of the biggest things that a leader has to have is confidence. You have to have confidence in yourself. You have to have confidence in your team, and you have to have confidence in your decision making.Tricia has wanted to bring this up because she has noticed a lack of confidence within some of her co workers who are other shift leads and they just don't quite trust themselves to make a decision. Now, when you don't trust yourself to make a decision, your team doesn't trust your decision making and if your team doesn't trust your decision making they will never trust you as a leader.So confidence in yourself and your decision making is the way you portray that confidence to your team is vital. It is one of the most important things that you can do as a leader is to show confidence. Now we aren't not saying that you have to be right. We are saying you have to be confident in your decisions and confident in yourself to make the right decision.Whether you do that or not, isn't as important as showing the confidence because the team will respect the confidence. Matt and Tricia in their 20 years of experience they have have both made wrong decisions and they will continue to make wrong decisions but they will be confident about those decisions.Throughout this conversation Matt also realizes a lack of confidence in one of his shift leads at one of his locations now for the last few weeks, as he's gotten to know some of the new team that he's working with. He's noticed one shift lead that constantly says "Is today the day you're gonna fire me."At first Matt thought this was a joke. And she was just messing around and throughout the conversation today he realizes that she probably lacks confidence in herself. Whether she thinks she is going get fired or not is not the point. It's more that by bringing up something of that magnitude, there's something there.She's missing something. She might be lacking confidence or she might be lacking acknowledgement, but something's missing. And throughout this conversation, Matt realizes that he needs to get to the bottom of that and help this team member to grow into the leader that they are meant to be.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be Matt & Tricia are going to discuss the topic of taking care of your equipment and more importantly fixing equipment and doing some preventative maintenance on that equipment.Tricia has run into an issue here recently where they are having problems with equipment, but it's under warranty so it's being fixed right away because they're taking advantage of that warranty like you should. Now what got her frustrated is that  she has worked for the same company for a while and in a different location where the equipment did not have a warranty. Nothing got fixed. Nothing got taken care of. And they just didn't take care of things because it would cost money.Now the topic we want to discuss today is how spending that money is going to save you money in the long run. There's so much waste that happens when you don't take care of equipment and when you continue to band aid that equipment and you as a restaurant leader need to do whatever you can to make sure that you're not wasting that money and hurting that equipment because you're paid based on profit in most of these restaurants.So you need to look at that as the money's coming right out of your pocket. So teaching your team preventative maintenance and making sure that you fix things properly. From the start will help you in the long run. It will help your team to be happier. It will help your finances and will help you have a better restaurant for your guests.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast. The podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt & Tricia talk about the importance of having regular evaluations with your team members.As a leader in the fast food and quick service industry you are a busy person and your time is valuable and in short supply on most days.One of the best ways that you can spend your time though is in evaluating your team members. There are a lot of different ways that you can go about doing this and it will make your life easier if you use some tools but the important part is to make sure that it gets done regularly.In these conversations you want to learn about the team member, their struggles at work, what they like and don't like about their jobs. What their dreams and ambitions are. Most importantly you want to keep great notes and follow up on the things that you talk about. Doing this regularly will help you, your team, and your business grow.So for that and so much more listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt & Tricia bring in their 17 year old daughter to discuss saying no.Kennady was asked recently about being promoted to a shift manager at her job. With everything going on in her life right now taking on more responsibility at work is not what's best for her so she has decided to turn down that promotion.Sometimes as a leader the best thing for you, your team, and your restaurant is for you to say no, so Matt, Tricia, and Kennady are going to break that down today.So for that and so much more listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Tricia has a topic that she's been struggling with for a while and we have a conversation about it.What Tricia is dealing with right now is basically overload. She works a full time job. We have five kids and three of the kids have a lot going on.Our 16 year old Emma she works about 20 hours a week since it's the summer.Our 17 year old daughter Kennady works probably about the same, maybe a little bit more probably closer to 30 hours a week. And she is also on a swim team which practices a few days a week and has events every Saturday.Then we've got our son who is a very active baseball player with six practices a week and tournaments. And Tricia was just struggling with being able to handle everything that she needs to handle as a leader and be the mom that she feels that she can be.She feels like right now she's lacking a little bit on taking care of the house and just being there for the kids. So we're going to discuss the struggles of being a leader and being a parent and just always being busy.We're going to try and come up with a plan where Matt and Tricia and the entire family and all of the restaurants that are involved in this can function at a very at a much better rate. We're going to discuss how we can handle things a little bit differently at home, which will translate into better results in the restaurant.If you're a leader within the restaurant industry, there's no doubt that you have struggled with this exact same thing. And we can all use some help from time to time and we need to just make those little tweaks that are going to help us be a little bit better every day.If you can just get 1% better every day and handle something a little bit better. You're going to make great progress. 1% better every day leads to a huge improvement over month, two months and up to a year.Just 1% every day, make those little tweaks and you're going to see things change for the better at home and in your restaurant.So for that and so much more listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR Guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become a quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia are going to discuss the things that they wish they would have learned earlier in their career.If you've been in this industry for any amount of time, you picked up a lot, and there are a lot of things that you might have learned 5, 10, 15, maybe even 20 years into your career that you wish oh my gosh, I wish somebody would have told me about this earlier. It would have made my life so much easier.So Matt and Tricia are going to discuss one topic that they each wish that they would have learned earlier in their career.And for Tricia, that is the importance of teaching and by teaching, she doesn't mean training. She means passing along the skills and the knowledge the leadership development that she has. She didn't realize the importance of passing on those skills to everyone around her to help them grow until the last few years.And for Matt, it is time management. Matt has over the last couple of years realized the importance of not working those 50, 60, 70 hour weeks. He works 40 hours a week in the restaurants or in the office, and maybe sometimes take some things home but he takes time for himself. He takes time for his family. He doesn't dedicate his entire life to his work. When you dedicate your entire life to your restaurant. That's when burnout happens. That's when you stop being effective. And that's when you just give up.Matt feels that he has left jobs. He has possibly even sold businesses because of burnout and overworking himself.So what do you wish you would have learned earlier in your career? There are a lot of things that every single leader can discuss that they just wish they would have known 5, 10 years ago. What's that for you? And what are you going to do to make sure that all the people around you learn that earlier in their career than you did so that they can turn into the leader that they would like to be.For that and so much more listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia are going to discuss the topic of employees becoming hard to deal with.Sometimes employees become difficult over time, and you start to think that it's them that they're having a problem. But really, if they started out as a great team member and they suddenly become hard to deal with, you need to take an inner look and find out why they become hard to deal with. What Matt and Tricia have noticed over the years is employees become hard to deal with, because we've allowed them to become hard to deal with.A great example is say you have an employee that is constantly on their phone when they're at work and you have no cell phone policy at your restaurant. Well, why are they on their phone? Odds are it's because they have had their phone out before and you have walked by them and not told them to put their phone away. You have passively approved the behavior in their eyes by not correcting it from the beginning.So you have allowed your team member to become difficult to deal with. This isn't on them. It is on you for allowing me behavior. So how do you fix that? What do you do?Say you have a team full of people who have become hard to deal with? How do you solve that problem? Now Matt has an idea that he has used before that helped a lot and what he does there is he will get all of the team members together, do a staff meeting and apologize to them. Apologize for not making sure that all the rules are followed. Apologize for not being the leader that you should be and apologize that you now have to backtrack and change things because you allowed them to get away with things that they shouldn't have been been getting away with.So if you have a big issue, where a lot of the team is doing things wrong, take a step back and realize that it is probably you passively approving things and you were making your team members hard to deal with.Now, if it's one team member, take a look at the behavior, see how long it's been going on. Find out if it's something that has always been an issue or if this is new, if it's something that has always been an issue. Again, that is still the leaders responsibility, because they didn't solve the problem from the very beginning or maybe they made a poor hiring choice. Either way that is on the leader. If it is a new development. It's probably time to ask that team member what's going on in their life because for behaviors to change very suddenly, there's more to the story than they have just decided not to do something. Something has changed in their life and as leader it is your responsibility to help your team.For that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast. The podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia are going to discuss the power of turnover.Now, a lot of people look at turnover as a bad thing because yes, it is expensive. It takes time and it costs you so much. But every once in a while, turnover can be a good thing.And what we mean by that is sometimes you have those problems in your location. You have somebody that doesn't quite fit in with the culture or is a little too demanding a little too over the top or, you know, just honestly isn't following the standards and the processes and procedures that you have set in place and that person needs to go.Yes, right now, in this hiring climate, it's going to be tough to replace that person. But in Matt & Tricia's experience every time you have to do that. You have to work a little bit harder. Your team has to work just a little bit harder. Put in some extra hours and time. But they are always in a better place at the end of the situation.It might take you months, but every one is going to come out better in the long run. Because sometimes turnover is necessary to help you and your team create that culture that you need in order to move forward in your business. So for that, and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of the QSR Guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become a quick service restaurant manager you were meant to be, Matt & Tricia discuss consistency.Consistency is an issue that isn't just down to your product consistency is your packaging. The way your parking lot looks on a day to day basis, how staffed your restaurant is.One of the main topics we're going to discuss today is consistency in your staffing. People don't like going into a restaurant and having a great experience deciding that they're going to come back and not getting the same level of hospitality. That drives people away, that makes them not trust you and your brand.Matt & Tricia are also going to talk about consistency in your products. You know, obviously we all want our products to be the exact same every single time so that our customers know what to expect. But consistency in your product even goes in between products. So one of the examples that's brought up is having a great cheeseburger, but really bad fries that just takes away from the overall experience. You have to make sure that everything is on point so that you have a consistent great product across your entire menu.We're also going to discuss some of the ways that you can make sure that your guests have a great experience before they even get into the building. You want to make sure that you have a great cleanliness standards inside the building. And you also want to make sure that the standards are outside the building. Again, it's consistency. You want to be consistent in the way that your parking lot is kept up so that you set a good impression from the very beginning with your potential meet customers.So for that and so much more than today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the Quick Service Restaurant Leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of the QSR Guru podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be Matt & Tricia are going to discuss the issue of micromanaging.There seems to be an issue in the fast food/Quick service industry of micro managers. It seems to come from newly promoted leaders not being able to let go of their previous jobs.Matt & Tricia talk about a few scenarios that they are dealing with currently and how that micro managing is effecting the work lives of them, their teams, and their organizations.For that and so much more listen to todays episode of the QSR Guru podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia are going to discuss what your job is, as a leader.There are a lot of roles that go into being a leader within the quick service restaurant industry. But one of those jobs is to be a bridge. And being a bridge means being that person that the team can go to, to fill the gap in between the four walls of the restaurant and the leadership of the organization.What we mean by that is, so in Tricia's specific case, Tricia is a shift supervisor right now. And the team members are going to naturally just feel comfortable talking to a shift leader, because they, they're basically on equal footing. I mean, the shift supervisor has has more authority than they do. But the shift supervisor has also done their job day to day more recently than a salaried manager has. So there's a built in connection there, and the team is naturally going to go to the easiest connection. So if they're having a problem or something that they're struggling with, or if they have an idea, they're going to want to go to that shift leader or shift supervisor. And that shift supervisor can be the bridge to the salaried management, whether it's an Assistant Manager, General Manager, whatever it is. And, you know, if it's something that the shift lead couldn't solve on their own, they're going to take it up that next level, maybe that's where it stops, maybe that manager can solve that problem.A lot of the time, the team isn't comfortable going straight to the General Manager. So that's where that bridge is very important. In the next spot, where it becomes important to say that the general manager thinks, wow, that's a great idea, or holy crap, that's a problem we need to solve or whatever it may be. They're going to move that on up the chain to their district manager. So now, the general manager has become a bridge to the district manager. And it just goes all the way up until it hits someone like a like a director of operations. That is the bridge between the restaurant level and the ownership.So all along the way, throughout your career as a leader in this industry, you're going to be a bridge. And you need to take that very seriously because you can have a major impact on your organization if you take the role of a bridge as an important part of your career. So for that and so much more listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast. The podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be Matt & Tricia discussed the topic of being the smartest person in the room.Now, there's an old saying that goes, if you're the smartest person in the room, you need to get in a different room. Now, while we do hold that true, and we do believe that, for the most part, when you're in the restaurant industry, as a leader, you're gonna find yourself as the smartest person in the room a lot of the time.If you're not, then that's honestly an even bigger problem. You're a leader and you're paid to be in that position and to run that restaurant because you should be overall when it comes to the industry, the smartest person in that room.Just because when it comes to running the restaurant, you should be the best at it in that building. That doesn't mean that you're the best at everything, you're going to have team members that really know how to make a line flow or somebody that's great with organization. You might have someone that knows a lot more about food safety than you. You're going to have people that have their little things that they're better at. And as a leader, you should be learning from those people. And you should also be passing your knowledge down to them, because you want everyone to grow and learn from you. So being the smartest person in the room is just part of the job as a leader in a restaurant.Another part of the job is to make those people just as good at the job as you are. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be. Tricia brings a topic to us that she has been working through lately, and found a pretty cool solution to and that is finding joy in your work.We're all going to run into those situations where we're a little bit frustrated. Maybe we think it's time for a change, maybe we're just in a bad headspace for a day or two, whatever it is, you're going to have those days or those weeks, those months, maybe even years, where you're just not in the game.Tricia has been there the last week or so. And she found a really interesting way to get out of it and to find some happiness in her day. The way she went about doing that, is by talking to people, of all things, something that we've preached a million times on this podcast, talking to your team and getting to know them.She spends her time every single day, getting to know everyone because she normally works during the day. But the last week or so she's had some closing shifts, she's had some mid shifts. So she's getting to meet some of that night crew that she doesn't know that well. And she's going out of her way to make sure that the next time they see her, they remember her and they know her and they know that they can come to her for anything that they need.This is a very powerful message that she shares today of just making sure that you make a great impression on your team. Because as a leader, you're not going to be in there all the time. You might not know everyone that depends on the volume of your restaurant. But in my case and Tricia's case, Tricia has at least 50 team members, I have over 100 At the moment, or very shortly, I'm not going to remember all of them if I don't put in the effort to get to know them, and go out of my way and they're not going to remember me unless I make a great impression on them.That is not only awesome for the business, awesome for you awesome for the team. That is a great way to find some joy in your work every single day. So if you're struggling to find a little bit of happiness at work, try it go out of your way to get to really know one of your team members every single day and see what happens to your attitude.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, Matt and Tricia are going talk about different type of leaders.There seems to be a segment of leaders within our industry that take some pride in having a team full of people that are scared of them or don't like being around them. Matt and Tricia will talk about how perplexing this is to them and why they think this may be happening.They will also talk about the types of leaders they worked for in the past and how they learned their style of leadership from those people.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, Matt and Tricia are going to discuss how to handle team member concerns.As we have discussed many times in the past Matt & Tricia feel that the team members are the most important people in the building so when they bring a question or concern to your attention it matters.Sometimes these things don't seem all that important to you in the moment but anything that is important to your team should be important to you and the rest of your leadership.You can learn a lot about your business and the flow of your restaurant from these conversations. It is your responsibility to take the time, listen, and most importantly act on these issues.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, Matt and Tricia are going to discuss the power of the one on one conversation.Now, throughout our entire career in the last 20 years, one on one conversations were something that were always talked about, and really the last five, pushed really hard. And I know that a lot of leaders struggle with this.Every time, they have a lot of excuses, we all do. And to be completely honest, Matt and Tricia never paid attention to them either and the leadership above us was always pushing it and always talking about the importance of it.We knew it, we just never took the time out of our day to do it. Recently, Tricia came across a situation where her first thought was, you know, if we would do one on one conversations, we could have solved this problem a long time ago. And it got the both of them thinking, maybe we aren't looking at these one on one conversations the right way, maybe if we not only take the time to learn about our team, but we ask them all specific questions that are geared in a positive light, but also help us learn about our business and what's going on in our four walls, we can really make an impact on this business and on these people's lives.Some of those questions that were thought of were if you were going to make your own schedule, who would be on that schedule? And that question seems very innocent. But it's so powerful. Because if you start to hear the same names coming up in multiple conversations, now you know who your best employees are. And on the same token, if you start to see a trend where specific people aren't brought up at all, you know, you might have a problem there. You've got someone that the rest of the team doesn't want to work with, you might have found your weak link right there.Another amazing question that was talked about is what is your favorite part of your day? And then what is your least favorite part of the day? And you're going learn a ton from that question.Throughout this conversation, Matt and Tricia will talk about probably five or six questions that are great, and a few that you should probably steer clear of. And the entire episode is built around not only helping you have a quick five to 10 minute conversation with your team members, but to really build your restaurant into a powerhouse.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, Matt & Tricia spend a good amount of time discussing how to start your day.There are routines and habits that you can get into that kind of set you up for success, we're going to discuss a few of the ways that have worked for us, in order to make sure that they come into every shift with a positive attitude and a good structure for the rest of their shift.A few of the ways that they go about doing this are coming right in asking the team that is their how their day went, what was going on how they felt about everything, really just having a quick hello getting to talk to everyone, and that you can learn a lot about how the days when and that'll help you see kind of what might happen throughout the night.If you know what happened throughout the day. It also is a good opportunity for you to learn things that you might not have already known, there might be a situation that you're going to need to handle and you wouldn't have known unless you talk to people.Then after that it's normally computer time. Check the sales, check the labor, check the trends, see where you think your night might go where your morning might go or where whatever you're doing, just kind of see what normally happens on those shifts. That way you can kind of start to get a feel for how the business is going to flow.The next step that they like to make is to the schedule, make sure they have staffing figured out and put the players in their places so everyone knows where they're going to be working for the evening.The next thing that you want to do is check out your product, make sure that you're good on product, you have all your prep done, you have everything you need, so that you can accomplish the night in the most efficient way possible.Starting your day on the right note and a positive attitude is going to help everyone around you and really lead towards a better day for you, your team and your customers. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia discuss a situation that Tricia is having at work, where they don't have any team trainers. And part of the requirements for their brand is to have team trainers in every location. So they're scrambling right now to fill that void.And Tricia is noticing that there's not really much training these trainers are getting. And to be a trainer, in her opinion, you have to know not only the little bits and pieces about everything, you have to know everything about everything, you cannot teach someone how to do a job, if you don't know the ins and outs of that job 100%.And that's the struggle that they're running into right now is that there's nobody in that building, outside of the leadership that knows every position. So they're kind of rushing people through and she feels like they are setting them up for failure.Matt and Tricia discuss how they should go about making sure that all of these people are trained 100% correctly so that they can be effective in their jobs as they move into their role of training other new team members. One of the options that comes up is using a trainer from a different location to help get the process started and to make sure that everyone knows exactly what they're doing.They also discussed some ideas of bringing in brand new people to be those trainers and just starting them off right away, and learning how to do every position so that they can train all of the new team members that come in on every spot in the restaurant.So the entire episode is dedicated to talking about how the current trainers are being set up for failure because they're not getting the training that they need.Matt and Tricia are going to discuss ways that that can be changed so that the failure isn't an issue. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, we have kind of a two part episode for you.On yesterday's episode, Tricia discussed the issues and the struggles that she was having with a manager meeting that was coming up and kind of some of the problems that they were having and how she was worried about the way that those problems would be handled and the things that would be discussed during that meeting. So we recap the meeting, as it has already happened.Come to find out that the meeting should have been an email, nothing was discussed. No problems were brought up. And really, it was just a big pat on the back, which is the most ineffective thing you could ever do in a manager meeting. So I apologize for the very anticlimactic ending to what was a great first episode.So we then spin off in a different direction. And we talk about, about how they are struggling with not having trainers right now. And how some of the people that want to move up and be trainers or be shift leads are just kind of following the current management staff around kind of they kind of have this puppy dog sort of attitude, where they they're just following they're not really accomplishing anything. They're not asking questions, they're just kind of following around.So Matt and Tricia discuss why they're doing that. And what you can do to help stop that problem in an effective manner.What Matt and Tricia decide is that the best thing to do is give those people a purpose. Give them someone to train someone to work with something to be responsible for, to get them started down that path of leadership. That's really what most people are looking for is a purpose in their job. If they don't have a purpose, they don't have a reason to be there.And right now, when you have someone that is wanting to learn something and they're following around other leadership, normally, they just want something to latch on to, and they want a purpose in their job. So the best way to solve the issue that Tricia is having right now is to give everyone a purpose.So we discussed that and so much more on today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Matt and Tricia kind of go off the rails a little bit like normal. But it does start with a purpose. Tricia is about to step into her first manager meeting with her new brand that she's been working for for a few months now. And this will be the first time that she's gone into a manager meeting without knowing exactly what is going to be discussed. And that's a little bit different for normally she is part of the process of making those meetings. So this is just different experience a little strange for her.So we talk about that and kind of how she should handle that situation. And then when we go off the rails talking about how she's not expecting the leadership that she would like to see out of this meeting.So we talk through a scenario that she knows is going to come up and how we would handle that scenario, and how we would turn the negative into a positive for the team. And I think that that's a good practice for any leader to have, try and find if there's a negative situation, really think about what it all boils down to and see if you can turn that negative into a positive. And that's what we spend a lot of today's episode talking about is the big negative, that will be discussed tomorrow, there is an easy way to turn this into a positive and into a benefit for your team now and in the future. And to help you to retain your team long term. It seems like a very easy fix, but it's not going to be.So Matt and Tricia are going to discuss that option. And they're also going to discuss why they don't think that'll happen. And really what place Tricia holds within this organization because she's not at a point where she can make that change that she knows would be beneficial. So how does she go about bringing that up? And slowly starting to make the changes? So for that and so much more? Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia discussed the importance of learning.A recent experience with their son's little league coach kind of reminded them that you always have to keep learning. And the example is, our son was named as the starting catcher for the all star team. And they're working through practices, you know, hopefully getting ready to make the run to Williamsport. And after I told him, I said, yeah, dude, today, you're the starting catcher. But if you don't keep working hard, working on your off time, and really getting your fundamentals down and keep getting better every single day, you might not be that starting catcher when the tournament rolls around. So keep working, keep learning and stay deserving of what you've got.And that relates so much to the restaurant industry, because so many times you'll find people that get that promotion, or they get that first leadership role. And they really feel like they've made it. And they kind of sit back and coast, sitting back and coasting is a great way to get passed up.And once you've made it, in your opinion, it's time to keep learning and keep working hard and just strive for that next level. Because you always, your boss is always looking to fill positions, and looking for those "A" Players to fill them. be that "A" Player that your organization needs. Whether that's a new position, or just getting better at your current position. Moving into a higher role, whatever it is, you've got to keep learning, you've got to keep getting that 1% better every single day so that you can stay on top of your game.And in today's episode, we're going to talk about a few things that worked for Matt and Tricia. And we'll talk about a few examples that might not be examples of great leadership, but they are great ways for you to learn and grow. Matt and Tricia were in a situation where they were listening to a conversation that was just a flat out bad leadership. And they used that experience, to learn what not to do, and to learn how to not handle things and to grow from that situation. And that's really what you're looking for everyday is the opportunity to learn and grow. Whether that be learning what not to do, or learning a great new tactic, something amazing that you can do.The important part is learning and growing every single day so that you can be the best that you can be in your job in your life. So for that and so much more listened to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be Matt and Tricia are going to have a conversation about why the A players will stay with your organization.Now, a lot of times when people talk about keeping team members around, or they talk about their A players, they tend to talk about the reason that you lose team members, we decided to spin that around and talk about what you can do to keep those rockstars in your building. And we're going to go through a list of the top 10 reasons why team members will stay around. And Matt and Tricia give their input on why those people stay around. And what you can do in each of these 10 categories to make sure that you keep great team members around. And those categories are.People just want to be a part of something special. If you can create a special atmosphere, you will keep your team.Team members and leadership want their work to have a purpose and a meaning. We also talk about how their contribution makes a difference. If they don't feel like they're making a difference in the organization, they're not going to want to be around.Team members also want to be recognized and respected. Giving recognition where recognition is due is very important. And Matt & Tricia think that respect should just be a given.People also want to work around great team members. If you are a great team member or a great leader, you want to surround yourself with other great leaders and team members. So as a restaurant leader, your goal is to surround everyone with great talent.People want to be encouraged and mentored to their full potential.People also want to trust their leadership. Now this is a big one. People don't leave jobs, people leave leaders. So you need to make sure that your team trust you.They want to be a part of a culture that is irreplaceable. Now Matt and Tricia have had team members around them for years throughout multiple brands, because they have created a culture that people want to be part of. So create that culture that they can't find anywhere else and you will keep a great team intact.Finally, people just want fair compensation and they want job security. Pay your people what they're worth, you know, pay them more than they're worth, and make sure that they're secure in their job. In this episode, Matt and Tricia, we're going to break that down into a lot more depth. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We discuss the topic of employees becoming difficult.When we talk about employees, we're not talking about a single employee, or you know, maybe one or two team members becoming a little difficult and a little stressful, we more mean large groups of team members or your entire team becoming difficult. If you have a consistent problem that you are struggling with across the board, then you don't have a problem with your team, you have a problem within your restaurant.Anytime there's a problem within the restaurant as a whole, that all is going to come back on leadership. So you don't have a difficult team, you have a problem within yourself as a leader that you need to address and combat.The simplest one to use, as an example, is attendance, if you are constantly struggling with team members calling off or not showing up, switching shifts without communicating. And this is something that happens across the board. It is that you have not set expectations and maintained them for everyone. This is not a team member problem. This is a culture problem. And you have created a culture to where this is acceptable.So in this episode, we're going to talk about how to identify that problem. And the importance of reflecting on it, bringing the team together and setting the standard so that you can all move forward in a positive new direction.Now, this is sometimes hard to do, it is hard to sit back and reflect and realize that you are the problem. But it is imperative that you do this to move forward and to stop the problems that you're having within your building. The employees have not become a problem. You have allowed them to become a problem. And you are the only one that can fix that.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia discuss first impressions.First impressions are a great tool to help you judge a person really quickly. But how often do you think those first impressions come back to bite you, and you lose out on a great team member, a great leader, or a great friend, you can really use this at any point of your life.First impressions are sometimes great, but sometimes, they can be very detrimental. And throughout this episode today, Matt and Tricia talk about two first impressions, that they almost got very, very wrong. But luckily, they were able to get around those first impressions. And they ended up with some of the best people that they have ever worked with, by in one instance, ignoring that first impression. And in another instance, the person was hired without Matt and Tricia's input.Matt had been ignoring an applicant for a while because he got a bad taste in his mouth after the first impression. One day while he was gone, somebody else hired her. And that turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened for the restaurant. And it almost didn't happen because of a bad first impression. So throughout the conversation today, Matt and Tricia are going to discuss how often first impressions might be negative. But you could be missing out on a great manager, a great leader, a great team member, or even a great friend.You never know what you're missing out on by by basing everything off of that first impression.Now, how do you go about trying to ignore that first impression? That's a tough thing to do. And we understand and acknowledge that if your gut tells you something you normally have to trust it. But throughout the episode today, Matt and Tricia are going to discuss what detriments that could have. And honestly, we don't have a lot of answers on how to fix that. But we want you all to be aware that your first impression might not always be right, and you might lose out on something great because of a bad first impression.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On this episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, we're going to talk about building your replacement.Now that might sound a little bit scary to some people, but hear us out on this one. So if you are a driven leader that is looking for that next step in your career, you have the responsibility to build your replacement. And, you know, honestly, even if you don't have the thought process of moving forward, you're comfortable where you are, which is where Tricia finds herself right now, you still should be building a replacement, in the sense that you want people that are just as capable and just as dedicated and hardworking as you are. And the best way to do that is to build that person, you're never going to hire that person. But you can bring in a great team member that has potential and build them into the leader that you are.Now, in Matt's case, Matt is he's on a different path. And Tricia, Tricia likes to get comfortable in the job and really just stay there, she doesn't really have the ambition to do more than run a location, which is fine. A lot of people find themselves there. And if that's where you want to be, that's a great place. Matt's a little different though Matt is always looking for that next step forward. And he has come to find that the only way that he can take that next step forward is if he has somebody to fill his shoes.So that has always been something that Matt has done. And throughout this episode, Matt and Tricia are going to talk about the  importance of building that replacement, how to go about building that replacement, and how it's going to benefit the entire organization, including the person that will be replacing you.You are going to be building a lot of confidence and a massive skill set in that individual and everyone benefits from that in the long run. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, we are going to talk about having fun at work.We spend most of our lives at work. as unfortunate as that may be to say out loud, that is the truth. So you need to make sure that you are in a culture and an environment that's fun. And you need to encourage that with your teams. Because you want them to have fun and you want them to stay around. But when it comes to having fun at work, you've also got to get shit done.So as a leader, how do you find that line of having fun, but still getting shit done because you have to do both. But there are lines that can't be crossed. Those lines could change on a daily, hourly, minute by minute basis. But you have to have boundaries. But you have to allow everyone to enjoy their time at work. It's important for you, it's important for them and it's important for your customers.So make sure that you're having fun, make sure that you're getting shit done. For that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, we are going to talk about a subject that is a part of the hiring process. And a part that you need to pay a lot of attention to in Matt and Tricia's opinion and that is what you can and can't teach.Now, to us, you can teach someone to be smart. Teaching smart is very easy, because in all honesty, what we do is not rocket science. It is treating people well and making great food if you want to really break it down to the processes that are involved behind the line in a quick service restaurant. It is not that difficult to do.So you can teach someone to be smart when it comes to working in your restaurant. But you cannot teach someone to be nice. So Matt and Tricia's motto is you can teach smart, you will never teach happy. So as part of the interview process, you need to be looking for someone that's upbeat, someone that is happy and friendly. Someone that is a team player and someone that is ready to go.You don't need to be looking for the smartest person of the bunch. You need to be looking for someone that is happy, and someone that is coachable. Because with those two things, a team member can do anything. You will never teach someone how to be a nice person. But you can teach someone how to make a cheeseburger you can teach someone how to use a fryer, you can teach someone how to slice a brisket, you will never teach someone how to relate to others. That is a difficult task.We are not saying that it's impossible. It is just a long term project. That right now in this industry, most people do not have the time or the patience to take on. We are all short handed we are going through a staffing shortage. Some people are calling it a crisis. So when you do get an applicant, you need to be looking for happy, not smart.You can teach them to be smart, you will never teach them to be nice in the timeframe you need. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast. The podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be. We talk about solving problems and more specifically, not solving problems.As a leader, your job is not to solve everyone's problems, your job is to teach everyone how to solve their problems. And this is important for many different reasons. And one of them is very selfish. But if you can teach your leadership to solve problems on their own, without making that phone call to you, you're gonna free up a lot of your time and your time is valuable.Your time away from the restaurant is very important. Let's face it, we all spend more time at the restaurant than we do with our own families for the most part. So you don't want that time to be interrupted. And the best way to make sure that your time is not interrupted, is to teach your team and your other leaders how to solve their own problems.When you help them learn how to solve their own problems, you're helping them develop and you're coaching them into the leaders that they are meant to be, which is your job, you want to help develop your team and your leaders into the best possible versions of themselves.Matt and Tricia spend this episode discussing a few ways and a few tactics that you can use to help teach your leadership team how to solve problems without making the phone calls. And to be honest, it's going to take a lot more of your time in the beginning to teach everyone these tactics and to go through these processes. But in the long run, everyone will benefit.So to learn the tips and tricks that Matt and Tricia have used throughout their career. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia discuss the topic of standards within the restaurant, and specifically holding everyone to the same standard.Now, it is impossible to hold every single member of the team to the same standard all across the board. Everyone's different, everyone's going to learn and everyone's going to work in a different manner. So there's no way to hold everyone to the exact same standard in every aspect of your business. But there are a few standards that 100% have to be upheld across the board.In Matt and Tricia's opinion, those things are attendance, guidance of company policy, and hospitality to the guest. Those are non negotiables.And when it comes to attendance, in Matt and Tricia is opinion, it is different based on your level of leadership within the restaurant. And is odd as it may seem, some people are going to get a little bit more slack. But as your responsibilities grow, that rope tightens a little bit.Now, one of the main topics of conversation is going to be what happens when a co worker that carries the same title as you is held to a different standard than you are? How do you approach that situation with leadership? Because that is not fair to anyone. If both of you are shift leaders, and one is held to a higher standard than the other that sets a bad precedent for the entire building. And that is a situation that in Matt and Tricia's opinion cannot happen.So how do you have that conversation with your superiors to let them know that you don't feel that that is acceptable, and that you are setting yourself up for failure? So for that, and so much more listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, we discuss something that's a little outside the box as far as the interview process goes. And it's something that Matt was recently involved in. And that is the working interview.Now, if you don't know what a working interview is, what happened in Matt's situation is he did a phone interview with one brand. And then he did an in person interview with one of the district managers. And then for a third and final interview, he interviewed with a another district manager, as well as the owner of the brand in what they call a working interview.He went into the restaurant location, sat and talked with the owner for a little while, talked with the district manager for a little while. And then him and the owner went back behind the line of the restaurant, the owner showed him around a little bit, taught him how to make a few things and taught him how their Expo works, and really how the flow of the restaurant works and how the four walls are organized. And then he gave Matt the opportunity to make some food and to interact with customers, to take dishes out to customers tables, to refill drinks for them, and to really get a feel for how it felt to work in that organization.At first, when you hear the term working interview, you think, "Well, I'm not going to go work for no pay." But after being involved in it, Matt's reaction was. This is genius! This is something that needs to be implemented to its fullest extent in as many places as possible.Today, Matt and Tricia are going to discuss why in their opinion, more places don't do this, and how every brand, no matter what style, or what concept they are, they can do this, it might look a little different depending on the style of food and the layout and the flow of your restaurant and your brand. But in one way or another, everyone can implement a working interview.In Matt and Tricia's opinion, a working interview is something that you have to do you owe it to those people that you're interviewing, to have the opportunity to learn how you function, what you stand for, how you work, and how you could work together.If a potential team member or leader for your organization is wanting to come in, they need to know what they're getting into. They need to know if it fits with their style.  And you need to know if you're going to fit with them.You can learn a lot about culture and about each other by just working together for an hour or so. And that's really all it takes about an hour and you can learn a lot.Matt and Tricia believe it is very important that everyone takes a long hard look at this and figures out how they can implement it. It should have great benefits for your organization. So for that and so much more listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. Matt and Tricia discuss a situation that Tricia had during her first shift as a closing supervisor for Freddy's.She noticed that a lot of the team members were much younger, you know, teenage boys. And her being a woman in her 30's. It's hard to relate to people of that age group, especially boys. But she found that they kind of automatically related to her, they had a lot of respect for her, and they work together really well.So we discuss why that was the way it was. Let's be honest, it is hard to relate to that age group, especially in a leadership position. You can remember when you were that age, but it's hard to relate to that age because when you look back on yourself at that age level, you just think about how stupid you were. And maybe they are. But you can always find a common ground and you can always find a way to relate to them.So Tricia talks about the ways that she can relate to them and the tactics that she used, and how she goes about her day to day relating to and gaining respect from people in that age group.We talk about the key thing, to gaining that trust and building that relationship. And that is in the famous words of Nate Phillips to just give a shit.You have to genuinely care about your people and get to know your people so that they gain that level of respect and trust for you. And they will work hard for you. They will do anything for you as long as you give a shit and you will do anything for them.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to beJoin the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We are back for part two of a conversation that Tricia had with us about her new position and her training as a supervisor.Now, if you remember from episode one, Tricia went into work. And it was the first day of her management training. And she told one of the employees what she was doing. And the employees response was, "Wow, you skipped supervisor and went straight to manager." And this caused a lot of confusion for both me and her. Because they're the same, in our opinion. And I would think to most of you, they're the same.So when one team member says it, that's just a teaching and coaching moment for the team member. But she had multiple team members say it, which led to a lot of confusion, is there a difference? What is the difference? Should there be a difference? So we decided to pause the conversation and make this a two parter, so that she could go to work the next day, and ask the question and see what was going on.Tricia has now had the chance to do that. So we are back for part two that provides a lot of clarification. She had the chance to sit down with Leisa, and come to find out that they are the exact same. There's no difference, which we would expect. But that leads to a lot more questions. Why does the team feel like there's a difference because in their eyes, if there's a difference, that's a problem, and we need to solve that.So Matt and Tricia talk about that. And Tricia brings up ways that she can help those other supervisors gain that respect, and get that level of trust with the team that she has, so that they're in a better position down the road as they move on in their careers. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We talk about Tricia's experience on her first day of supervisory training with Freddy's.Tricia has been in management and leadership role for really most of her career. But she's never done that with Freddy's. So she's going through what they call supervisory training. And she had a very interesting situation when she first got to work today. A team member noticed that she wasn't wearing a hat and asked her basically, if she forgot it, or you know, what was going on there? And she said, No, I started my management training today. So I don't have to wear a hat anymore. And the team member said, Oh, wow, you skipped supervisor and went straight to manager.Now, this just seems like a odd situation, like maybe the team member doesn't know what's going on there. And then it happened again, and again, multiple team members said the same thing. So that kind of got her thinking, maybe they just don't understand that a supervisor is a manager. And once Matt and Tricia talked, he brought up to her well maybe a supervisor isn't a manager, have you gotten any clarification?And that kind of got the wheels turning? Oh, crap. What is a supervisor? What did I just get myself into? What is my job? In Matt and Tricia's eyes, a supervisor is a manager, but maybe not all brands function the same way. So she is very confused on where she is at in her career and what her position entails.She at this point in time does not know her job. So we discuss kind of what the options are, what could have been meant by everything that was said and throughout those conversations, and the possibilities of what a manager is and what a supervisor is.And we kind of come to the decision that there's a lot of questions unanswered. So we decided to make this conversation two parts. So today, in part one, you're going to hear about the thought process and the questions that have come up. And we take a pause, and tomorrow, you will hear all about what happened because Tricia is going to have a conversation with Leisa, who is her store manager and find out what the difference is, is there a difference? And she's gonna go from there.Now, in Matt's opinion, there is some sort of a difference, it might not be a difference that Freddy's sees. But when you have multiple team members express things the way that they did to Tricia, today. In their eyes, there's a difference. So no matter what, something needs to change there, and we're going to discuss that and go pretty in depth on that.So, for that and a little bit more, listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

In today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We talked about trusting your team members.Now trusting your team members is something that a lot of people say that they do, but their actions do not support their phrases.For instance, have you ever uttered to yourself the phrase, "I can do it better, so I'm just going to do it by myself."You might be right. And honestly, you probably have more experience and you probably are, but giving them the chance and trusting their decision making goes a long way.Be willing to teach them how to accomplish the tasks, they might not do it the same way you do, they might not do it as good as you. In fact, they probably won't ever do it as good as you do it. But by teach them and show them that you respect them.You want them to grow, and you are building some trust with that team member. They trust that you are going to teach them and you are going to guide them in the right direction. And by doing that, you're also sharpening your leadership skills and taking a little bit of weight off of your shoulders.And if there's one thing that most new leaders in the quick service industry need, it is a little bit more weight off of their shoulders.As we've discussed previously, the fast food and the quick service restaurant industries are tough. There's a lot that goes into it that most people don't see. So trust in your team, take a little bit of that weight off of your shoulders and help your team develop. For that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We take the things a little off topic, and we discuss a saying that Matt heard on his way home from work.He's got a nice long commute from work. And he spends a lot of time listening to podcasts and audiobooks. And on one of his podcasts today, one of the hosts used the phrase paying your blue collar dues in terms of a restaurant, he was talking about one of his first jobs and that's where he paid his blue collar dues before he moved on to where he is now, which is in the tech industry.And it got Matt and Tricia thinking, how else can you pay your blue collar dues? And how do you rank those jobs? So Matt and Tricia talk a lot about the different types of jobs that young people can have to really learn those skills that are needed throughout the rest of their life, working with the public, working in a demanding and a physical job, and really paying those blue collar dues.Once they talk about them, they then rank them from, in their opinion, the hardest down to the easiest. And really, they talk about what each one of those jobs entail, and how you learn from it and how you grow as a person through all of these experiences.It's a little off topic conversation, but a very interesting conversation. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you be the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

In today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be, we are going to discuss a topic that is talked about a lot on this podcast. And that is leadership.Tricia is in the middle of management training in her new job. And as she was going through her training, she realized that it is a lot of admin type work. It is a lot of learning the systems learning the back end, just really learning the nuts and bolts of how things work from a management trainee standpoint.So far, there hasn't been any talk of leadership development. And this is something that happens a lot in most brands. From our experience. They don't talk a lot about leadership development. And we got to talking about, well, if you're not going to learn that from work, where do you learn that? And how do you learn that? What's available to you?Now, part of the reason for the QSR guru podcast is we want to do our part to help provide some of that by sharing our tips and tricks and some of our experience within the industry to help young leaders learn those leadership qualities that they need. But where else can you go? What else can you do? So we discuss some of the things that we have used in our past where we have learned from previous leaders, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. We talk about what we've learned.A lot of the development that Matt has received has come from seminars, podcasts, and audiobooks.And for Tricia, it has come from watching and learning from others, as well as really knowing that her management team has her back that has helped her turn into the leader that she wants to be.Hopefully throughout this episode, you learn a few things and you can develop into that leader that you want to be using some of the tips and tricks that we've laid out for you. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

In today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be Matt and Tricia discuss something that everyone has an issue with.Really, no matter who you are, what your background is where you work, industry, you know, this crosses all boundaries. And that is change. Nobody likes change.There a very select few that do. Matt is one of those that really loves and embraces change. And Tricia is in there with the rest of the crowd that is scared of change doesn't like it and doesn't embrace it. So Matt and Tricia, spend the next 20 minutes discussing why change is important, and why you have to embrace change.They also discuss a few tips and tricks to help you embrace that change. And really dive deep into the importance of change and how it helps you grow and learn as a person and as a leader in your industry, in your restaurant, within your four walls and with within your organization.Also, there's a little bit of trust involved there. So they they discuss having that trust and that belief in yourself to to know that the change is going to be beneficial and everything's going to work out in the long run.Without having that trust. You aren't going to make the changes that you need to make for yourself and for your business. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

In today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We discuss a variety of topics. But it all comes back to training.Tricia, has been doing some training recently, as she makes a transition into being a supervisor. And she's struggling right now with her training, because things are easy for her. And they're not coming as easy for some of the people that she's training.So we discuss how to help your team along as they're going through the training process and try and make their lives a little bit easier. We also talk about how long we have been in this industry, and why things are so easy for us, it's very easy in our opinions to do certain things. And we have to remember that when we started, it wasn't that easy for us.So when we are training, we can't be upset with people in with our the new team members, because they're not picking things up as fast as we would like. We have to remember that everyone learns at a different pace. Everyone does things a little bit differently, and in a lot of cases these people don't have the experience that we have.In the specific case of who Tricia is training right now, the person that she is training is 19 years old. She has been in the industry for over 20 years. So of course, it's going to be easy for her to do everything in the building and pick up on processes and procedures very quickly. Because she's been doing it longer than the person she's training has been alive. That makes a big difference.As leaders and as trainers, we need to be conscious of that. And we also need to realize and understand everyone learns a little bit differently. And we have to be open and willing to help guide these people in a great path forward. And we can't do that if we were being frustrated with the outcomes. Everyone's going to do things a little bit differently. Everyone's going to learn at their own pace, and not everyone has the experience that we leaders have.So as you are leading your team and you're training your team, remember that they might not have the experience that you have and they might not learn the way you learn. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast. The podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We talk the power of relationships with Nate Phillips.Nate has been in the restaurant industry for over 25 years and worked his way to his current role as director of operations.Nate finds a lot of power in building relationships with everyone around you and he discusses the power of people and building relationships with Matt & Tricia on this episode.To hear Nate's advice, and much much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On this episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be, we are going to celebrate our 50th episode.So for the 50th, we recap our favorite episodes. And we spend a lot of time talking about all of the episodes that were the most downloaded, had the most impact on our listeners, and had the most impact on ourselves. And I think that that was the cool thing that we found throughout this process of going back through the first 50 is the impact that these episodes had on us.Because a lot of the time, we just have an idea, and we want to talk about it. And it turns out that we brainstorm ideas that lead to great things for us. So we talk about Tricia starting a new job, we talk about our great friend Cameron that recently passed away. We have an interview with Matt's dad, Ross Wilson. And he's never been in the restaurant industry. But he talks about Matt and Tricia having been in the restaurant industry, the impact that that's had on him how his outlook has changed because of seeing that.We listen to Jared Collins amazing interviews, if you want to learn a lot about the industry, take a few hours out of a couple of days and listen to that.Speaking of taking some time, we also talk about episode number 12, where we discussed the importance of taking time for yourself.We get into how to create that perfect first day. How do you help employees? Or how do you help the new employee just have an amazing experience from the second they walk in the door.We also talk about the three to four words that Aaron Esterbrook said in Episode 28 that Changed Matt's life and changed his outlook on the way he runs his organization forever. Just a wealth of information, a wealth of knowledge, and again, one of the smartest people you're ever going to listen to in this industry.So for that and so much more you can listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. And thank you so much for hanging out with us for 50 episodes. We are so glad that all of you are here and we look forward to the next 50 and beyond.Episode Links007 - Kennady Wilson Interview009 - Closing Training With Tricia012 - Taking Time For Yourself013 - Sam Bucko Interview026 - Creating The Perfect First Day027 - A New Journey Begins As Tricia Moves On028 - Aaron Esterbrook Discusses Leadership030 - We are all Going To Miss you Cam036 - Looking At The Industry From The Outside047 - Jared Collins Interview Part 1048 - Jared Collins Interview Part 2Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We're going to talk about attitudes, and specifically your attitude as a leader, and how it affects everything that goes on around you.Now, imagine this scenario. You're a team member, who has just gotten to work, been there for about an hour or so. And your manager comes in for the day. And the first thing they say is, "oh, I don't want to be here." Well, what are you as a team member thinking In that moment, whether you started with a good day or not, your attitude is going to drop drastically, right away.Because if your leader is not in the mood to be there and be positive and have a good impact on everyone around them, you're not going to because the leader sets the tone. So you as a team member, your attitude has been brought down, and you're going to pass that off to the rest of the team, who is then going to pass it off to the customers who then are not going to have a good experience in your location.As a restaurant leader, you have a responsibility to be better than that. No matter how you are feeling. You need to come into that restaurant, ready to work and ready to be positive and ready to have an amazing impact on everyone around you, because you have the responsibility to do that for your customers and for your team members.So in today's episode, Matt and Trisha will discuss a few ways that they have found throughout the years to help get them in the mode that they need to be into. And Tricia specifically is very good at this. She has a couple of tricks up her sleeve that she uses on a day to day basis to make sure that she's in the right frame of mind every day when she walks into that restaurant.It's very impressive the way that she can flip a switch and just be ready to work and be ready to provide great service and great leadership to everyone around her. So to hear her advice, and much much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

Welcome to another episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.We have a special treat today. Mr. Jared Collins is going to be joining us for part 2 of his interview. We've been waiting a long time to get Jared on. Jared is a Costa Vida franchisee, and he was the franchisee of Costa Vida that me and Tricia worked at for probably about two and a half years.And Jared and his brother Brian, and really their entire families really taught me and Tricia, how you should handle running a restaurant.We we had always we've been in the restaurant industry for most of our lives. And had taken a little break me for over probably five years, I was out of the industry, maybe a little bit less than that. And Tricia she'd been in and out of it as she spent a lot of time, you know, raising our children.And when we came back in and we started to work for Costa Vida, we could not have made a better decision. They were the people that we needed at that time in our lives. And they taught us how to run a restaurant in this new age that we are in Matt and Tricia hadn't been in the restaurant industry in a while and a lot had changed in the way that you lead teams and you work with people. And we needed Jared and Brian at that point in our careers. And they taught us a lot. And we've taken everything that we learned from them and run with it.We are really excited about this conversation. It's actually going to be a two part episode. Mostly because Matt, Tricia and Jared could talk for hours. And they did did talk for about three hours total that evening.So you're gonna get a lot of great information you're gonna learn a lot about an awesome family. So sit back, relax and enjoy today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

Welcome to another episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.We have a special treat today. Mr. Jared Collins is going to be joining us. We've been waiting a long time to get Jared on. Jared is a Costa Vida franchisee, and he was the franchisee of Costa Vida that me and Tricia worked at for probably about two and a half years.And Jared and his brother Brian, and really their entire families really taught me and Tricia, how you should handle running a restaurant.We we had always we've been in the restaurant industry for most of our lives. And had taken a little break me for over probably five years, I was out of the industry, maybe a little bit less than that. And Tricia she'd been in and out of it as she spent a lot of time, you know, raising our children.And when we came back in and we started to work for Costa Vida, we could not have made a better decision. They were the people that we needed at that time in our lives. And they taught us how to run a restaurant in this new age that we are in Matt and Tricia hadn't been in the restaurant industry in a while and a lot had changed in the way that you lead teams and you work with people. And we needed Jared and Brian at that point in our careers. And they taught us a lot. And we've taken everything that we learned from them and run with it.We are really excited about this conversation. It's actually going to be a two part episode. Mostly because Matt, Tricia and Jared could talk for hours. And they did did talk for about three hours total that evening.So you're gonna get a lot of great information you're gonna learn a lot about an awesome family. So sit back, relax and enjoy today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We're going to discuss how to handle a team member giving their two week notice.So there are a few ways you can handle a two week notice, there's actually countless ways that you can handle a two week notice, but there's a few that we focus on today.This comes up because of a story that we heard about a team member that had found a new job was ready to move on in their life. And they went into work to give their notice. And they were terminated upon giving their notice. And, you know, obviously, that is not the right way to handle things. But if you're going to do that, you obviously did not want that team member longterm or you wouldn't have made that decision.So how do you handle that situation where you have a team member that wasn't in your long term plans, giving you your their notice. Now, you can handle that in the way that was described above, or you can go about it in a way that everyone wins. You can talk to the employee and ask them if they actually want to work out that two week notice. And if they don't, you can work with them to maybe finish out the night. Or go back to your schedule and see if you can rearrange, get them out a week, early 10 days early, whatever you can do.That way the employee is getting everything that they want. You're getting what you want and what you need for your business, and you also look like the good guy. Everyone leaves on good terms. That way you don't ever want an employee separation to be on bad terms if you can avoid it.Now on the other hand, what do you do when it is an employee that is leaving you that you don't want to leave? There are many, many ways you can handle this one and we discussed three or four different options that we have tried plus one that we really want to try but just haven't had the opportunity yet.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast. The podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to beJoin the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

Welcome to another episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We've got another special treat for you today, we've got our good friend, and probably one of the best quick service restaurant leaders that I know of. Mr. Aaron esterbrook is joining us again today.In his previous episode, we kind of went all around with Aaron, we talked about a lot of different topics. And we had a great conversation. And I feel like the listeners learned a lot. And today we wanted to narrow it down a little bit. And we focused on the difference between a manager and a leader.Matt and Tricia have talked about this multiple times, and Matt and Tricia decided that they needed an outsider perspective on this, they wanted to hear from someone  who has been a leader in the industry for a long time in many different positions and many different levels of leadership. And they wanted to get his outlook, see his way of thinking and get a little advice from him.A lot of you listeners are just starting out, or trying to make that transition from management to leadership, or maybe are first time leaders. And Aaron has a lot of great input no matter where you are in your journey as a quick service or fast food restaurant leader. And he shares a lot of that today.He also breaks down some of the things that you can do when you're struggling as a leader, we all hit those walls, where we need some help. And Aaron goes into great detail about how you know when you're at that point that you need some help and you need to take a break and maybe get some outside assistance on things.And again, Aaron is just a wealth of knowledge for us and for all of our listeners. And we thank him very much and we hope that you enjoy listening to Mr. Aaron Esterbrooks thoughts on the difference between management and leadership. So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to beJoin the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. We are going to discuss Tricia making a little change in the way she does things.Tricia has always kind of struggled to let every one above her know what she wants. This has been an issue of hers for a long time, she has no issue when it comes to leading her team effectively, and taking care of the restaurant and getting the job done on a day to day basis. She's always been nothing but great at that.Now, where she struggles is talking to the people that are above her in the pecking order. What I mean by that is Tricia has had multiple opportunities where promotions, or raises or really anything was promised to her. And she does not take the initiative herself to make sure that that happens for her.She listens to the promises and listens to the timeframe and everything that said to her. And then when it doesn't happen is she vents, and she doesn't take the initiative on her own to make sure that happens for her well, that all changed today.Tricia has been promised a supervisor position in Freddie's and they keep scheduling her to train. And if she's training other people, she can't be trained herself. And it got a little frustrating. So Tricia took the initiative to go to Leisa, who is her direct supervisor, and say, Hey, what's going on here, I need to get my training done. And I need to get it done quick. And here's what the schedule looks like. So let's fit it in here.Leisa actually went up to her and she's like, No, how about I rearrange everything. And we do it two days earlier than that. And so Tricia got what she wanted, she got what she was promised, and she got what she rightfully deserved, by taking the initiative to go after what she wanted. And that's a huge step for her. And it's probably a step that a lot of other people are missing in their career.Matt has had multiple times when people have come to him and said, You know, I want to do this. And he don't really take them seriously unless they take the initiative to continue to ask him about it again. And then once they do a few times, we'll have the conversation and we'll work our way through it. Either they're ready, or he is going to give them a performance plan.I think that a lot of other leaders view things the same way I do if it's important to you. You're gonna keep asking me about it until you get an answer and it might not be the answer you want. But you're gonna keep asking until you get that answer. And I think that that is the approach that you need to take. If you want it bad enough. Keep talking about it until you get what you want, and you get what you deserve.So for that conversation, and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

On today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you are meant to be. Matt and Trisha are going to discuss your responsibilities as a leader.And when we speak about responsibilities, we are not talking about the normal day to day responsibilities of being a manager inside of a restaurant, we were talking about your responsibility to your team, to your customers, to your organization, and to yourself.What is your responsibility to your team? What do you owe them? What are they looking for from you, and what should you be providing for them? And the same thing goes with your guests and the same thing goes with your company.You have a lot of responsibilities. And most of those responsibilities in Matt and Tricia's  opinion come down to taking care of your team.That responsibility happens every single day. So for that and so much more, listen to today's episode of The QSR guru podcast the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

Welcome to another episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. On today's episode, we are going to talk about the difference between being friends, and being friendly when it comes to your team.Now you have to be friendly. And that will help to you build the respectful and open communication line. And really let them know that you care about them.But you at the same time can't truly be friends because you need to know. And most importantly, the team needs to know that there's a difference. And when you have to, you have the ability to guide them and lead them in the right direction. And that's really hard to do as a friend. But it's very easy to do when you're friendly.So you need to make the distinction between friendly and friends.We also spend a lot of time talking about how you can lead people in a direction of accomplishing goals in a friendly manner, and earn respect all along the way.Matt gives a few examples throughout his first week in his new position of ways that he has been able to lead and earn some respect while being very friendly towards the entire team and learning from the entire team.We also talk about a few tricks of the trade that you can use to kind of go off topic a little bit like normal on those but it all circles back and it all ends up being very helpful.So for that and so much more. Listen to today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com

Welcome to another episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be. On today's episode, we talk about taking ownership in your restaurant.And by taking ownership, we don't mean you know, actual monetary ownership, you know, buying into your restaurant, we mean running it like you owning it, taking a little ownership about the decisions that are made, how the restaurant is running, really owning the financials of that restaurant, so that you can help the company that you work for be more successful.Because in the long run, the success of your organization is your success as well. Most restaurant managers are paid bonuses that are based on things like sales and profitability, the controllables and those are all things that you can take ownership of, and you can run that restaurant like you own it to help everyone make more money in the long run.So for that and so much more, check out today's episode of The QSR guru Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you become the quick service restaurant leader you were meant to be.Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/qsrguruEmail us at info@qsrguru.comFind our website at www.qsrguru.com